The Commander has fought a lot of battles relying on the strength of his Lucario. But now Corin's been badly beaten by Wes's Feraligatr, and infested with his Meganium's leech seed as well! And now that she can't escape due to his Umbreon's mean look, what's Alden going to do now? Wes's really put a lot of effort into taking care of Corin, does Alden have anything to get him out of this bind? Or will his best pokemon fall that easily?

KedharS: Definitely. He really relies on Corin quite a lot.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 946

Alden had definitely been caught off-guard. Corin was his strongest pokemon, and the one he trusted the most. He was used to her fighting with all her strength to win, and she had countless tactics to do so. Which was why it came as such a surprise to see her strength being drained from her by the leech seed, with both of them powerless to stop it.

"Quite a ruthless strategy, is it?" Alcea noted. "To infest someone with a leech seed, and then prevent their escape with mean look… that Lucario's strength will slowly be sapped away until she loses consciousness."

"Not a chance," Vic growled. "The Commander and his pokemon won't lose to something like that! They'll overcome this, just see!"

Inside her heart, though, she was far less confident in his abilities. Her heart was pounding with worry and she prayed that Alden would be able to win. Please, Commander, you have to do this! You have to beat him! She silently pleaded.

Rui glanced at her daughter. She could feel the turmoil Vic was going through, and felt sympathy for her situation. It wasn't an easy thing, being powerless and forced to stand back and watch as someone you cared about was fighting his hardest for your sake. She knew that from experience. How many battles had Wes fought on her behalf, with her helpless to do anything for him?

I'm so proud of you, Victoria, she thought, beaming at her daughter. This can't be easy for you to watch, and yet… you're putting up such a strong front, refusing to let though doubts in your heart get the better of you.

Rui hoped that her daughter's faith would be rewarded. She hated having to treat her like this, and hoped that, in the end, everything would be alright.

"Corin!" Alden shouted. "I can't switch you back right now, not with that mean look weakening you, I'm sorry."

"Lucario," Corin coughed, spitting some blood. The fire in her eyes was far from extinguished. Alden grinned back at her.

"But I think you're just fine with that, aren't you?" He asked.

She nodded, ignoring the pain, and charged at Lunet.

"Lunet, get out of the way, use quick attack," Wes ordered.

"You can't outrun our speed," Alden snapped. Lunet might have quick attack to evade, but that speed wasn't comparable with what Corin was capable of using her extremespeed. In a flash the Lucario had caught the Umbreon, hitting the pokemon in the side with a powerful punch and sending him rolling through the grass.

"Umbreon!" Lunet growled, leaping to his feet. The golden rings on his fur began to glow.

"Shadow ball!" Wes called. Lunet opened his mouth and created an orb of ghostly energy, firing it at Corin.

"Corin, block it with bone rush," Alden ordered. She raised her paws and created a staff made of aura, smashing the shadow ball to pieces with a single swipe. But when she turned the staff on the Umbreon, the pokemon was gone.

"He just vanished!" Callie gasped.

"It's feint attack again," Maddi noted. "He disappeared into the shadows, so he could reemerge at any time."

"Eifa, Corin, prepare yourselves," Alden said, scanning the field himself for any traces of movement. He'd wanted to give the order to attack Wes's Feraligatr, but he suspected the situation was a trap. If either pokemon made too reckless of an approach on Orgon, then Lunet could emerge and catch them by surprise.

The only problem with the current plan was the fact that Corin was slowly weakening. She was having her energy drained from the leech seed, which was a problem when you factored in the amount of damage she'd already taken. Alden understood that he needed to heal her, as best as he could. And maybe this was the best opportunity.

"Corin, for now, use life dew," he ordered. "Take care of yourselves, but make sure to keep an eye out for that Umbreon!" Even if Lunet attacked, his Dark type moves wouldn't be able to do a lot of damage against Corin. Besides, Orgon wasn't going anywhere for now, which meant that there was a decent amount of time they had to work with.

But he was quickly proven wrong.

When Corin created an orb of water to heal herself and her ally, Orgon proved just how much energy he still had left.

"Feraligatr!" The pokemon roared, storming across the field as water surged up around him. It had been a feint! A trick to lure them into a false sense of security, get them to focus more on Lunet, thinking Orgon was still winded, only to reveal that the Feraligatr was fully ready to continue with the battle after all!

Orgon was glowing bright blue. His Torrent ability had activated due to how much damage Corin had inflicted on him, filling him with a second wind and giving him the strength to shrug off the pain and unleash a devastatingly-powerful Water type move, as he prepared an aqua jet that had the force of a tidal wave.

Alden was astonished. Wes had been able to communicate such a complex plan to his pokemon without saying a word, or using any sort of gift like harmonia. None of his pokemon were even aura sensors, like Corin was!

"Gotta say, that's certainly impressive. Corin, quick, you gotta dodge it!" Corin knew, of course that she had to evade the attack, but knowing wasn't the same thing as doing. Even as she leapt back to avoid Orgon's first strike, she realized how sluggishly she was moving now thanks to the leech seed, when compared to Orgon's raw brutality.

But then she started to glow red.

"Lucario?!" Corin gasped in disbelief, dodging another swing from Orgon. She turned towards the only source of red she was aware of, Eifa. And indeed, the other pokemon was glowing herself, the red light mixing together with the light from the life dew in a bizarre blend of color that highlighted her purple fur.

"Eifa!" Alden realized what she was up to. She was using ally swap again, even though he hadn't given her any orders. She had decided for herself that it was the best strategy for the team to get Corin out of danger, even if that meant putting herself in danger.

It happened in an instant. With a flash, Eifa and Corin switched places, and Eifa found herself on the receiving end of the Feraligatr's brutal assault. With a roar, Orgon swung his claw right into Eifa's back, ripping her off the ground and flinging her into the air with the brutality of a tsunami, sending the Psychic type pokemon spiraling.

Then, before Eifa could try to right herself, Lunet appeared.

"Umbreon," he said quietly, raising his claw. Dark energy surged through it and he swung down into Eifa's back, cutting a deep gash with his feint attack and smashing her into the ground.

"Eifa!" Vic shouted, startling everyone. The horror in her cry, understandable as it might have been, was so un-Vic-like that nobody knew how to process it for a second.

"Espe… on…" Eifa winced, struggling to stand. She stared weakly up at Lunet, who perched above her in silent judgment, a parent look down on their child.

That only lasted for an instant, however, because Corin was quick to return the favor that Eifa had sacrificed herself to bestow. With a roar of fury she leapt across the battlefield and swung her staff at Lunet, knocking the pokemon off of his feet, furiously struggling to keep her opponents away from her partner.

Alden could tell that with how critical Eifa's wounds were, there was no way a little life dew was going to cut it, it was time for the more serious treatments. "Corin, use heal pulse," he ordered, planning to take full advantage of the nature of this double battle.

Corin nodded and turned towards Eifa, when a derisive cackle reached her ear. She whirled around to see Lunet standing behind her, a smirk on his snout. The pokemon narrowed his eyes, threw back his head, and laughed.

The sound of the Umbreon's laughter enraged Corin. She knew about the relationship between Eifa and Lunet, and the sound of the Umbreon mocking his child in such a cruel way set her over the edge. She completely fell for the taunt, eschewing any attempt at first aid for a swing at the Umbreon, desperate to knock the pokemon unconscious with every move she had.

Which was, of course, exactly what Wes had been planning.

But that wasn't enough for Alden to give up hope in his partner.

"Eifa!" He shouted. "Use morning sun!"

"Es…" Eifa winced, the ruby on her forehead starting to glow. She released a light up into the air, drawing energy from the sunlight to heal herself as she struggled to rise.

But unfortunately, Lunet wasn't the only pokemon she'd had to worry about.

"Feraligatr…" Orgon loomed above her, claw raised, as she rose to her feet. Morning sun was effective, but it came with a cost. If Corin had been able to use heal pulse, then Eifa would have been able to move while she was healing. But using morning sun meant that all of her energy was spent on recovery, and she didn't have enough to strike back.

Wes closed his eyes, and Rui turned away. Vic couldn't bear to watch, but she knew she had to. It was her duty, as the person who had given Eifa to the Commander in the first place.

"…Espeon," Eifa sighed, doing her best to dodge the slash from the Feraligatr. But even as hard as she tried, it was clear that her efforts were in vain. She couldn't evade fast enough, and Orgon knocked her out in a single hit.

"Return," Alden said, recalling Eifa to her pokeball. He gently patted it. "You did well, Eifa. That must have been really hard for you, fighting them. I'm proud of you." Alden didn't have any qualms with battling against family, he and Raizer did that all the time. But he recognized how tough it must have been for Eifa to fight against her parents, especially since she barely ever saw them and certainly wanted them to be proud of her.

Whether they were or not, Alden was still proud of her, though.

To Corin's surprise, Lunet slowed slightly when he saw Eifa get recalled. She clenched her jaw. Of course it would have bothered him, to see his child get knocked out. But they both knew that now wasn't the time for sentimentality. With a swing of her staff she knocked Lunet into the air.

But as much as Eifa fainting had fazed the Umbreon, he agreed with Corin. He focused on the battle in front of him, not her fate, and tumbled back, landing on all fours while firing off a shadow ball that she deflected.

While Corin was doing her best against Lunet, Orgon was advancing. And Alden could see that she was going to need some backup. He'd lost two pokemon already, and two more had taken a beating nearly as badly as the one that Corin had endured. He was at a critical point, and he needed a pokemon that would be able to decisively turn the match in his favor, and he only had one pokemon left that would meet the criteria.

"Mimi, go," Alden said, sending out his Mimikyu. The small pokemon cheered happily.

"Wait, is that a Pikachu?" Rui asked, rubbing her eyes to be sure. No, wait, even though it looked like a Pikachu, it was clear that was just a disguise, and a rather poorly-designed one at that. She was confused.

"It's a Mimikyu," Vic explained. "A pokemon that disguises itself as Pikachu."

"Mimi," Alden called. "Use shadow sneak to start."

"Mimikyu!" Mimi sunk into the shadows and appeared beneath Orgon's feet, slashing up at him with claws of darkness.

Orgon was startled, not having expected an assault like that coming from below. He turned and swiped at the Mimikyu, but Mimi was fast, dancing out of the way.

"Nice work, Mimi," Alden nodded. With her working hard to occupy Orgon, then Corin could take down that Umbreon without having to worry.

"Orgon, pull back," Wes sharply ordered. He could tell right away that his pokemon was a bad matchup; pokemon like that were small and elusive, not the best thing to face with brute strength. "Lunet, use quick attack to put some distance between yourself and the Lucario, get to Orgon."

"Umbreon!" Lunet nodded, darting forward. He leapt up, dodging a punch from Corin, and landed on Orgon's shoulder. Then he jumped forward again, charging right for the Mimikyu as Orgon rounded on Corin.

That worked out nicely for Alden.

"Mimi, use play rough!" He ordered.

"Mimikyu!" Mimi raised the stick of her disguise, spinning it around as it began to glow. She swung it at Lunet.

But Lunet was faster than she'd anticipated. With her speed, she was able to evade Mimi's attacks, keeping a good distance so she could watch in preparation to strike.

At the same time, Orgon had taken well to the change of foes. He'd shrouded himself with water and charged at Corin with an aqua jet, preparing to smash into the Lucario like a tidal wave. But this time, Corin was ready.

She'd been reckless the last time she'd engaged with the Feraligatr, and in her present condition that wasn't something she could risk. Under Lunet's taunt she couldn't rely on her life dew or rest to keep her strength up, and she couldn't rely on agility or swords dance to increase her strength and agility, either.

Which meant the only edge she had at the moment was her mind.

Unfortunately for Orgon, Corin was sharp as a tack, almost as strong of a tactician as her trainer, with a lot more hands-on experience in fighting. She watched carefully as Orgon advanced, and at the last second before he hid, she dug her bone club into the ground and hopped, using the staff as a pole. She spun, kicking Orgon in the jaw and sending him skidding away, while she landed safely on the ground and ran forward.

"Corin, hold on," Alden called. "Keep your distance." He was reluctant to send her back into the fray, because he'd seen that Feraligatr take a beating that could have knocked out an ordinary pokemon. He honestly didn't know if Corin could handle him with physical moves. He was eager to fight a strong opponent, but that wasn't the same thing as being reckless.

Corin sensed that he was anticipating something and backed off, turning to Alden for confirmation about what he wanted her to do.

"Use aura sphere," Alden ordered. It was a safe gambit. She nodded and raised her paws, sculpting a sphere of aura that she fired at the rising Feraligatr.

"Hydro pump," Wes ordered.

"Feraligatr!" Orgon's cheeks inflated and he fired a massive spout of water out of his jaws, hitting the aura sphere head-on.

But what he'd expected to happen didn't happen. Both Wes and Orgon believed that, in her present condition, the most Corin could hope for was to tie with Orgon's hydro pump. After all, the move was boosted by Torrent, which meant it should have been incredibly stronger, and it was already a more powerful move.

Alden smiled proudly as the aura sphere smashed into the hydro pump. Corin wouldn't lose to a move of that caliber. The aura sphere contained all of her strength of will, and it plowed right through the column of water like a bullet through tissue paper.

Orgon didn't even have time to dodge. He kept pumping water into the blast, assuming that eventually he would overcome the attack with raw power. But "eventually" never came. The aura sphere shattered the hydro pump and followed through all the way until it reached Orgon's mighty jaws, and then beyond-

The Feraligatr practically swallowed the attack, the aura shockwave exploding in his mouth. The effects were devastating. Steam rose from between Orgon's teeth as he scratched desperately at his throat, stumbling back in pain and shock. That was just the opening that Corin needed.

"Corin, go!" Alden shouted, and she took off, charging right into the fray with her fist raised. "Use reversal!"

"Reversal?!" Callie exclaimed, her face lighting up with excitement. That was perfect!

If counter was a Fighting type move to take advantage of the power of an opponent's blow, reversal was a move to take advantage of the damage that was already done. It didn't turn the power of the opponent against them, but it turned the damage that the pokemon had already sustained into power, and Corin had sustained a lot.

If there was ever a move to take down a foe as ferocious as Feraligatr, reversal was that move.

Corin's body began to glow blue, a cloak of aura flaring up around her as she wound back her fist. She punched Orgon right in the face, hitting him in the jaw precisely where her aura sphere had exploded for a powerful critical hit. Putting all of her strength, both physical muscle and psychic aura behind the attack, she swung with everything she had and slammed Orgon down into the ground.

"Feral-!" Orgon wasn't even able to finish his pained gasp. He hit the grass hard, and didn't get back up again.

Corin panted, standing triumphantly over the felled Feraligatr. She tilted back her head and howled, feeling the energy surging through her. It may have been an artificial rush, and her strength may still have been getting sapped by leech seed, but it was enough proof that this fight wasn't over for her just yet.

With a snarl, Corin turned to her previous foe, Lunet. The Umbreon was getting exhausted trying to keep his distance from Mimi's attacks, and there was no way he'd be able to dodge both of them at once. She tilted her head down and charged forward, before skidding to a stop.

Wes hadn't wasted any time in calling back his Feraligatr, and replacing Orgon with another pokemon, one he'd used before.

"Espeon!" Solaris growled, emerging from her pokeball between Corin and her mate, the ruby on her forehead shining brightly.

"Ready?" Wes asked quietly, his Umbreon and Espeon both nodded.

Alden nodded too, a grin spreading across his face. Oh yeah, he was born ready!

Vic watched from the sidelines, her chest filled with anxiety. They'd each lost two pokemon, and she wanted to believe that the Commander would be able to turn this around. But there was something about her father that made it hard to doubt him. The calm look he always wore, like there was nothing to worry about, it was a powerful psychological weapon.

She wished she could sense Wes's feelings like she could with her mother. But her father was as stern as a stone.

Wes and Alden are exchanging some pretty brutal moves with each other! They've been going at it for a while, but they've still only lost two pokemon each! Still, we should expect to start seeing those numbers change pretty soon, considering the state of their pokemon at the moment. Things are going to be reaching a turning point!