Reed's test of Darla's abilities continues! Darla was able to defeat one of Reed's dragons, but an even more powerful one was sent out to take its place! Will Darla be able to defeat the Dragonite, or will she be forced back home?

KedharS: She doesn't know that though.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: You never know. It's definitely a nail-biting battle, though.

Guest: Caelia is… interesting.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 789

"So what do you think, Zinnia?" Reed purred with her silky voice as her Dragonite flapped his wings and took to the sky.

Darla glared at her.

"Take a look at my beautiful Alenda, can't you see how wonderful he is?" Reed swooned. "Your dragons are lovely too, of course, but they can't compete with my Dragonite. And not only that, but your Tyrantrum won't even be able to lay a claw on him."

Darla smirked. "Looks like more than a claw!"

The sharp stones hovering in the air around Reed shot down and dug into her Dragonite, slicing through his scales.

"Dragonite!" Alendra roared in pain.

"Alendra!" Reed cried. Her smile quickly returned as she regained her composure. "So that was the purpose of those large stones, I see. Well, it's quite a neat little trick, but not something that can stop us. Alendra has an advantage that you can't compete with! Go, Alendra!"

"Dragonite!" Alendra nodded, shaking off the pain. He flapped his wings and took to the sky, roaring wildly.

"You see, Zinnia?" Reed called. "We have the advantage with Alendra's wonderful wings! Alendra, use dragon pulse!"

"Draaaa!" Alendra opened his mouth and fired a massive pulse of draconic energy, the shockwave surging towards Rex.

"Rex, protect!" Darla ordered. Rex narrowed his eyes and lowered his head, a barrier of brown light appearing around him. The shockwave struck, bouncing off the barrier. Darla smirked. "We won't be beaten that easily, isn't that right, Rex?"

"Tyrantrum!" Rex growled, nodding in agreement. Darla closed her eyes and focused her power, boosting Rex with her dragon force.

"Now, go! Stone edge!" She shouted. Rex tilted his head back and roared, sending a wave of energy through the sky. The stones hovering in the air due to his stealth rock began to shake, and turned towards the Dragonite.

"Oh, clever girl," Reed said, glancing around at the hovering rocks. "Now we're surrounded. But it won't go as you think!"

The rocks shot towards Alendra, but none of them could hit.

"Have a taste of real speed," Reed purred. Alendra easily evaded the rocks with his extremespeed attack, the stones sailing harmlessly around him. "Now, Alendra, let's settle this fast, use your dragon claw!"

Alendra shot forward and swerved behind Rex, raising his claw. Bright orange flames burned through it and he swung, hitting Rex in the back. Rex roared and stumbled forward, swinging his tail at the Dragonite.

But even with Rex's speed boosted as it was, he was only able to land a glancing blow on Alendra, not nearly enough to do real damage. Darla noted that it still obviously miffed Reed, though, as even while the woman's smile never faded her eye twitched imperceptibly.

That led to a smile of her own spreading across Darla's lips.

She wasn't a fool. She knew that Rex didn't have the strength or agility to fight an even match with that Dragonite. Maybe on another field it would have been possible, where he would have the room to move, but trapped on the pier like this it was futile. As with the Dragonair before, Reed's Dragonite could simply strike Rex from afar without the other pokemon being able to do much about it.

This is what I get for raising my pokemon for contests and not with the intention of fighting in pokemon battles, she acknowledged. Reed wasn't entirely wrong that Darla's skills as a battler had been left to run fallow.

But that had suited her needs just fine until now.

Rex will have to do the best he can. He's already scored one win against Reed's pokemon, and I suppose that's the most I can ask for, given the circumstances. It will be tight, but after that head smash attack and taking that dragon claw… he doesn't have much strength left.

And unlike before, there's no way I can bait that Dragonite into a trap. Darla glanced at Reed. The only reason her gambit against Mystica had worked was because the only option for the weaker Dragonair was to come to Reed's aid and use protect. But that wasn't the case with Alendra. The Dragonite probably had the brute strength to knock Rex into the water on his own if he wanted to, charging at Reed would be a waste.

"…Sorry, Rex," Darla apologized. Rex glanced back at her and nodded his head knowingly. He turned back to glare angrily at the Dragonite.

"That's the Zinnia I remember," Reed beamed. "Keeping a cool head, even when the odds are against her. Acknowledging what you can't achieve, but not letting it shake you, that's the dignified composure fitting for the one bearing the name Loremaster."

"Humph," Darla snorted derisively. "It has nothing to do with being the Loremaster. Keeping composed regardless of the circumstances, that's just everyday life for an idol. If you think taming dragons is difficult, Reed, try dealing with the paparazzi, you wouldn't last a minute."

Of course, Reed had no idea what the heck she was talking about, but Darla didn't really care.

"…Lila, though," Ayame coughed.

Darla's eye twitched at the interruption. "Let's leave that aside for now," she cleared her throat, not interested in talking about her partner's occasional slip-up of composure. "But you're right, Reed, we won't give in! Rex and I will keep fighting until the end, and any of my pokemon would do the same! Right?"

"Tyrantrum!" Rex nodded in agreement.

"That's just what I want to hear! Go, Alendra!" Reed grinned, her Dragonite flapping his wings and shooting forward Rex with his claw raised.

"Stone edge!" Darla shouted. With a roar, Rex ripped up stones from beneath the sea and flung them at Alendra, but they barely slowed the dragon's charged. Swinging his claw, Alendra smashed through the boulders with ruthless ferocity, and soon enough he was bearing down on Rex himself.

So this is it… "Rex, endure!" Darla shouted.

"Tyrantrum!" Rex growled, bracing for the Dragonite to do his worst. Alendra swung his claw right into Rex's throat, striking with enough power to knock the ancient pokemon unconscious under normal circumstances. But this situation was far from normal, and Rex wasn't a pokemon who would fall so easily.

Holding on and enduring the hit, Rex raised his head and prepared to land as devastating of a blow as he could. He only had a sliver of health left, but a sliver was all he needed to unleash the strongest head smash he could now that Alendra was right in front of him.

Go, Rex! Darla silently urged. Rex had sacrificed his health and taken the blow to lure the Dragonite in, and she wasn't going to let that be for nothing!

But even as Rex dropped his head, neither could accept the fact that it wasn't meant to be.

Reed smirked.

"Too slow," she sighed.

Before Rex could finish executing the attack, Alendra's fist shot up at lightning speed, hitting him in his mighty jaw. Even with Alendra's power, a Rock type like Rex had great defenses, and an attack like that would barely leave a scratch.

But a scratch was all it took.

With a final groan of defiance Rex collapsed onto the pier, exhausted, while Alendra pulled back and hovered above him.

"You did good, Zinnia, if that attack had landed it would have been devastating," Reed acknowledged, giving her a sympathetic smile. "But as fast and powerful as your Tyrantrum is, it can't compete with our extremespeed."

Darla clenched her fists and recalled Rex to his pokeball. He'd done a great job, especially under circumstances like this. He'd fought his hardest and withstood damage that would have made other pokemon faint.

It just hadn't been enough.

"Rex did an amazing job," Darla said, slipping his ball back in place on her belt. "I have nothing but pride in his performance!"

"As you should," Reed nodded in agreement. Her smile was as bright as the sun, lighting up an otherwise dreary and cloudy day. "He fought his hardest like a noble dragon should, and even if he fell he still defeated one of my pokemon. Well done."

She narrowed her eyes.

"But what will you do now, Zinnia? What's your next move? You still have two pokemon left, if you'd like to keep to your decision as using the same number as me. Unless you'd like to change your mind, of course? I wouldn't care." Reed tilted her head to the side and grinned.

"Not a chance!" Darla snapped.

Reed sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, then hopefully you can choose a dragon that will be a little more fitting for this matchup. My Alendra is eager for a fight!"

"Dragonite," Alendra growled in agreement.

Reed was fishing for a specific pokemon. She knew that Zinnia had a wide variety of dragons, but as amazing as they all were, the dragon she wanted to see most of all was Rayquaza.

Since she was a little girl, Reed had heard stories of Rayquaza, the great dragon of the skies. It was a pokemon that was worshipped by her people as a deity. As someone who prided herself on her love of dragons, the idea of meeting Rayquaza for herself had been all she could think of for practically as long as she had been born.

That had been the reason that, when the chief of the Meteor Falls commune had written to her, asking for her assistance in retrieving their Loremaster, she had sprung at the opportunity.

Truth be told, she was on the same page as their grandfather. She didn't care what Zinnia did with her time; the title of Loremaster and the power that came with it were amazing, but as important as Zinnia was, she could understand the girl's desire to live on her own, and not be tied down to her family's obligations.

But if Zinnia needed to come home, then she would be the one to do it. She was going to bring the girl back, whether to Blackthorn City, or to Meteor Falls. She'd given Zinnia the choice, but in the end, the girl had chosen to fight back.

If Zinnia wanted to stay, then Reed would test her to the best of her ability. She would push Zinnia to the brink with her beloved dragons, and if the Lorekeeper could keep her will and resist Reed's intentions, then she would pass.

But that would be easier said than done, and Darla knew that too.

She'd been naïve. When she and Reed had been growing up, the other girl had only Dratinis, along with her ace. Darla had been a fool to think that she wouldn't have to face a Dragonite. And now she was in a bind.

"…That Dragonite of yours… he's really a powerful pokemon," Darla was forced to admit.

"Yes, he is," Reed smiled. "You remember Alendra well, don't you? He's all grown up now. To defeat him, you'll need to use quite a powerful dragon, though I'm sure you realize that."

"…Yeah," Darla scowled. Things were going bad real fast. She knew what was coming. "And if I'm gonna hazard a guess… your third pokemon… it's that one, isn't it?"

Reed blinked. Her smile widened. "You know me well, don't you, dear cousin?"

Darla flinched. Fuck. This was really fucking bad. Darla loved her dragons, and they were powerful pokemon. But even with dragon force, she only had one that was capable of fighting that Dragonite on even terms.

And she'd been hoping to save him for Reed's final pokemon, which was the problem.

I'll have to think of something for her ace, I can't hold back against this Dragonite. It was a hard decision to come to, but it was the correct one. Darla took the pokeball off of her belt. "Crescent!" She shouted, throwing her pokeball into the air. "Go!"

"Salamence!" With a mighty roar, Darla's Salamence took to the sky, flapping his powerful wings and flying for Alendra. He glared at the Dragonite, the aura of Darla's dragon force surging through him and increasing his strength, is intimidating gaze weakening Alendra considerably.

"As expected, you've chosen your Salamence!" Reed said. "Now this is what a battle between dragons is all about!"

Thunder roared on the horizon and lighting crackled in the cloudy sky. Ayame was shaking as the cold chilled her to the bone, the storm had seemed to come upon them so suddenly, and it wouldn't be long before the rain began to fall.

Come on, Darla, you can do this! Ayame pleaded.

"Crescent!" Darla called. "Start this out with a dragon dance!"

"Salamence!" Crescent roared, energy crackling around him as he soared through the air, boosting his strength and speed.

"A dance, you say?" Reed chuckled. "I think that's a lovely idea, Zinnia! Alendra, join with a dragon dance of your own!"

"Dragonite!" Alendra howled, energy crackling around him as his own stats boosted.

It was quite a sight to see. Ayame had a front row seat to a dance of dragons, the two great beasts soaring through the heavens as the skies burned and crackled around them. As they circled each other wildly the clouds darkened overhead, splitting open and unleashing a torrential downpour upon the pier.

"Whoa!" Ayame shielded herself from the rain, but the two dragon trainers didn't seem fazed. They weren't even watching their pokemon do battle, their eyes locked in an intense gaze with one another as their dragon force blazed.

"Now, Crescent, use your dragon claw!" Darla shouted, her eyes shooting to the sky. Crescent flapped his wings and shot towards Alendra, raising his claws. The energy that had crackled around him had surged into his claws, and he swung at Alendra with all his might.

"Dodge it, Alendra!" Reed snapped. Alendra pulled to the side, just barely avoiding the strike, and prepared a dragon claw of his own.

"Your Salamence has awesome power," Reed smirked, "but he can't beat Alendra when it comes to speed!"

"Dragonite!" Alendra roared, swinging his claw at Crescent. But Darla wasn't worried.

"Crescent, use your iron defense!" She ordered. Crescent pulled in his wing like a shield, the red scales glowing silver as he hardened his skin. Alendra struck the scales, his claws doing some damage but not a lot against Crescent's tough hide.

"But we won't lose in defense, either," Darla smirked. "Now, Crescent, use breaking swipe, and then dragon claw again!"

Crescent swung his tail and hit Alendra in the stomach, knocking the pokemon back, and then flung himself forward with his claws raised. This time he was able to land a powerful blow, striking Alendra directly with his claws.

Alendra roared with pain and countered with a dragon claw of his own. The two dragon pokemon had a vast swathe of moves available, but neither were considering attacking with anything else at the moment.

After all, dragon claw was the move that could do the most damage, and both pokemon and trainer clearly knew it.

But Reed knew the necessity of setup.

"Alendra, fun is fun, but enough is enough!" She called. "Let's clip that Salamence's wings! Use thunder wave!"

"Oh, shit!" Ayame shouted. The two dragons had been fighting on equal terms up until this point, and their condition was just about equal. Darla's Salamence was a little bulkier and Reed's Dragonite was a little faster, but otherwise they were an even match.

But that would all change if Crescent was paralyzed. There would be no way of matching Reed's Dragonite while under the crippling effects of paralysis!

"Dragonite!" Alendra's antenna sprung up, an electrical current crackling between them. He raised his claws and summoned a large field of electricity, slapping them together and releasing it in a shockwave towards the flying Salamence.

"Crescent!" Darla shouted.

"Salamence!" Her pokemon nodded in agreement, knowing exactly what his trainer was after. Seconds before the wave of lightning struck him, he disappeared completely.

"What?" Reed gasped in surprise. That was a move she hadn't expected, where had the Salamence disappeared to?

"Now, strike!" Darla ordered.

Crescent appeared behind Alendra and raised his claws. Swinging his wings and claws at the Dragonite, he struck from behind and sent him tumbling towards the water, much to Reed's shock.

"What was that?!" Reed asked, turning to Darla.

Darla smirked. "You were bragging about your Dragonite's speed, weren't you? Well, he's not the only one capable of lightning-fast moves! Have a taste of my Crescent's aerial ace! He can move so fast he can't even be seen, and you can't hope to dodge! Let's try it again, Crescent!"

"Salamence!" Crescent roared, and disappeared.

Alendra had just righted himself when Crescent appeared behind him again, swinging his claws at the dragon's back.

But this time, Reed knew what to expect.

"I don't think so! Alendra, use extremespeed!" She shouted. Alendra dodged to the side at blinding speed himself, and to Darla's shock, he actually managed to dodge aerial ace of all attacks.

"No way!" She cried in disbelief. "That shouldn't be possible!"

"Don't you know? When it comes to dragons, anything is possible, sweet cousin!" Reed winked. "Now go, Alendra!"

Reed's Dragonite shot forward, driving his head into the startled Crescent's stomach. Crescent coughed in pain, falling back towards the water.

"Now that we've got him on the ropes, grab him and use your extremespeed to dive into the water!" Reed called.

"No, Crescent!" Darla gasped. But there wasn't a lot she could do. Alendra shot forward and raised his claws, grabbing Crescent by the throat before he could respond. Flexing his muscles, he turned and shot towards the water.

"I said before, this field isn't suited for you," Reed said coolly. "Your dragons were raised in the mountains. And after that, you traveled the world, training in a variety of places. But mine have trained for the water. And now, here you are, unable to fight back!"

Darla couldn't do anything but helplessly shout out her Salamence's name. Crescent thrashed against the Dragonite, but he couldn't break free of the pokemon's crushing grip. The two pokemon were practically a blur as they dropped like a meteor, dropping into the roiling sea with enough force to send the waves crashing over the dock.

The two dragons sank into the water, hidden from sight.

A wicked smile crossed Reed's lips.

"So… what will you try next, Zinnia?" She purred.

Oh no! Darla's Salamence has fallen beneath the waves! Will Crescent be able to get out?! Or has Reed's Dragonite been able to knock out two of Darla's pokemon?