After Alden managed to overcome Ange's powerful Ditto copying his Lucario's power, she sent her Persian back out! Will Alden be able to take the feline pokemon down this time, now that she's paralyzed? We'll have to see! But Ange's got a lot of tricks up her sleeve, and a really powerful team of pokemon! So hopefully Alden will find a way to win!

KedharS: Ange uses some very interesting tactics, that's for sure.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1123

Mami dashed across the battlefield at a speed that belied her paralyzed status. Finn was caught off-guard, but Alden wasn't. Persian were naturally fast pokemon anyway, and Finn had reduced his speed with that hammer arm. So it wasn't a surprise that the feline pokemon was outpacing him even in her current condition.

"Persian!" Mami raised her claw and slashed at Finn, who raised his arm to block the attack. He winced from the pain and stumbled back. It was a strong blow, but not one he couldn't endure. With a roar he swung his arm at the Persian, going for another hammer arm, but Mami was quick enough to jump out of the way.

"Agility," Ange ordered. Mami increased her speed even more. It was like the status condition didn't even affect her. Alden wondered if she'd been given a berry of some sort to cure her paralysis in the pokeball. It was the only explanation he could think of.

Then another thought crossed his mind and he narrowed his eyes.

"Finn, use earthquake!" Alden ordered.

"Swampert!" Finn slammed his palm against the ground and sent tremors through the stadium, causing the entire tower to shake. Mami was thrown off her balance and fell backwards, and that was when the illusion dropped.

"Zoroark," Luci snarled, revealing her true colors. The air was burning with a crimson aura and her eyes lit up. She was surging with alpha might, and so was her trainer. Due to Ange's harmonia connection, she could feel all the power of her pokemon.

"Luci! Shadow ball!" Ange ordered.

"Zoroark!" Luci opened her mouth and fired off an orb of ghostly energy at the Swampert, who took the attack to his shoulder. But he didn't back down.

"Swampert!" Finn roared, firing a blast of pressurized water at Luci. The hydro pump hit her directly and pushed her across the battlefield, but before it could continue any further Luci sunk into the darkness, swiftly moving through the shadows. She appeared behind Finn and slashed into him from behind, and when he turned to strike back she was already well out of reach.

"That's enough for now," Ange said, recalling Luci to her pokeball. "Return."

Alden was surprised she would make a move like that, given the way the fight was going. Her Zoroark was dominating the battle so far, and this was the second time Ange had called her back in exactly this situation. It was certainly an odd strategy.

Ange seemed to pick up on that.

"If I let Luci fight it out too much, then she gets a full head," Ange explained. "She works best in a limited capacity."

Alden frowned. This was… odd. Ange wasn't acting like any of the other people who had been possessed by Samarra. He didn't know anything about how she normally fought, but he felt that the real Ange would be just as devoted to her pokemon. As opposed to Vic and Anabel when they were under Samarra's control, who focused on victory over their normal tactics.

Which meant that whatever personal flavor Ange was throwing into this battle by recalling her Zoroark constantly, it was fine with Samarra. In other words, it was something that would further the chances of victory, which was an unnerving thought in and of itself.

But he didn't have time to contemplate further because Ange had a new pokemon to send out into battle.

"Sati! It's on you," Ange instructed, sending out her next pokemon, a Tauros. The bull pokemon bellowed, scuffing the battlefield with her hooves and lowering her head.

"Tauros!" Sati charged across the battlefield, her body steaming.

"Work up," Ange ordered. Sati's power increased as she charged, and her horns sharpened. Finn and Alden both knew what was coming. Luckily, Finn had more than enough time to prepare, and the pokemon was charging right at him.

"Hydro pump!" Alden ordered.

"Swamp!" Finn nodded, opening wide to fire a blast of pressurized water. But to his shock, nothing came out.

"Finn?!" Alden cried.

"The attack failed?!" Anabel gasped.

"Swampert?!" Finn was more surprised than anyone. Suddenly, he didn't have anything to do. And Sati had finally reached him.

"Raging bull," Ange snarled, narrowing her eyes. Sati began to glow white and she slammed into Finn, knocking him over. The Swampert practically flew across the battlefield, crashing into the ground from the force of the attack.

"Tauros!" Sati bellowed triumphantly, scuffing her hoof again.

"That Tauros is really something," Alden said, seeing how much Finn struggled to get to his feet. "But don't count Finn out, either!"

"Sati is strong," Ange agreed, ignoring what Alden had to say about his own pokemon. "She has been, ever since she was young."

Rui blinked. "Wait, she? But I thought… aren't Tauros only male?" She looked to the other trainers there, not sure what was going on. But Anabel and Vic were just as confused as she was, and even Alden wasn't sure what to make of it.

"That's right," Ange nodded. "Tauros are normally an all-male species. But due to a genetic anomaly, Sati was born with female characteristics more in common with a Miltank. She's still a Tauros, however. And because of her status as a female, she was horrendously demeaned by her herd. They drove her away, treated her like an outcast…"

A cold expression crossed Ange's face. "…But thanks to that treatment, she wasn't there when her herd was hunted to extinction for their horns and hooves."

Alden scowled.

"The horns and hooves of a Tauros are stronger than diamonds," Ange continud. "Because of that, pokemon poachers hunted them constantly. Humans… it isn't enough for them to just destroy the environment and ruin things for pokemon… to actually hunt pokemon themselves, for personal gain… it's sickening."

"But that's not fair!" Rui cried. "Poaching pokemon has been outlawed for nearly a hundred years! Tauros are the focus of major conservation efforts to prevent the species from dying out! You can't just say that all humans are-"

"Does that even matter?" Ange snapped, shooting a glare Rui's way that made her flinch. She took a step back subconsciously, cowed by the pressure in Ange's gaze.

"Of… of course it-"

"So what if Pokemon Rangers are trying to crack down on what poachers are doing?" Ange demanded. "It hasn't STOPPED them. As long as there is profit to be gained in the extermination of people, then no matter how many laws are set to prevent it, humanity will still find a way. It's in our nature to destroy and consume for personal gain. And that's why… that's why I'll put a stop to it."

"…That's why you're working with Samarra, isn't it?" Alden asked, narrowing his eyes.

Ange smirked. "Very perceptive of you."

"Huh? What's going on?" Rui asked, still not getting it.

"Evangeline here… she's different from the others," Alden said, scowling. "Vic and Anabel… even Gerard… they were all twisted and brainwashed by Samarra's influence. But Ange… something felt different about her. How much IS Samarra really influencing you, anyway?"

"…I couldn't really say," Ange said, curling a lock of her hair in her finger. "But I do know that everything I'm telling you has always been how I felt. Samarra just gave me a solution, one that I've always been searching for."

"It… makes sense," Anabel admitted. "If everyone is being controlled by Samarra, then no one will hunt pokemon if she says so. Things like expansion and pollution would grind to a halt under her will, since she controls everything anyway."

A wicked smile crossed Ange's face. "It would be… a return to a more peaceful, primal world. No more would humans need cause undue suffering to pokemon. Isn't it a wonderful thing?"

It still felt like she was brainwashed. Alden couldn't say for sure if she would really go along with this under normal circumstances. But it might have been that Ange's personality and beliefs just meshed together well with what Samarra was trying to do.

Either way, he was going to have to stop her. There was no other choice.

"Finn, are you doing okay?" Alden called to his Swampert. "What happened with your hydro pump?" He asked.

"Swampert," Finn shook his head, not sure how to explain it. He didn't even know what had happened to him.

"Oh, that's thanks to me," Ange said. "Or Luci, to be more specific."

"What do you mean?" Alden asked her with a glare.

"Luci is a Ghost type," Ange reminded him. "And she didn't appreciate you using that hydro pump on her. So she decided to use spite. So quick you missed it, but unfortunately for you, your Swampert won't be able to use hydro pump anymore."

So the Zoroark had drained the PP for his hydro pump attack. Well, that was annoying. But not anything that Alden couldn't deal with. Finn had other moves to work with, after all. "Finn!" He shouted. "If hydro pump is off the table, then we'll have to rely on muddy water!"

"Swampert!" Finn bellowed, raising his arms and creating a tidal wave of muddy water that he sent rolling towards Sati, expecting her to try to dodge.

What he didn't expect was the Tauros charging right at the waves.

"Why's she charging right in?! Is she an idiot?!" Vic exclaimed.

"Plow right through it, Sati, and use lash out!" Ange ordered.

"Tauros!" Sati bellowed. The water smashed into her, but due to her strength and speed she was able to power through. The mud got into her eyes, reducing her accuracy, but she didn't mind. Finn was too big of a target to miss at this point. Dark energy built up around her and she lowered her head, slamming into him with a powerful headbutt.

"Swampert!" Finn roared in pain. The damage inflicted on him was severe, to Alden's shock. Finn collapsed, nearly brought down by the move.

"Finn!" He cried. "What's wrong?!"

"What move even was that?!" Rui cried in disbelief. "It was so powerful!"

"You used the wrong move," Ange said simply. "Lash out is a move that takes full use of Sati's foul temper. When her stats are reduced by an opponent's move, she gets so upset the strength of her attack is doubled."

"So it's like Valkyrie's Defiant!" Vic gasped. Alden didn't have the heart to inform her that her beloved combination with Shimmer was no longer possible now that Valkyrie's ability had changed with her evolution. He just nodded sadly.

"She made use of the accuracy drop from muddy water in the heat of the moment," Anabel mused. "Very good move. Nice thinking on her feet, as well."

"That was just a taste," Ange promised. "Now Sati! Show them what your wrath is really about!" She ordered.

"TAUROS!" Sati roared with fury. Her attack stat skyrocketed, to everyone's confusion.

"What's going on now?!" Rui wailed. She had no idea about anything that was happening in this fight, damn it!

"I'm not sure," Alden said as Finn rose to his feet. "What's going on, Ange?"

"Most Tauros have the ability Intimidate," Ange explained. She was keeping the anger out of her voice remarkably well, given what pokemon she was bonded with at the moment. "But not Sati. Her ability is Anger Point. Whenever a pokemon scores a critical hit on her, her attack stat shoots right up to its maximum."

"What?" Vic blinked, confused. "But that attack wasn't a critical hit…"

"No, it wasn't," Ange admitted. "But that doesn't matter to Sati. I told you before, didn't I? Sati… her entire herd was exterminated. Since that day… her wrath has only built up. She hates humans, you see. Nearly as much as I do. And because of that, she's focused on nothing but rage and destruction. And to that end… I've granted her the power to seize that rage, that wrath, and using it to her own ends. With the power of harmonia…"

"…You can trigger Anger Point whenever you want, am I right?" Alden guessed at what she was talking about, and didn't like where this was going. "Well, that's just great."

"You see well," Ange glowered, giving herself over to the rage in Sati's heart. "Now Sati! Time to go wild! Raging bull!"

"TAUROS!" Sati roared, stomping her hooves on the ground and charging at Finn. She wasn't any faster, but the pressure bearing down on Finn was immense. The Tauros had incredible strength built up, and Finn honestly wasn't sure if protect would even be enough to stop the rampaging bull pokemon at this point.

Alden could sense that Finn wasn't left with much. He was glowing with a blue aura, meaning his Torrent was already triggered. If that was the case, he'd have to make the most of his pokemon. Luckily, the Tauros was attacking with a Normal type move. "Finn!" He called. "Use flip turn now!"

"Swampert!" Finn nodded, recognizing what Alden was getting at. He charged at the Tauros, covering his body with water and striking her with a punch, deflecting her charge at the same time he returned to his pokeball.

"Now go, Mimi!" Alden called out, sending out his Mimikyu. The small pokemon was now the target of Sati's charge, but that was perfectly fine. Ange clicked her tongue in frustration as her Tauros passed harmlessly through the small pokemon, who was immune to Normal type moves.

"Yes! That's what I'm talking about!" Vic cheered. "It's about time Alden decided to use a Ghost type pokemon to handle all these Normal types!"

"That nearly gave me a heart attack," Rui sighed, holding her hand over her chest. "Why didn't you use that before?!"

"Because it's risky to play a trump card so early," Anabel explained. "Mimi is a good pokemon to use against her, but remember, she still has that Zoroark. He needs to make sure that the situation is appropriate."

"And… this is the appropriate situation?" Rui asked.

Anabel shook their head. "Actually… it's just the opposite. The appropriate situation would be one where that Ange girl couldn't switch to her Zoroark. Which means he shouldn't have sent out Mimi until she was already knocked unconscious."

"But he still did… so that's bad?" Rui asked, starting to get worried again.

Anabel nodded. "He didn't send out Mimi because it was the right play. He sent her out because he didn't have any choice. He needed a pokemon that could match that Tauros, and Mimi was his best option. He was forced to do it, which really isn't good. In fact, I bet that girl was hoping something like this would happen, so she could deal with it now by sending her Zoroark back out."

"Yeah, well, what do you know?!" Vic snapped, not at all a fan of how they were talking against Alden's situation. "The Commander will win this match with no trouble!"

"Fine, fine," Anabel said, smart and diplomatic enough to not pick a fight with Vic over this. "Let's just see what he's going to do."

The fact that Ange wasn't bothered by the Ghost type lent credit to Anabel's assessment that she had been planning for this.

But she didn't recall her Tauros, to everyone's surprise. The bull pokemon circled around the battlefield, barely restraining her anger to keep from destroying anything.

"You're not going to switch out?" Alden asked, raising his eyebrow.

"No need," Ange said, shaking her head. "Sati is MORE than enough to take your Mimikyu down. And besides, if I tried to end this in her current condition…"

Ange glanced at her enraged Tauros. If she tried to recall Sati to her pokeball, there was a chance she might be attacked herself.

"…It wouldn't go well. We'll be just fine, you'll see! Sati! Stomping tantrum!" She ordered.

"TAUROS!" Sati bellowed, stomping angrily on the floor and charging at the Mimikyu, the entire stadium shaking. The attack smashed into Mimi with incredible strength, breaking through her Disguise before she even had a chance to react.

"Mimi, swords dance," Alden ordered. He needed to maximize her attack if she had a chance of finishing this Tauros off fast, which was exactly what he needed. A prolonged battle wouldn't go well for any of his pokemon.

"That's cute, but it won't be nearly enough!" Ange shouted, her own rage surging. "Stomping tantrum again!" She ordered. With another bellow, Sati charged at Mimi again, and the pokemon dodged by sinking into the shadows.

Unfortunately, there was no benefit in striking with shadow sneak. Just as Sati's Normal type moves were useless against Mimi, Mimi's Ghost type attacks were useless against Ange's entire team of pokemon. The immunity went both ways.

"Stomping tantrum!" Ange instructed her pokemon again.

"She keeps using that move," Rui said, frowning. "Why?"

"Stomping tantrum is another dangerous one," Anabel said, frowning. "Every time it's used, if the last move didn't hit the opponent, it only gets stronger."

"Wait, seriously?!" Vic gasped. That wasn't good. A single hit from that Tauros would be devastating. And Ange's move was only getting stronger when it didn't hit? That… it really wasn't good.

"Sati doesn't like being discouraged," Ange said as her Tauros scuffed her hooves against the ground. "So come on, then. Won't you be fighting for real?"

Alden weighed his options as the Tauros charged again. He was in a bit of a tight place against that monster.

This isn't good. Ange's really doing well in this fight against Alden, taking full advantage of her pokemon's abilities while using Samarra's assistance. Will he be able to win? How much damage will her monster of a Tauros do? Hopefully the Commander can defeat Ange, but if he doesn't do something quick, that's going to be really hard!