The test reaches its thrilling conclusion! Will Darla and Melody be able to defeat the monstrosity that is Reed's Kingdra? Will she pass the test, or be forced to return home?! Let's find out!
KedharS: Indeed. Those two are at their cutest together.
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Well, it might not be Darla's strongest pokemon, but it's definitely her ace.
Guest 1: Yeah, those two are really adorable, aren't they?
Guest 2: Love is definitely powerful. Powerful enough to defeat a force of nature? We'll have to see.
Rus0804: Contest arc was necessary to get us here, I feel.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 792
"Melody! Start things off with your dragon pulse!" Darla shouted.
"Altaria!" Melody nodded, opening her beak and creating a sphere of draconic energy in front of her mouth. She fired it at the Kingdra, still perched atop the water spout.
"Tamiya, counter with your dragon pulse," Reed ordered.
Tamiya flexed her snout and fired a smaller dragon pulse at high speed towards the Altaria's attack. The two collided in the air and created a shockwave on impact, but to Darla's surprise, Melody's dragon pulse was the one that emerged the victor. Although it was down to a few sparks and flames and barely held its structural integrity, the dragon pulse Altaria fired continued on the path it had been traveling towards Tamiya.
But it never met its target. Tamiya dodged to the side, the water spout disappearing as she sank back into the ocean, easily avoiding the attack. But Darla wasn't even concerned about that, her attention was on what had just happened.
"Darla!" Ayame called. Darla turned back to her, surprised.
"What now?! Can't you see I'm busy?!"
"That Kingdra!" Ayame panted, running across the sand. "Her condition! Ever since she dropped that meteor attack, her special attack got a whole lot lower!"
Darla gasped in realization. She'd almost forgotten draco meteor's greatest drawback! That's right. Draco meteor comes with a major downside. When it's used, the pokemon's special attack drastically falls! That means Melody is at a significant advantage!
Even though she knew that, she wasn't going to take things lightly. She knew that Reed's Kingdra wasn't the kind of opponent that could be defeated through means as simple as a stat reduction. For one, the storm was still raging hard around them, which meant her speed would be nearly impossible to match through normal means. And she still had that ice beam attack, reduced as it might have been, which would be devastating.
"Melody, be careful!" She called, releasing her dragon force. It was so much softer and warmer than it had been before, now that Lila was watching over her.
Melody… you were Lila's gift to me. My precious partner, showing me that there was more to my life beyond being the Lorekeeper. Because of you, my world opened up to something so much brighter. And now, we'll show Reed the world I desire!
"Use tailwind!" She ordered. Melody nodded, and conjured a powerful wind behind her that carried her forward, doubling her speed. Darla cracked a smile. "We won't lose out in speed now, Reed, and that's not all!"
"Oh?" Reed asked, raising her eyebrow, an excited grin crossing her face.
"That's right!" Darla shouted over the wind. "This tailwind is just the beginning, we're going to show you what we're capable of! You said that Dragon types are greater than ordinary pokemon, you talked about how they control the forces of nature themselves, well let me show you a little taste of that! Melody, use hurricane!"
"Altaria!" Melody howled, spreading her cottony wings. With a powerful flap, Melody made the storm work for her, turning the winds and rain back upon Reed and her Kingdra, summoning a massive spout that shifted the tempest into a rolling wave of wind and rain. The tornado pushed through the water, sucking up the ocean and growing in size as it approached the spot where Tamiya was waiting in the waters.
"Not bad, Zinnia, but that won't be enough!" Reed grinned. "The destructive power of that hurricane is really something, but it still has to hit! Tamiya, use dive, right to the bottom!"
"Kingdra," Tamiya nodded, ducking down beneath the waves. For a few moments she was nothing more than a shadow in the choppy water, growing smaller and smaller as she dove further from beneath the surface.
"Zinnia, even among Dragon types, Kingdra are special," Reed informed her. "All my pokemon make their homes in the depths of the ocean, but Kingdra live at ocean depths so extreme, it's said that no other life forms can survive! Not even your hurricane can reach her while she's down there, storing her energy."
Reed took a deep breath and closed her eyes, spreading her arms as her short hair flared out and her aura increased. "And in the meantime, I can gather my dragon force as well."
"Oh no!" Lila wailed. "How is Melody supposed to attack a foe hiding underwater?! That's not fair at all!"
"Your friend there is right, Zinnia," Reed said, opening her eyes. "The problem you're facing right now is simply the fact that, in this storm, Tamiya is too fast for you to attack. This whole battle I've had the ocean on my side, and while you have the whole sky above our heads, Tamiya's Swift Swim lets her appear, attack, and submerge again, and there's nothing you can do about it."
"That's…" Darla winced, feeling a great deal of truth in Reed's frustrating words.
Realizing that her worries were the opposite of being supportive, Lila quickly changed her position. "It-It's okay!" Lila turned to Darla, giving an encouraging smile. "I'm sure you'll think of something, Darla, you're the smartest after all!"
"Lila… let's not play pretend right now," Darla said, biting her lip. "We both know that I might have skills, but… you're the one who really knows what pokemon can do."
"…Darla…" Lila didn't like the sound of that.
"It's your own fault, you know," Reed said. "Relying on that pokemon."
A flinch shot through Darla's body and she felt anger seep into her dragon force. "…What did you say?" She growled.
"All dragon pokemon are lovely," Reed said. "They all have their special qualities that make them amazing, and deserving of worship. But in the situation you're in right now, trying to defeat my dear Tamiya, I'm sorry, Zinnia, but that Altaria is lacking something."
"Melody isn't lacking anything!" Lila shouted, coming to Melody's defense. She may not have been Lila's pokemon, but she might as well have been for all the girl cared about her. "She's perfect just the way she is!"
"I won't argue that, because you're correct, every dragon is special in their own way," Reed nodded. "But that Altaria's ability is Natural Cure. A great ability to be sure, but if you had one with a hidden ability, Cloud Nine, then this wouldn't even be a match at that point. You would have nullified Tamiya's Swift Swim completely, and there would have been nothing I could do about it."
Lila frowned. That… That was true. There wasn't anything she could argue there.
"Zinnia knows I'm telling the truth," Reed said, turning to Darla. "That's why she hasn't said anything back."
"…What do you want me to say?" Darla asked slowly. "That you're right? That this battle would be easier with a different ability? Yeah, of course it would be. But Melody isn't my partner because of her strength. There are qualities about her that can't be expressed in terms of battles."
"Good," Reed said, nodding, flashing a smile that surprised both girls. "As long as you treasure your pokemon, it doesn't matter if they're strong or weak. All pokemon are equally precious, and it's good that you recognize that. So tell me, how will you use those qualities of your Altaria to pass this test, Zinnia?"
"That's not fair…" Lila whimpered. "Because… this is a battle! You can't ask that while making her fight, it's…"
Lila's voice trailed off as she caught sight of the smile on Darla's face. Her partner glanced at her, and there was a fire in her eyes that made Lila swell with hope.
"Fine, Reed, if you want us to show you what we can do, then we will!" Darla proclaimed. "Melody, come back for a second, it's time to start the show!"
"Altaria!" Melody nodded, and flew back to Darla, landing next to her. She was curious what her trainer was planning.
Darla turned to Lila next.
"Lila, do you have your purse?" She asked. Lila rolled her eyes like that was the dumbest thing she'd ever been asked.
"What do you need?" She asked, handing it over to Darla.
Reed watched on curiously as her cousin dug around in the pink girl's purse. She couldn't see exactly what was going on, but she was willing to give her some time.
"There you go," Darla grinned, patting Melody on the cheek. "All ready now?"
"Altaria!" Melody cooed, raising her head and flapping her wings, taking to the sky. Boosting her speed with the tailwind, she soared over the ocean, staring down into the choppy waves that Tamiya was hiding under.
"Well, this is interesting, what did you do just now?" Reed asked. "It must be something special if it can make you bold enough to send your pokemon into our territory!"
"I'm doing just what you said, I'm showing off Melody's special qualities," Darla explained. "You wanted to know what makes her such a great pokemon? Her voice."
"Yeah!" Lila cheered in agreement. "Go for it, Melody! Take her down!"
"Melody's greatest asset is that voice of hers, and we're going to show you just what it's capable of! Melody, use hyper voice!"
Melody took a deep breath and opened her beak, and then began to sing. The melody of her song carried across the waves to Reed's ears, and she had to admit that it was quite a beautiful song. But she failed to understand the point of it.
"This is… a pokemon attack?" Reed asked, confused.
"When most pokemon use hyper voice, they release a devastatingly loud shockwave of sonic power, through vulgar shouts and the like," Darla explained, calmly swaying in time with the music. "The sound is so strong and intolerable that the pokemon who listen to it are deafened."
"But this is such a beautiful melody, Darla! How could this possibly hurt anyone?" Lila grinned, winking at her partner as they entered the normal routine.
"Simple, Lila!" Darla proudly explained. "I couldn't stand the idea of Melody attacking in such a vulgar way; she's a performer, after all, so even her attacks should be cool and graceful just like her! And that's why we've trained those vocal chords of hers, to be able to produce sounds that are not only beautiful to listen to, but also not losing one bit of the power behind a normal attack!"
"Wow, Darla, that's amazing!"
"With the throat spray I borrowed from my partner, I was able to maximize the effectiveness of Melody's sound-based moves," Darla explained. "Her special attack stat has risen and her voice carries with even more weight and projection than before! What do you think, Reed? This is something about Melody that no other Altaria could hope to compete with!"
"I think it's quite a lovely sound," Reed admitted. "But with that in mind, I must say, what's the point of using a move like that when Tamiya can't even hear it?"
Darla sighed and shook her head, clicking her tongue and wagging her finger from side to side. "Tsk, tsk, Reed, and here I thought you knew everything about the ocean. Didn't you know that one of the best conductors of sound is water?"
Reed blinked as Darla's words sunk in.
"I didn't know that," Ayame said, confused.
"It's very simple. Ask Marion Rivers sometime about how Water type pokemon communicate through sonar," Darla smirked. "You see, due to pressure changes, sound waves move faster and louder the deeper you go under the water! Normally, you can't quite break the surface of water with just sound waves, but Melody's hyper voice is strong enough to do it! And as the sound travels down towards the ocean floor, it only grows stronger! I can't even imagine the intensity of the shockwaves that Tamiya must be feeling right now! I might have had to use some throat spray to get it at the right frequency to reach that far, but the effects should be well worth it!"
"That's so cool!" Lila gushed. "I can't believe you thought of that, Darla! I never would have in a million years!"
"I've trained with Melody to be the perfect singer," Darla proclaimed. "What do you think, Reed? How's Tamiya feeling right now?"
On cue, Tamiya broke out from the water's surface, wailing in pain. The devastating effects of the hyper voice had wreaked havoc on her eardrums, and she was recovering from the damage.
"Tamiya!" Reed shouted. But her pokemon was temporarily deafened.
"This is just the moment we've been waiting for!" Darla shouted. There was no point in further singing now, Tamiya's hearing would be scattered for some time. That meant Melody would have to rely on regular attacks now. "Use moonblast!"
"Altaria!" Melody nodded. She opened her mouth wide, and her wings began to glow bright pink. Gathering fairy energy into her body she released a powerful blast of light that struck the stunned Kingdra directly, hitting with enough force to blow her out of the water.
"Tamiya!" Reed cried.
"Perfect hit, Melody!" Darla cheered.
"Melody, I love you!" Lila called. "You're amazing, girl!"
"Altaria!" Melody sang triumphantly.
But Ayame could see that the match wasn't over yet. The Kingdra had been stunned by the hyper voice, and taken some serious damage. But she wasn't down yet. The dragon hit the water hard and quickle stuck her head back up, glaring at the bird.
"Feeling better?" Reed asked.
"Kingdra," Tamiya nodded. The effects of hyper voice were only temporary, and now she was ready to get her revenge.
"I should have expected that wouldn't be enough to put a stop to you," Darla frowned. "But that's okay, Melody! Use dazzling gleam next!"
Melody spread her wings and released a barrage of dazzling lights at the Kingdra.
"So if we hide under water then you'll strike us with hyper voice, and if we stay on the surface you'll use a wide-spread move like that so we can't dodge?" Reed said. "Clever thinking, Zinnia, but that won't put us in a bind! Go, Tamiya!"
Tamiya raised her head and howled, and the water rose up to her call. Waves whipped around her in a massive spout of water, deflecting the piercing light as she maintained her safety within the powerful whirlpool.
"What?!" Darla gasped.
"Did you think our only defense in the ocean was to dive?" Reed asked. "Tamiya's howls control the currents and the tides! She can summon massive whirlpools to shield her from attacks! The very ocean itself is at our command, a simple burst of light can't stop the force of a tidal wave! Now, Tamiya, use ice beam!"
"Kingdra!" The whirlpool parted and a beam of ice broke through, hitting Melody in the chest. She cried out in pain and nearly fell from the sky, but managed to hold on.
"Oh, no, that looked like a really bad hit!" Lila said worriedly.
"She's fine," Darla assured her. "Right, Ayame?"
"Yeah," Ayame said, nodding in agreement. "Thanks to that Kingdra's lowered special attack that move wasn't as powerful as it could have been. That being said, you don't want her taking many more of those, either."
"Wasn't planning on it!" Darla agreed. "Melody, if we can't rely on conventional attacks, then we'll have to use hurricane again!"
"Yeah, that'll do it!" Lila nodded in agreement. "After all, she can't summon those whirlpools and beat a tornado! …Can she?" She'd started excited and supportive, but given what she'd seen from the Kingdra so far, she was realizing that anything was possible.
We'll have to find out, Darla admitted. "Melody!"
"Altaria!" Melody spread her wings and worked up another maelstrom, the massive roaring hurricane sucking up the sea as it approached Tamiya.
"Tamiya!" Reed shouted. "We'll have to match their hurricane with one of our own!"
"Kingdra!" Tamiya shouted back. With a howl she summoned a massive tempest herself, the water spout surging across the ocean and colliding with the hurricane that Melody had summoned. The two powerful wind attacks pushed against each other, practically ripping the sky apart trying to emerge victorious.
"Melody rose her special attack by a stage using that throat spray, and that Kingdra had hers reduced by two stages," Ayame mumbled as she squinted at the two Dragon type pokemon. "Melody should be able to easily overpower her, but their attacks are almost equal… how strong is that Kingdra normally if it can still fight at this level?"
"It's not just the Kingdra," Darla explained sourly. "It's her. Reed Blackthorn and that dragon force of hers. She's stronger than I am… but even so, I still can't just let Melody be overpowered like this!" She focused her dragon force and tried to boost Melody's strength as much as she could, desperate to overpower Reed.
Lila took Darla's hand in hers.
"You can do it," she assured her partner.
And with that simple affirmation, Darla's dragon force burned and Melody's hurricane started to win out, beating down the Kingdra's attack.
We're losing… not good. Excellently done, Zinnia. At this point… well, it's hardly strategic, but it's all we've got left. Reed tipped her hat to her cousin, and turned to Tamiya. "Tamiya! Finish her now! Hit her with hyper beam!"
"KINGDRA!" Tamiya roared, turning her snout upon Melody, forgoing the hurricane entirely. She gathered all of the energy she'd been storing at the bottom of the ocean and compressed it into a beam, firing the massive laser at the bird pokemon.
"Melody!" Darla cried. Melody tried to dodge, but her tailwind had finally petered out. She took the full brunt of the hyper beam attack, falling out of the sky and hitting the water.
"And that's the end of that," Reed said, closing her eyes. The hurricane had battered Tamiya badly and she was facing the effects of the hyper beam now, meaning she wasn't able to continue fighting for some time, but even stunned she was still afloat, which was more than could be said about-
"Altaria!" Melody's triumphant cry broke the surface as she pushed herself up, unable to fly but still conscious.
"Melody!" Darla and Lila cheered together.
"…Well," Reed said, closing her eyes in resignation, a wide smile stretching across her face. "I didn't expect her to be able to withstand that."
"Melody!" Darla shouted. "Let's show Reed exactly what you're capable of! But not draco meteor!"
Reed raised her eyebrow.
"I don't need a move like that right now," Darla explained. "I told you, I'm going to show you why Melody is amazing. And why… why I won't ever go back home. I don't need my dragons to be able to control the forces of the world, Reed. As long as they can shine brightly in my world, that's enough." She squeezed Lila's hand. "My friend brought me out of the world of dragons and showed me something so much greater. And I want you to experience it for yourself. Melody, use hyper voice!"
"Altaria!" Melody nodded, and began to sing.
"This is my world, Reed," Darla said softly, the sound waves from Melody's song striking Tamiya and finishing her off.
"Indeed," Reed smiled, nodding her head in defeat as the lovely chords danced in the sky. The storm passed, and sunlight shined upon the ocean, setting the perfect stage for Melody's song. "It really is quite lovely."
So Darla has managed to defeat Reed, and showed her just what her Altaria was capable of! Beating Reed not as a Dragon Master, but as an idol!