Here's another chapter. It's almost time for the next round!
ReallyRaichu: I'm just going to say, I appreciate your passion, but I'm not accepting OCs at this time. If that makes you want to stop reading, I'm sorry.
Guest: 99% sure you're the same guy, so see above.
Jay Hayden: What's wrong with Kate? Besides a lot of things, I mean.
Darkhammer: Stomp who out?
ZenoZen: Thank you.
Duskzilla: Hope so!
QuestionMan: Not at this time.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 30
"Alright all of you! We're beginning the first matches of E Block!" Darla announced.
"We're at the hallway point! Just a little longer, you can do it!" Lila cheered.
"On Field 1 of E Block, we have Nick Elwood!" Darla said. "Nick is-"
"Nick!" A loud chorus of voices rang out behind where Sango and Kitty were sitting, the two turned to look behind them. "Fight! Full force! N-I-C-K!"
"Is that…" Sango sighed, shaking her head. A large group had gathered together a few seats behind her dressed in karate gis. The large students were all members of the Pokemon Fight Club.
"Our captain is rooting for you!" One of the men shouted into a bullhorn. "She has sent us to cheer you on with all of our spirit! Come on, men! Cheer!"
"Go Nick! Fight! Fight!" The club members shouted in unison. Sango thought she could actually feel the stadium shake. In the box where the pokemon gym leaders were watching, Callie had a similar reaction.
"Come on, Nick!" Callie cheered, a big smile on her face. She was out of her seat, leaning against the glass. "You can do it, I know you can!"
"You seem excited, Callie," Gerard commented from his seat, a smile on his face. "I'm glad we finally get some passionate people among our numbers."
"Oh, yeah, Nick is just so dreamy!" Callie said, nodding, turning back to him. "And since I've been training him, I bet he can win the whole thing!"
"Oh?" Gerard asked. "Fascinating. And what do the rest of you think? Of the students we've seen so far, anyone have any thoughts on who might win?"
Of the Eight Leaders, only seven of them were in attendance. Rafe, as usual, was absent. The others were all watching with various levels of eagerness, ranging from Gabrielle's emotionless gaze to Callie's pumped up expression.
"Austin." Elle's cold voice was practically absolute in its statement of Austin's victory. "He's strong. Strong enough to beat anyone in his block."
She turned to Alcea, almost daring the grass master to say otherwise. Alcea did not take the bait. She did not even take her eyes from the battles below.
"Only a few of 'em have given me a thrill," Raizer, seated between the two as the Fifth Leader, commented. He had wild blonde hair and flashing gold eyes, and over his uniform he wore a yellow jacket with a lightning bolt pattern. "That Cynthia kid had an electrifying match."
"She certainly has passion," the Seventh Leader, Mirar, agreed. He was rather plain-looking, with basic short brown hair and brown eyes. He wasn't very tall, or very short, and didn't seem to stand out at all. It was perfect for a normal type user. "But she was certainly sloppy. Very obvious to see her game plan- none whatsoever. Knowing that, I wonder who will make it out of A Block?"
"The final matches for A Block will be Austin vs. Cynthia, and Blake vs. Kate," Gerard said. "Interesting matchups. I wonder if the committee didn't want to make two freshmen fight each other?"
"It hardly seems fair," Raizer commented. "It looks like this could end up being a cleanup for the sophomores, then."
"Now, now, don't count their year against them," Gerard countered. "After all, my pick for winning the whole thing is just a 'mere' freshman as well, you know."
Gerard turned to Alcea.
"Alcea, you've fought against Blake before, yes? What do you think?"
"From what I've heard, he's quite a strong one," Raizer commented, "though it seems like he was holding something back. He's the brother of Kanone Harker, isn't he?"
"Yes… but that shouldn't matter, unless he can fight like his brother." the last of them finally spoke up. He had remained silent this entire time, studying the matches. The man was also the only one not in uniform. Instead, he wore clothes that would not look out of place on a ninja. The majority of his face was covered by a wrap, save for his sharp eyes, and he had black hair tied back into a ponytail.
"Dokukage, you have a comment, for once?" Raizer asked, surprised.
"These matches… I believe that Kate and Austin will win, that's all," Dokukage said.
"Because their opponents are freshmen, right?" Raizer asked. "Weren't you listening? That isn't enough-"
"No," Dokukage corrected. "Because their opponents do not make good use of strategy."
"You noticed that too?" Mirar asked. "I agree. Cynthia and Blake… they have strong pokemon and a lot of heart… but against someone like you or I, who value strategy and planning… I wonder if they would even put up a good fight."
"That stuff doesn't matter!" Callie cut in, turning back to her peers. "All that matters is passion!"
"You might think that way," Mirar said, shaking his head, "but that's why you're the Eighth Leader, and the two of us are the Seventh and Sixth leaders." Callie scowled at this, but didn't say anything, turning back to the field.
"You make a good point," Gerard said, nodding. "Of the students, Austin is one of the best strategists I've ever seen. And though I haven't spent much time observing her, the strategy Kate employed against her opponent, setting up toxic spikes and then taking advantage of her opponent's grass types with her poison type moves definitely shows an affinity for planning. I'd wager on her, as well. She's quite the powerful poison user."
"And that," Alcea finally spoke, "is why she shall lose, is it?"
Gerard looked over at her, confused. "Oh? What do you mean?"
"As you say, Kate is quite an expert," Alcea explained. If battles were decided by talent and skill, then she would likely win. But I do not think it will go that way."
"Interesting…" Gerard said. "Is Blake that good, then?"
"…No," Alcea said, shaking her head. "Kate is simply… not suited for this." She did not say any more, indicating with a distant stare that the topic was closed.
"Well, if you say so," Gerard shrugged. He turned back to the matches. Let's continue with the matches, shall we?"
After all, he said to himself, the leaders of the next generation will be among these students.
"And with her Houndoom's impressive victory, Julianna makes it to the next round!" Darla cheered.
"With this, all the matches in H Block have come to an end!" Lila announced. "And that means…"
"…The first round is over!" Darla finished. "But the day isn't done yet!"
"Huh? That's not all of them?" Lila asked.
"No, we've got the next round this afternoon at 2:00!" Darla explained. "The four finalists from each block will face off against each other, and the two winners from each block will go on to the final rounds!"
"Everyone's doing their best, so it's your guys' job to cheer them on!" Lila said. "And we'll be right here cheering alongside you!"
"And this concludes the first round!" Darla said. "We'll see you again soon!"
"Good luck, everyone!" The two said, waving to the audience.
"So we've only got an hour and a half of break time, huh?" Sango said, standing up, stretching. "Hey, Kitty, want to go get some lunch?"
"…Sure," Kitty said, nodding. "Um, can I… ask something, though?"
The small girl looked down at the ground, her face flushing.
"…W-why are you dressed like a cheerleader?"
"D-don't worry about it," Sango said, blushing. "A-anyway, maybe we should check on the others first? See if they want to come? I'm sure they're feeling pretty stressed out about the next rounds, after all…"
"Hm-hm-hm," Cynthia hummed, washing her hands. As she finished wiping the water away, the another stall door opened and Kate walked out. Her expression shifted into a look of disgust as she laid eyes on Cynthia, who simply smiled at her.
"So, the next round should be interesting," Cynthia said as Kate walked past, the girl turning back to face her.
"It's a pity that I won't get to finish you off myself," Kata said, turning the dial on the sink. "Enjoy your final battle of the tournament."
"You're fighting against Blake, right?" Cynthia said. "Maybe I should return those words?"
Kate's eyes flashed with anger, but she said nothing.
"Man, you must really hate Blake, huh?" Cynthia said, shaking her head. "Is it because Alcea was so fascinated with him? It is, isn't it?"
Kate continued to wash her hands in silence, Cynthia's lips curling into a mischievous smile.
"It is, isn't it? You're jealous! You liiike her, don't you? You want to do this, that, and the other thing with her!"
"Y-you filthy girl!" Kate exclaimed, her face bright red. "I-I would never defile my queen with those sorts of thoughts! And there's no way I would allow my queen to be defiled by a b-boy, either!"
"Oh, wow, you're even more innocent than your queen," Cynthia cackled. "I bet you've never even held hands with a boy before!"
At this, Kate's face brightened with smug confidence, looking down at Cynthia with a smirk.
"Don't be ridiculous. Even I've managed to hold hands with a boy before."
"L-lewd…" Cynthia gasped, holding her hand in front of her mouth as she turned bright red.
"W-what?! No it isn't!" Kate exclaimed. "It's perfectly respectable! We even had dances with the boys in our sibling school back at my private academy! (Although I only went to one…) They were handsome gentlemen, far better than the gross boys leering after my queen!"
"Oh man, you are so sheltered," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "Listen, most guys are nothing like those rich kids you were talking about. I mean, you weren't wrong. Even Blake is the same, guys are really only interested in-"
"I'm done with this!" Kate exclaimed, turning away from Cynthia, her face bright red. She opened the door to the bathroom in an effort to leave, her eyes widening as she saw Alcea in front of her.
"Ah… milady," Kate said, her face brightening. She stepped aside to allow Alcea to pass.
"Ah… Kate," Alcea said. "Your battle was quite superb. Good luck in your next fight."
"Y-yes! Thank you, milady!" Kate said, lowering her head. "I promise you I'm going to win! I'll take down Blake, just the same as you would, and make you proud!"
Cynthia caught a wince on Alcea's face, but it quickly passed, replaced with her usual serious expression.
"All I ask is you do your best," she calmly stated.
"Yes, milady!" Kate said, bidding her goodbye, walking out of the restroom.
"…You had something else you wanted to say, didn't you?" Cynthia asked.
"…That girl… she tries far too hard to be like me," Alcea said, shaking her head. She turned to Cynthia and gave her a stony stare. "But this is none of your business, is it? Please forget what you heard."
"As you wish, 'milady'." Cynthia giggled, giving her an exaggerated bow as she left.
Cynthia flounced back into the waiting room, but only Blake was still there.
"Oh, Cynthia, you're back?" Blake asked. "I was just about to get lunch, want to come?"
"Eh? Like… a date?" She asked. "I-I don't know… give me some time to think about it?"
"Cynthia…"
"You're no fun…" Cynthia shrugged, shaking her head. "Sure, I could eat." The two headed out to go get food. They didn't go all the way to the dining hall, instead going to get some food at the concession stands and returning to the waiting room.
"…Wow, you really can eat," Blake said, shaking his head as he watched Cynthia devour the first of her three burgers.
"Yeah, I mean, I'm hungry!" Cynthia explained. "I didn't get breakfast!"
"I thought you'd be pretty stressed out, honestly," Blake said. "I mean, you are facing off against that Austin guy, right?"
"Yeah, but I can't let myself worry about anything like that," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "But don't think I'm just going in there half-cocked. I'm already in the process of thinking up a killer strategy!"
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I know you think I'm an idiot, but I'm still going to try my best, just you watch!" Cynthia huffed. "Besides, you're the one I'm more concerned about."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, you're fighting against Kate in the next round," Cynthia said. "She's really angry. I'm not quite sure about what, but it seems like she's really desperate to win. She's gonna be a tough one."
"Yeah, well, I'm going to try my hardest to beat her, then," Blake said, shrugging. "That's the best I can do."
"Well, you sound pretty confident," Cynthia smirked. "Even though she's been training with Alcea, who completely stomped you? Haven't you got any strategies lined up?"
"I'm not sure…" Blake said, frowning. "There was something strange about her fight before."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Cynthia asked, confused.
"I mean, she says she's a grass type specialist, right?" Blake asked. "But she kept using poison moves to win."
"Well, yeah, her opponent was a grass type user too, right? So of course she'd use poison moves to counter."
"Still…" Blake said, frowning, holding his hand to his chin in thought, "something seemed off… maybe I'm overthinking things. But with the pokemon I have right now, planning to fight against grass types won't be much different than planning to fight against poison types… I already know the three I'm going to use."
"Same," Cynthia said, nodding. "That Austin called me an idiot… I can't wait for my pokemon to put him in his place."
"He uses fire types, right?" Blake asked. "So what's your plan?"
"…Fight him full force," Cynthia said, smiling. "I'll just do what I always do, I guess!"
A sneaky grin came across her face, and she giggled a rather frightening giggle.
"But I do have a little something special planned."
"If that's what you want," Blake said, fully convinced she was going to lose.
Austin arrived not soon after they finished eating and the three sat in silence for a long time, waiting for Kate to return to the waiting room as well. Ten minutes until the round began, and she still hadn't showed up.
Kate had retreated to another restroom to eat her lunch instead of going back to the waiting room, and after she finished it off she looked in the mirror, holding her hand over her chest and trying to even out her breath.
"You'll be fine," she psyched herself up, trying to shake the apprehensive look on her face. Kate felt more nervous than she was willing to admit; to rectify the situation, she tried splashing water on her face. "The Queen is going to be watching… everything I've been training for is going to pay off soon… I'll make it to the top 16 and make her proud."
"That's right!" Kate shouted at her reflection. "I'm going to exactly what Queen Alcea would do, and win this match with my elegant grass types! Not…"
She shook her head, looking down at the pokeballs at her waist. She splashed her face again and walked out with renewed confidence.
"Welcome back, everyone!" Darla shouted into her mic.
"Are you all excited for another round of battles?" Lila asked.
"If you're just joining us now, this afternoon will be the final matches of blocks A through H! 32 trainers have fought their hardest to make it here, and now only the best of the best will move on to the top 16!" Darla explained.
"These matches are sure to be exciting, I can hardly wait!" Lila cheered.
"We're just as excited as all of you to get these battles started!" Darla said. "We're your hosts! I'm Darla Drake, the cool beauty with the heart of a dragon!"
"And I'm Lila Seelie, the lovely maiden who dreams of fairy tales!" Lila added. "Now, without further ado…"
"Let the first round begin!" The two exclaimed, the audience roaring with excitement. Sango and Kitty had managed to find seats closer to the battlefield this time, so they could watch the matches much better than before. The tradeoff being, of course, that the crowd was a lot louder and more passionate this close to the arena.
"For A Block, the first match will be on Field 1! Let's meet our trainers!" Darla said.
"Blake Harker vs. Kate Nomia!" Lila announced, Blake and Kate walking out onto the field.
"Now this match should be rather interesting," Darla explained. "Kate won quite handily in her first battle against her opponent Brianne. She showed a remarkable use of poison moves to win with only two pokemon!"
"You can take down that poison type trainer!" Lila yelled at Blake. Blake wasn't really paying attention to her, though, his attention was on Kate, whose expression was twisted into a rather perplexing mix of frustration and… regret? Sadness? He couldn't really tell, but she certainly looked angry.
"Hey, you're supposed to remain impartial!" Darla hissed.
"Whoopsies!" Lila giggled, sticking her tongue out and returning to her cutesy persona. "I just go so excited!"
"Yeah, yeah," Darla sighed. "In contrast to Kate's splendid showing, Blake's victory was very by-the-numbers!"
"Indeed, he didn't show off anything too flashy like the other finalists of A Block, but isn't that so intriguing?" Lila murmured.
"Not only that, but according to our sources, it seems that Blake here is the younger brother of the European Champion Kanone Harker!" Darla said, her voice tinged with awe.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Lila said. "I'm sure that when Kanone's brother fights for real, he'll have all of us on the edges of our seats!"
Now it was Blake's turn to wince. They were comparing him to his brother again. Of course they were. With just a few sentences, the two girls had invalidated all of the hard work he'd put in to get to this point. Even if I win… It's just because I'm "Kanone's younger brother" right?
"Now, this match will take place on…" Darla pressed a button and the wheel spun, landing on a card. The card filled up the viewing screens, a leaf emblazoned on it for all to see.
"Grass Stage 2!" Lila announced. "Flower Garden Field!"
Blake turned his gaze to the battlefield in front of him, which began to shake, dropping down and replacing itself with a grassy field covered in a rainbow blanket of flowers.
How fitting, Kate couldn't help but smile. The perfect stage for the queen to witness my techniques!
She raised her eyes to the box where the Eight Leaders were watching from, and though she could not see Alcea, she knew that her queen must be watching intently!
Just relax and watch me, your highness, and I'll show you an elegant performance as flawless as your own!
"Hey." Blake's voice interrupted her reverie, Kate turning to him with a scowl on her face.
"What is it?"
"Where are you looking?" Blake asked. "I'm your opponent. You should be paying attention."
"Whatever," Kate scoffed, shaking her head and giving him a mocking shrug. "You're just here for me to showcase my skills on."
"Wow, it seems like our first match has got some serious tension going on!" Darla said, growing excited as the sparks flew.
"So thrilling!" Lila said. "How can our other match compare?"
"We'll just have to find out!" Darla announced, pressing a button, two more names appearing onscreen.
"The second match, on Field 2! Austin Granger vs. Cynthia Fafnir!" Lila said.
The crowd cheered, and Austin walked out onto the battlefield. But he was alone. Cynthia was nowhere to be found.
"Huh?" Darla and Lila gasped in confusion.
"D-Darla, where's Cynthia?" Lila asked, looking to her partner worriedly.
"How the heck am I supposed to know?!" Darla snapped. "Rrg, if she was just going to surrender without fighting, then she should have told us!"
Surrender without fighting? Blake thought, looking at the entrance worriedly. Cynthia? Absolutely not…
"Okay, whatever! Where's Cynthia Fafnir?" Darla was practically shouting.
"So, it seems she did the intelligent thing after all," Austin said. "No point in embarrassing herself by losing."
Cynthia, where the hell are you?! Blake asked himself, frowning.
"What is that idiot doing?!" Sango held her head in frustration.
"Well? Where's my opponent?" Austin asked, turning to the announcer podium, the two looking down in resignation. "If she's not here, then-"
A crackling sound went over the speakers, and Darla's muffled shouting could be heard following it.
"It's me Austin!" Cynthia's voice rang out across the stadium confidently, all heads turning to the announcer's booth. Somehow, without anyone noticing, Cynthia had snuck up to the table that Darla and Lila had been sitting at, and had stolen Darla's microphone to make her announcement. She was currently standing on the table with her arms crossed triumphantly over her chest, staring out over the battlefield with the biggest shit-eating grin in the world.
"Anyone who thought I would back down from this fight, you're as big a fool as my opponent!" Cynthia continued, after the shock died down. "I really didn't want to have to do it! Austin made me! Because Austin, I had to teach you a lesson that you would never, ever forget! And now, Austin-"
"Give me that mic back you little-!" Darla snarled, trying to wrestle her microphone away from Cynthia.
"I'm almost done, geez!" Cynthia hissed back, pushing Darla off of her and jumping onto the ground.
"Austin, you called me an idiot! But now you know that no matter what the circumstances, I'm going to fight with my excitement pumped to the max! You can say that I do stupid stuff or that I'm not going to be able to outthink you, but you know what? I don't really care! Because I never back down from a fight! I'm going to beat you by going full force, and being the Cynthia Fafnir you all know and love! Isn't that right, everyone?"
Cynthia looked out at the audience, her impudent smile remaining unfazed by the chorus of booing and jeers aimed at her. She returned the microphone to Darla by tossing it over her shoulder and strolled up to the battlefield, looking as though she hadn't a care in the world.
"Thought that should break the tension, eh?" Cynthia looked to Blake, cackling. "Ready to do this?"
Blake shook his head, sighing in exhaustion. Same old Cynthia. Her words may have drawn the crowd's ire, but they'd gone quite a bit toward snapping him out of his unease. Cynthia was going to fight her opponent as only Cynthia could, and he'd have to do the same. I haven't really done all that much, have I? Of course the only thing they're interested in about me is that I'm Kanone's younger brother. If I want to show them that I'm more than that… I have to show them who "Blake Harker" really is, by blowing them away completely with my own skills!
"Urgh, who does that girl think she is?" Darla muttered. "Drawing everyone's attention, making fools out of us…"
"Darla!" Lila warned, Darla taking a few deep breaths before returning to a cheery smile.
"Well it seems these matches will be quite exciting!" Darla said.
"But before that, let's find what stage the second battle will be set on!" Lila said, spinning the wheel.
"Fire Stage 1! Burning House Field!" Darla announced. The battlefield was quickly replaced by the frames of a charred house, ash setting over the muddy ground, with fire still leaping up in several places.
"And now," Lila began,
"Let the final matches of A Block," Darla continued,
"Begin!" The two said as one, the audience letting out a cheer.
So, the second round is about to begin! Who will win? Who will lose? And is Cynthia truly the higher power behind the evil actions taking place in this tournament?