Ange and Alden have contrasting views of the world that have come into conflict because they are fundamentally incompatible people. And now, at the summit of the Battle Tower, the one whose ideals will prove the stronger will emerge the victor. Will that be the Commander? Or will it be Ange and Samarra? We'll have to see. Remember to review!

KedharS: I guess we'll have to see.

Gyvarius: The actual events of Legends: Arceus happened a little differently. It will become clear as Ange is explored more as a character.

Venoms Cross 2: Yep. I've been leaking tiny little hints here and there. I've got a very clear plan for how it will be used.

Hyphenman: Yep. I had it planned from the start, even though Corin's name changed slightly here and there. But it was part of the reason why Corin was the first true Mega Evolution to be seen.

Arbiter8991: Ryoko is always supposed to feel a little off.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1131

Nearly every set of eyes were on the shadow ball as it plowed towards the frozen Lucario, so only one person saw the shining light emanating from the pocket of the Commander's jacket. Vic blinked, not sure what she was looking at. Her eyes had only leapt to Alden for a fraction of a second out of concern, but it seemed that was enough to catch onto something- what that something was, she couldn't quite be sure.

What drew her attention away, however, was the light glowing from the center of the ice in which Corin was trapped. The whole thing began to glow as if lit ablaze by an inferno even though Corin shouldn't have been able to move or even generate her aura when she was that trapped. But the warmth coming from within could only belong to her, that Vic was certain of.

And as the light grew more intense, cracks began to form across the surface of the ice, starting small at first but then joining together to get larger and deeper, and soon the ice itself began to crumble away in chunks.

Then the light practically exploded outwards, shattering what was left of the icy shell and revealing the pokemon inside it.

Everyone was taken aback as the light faded and they stared at the pokemon remaining. It was Corin, but not as anyone knew her. The Lucario had transformed, as if she'd undergone an evolution of some kind. Her aura sensors had grown longer and danced in the air around her like tails, and the spikes on her paws had also elongated. Her tail was larger and her fur was bushier, and her eyes were burning with the strength to win as her aura blazed like an inferno with her in the center.

A smile spread across Ange's lips, but it wasn't hers. It was Samarra, watching this exchange through her eyes, observing the same phenomenon she'd seen when the Commander had battled Gerard several days ago.

But this time, things were different. The transformation Corin had undergone was smoother this time, more stable. She stood tall with her paws raised, revealing her new form to everyone in the stadium for the first time.

Alden was stunned. He didn't know what to make of this. But what he did know was that he was staring at Corin like he'd never seen her before, and he felt… relief. It was like she had purified all his doubts about the fight with her brilliant aura.

"Is that… really Corin?" Anabel asked, confused.

Rui squinted. "The feeling coming off of her… it's definitely her, but… this aura, something about it feels unusual.

"Lucario don't evolve," Vic asserted. But even she wasn't so sure. "…But then… I didn't think Bisharp evolved, either, and it seems…"

Not even Corin knew what had happened to her. She glanced down at her glowing body in total confusion, not sure what she was supposed to do now. Glancing at her trainer for clarification did nothing to inform her either.

Whatever had happened to Corin, evolution or no, the force of it was enough to dispel the shadow ball completely, leaving a stunned Luci unable to respond properly due to overtaxing herself with that "Strong Style" move. At the same time, Ange felt her body go numb as she searched for a way to deal with this.

She was lucky she had Samarra's experience to draw on. At the same time, though, Samarra's "experience" with this bizarre transformation was seeing Corin decimate a Mythical Pokemon in a single blow. Not exactly the sort of performance that inspired confidence.

"It's alright, Ange, just keep fighting," Samarra urged her. "It doesn't matter if you win or lose. The experience will help me immensely when it comes to judging that thing's power and making him one of my friends."

"It… doesn't matter if I win… or lose…" Ange mumbled so softly only she could hear. No… no, that wasn't right at all! Winning and losing didn't matter? How could that be? The only thing that was important was victory!

Ange clutched her head as blood rolled down her lips, causing her to spit. She was getting a serious migraine from her harmonia and it was hard to focus. But she knew that the only thing left to do was win, regardless of how strong her foe was.

If I lose, then I die… weakness is a sin… She reminded herself, using those words to strengthen her resolve. She let out a furious cry. "Luci!" She shouted. "Who cares about that pokemon's new look? We have to win!"

"Z-Zoroark!" Luci growled in agreement with her trainer, coming out of the fugue caused from overdoing her "Strong Style" attack. Corin may have been imbued with strange new energy from her new form, but Luci had the power of an alpha pokemon and the blessing of harmonia, and she wasn't about to lose!

With a roar, Luci sunk into the shadows, shooting across the field at Corin. She emerged, lashing out at her with a shadow sneak and knocking the Lucario backwards.

"Luc-!" Corin coughed, finally coming back to the fight. There was no time to ponder what was going on with her new appearance or wondering how she was supposed to battle with her body as changed as it was, right now what mattered most was winning.

"Corin!" Alden shouted. He didn't know any more than his Lucario what had happened, but his "Sense" was telling him that this new form of hers was their greatest chance for seizing victory. He could feel Corin's aura emanating from here, like her body was filling with newfound strength. He was connected to her in a way he'd never been with a pokemon before, that was how he felt right now.

Was this what harmonia was like? He couldn't be sure. But it was like nothing he'd ever felt, as if he and Corin were somehow merging as one.

"Corin, use bullet punch," Alden ordered. He knew that Ange and her Zoroark weren't opponents he could afford to take lightly, but at the same time he didn't know what Corin was capable of in this new body. He needed to give her time to get used to herself.

"Lucario," Corin nodded. She charged forward and raised her fist, unleashing a swift barrage of bullet punches upon the Zoroark in retaliation for her attack.

"Zooorooooo!" Luci cried in pain, wilting under the punches. But the red and black aura swirling aroud her only intensified in power, and Ange felt like she was imbued with the same alpha energy as her pokemon.

Ange braced herself against the power surge. In her time in Hisui, she'd faced many pokemon that were far larger and more intimidating than normal. They were known as "Alpha Pokemon", and her Zoroark was one of them. They'd been terrifying and dangerous opponents when she was a little girl, but now that she had the power all to herself…

It was intoxicating.

"Whatever power you think you've gained from your pokemon's transformation, it doesn't matter!" Ange shouted. "You can't defeat Luci and I! The strong live, and the weak die! That's the law of nature, and I refuse to be the one who will die!"

"Zoroark!" Luci roared in agreement, firing a stream of flames at Corin. It was a move comparable in power to a "Strong Style" attack, but it didn't hamper her movement in the slightest. Ange was using every drop of harmonia she had to push Luci to her absolute limit, and at her extreme that meant she was even free from the backlash of her attacks.

Corin wasn't so likely. She was engulfed in the attack, the blue aura surrounding her smothered by the crimson flames.

But that only lasted for a moment. With a fierce howl, a blast of energy erupted from the center of the inferno and pushed the flames away, extinguishing them with just the raw power of Corin's aura, to Ange's shock.

"That's… not possible!" She spat, fury filling her even further. She couldn't accept an outcome like this, she refused! Losing to someone like Alden Volt… it was a humiliation she would never be able to live with!

That man… that man who abused his pokemon… forced them to fight… and not for any noble purpose, but simply because he enjoyed it? Someone like that… someone like that-!

"I WON'T LOSE TO SOMEONE LIKE THAT!" She roared at the top of her lungs, giving herself over fully to Luci's wrath.

"Lucario!" Corin leapt back, shielding herself from the burst of energy coming off of the Zoroark. She squinted, trying to see the pokemon through the haze of red and black, but could barely make out her silhouette.

"Careful, Corin," Alden warned. "This girl isn't backing down."

"That Zoroark…" Rui mumbled, shivering the more she stared at the furious white pokemon covered in malice.

"You sensed it too?" Anabel asked, a dark shadow crossing their face.

"I did, too," Vic nodded. All three of them had their harmonia attuned to the ghastly pokemon in front of them, and none of them liked what they were sensing.

It was like the Zoroark was a being driven purely by destruction. For all Ange spoke of the cruelty of human beings destroying everything in their path, to the people in that stadium right now the beast of violence and destruction was standing right in front of them.

And they all felt the pain she was in.

Luci's voice flooded into their thoughts, smacking them like a blizzard from the snowy region she hailed from.

"Humans… all of them… they destroyed… everything I loved… because I was so weak… couldn't protect… couldn't keep them save… couldn't even save myself… but now… I have power! I will make them suffer, every last one of them… make them pay for what they did to me!"

Ange's thoughts were inseparable from Luci's at this point. It was as if she'd traveled in time once more, back to when she'd first met the Zoroark and felt the hatred springing up from within her. She was drowning in it thanks to her harmonia, and at this point she didn't even care.

The only thing that mattered was defeating the foe in front of her right now.

"You humans took everything from me!" Ange's lips spewed Luci's malice. "I was an alpha! The strongest of all! You took my kin, and made me watch them suffer and die, and now you seek to destroy me as well?! NEVER AGAIN! I WON'T BE THE WEAK ONE! YOU'LL BE THE ONE TO DIE THIS TIME!" She screamed.

Luci charged forward, driven on pure hatred. Shadows roared out from around her body and she slashed at Corin, who leapt out of the way. The dodge wasn't enough to actually evade the attack, however, because Luci wasn't striking with her claws. Shadows tore themselves off of her and stretched out for Corin, cutting into her like sharp blades.

"Lucario!" Corin cried in pain. The bitter malice Luci had cloaked herself with was even stronger than the previous attack. She could feel her strength draining, and even if she felt leagues more powerful than she had before, the chill that went through her was still overwhelming.

"Ange!" Alden shouted. He didn't have as clear an eye for what was happening as the spectators, but he knew Ange was in trouble. This wasn't like when Samarra took over Gerard or the others, what was dominating his opponent was the rage of his own pokemon. "Don't you see how pointless this is?!" He asked.

"SILENCE!" Ange roared in a voice that was a blend of hers and Luci's roar. "This is the law of nature! Your weakness is a sin!"

"Then if that's true, and your Zoroark's suffering was just a result of 'survival of the fittest', then why is she so enraged? Why are YOU upset?" Alden demanded.

"Because of people like you!" She shouted. "People who don't understand the value of nature and pokemon, who use them like tools for their own ends!" Ange didn't treat her pokemon like tools. In fact, it was practically the reverse. She was happy to turn her body over to Luci and allow herself to be used to satiate the Zoroark's grudge against mankind.

Alden clenched his teeth in the face of the intense energy. She just wasn't getting it. Maybe it was Samarra again, the overload of Luci's feelings and harmonia addiction, or maybe just plain cognitive dissonance that had nothing to do with the current situation, but Ange seemed incapable of acknowledging the hypocrisy of her philosophy.

If "weakness was a sin" and it was the fault of the weak for not being strong enough to survive, then why hold a grudge against humanity? Didn't that just mean that those Zoroark and Zorua, and by extension all the other species driven to extinction by human beings, were simply too weak to survive in the world and thus deserved to die?

Alden wondered, if he could get her to recognize that contradiction, would it be possible to get through to her? Then he thought better of it. It was more likely that something like that would just result in him getting fucking murdered. He'd learned enough about trying to get through to people's sensibilities when fighting Vic, Anabel, and Gerard, he wasn't going to make that mistake again.

Right now, the only thing the two of them will understand is power. Fine then. If "weakness is a sin", then I'll show them what we're capable of, Corin! He resolved himself.

Before, he had been certain that there was no chance at victory. But this new transformation of Corin's had changed all that. She was faster, stronger, more resilient. It was like all of her stats had gotten a massive boost. Power was flooding into him, and he knew she'd be able to handle it.

"Corin! Use flash cannon!" He ordered.

"Lucario!" Corin raised her paws and gathered together as much energy as she could. She released it in a beam of light that pierced through the shadows surrounding Luci, striking her in the chest. The Zoroark howled in pain and stumbled back, sending waves of ghostly energy flying randomly out through the air in frustration.

"Corin, evade!" Alden ordered. He relied on his pokemon's newly-heightened speed to avoid the random shadows, and concentrated on building up his own strength. He had no idea if this was like harmonia and he could share power with his pokemon, but there was no harm in hardening his resolve and giving her everything he had.

Ange shrugged off the pain like it was nothing to her. "We won't lose! We cannot lose!" She roared. "You… fighting pokemon battles for fun… treating your pokemon like rubbish… I won't lose to someone as weak as you!"

"You're the one who's weak!" Alden shouted back. "Cloaking yourself in a shield of loathing, as if the arbitrary rules you've decided on are how the world works! Survival of the fittest? Is that TRULY the kind of world you want to live in, Ange?!" He demanded.

"You… what do you know?!" She cried. "You have no idea what I've been through! What we've endured! We've seen the horrors of mankind's treatment of pokemon firsthand, and in spite of that, you still have the arrogance to think-"

"Your Zoroark didn't lose everything due to the evil of humanity!" Alden replied. Even though he knew that was a lie, he still needed to make her see. If he could get through even for a second, it might cause her resolve to shake, and then they could win.

"She lost everything because she was too weak to protect it, isn't that right!?"

Ange froze in place like a blade had pierced her heart. What was he saying? Was he insane? Luci… Luci wasn't weak, she was the strongest pokemon she knew! After all she'd lost, everything she'd been through…

"That's… that's…" But then, if she was so strong, why couldn't she have kept the other pokemon safe against the humans? If the strong lived and the weak died, if that was truly correct, then how could those pokemon have…

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ange screamed, suppressing her doubts with pure delusion. Luci reared back and let out a furious roar, gathering together ghostly energy into the largest shadow ball anyone had ever seen. She'd put everything she had into this final attack, all to finish Corin off. "We aren't weak! We're strong! Strong enough to defeat you! So SHUT UP! Stop trying to confuse us with your lies and words! No matter how much the weak struggle to survive, nature is cruel! You don't get to fight against the laws of the world! WEAKNESS IS A SIN!"

"Just shut up!" Alden growled, clenching his jaw. "I'm SICK of hearing those words! There's NOTHING wrong with being weak, that's just your own sad little delusion! Whether they win or lose, people and pokemon can both enjoy battling, and it doesn't mean that they're taking advantage of one another! Maybe in the past, the world was too harsh and cruel for everyone to find joy in testing their abilities and competing with one another, but you're in our century now, Ange, and it's time to WAKE UP!"

Alden couldn't refute the atrocities humans had committed upon pokemon, both those in the past and those in the present day. But he refused to let Ange categorize all humans as destructive and cruel. The world that she described? The one she thought was ideal? That was the destructive and cruel reality in Alden's eyes, and if she wanted to go back there, well, fine with him, but he wasn't going to let her drag the rest of the world with her.

Pokemon battles were fun. Ange had made him question that briefly, but feeling the rush of power from Corin regaining her strength, and pushing beyond that into a new form, it had renewed his conviction in the power of fighting. Corin hadn't transformed out of some raw survival instinct. She'd reached this new level of power out of the pure desire to become even stronger, to prove herself as a pokemon worthy of standing at his side. That was what he "Sensed" from the bond he shared with his Lucario, and that was how he knew he wouldn't lose faith in his way of thinking again. Not as long as Corin was at his side.

"I won't let you use brute force exert your own personal 'right' on how the world should work," Alden growled. "That goes for you, and that puppet master pulling your strings! Corin! It's time to give her the full power of our steely resolve! Show them what it means to have the strength to never compromise our ideals! Steel beam!"

"LUCARIO!" Corin howled, charging her aura with all the power she'd gathered from this new form of hers. Her white aura glowed so brightly she illuminated the night sky, turning the Battle Tower into a beacon that, for a brief instant, seemed to illuminate the entire Orre Region. She focused all of that power into a single point, and released it into a massive burst of energy that burned away the malicious aura that wrapped around Luci, freeing Ange from the chains of her pokemon's malice.

Luci let out one final roar of pain and outrage, and then fell silent as the light engulfed her as well.

And with that, the battle has reached its conclusion. Ange put up an amazing fight, but this newfound power of Alden's was simply that much more powerful. But I think it came down to a lot more than that. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that Alden had the resolve to overcome Ange's worldview, once he realized just how warped and twisted it was. Now we just have to see what the result of this exchange will end up being.