Time for the conclusion of Julia's match with Elaina! Will she be able to win? Will she lose?
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Darkhammer: Maybe that would be for the best, who can say?
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 37
"Damn it…" Julia cursed. This girl might be as strong as Alcea… I don't know if Roden is able to handle such destructive power… and even if I take down her Noivern I still have two more pokemon to beat somehow… But I'm not going to just roll over and lose like this!
"Roden! Lend me your strength!" Julia shouted, tossing out a pokeball, which her Houndoom emerged from.
"So you still choose to fight?" Elaina asked. "Very well then. Don't hold me responsible for what happens."
"Roden! Take that bat down with flamethrower!" Julia ordered. Roden raised his head and howled, a large stream of flames erupting from his jaws. Noctre flapped her wings and summoned another gust to blow the flames away, but as powerful as the winds were, it did not manage to snuff out the fire entirely. The flames singed Noctre's wings, but she barely flinched. She tucked her wings in and shot towards Roden, wind swirling around her body.
"A head-on fight, huh?" Julia asked. "Perfect. Roden, faint attack!" Roden disappeared and emerged from the shadows behind Noctre, raking her back with his sharp claws. Noctre spun around and shook him off, knocking him into the ground. She flapped her wings and flew up above Roden, summoning a tornado of wind in front of her. The wind lifted Roden off of the ground and flung him into the sky, the fire pokemon landing in a pile of scrap metal.
"Finish this," Elaina ordered. Noctre howled and spread her wings, summoning another destructive hurricane. The blast of wind and water shook the battlefield, stadium the scrap metal, pile and all, sending it flying across the battlefield. Roden hit the ground with a yelp and skidded across the strewn about debris, coming to a stop at Julia's feet.
"Roden…" Julia whimpered, kneeling beside her pokemon and laying a hand on his side.
"Sorry for getting so distracted," Darla's voice cried out, "but the first match of Block H has come to a finish! While it wasn't as… engaging as Elaina and Julia's match, Reiner has managed to win in excellent form despite the raging winds he was forced to deal with!"
What? Julia thought, turning to look at Reiner. So Reiner won his match…
She bit her lip, glaring at Elaina. Blake, Cynthia, Nick, and Reiner… they're all moving on… am I going to be the only one stuck here? No… I can't lose here! I'm going to win and move on, just like they did!
"Roden!" Julia shouted, rising to her feet. Roden's eyes snapped open and he leapt up, flames burning around him.
"Hound!" Roden growled, opening his jaws and firing another blast of powerful flames at Noctre.
"That thing can still move?!" Elaina shouted in disbelief as the flames hit Noctre head on, pushing her back. "Noctre! We won't lose to something like that, do you understand?! Take as much from me as you need to win!"
"Noivern!" Noctre howled, emerging from the cloak of flames with renewed fervor. The pouring of the rain increased as the winds began to howl with an echo that rang across the stadium, the glass separating the stands from the battlefield beginning to rattle. The wind gathered together in a maelstrom of destructive power, blasting across the scrapyard and flinging Roden into the air. Roden slammed into the ground and Julia's legs gave out, the tempest knocking her off of her feet. She cried out in pain as she slammed into a pile of scrap metal, the stands falling silent in shock.
"Holy… no way…" Darla gasped. "Um… Elaina wins, but… um…"
"Darla, we need to call the emergency responders!" Lila cried out.
"Right, I'm on it," Darla said, nodding. A few seconds later, a team of EMTs ran out to the battlefield.
Elaina returned Noctre to her pokeball, panting, clutching her head.
"I warned you…" She muttered, turning and staggering off the battlefield.
"Well then, I must be going," Gerard said, rising from his seat. "Quite impressive, wasn't she?"
"You don't honestly believe," Alcea said, turning to Gerard, "that someone like her who would so thoughtlessly injure a fellow student would be allowed to advance?"
"Of course," he said, turning back to face her. "This school values nurturing the potential of its students. And that girl's potential is limitless… She needs an avenue to express it. Don't worry your pretty little head, Alcea, the faculty has already agreed to it. I'll be taking responsibility for any damages. As the first leader… they're willing to grant her some leeway. She might have gone a bit too far, but I doubt that young miss Julia is too badly hurt."
"Oh my god…" Cynthia said, jumping to her feet. "We've gotta go see if Julia is okay! Come on, Blake!" She turned and ran out of the waiting room, but Blake stayed to stare numbly at the screen.
"That girl… she…" he murmured, his eyes widening.
"Blake, come on!" Cynthia cried, ducking back into the room.
"Coming," Blake said, following after her. The two ran out of the waiting room and into the hallway crowded with evacuating students. Soon enough they had moved through the larger crowd, running through the halls back toward the stadium. Running in the opposite direction, as they got closer to the stadium the halls were almost entirely empty. Cynthia kept running but Blake skidded to a stop and whirled around.
"Blake?" Cynthia asked, looking back. "What're you-oh!"
"You're in my way." Blake was standing in front of Elaina, giving her a cold and appraising stare.
"Okay, Blake," Cynthia said, running up to him and grabbing his arm, "look, I know you're mad that she hurt Julia, but now is not the time for this, got it? Just calm down."
"Listen to your friend," Elaina warned.
"No," Blake said, shaking his head. "You and I have things to discuss."
"Is that anger in your eyes?" Elaina asked. "Because I hurt your friend? It's understandable why you would feel that way."
"I'm not angry," Blake said, shaking his head. "You didn't mean to hurt her, did you? You couldn't control yourself."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Elaina said, her tone sharp and impatient. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must be going!"
She moved to step around Blake, when the sound of a throat being cleared drew the attention of all three of them.
"Gerard!" Elaina said, her body relaxing and her tone lightening. She pushed past Blake and ran over to him, raising her head to look at him.
"Hello there, Elaina, well done in your victories today," Gerard said, smiling. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"
He turned to look at Cynthia, who looked entirely confused, and Blake, whose expression was more cautious, suspicious even.
"Actually you are, she and I were in the middle of a conversation," Blake said.
"Blake, this guy is Gerard Alkwest!" Cynthia hissed. "He's the strongest of the Eight Leaders! That means he's the strongest trainer in the school! What are you doing?!"
"Why thank you, it's always nice to meet a fan," Gerard smiled. He lifted his hand and pushed up his glasses. "I'm sorry to take Elaina away from your conversation, but she's been through a rough day, and needs her rest. You can speak with her later. The two of you reached the next round, after all, so I'm sure you'll see her soon enough."
"If it's all the same, I'd rather talk with her now," Blake said, smiling. Well, it looked like a smile, anyway. Cynthia knew what Blake's smiles looked like, and this was a lot angrier than the ones she'd seen. "It's about the match today. I just wanted to see how she was feeling."
"I see," Gerard said, nodding, his smile taking on a colder overtone. "All the more reason that she doesn't have the time to speak to you. Let's go, Elaina." He turned and walked away from them.
"Yes," Elaina said, nodding, following after him.
"Elaina!" Blake shouted, running after her. "That power of yours… that was Harmonia, wasn't it?!"
Elaina paused, whirling around to face him.
"Wh-what did you say?" Elaina asked.
"Never mind him!" Gerard snapped, grabbing her arm and roughly pulled her away. As he pulled her away from them, Elaina turned her head, Blake staring right into the eyes of her mask.
"I knew it…" Blake murmured.
"Um… Blake?" Cynthia asked, placing her hand on his arm. Blake turned to her, a look of confusion on her face. "What… what was that about?"
"Nothing," Blake said, shaking his head. "Let's go find out how Julia is doing."
When they entered the stadium, the cleanup crew was already at work. They directed the two of them to the infirmary, but wouldn't say what Julia's condition was. Blake and Cynthia looked at each other worriedly and ran toward the stadium exit.
The two reached the infirmary. Nick and Sango turned to look at them, already seated in the waiting room.
"How is she?" Blake asked, panting. "Is she… okay?"
"We don't know," Sango said, shaking her head. "They won't let us in to see her yet."
"Reiner isn't here either," Nick said glumly. "I guess he's hanging out with his new friends in that Pokemon Gym Leader Club of his…"
"Excuse me," the nurse stepped out of the back room, looking over the group. "If you're here to visit Julia Keruz… you can go in now. She's in room 215."
She stepped aside just in time, the four of them pushing past her, running down the hall and up the stairs to the second story. They raced through the halls and burst into Julia's room, collapsing onto the hospital floor in a heap.
"…Hey guys," Julia said, looking down at them, raising her eyebrow. "…What's wrong?"
The four of them stood up, looking at Julia. She was sitting up in her bed, with her left arm in a sling, shoveling pudding into her mouth with her other hand.
"Julia…" Sango said, frowning, "are you okay?"
"Course I am?" Julia said, confused. "I mean, yeah, I got pretty banged up and all, but other than my arm, I'm fine. The doctors said it's a small break, so it should be all fixed up in a few months."
The four let out a collective sigh of relief, slumping to the ground.
"I appreciate your concern though," Julia said, a cheerful smile crossing her face. Her smile disappeared and she looked around, concerned. "Where's Kitty?"
"…" Sango's face fell, and she slowly lowered her head to look at the ground.
"Kitty, she…" Sango mumbled, "during your match, she…"
"What?" Julia asked, her face going pale. "What happened? Sango!"
"Kitty, she… she…"
"Julia!" Kitty burst into the room, her eyes wide with fear. "Julia are you okay?!"
"…" Julia's eyes widened in shock, her expression going blank. She slowly turned to Sango, pointing at Kitty.
"She passed out again and was getting a checkup by the doctor to make sure everything is okay," Sango said, smiling. "Aren't you relieved?"
"Yeah, I'm doing just fine," Julia growled, grabbing Sango by the collar. "That was a dirty trick."
"Hey, come on, I was just trying to lighten the mood a little," Sango said, holding her hands up defensively.
"Whatever," Julia sighed, letting Sango go.
"Um, Julia… are you okay?" Kitty asked, walking up to her bedside.
"I'm doing fine," Julia said, forcing a smile onto her face. "Don't worry."
"Are you sure?" Kitty asked suspiciously.
"Of course!" Julia said. "Although I have to admit, this is a pretty big role reversal. Me lying in the hospital, you being perfectly fine?"
Kitty's expression was still suspicious, Julia letting out a sigh. She turned to the others. "Guys, can we have a minute?"
"Yeah, sure, we'll leave you guys alone," Blake said, the four of them leaving the room, allowing Kitty and Julia their privacy as they waited outside.
"Julia…" Kitty murmured, looking at her friend.
"…Damn it…" Julia cursed, slamming her good hand down on the bed. "Damn it! I wanted… I wanted to win so badly… Even though I've been training with Alcea the last few weeks… I still wasn't able to do anything at all!"
"Julia…"
"When Blake lost against Alcea… I was so confident I knew what was going on. I thought that by training under her, I could someday get that strong…" Julia sighed, shaking her head. "So this must be what Blake felt… no, this must be what Blake feels all the time, being Kanone Harker's younger brother… knowing that as hard as you try, it won't be enough to win. Even if you trust your pokemon and fight with your full heart, you can still lose…"
"Julia, you… you didn't lose!" Kitty exclaimed.
"Wh-what?" Julia asked, raising her head, her eyes widening in surprise as she was taken aback by Kitty's sudden outburst.
"You… you did your best… you tried as hard as you could… and even though she beat you, you still learned, right?" Kitty babbled, her eyes jumping all over the room in embarrassment. "And… and… isn't that really a win? When you think about it? You know? I mean…"
Finally taking a breath, Kitty calmed down slightly and smiled.
"I don't care that you couldn't keep your promise to win," Kitty reassured her. "I'd rather you lose and realize your own shortcomings than just win and not learn anything. Maybe… maybe because I lose so much, I think losing is really underrated, you know?"
"Sure, maybe," Julia chuckled, shaking her head. "It's still frustrating beyond belief." Kitty nodded in agreement, the two chuckling.
"Oh! And you know, even though I passed out and didn't see the end, what I remember isn't you losing or getting your pokemon beaten up." Kitty said, shaking her head. "No, it was when even though you were losing, you still refused to give up and kept fighting right up until the end! That… that was really cool, you know?"
Kitty's cheeks flushed and she pressed the tips of her fingers against each other, looking down. "It made me… it made me want to be like that, someone who could fight while believing in myself and trying to win… it was really cool…"
Julia placed her hand on Kitty's head, smiling widely.
"Thanks, Kitty. I feel a lot better now." The two giggled for a little, and then Kitty went off to go get the others.
"So how are you feeling?" Gerard asked, leaning back against the wall of a large private room, next to an opened door. Through the opening the sound of running water could be heard.
"I still feel worn out," Elaina's voice echoed from within the shower. "After all that training I didn't expect using my powers so much would still be so exhausting."
"That's why I told you to take it easy," Gerard said. "That girl was no match for you anyway, you didn't need to use your full force to take her out."
"Maybe not… but I wanted to make them see it. See me. And it just… it all got so out of control again. But they did see, didn't they? They all saw what I could do, what I was capable of…"
A loud bang echoed through the bathroom as Elaina struck the shower wall.
"I thought that when I got here, things would be different… but the looks on their faces… they were exactly the same as they always have been. Looking at me in fear and terror like I was some sort of monster…"
"It will always be the same," Gerard said, shaking his head, the sounds of running water drawing to a stop. "They were afraid of you because you're strong. Because they're weak. And when someone as strong as you shatters the world of the weak, they refuse to accept their own weakness. So they gather together to feel stronger, more confident about themselves, and turn on the strong. They fool you into believing that you are in the wrong, that you're a monster, a freak, simply for being who you are. The fearful cowards, the bullies, they're the wrong ones not you."
Elaina stepped out of the shower, a towel clinging to her curves. Her hair was damp and clung to her backside, and her skin still glistened with water.
"Elaina," Gerard said gently, reaching a hand out to her and brushing the hair away from her masked face. "I've told you, you don't have to wear that around me."
"Maybe," she said, cradling his hand with her own, shaking her head. "But even for you, Gerard, I still can't bring myself to take it off… not just yet. When I'm wearing, it's like…"
"I understand," Gerard interrupted, placing moving his hand aside and placing it on her shoulder. "But please, don't feel like you have to hide yourself from me. You're not alone. I'm always here for you."
"Gerard…" Elaina said, stepping away from him and towards her bed, staring at herself in a large mirror on her dresser table. "That boy… he recognized my powers, didn't he?"
"That boy?" Gerard asked. "Oh, you mean Blake?"
"Is that his name?" Elaina said. "I see… Yes, Blake… he even knew it by name could it be…" She paused, swallowing, her voice turning hopeful, "do you think he could be… like me?"
"It is possible," Gerard said, nodding, "Harmonia may be rare, but I've heard that those who possess it can sense the presence of each other. Did you feel anything around him?"
"No, nothing," Elaina said, her voice betraying more than a hint of disappointment.
"In any case, you should probably stay away from him," Gerard warned, stepping up behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "You can't trust him. You can't have forgotten. All the people who tried to get close to you? Pretended to be your friends, only to betray you in the end? Even if that boy knows about your powers… you're still just a monster to him."
Elaina remained silent, turning away from the mirror and looking up at Gerard.
"Remember, I'm the only one you can trust. I won't ever betray you, because you are important to me. All the others are weak; cowards who fear your amazing power. They will just end up hurting you and treating you like a monster, like they always have."
"I know, Gerard," Elaina said, nodding. "You're the only one I can trust."
"Exactly," Gerard said, hugging Elaina close to him, smiling. "Just listen to me, I'll help you with everything. I'll teach you how to master those powers of yours, so you can punish everyone who ever called you a monster or a freak. Then you'll be able to annihilate anyone or anything that stands in our way."
Hm, this seems like an interesting development…