Now, let the matches begin. But before we start, a moment of silence for the dearly departed Stan Lee. You were a man of talent that shall not be seen again on this earth. Excelsior!
Superblal: Actually, yes, that would be just fine! I'd be happy to take a look.
ZenoZen: Indeed, I hope so.
Darkhammer: Yes, this should be pretty good.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 44
"Alright then, before the rounds begin, a few more announcements," Darla declared. "Due to certain recent circumstances, some things need to be brought to attention!"
"Oh? What things are those, Darla?" Lila asked.
"For starters, the battles today will not utilize the Battle Arena System," Darla explained. "Due to unfortunate… damages, yesterday, the system is currently out of order. But don't worry! Once this round is over, the campus's team of crack mechanics will be getting it right back on track! Until then, the battles will be held on this battlefield, right in front of us!"
Darla gestured to a large battlefield in front of the stage.
"Now, take a look at our scoreboard!" Darla and Lila turned on their heels, gesturing up at the large screen hanging over the stage. The 16 faces of the finalists appeared on the screen, each enclosed in a different box. "Each round, two of the remaining finalists will be randomly selected and fight against each other to move on!"
"Hm, so that way there's no telling who our opponents will be until right before the match," Blake mused.
"Oh man, this is so exciting!" Cynthia cheered, her fists trembling in excitement.
"And finally, we have a special surprise!" Darla announced. "You won't believe your eyes, but joining Lila and I today in our announcing duties, lending his own professional experience, is the one, the only, Kanone Harker!"
Darla and Lila turned to the announcer's box, pointing their fingers at an empty seat.
"…" The two were silent.
"Darla!" Lila hissed, holding her hand over the mic, "where's Kanone?!"
Darla and Lila walked over to the box, and in the center seat found a note taped to the back.
"What's it say?" Lila asked.
"'I would like to express my deepest apologies, but I am unable to host this event with you lovely ladies. I simply cannot stand the spotlight, I'm sure you understand. I wish you all the best, I'm sure you're able to handle this on your own. –Kanone Harker.'"
"What?!" Kitty exclaimed, shocked.
"Well, that's sort of a letdown," Julia sighed. "When I heard he'd be watching, I actually got excited."
"I wonder what he's doing?" Sango asked. "You'd think he'd want to see this. Why did he even come?"
"Why indeed…" Kanone said, frowning. "It's quite a mystery."
"Yes, it-" Sango, Kitty, Julia, and Kate whirled around to see Kanone sitting in the previously empty seat next to Sango, staring intently out at the field.
"Wh-what are you doing here?!" Sango exclaimed.
"Watching the battle, same as you," Kanone said, looking back at her in confusion as though the answer was obvious.
"Why aren't you down there?!" Julia exclaimed.
"Eh, if I'm out there everyone will just be paying attention to me, not the fighting," Kanone shrugged. "I want to just watch the battles. So consider me part of the audience."
"But what about the others?" Sango looked at the seats behind her, but their faces were filled with awe.
"Um… are you the real Kanone Harker?" One of the girls asked, blushing.
"Yup," Kanone said, winking at her, putting a finger up to his mouth. "But don't tell anyone, okay?" The girl swooned, Sango rolling her eyes.
"What's with this?!" Darla exclaimed, rereading the note.
"He's a pro player, and he can't stand the spotlight?" Lila asked, rolling her eyes.
"Well, no helping it," Darla sighed, folding up the note and slipping it into her skirt pocket. "I guess we-"
"Darla." Lila clapped her hand on Darla's shoulder, narrowing her eyes.
"Yeah?" Darla asked, smiling, turning to her partner.
"Did you just take Kanone's note?"
"…Yes, why?"
"So you think you can just casually get his autograph like that?"
"Lila, is this really the time?" Darla asked. The two turned and looked out at the crowd, putting fake smiles on their faces and returning to their characters.
"Sorry about that, everyone! But it looks like Kanone won't be attending today!" Lila announced.
"But don't worry! Your lovely Pokemon MCs will pick up the slack, just you watch!" Darla cheered.
Lila picked up the remote and pointed it at the screen, the faces disappearing and replaced with two columns of the photographs, which spun in sequence like a roulette wheel.
"Now, the first round will be-"
Interrupting Darla's announcement was Elaina, who walked right past her off the stage, to the shock of the two idols.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Darla exclaimed. "You can't just-"
Elaina stood at one end of the battlefield. Whatever expression she wore was concealed by her mask, but Darla and Lila still shivered when she turned her head to look up at them.
"Don't keep me waiting."
"Rrrgh! Who does she think she is, that-"
"Darla!" Lila hushed her. Darla inhaled and exhaled a few times, regaining her composure.
"Whatever! Fine! The first match, Elaina Bishop vs…" The wheel stopped spinning, landing on Roose's face. "…Roose Furr!"
"Well, me already, huh?" Roose said, standing up, smiling.
"Good luck, sweetie," Lua said, standing up, kissing him on the cheek. Roose stepped down from the stage and walked over to the battlefield, standing opposite of Elaina.
"Hey, are we… okay?" Kitty asked, looking to Julia worriedly. They were seated with Elaina facing toward them, which put them right in the line of Elaina's destructive power.
"Don't worry," Kanone said, turning to her, smiling reassuringly. "She won't be able to hurt us."
"…Okay," Kitty gulped, nodding tentatively.
"So, you put on quite the performance in your last fight, huh?" Roose said, smiling. "Sorry, but this is as far as you go. I'm not letting you get any farther and put Lua in danger with that recklessness of yours."
"Oh, don't worry about her!" Elaina snapped, pulling a pokeball from her waist. "You should be saving that concern for yourself! I won't be holding back anymore, I'll show you all the true extent of my power!"
"Noctre!" She shouted, tossing the pokeball into the air, her Noivern emerging with an earsplitting howl.
"Just as I thought, you Noivern," Roose said, smiling. "Bouquet, come out!"
Roose tossed out a love ball, which a Florges emerged from. The flowery pokemon stood proud on her green stalk legs, the blue peal wreath around her neck blowing in the wind.
"Wow, so the first fight of the day is a showdown between a dragon and a fairy!" Lila said, taking her seat at the announcer's booth.
"That's a confrontation we're quite familiar with," Darla commented. "It looks like Elaina is starting this out at a disadvantage!"
"Bouquet, let's start it the usual way! Use misty terrain!" Light began shimmering from Bouquet's flower petals, a sweet smelling pink mist spreading out over the battlefield.
"Ah, what a peaceful scent!" Lila sighed, resting her head on her arms, Darla pinching the bridge of her nose in disgust.
"Now, use moonblast!" Roose ordered. Pink light began shimmering around Bouquet's body, a sphere of fairy energy gathering in the palms of her hands. She lifted her arm and flung the sphere towards Noctre, shooting toward her at high speed.
"How pathetic." Elaina snarled, swinging her arm to the side. Nocte raised his wing and swung, a powerful gust of wind knocking the moonblast aside, where it exploded harmlessly against the ground.
"What?!" Roose exclaimed, a powerful gust of wind hitting him in the face.
"Noctre!" Elaina shouted, holding her hand out, Noctre spreading her wings open, a massive tornado of wind rising up and swirling around her body. She released it in a massive hurricane, rattling Florges and knocking her backwards, Roose flying off his feet as the stands behind him were shook by the massive force of wind.
"Oh no!" Kitty gasped, holding her head in pain.
"Kitty!" Julia gasped, placing her hand on Kitty's shoulder. "Are you okay? Is it the headaches?"
"…Yeah…" Kitty whimpered, nodding.
"Migraines?" Kanone asked, Kitty and Julia turning to look at them.
"I-I think so," Kitty said, nodding. Kanone reached into his pocket and withdrew a small pillbottle, unscrewing the lid and shaking a small white pill into his hand, holding it out to Kitty.
"Huh?" Kitty asked, looking up at him in confusion.
"I used to get migraines too when I was a kid," Kanone explained, turning a kind look to her. "This should help. Just try it."
"O-okay," Kitty said, nodding, taking the pill and swallowing it, her eyes widening. In a few moments, the throbbing pain in her head began to dissipate, her migraine fading away. "It's gone!" She looked at Kanone with a mixture of gratitude and awe, Kanone smiling back her.
"Thank you," Julia said, smiling at Kanone.
"What's up with that insane power?!" Roose exclaimed, standing up, cleary shaken. "That's crazy!"
"You have no chance against me!" Elaina declared. "Forfeit now, before any more harm befalls you and your pokemon!"
"Not a chance!" Roose exclaimed. "Bouquet! Dazzling gleam!"
Bouquet held her hands together, releasing a blinding light that covered the battlefield, light rays shooting toward Noctre.
"Very well then. I will not be held responsible for what happens next," Elaina said.
Dark energy began gathering in Noctre's claws, releasing a shockwave of dark energy that repulsed the light, piercing through the rays and striking the Florges in the stomach, knocking her back.
"Noctre, finish this!" Elaina shouted. Noctre raised her wing, wind spinning around her claw. With a downward slash, a blade of wind carved through the battlefield, striking Bouquet in the shoulder and carving down to her waist. The Florges cried out in pain as blood spurted from her wound, Florges being pushed backwards by the wind strike, knocking her out of the battlefield. Bouquet flew backwards and struck the wall of the stadium, whimpering in pain, falling to the ground, unconscious.
"Whoa…" Darla gasped.
"So sudden! We couldn't even comment!" Lila exclaimed.
"Return," Roose said, returning Bouquet to her pokeball. He turned and glared at Elaina, reaching for another pokeball. "So that's how it's going to be! Snowcap, come on out!"
Roose called out his next pokemon, a Glaceon. The light blue pokemon snarled and ran towards Noctre, ice and snow swirling around her body.
"Noctre!" Elaina shouted, throwing her hand into the air. Her Noivern flapped her wings and soared into the air, circling around overhead.
"Snowcap, ice beam!" Roose ordered. Snowcap raised her head and a sphere of icy light began glowing in her mouth, forming a beam of crackling icy energy that she fired toward Noctre. Noctre roared and held her wing up, swinging another air slash at the attack, slicing it down the center, the ice beam splitting in two. The air slash carved through and surged toward Snowcap. The ice type jumped off the ground and avoided the slashing wind, firing more ice beams at Noctre. Noctre ducked and weaved between the ice beam attacks, wind swirling around her.
"Whoa!" Darla exclaimed. "With an astounding show of evasion, Elaina's Noivern has dodged every ice beam thrown at it and taken Glaceon's back!" Indeed, Noctre turned and slid behind Snowcap, raising her wing. Snowcap turned to face her but was a hint too slow, Noctre swinging her wing and striking Snowcap in the side, sending her flying across the battlefield and into the dirt. With a flap of her wings Noctre took to the air again, coming down in front of Elaina, wind swirling around her in preparation.
"Snowcap!" Roose cried out. "Are you okay?"
"Glaceon!" Snowcap growled, leaping to her feet, snarling at Noctre.
"Hurricane!" Elaina shouted, the tornado around her increasing in speed and intensity, the sky darkening overhead. Rain struck the coliseum and joined the powerful maelstrom, Noctre howling loudly. With a flap of her wings the powerful typhoon of wind and water stormed across the battlefield, tearing apart everything in its path; rain parted to the sides, dirt flew through the air, even the pink mist on the ground was blown aside.
"Oh my…" Lila gasped.
"This looks like a big one!" Darla cried. "If this connects, Glaceon might be finished!"
"Snowcap!" Roose shouted. "Mirror coat!"
"Glaaae!" Snowcap cried, a veil of pink light shimmering into being around her. The wind struck her head on, Snowcap gritting her teeth, trying to hold her ground. The wind slowly stopped as it began grinding against the barrier, and instead was pushed back, raging toward its original creator.
"What?!" Elaina exclaimed.
"Whoa!" Darla cried out. "With an incredibly smart move, Glaceon has completely turned the tables!"
"Now Noivern has had her own strength forced back on her!"
"Noctre!" Elaina cried, the wind striking the bat pokemon head on. But the attack did not stop there. The hurricane continued forward and barreled into Elaina, pushing her backwards. Elaina cried out in pain as the powerful wind struck her head on, sending her flying.
"So she can't control it…" Kanone mused, shaking his head.
"Aaah!" Kitty exclaimed.
"Oh my…" Julia gasped in shock.
"Elaina!" Blake cried, jumping to his feet.
The attack surged and on and struck the back wall, continuing to spin wildly for a few seconds before dying down. What remained was not a pretty sight. Noctre's battered figure was lying on the ground, badly beaten. Elaina herself was in the center of a large indent carved into the wall, looking just as injured as her pookemon. Her clothes had been torn in countless places and hung off of her like rags, her hood thrown off and her hair strewn about. Her exposed flesh was covered in purple blotches from the bruises appearing on the surface; the only part of her that seemed intact was her mask, clinging to her face, unblemished.
"Is she okay?!" Lila cried out worriedly. "Darla, call the medical team!"
"Right!" Darla said, nodding. "Due to injury, it seems-"
"Ur… Elaina stepped out of the crater, panting, taking a second shaky step, and then a third. "Ur… AAAAAAAAH!"
Elaina cry was mirrored by Noctre's roar, the pokemon rising to her feet and letting out a deafening howl that shook the stadium.
"…Or maybe not…" Darla said in disbelief.
"Hey, are you nuts?!" Roose exclaimed. "That looked like hard hit! What are you doing? You can't mean to keep fighting!"
"To have my own power turned against me…" Elaina said, coughing, "was not something… I was expecting… But it still isn't enough! Noctre!"
"NOIVERN!" Noctre howled, flapping her injured wings, flying straight toward Snowcap.
"When faced with the effects of mirror coat, it seems Noivern has no other recourse but to charge forward in a head-on attack!" Lila exclaimed.
"Yes, but that might not be enough," Darla said, frowning. "Noivern has already taken a significant amount of damage, and with her typing and defenses a head-on charge at an ice type is far too reckless!"
"If that's what she wants, then fine," Roose said, frowning. "Snowcap! Use ice beam!"
"Glaceon!" Snowcap nodded, opening her mouth and firing a beam of icy energy at Noctre.
"Noivern!" Noctre shouted, landing on the ground, holding her left wing up to block the attack.
"Gyaaah!" Elaina exclaimed, grabbing her left arm, falling onto one knee.
"Noi!" Noctre cried, looking back at Elaina.
"No!" Elaina shouted. "I'm fine… Keep going…! Push through it!"
"Noivern!" Noctre shouted, taking a step forward, the ice beam shooting out and spreading over her wing. Noctre grit her teeth and charged forward, pushing through the ice attack.
"What the heck?!" Roose exclaimed.
"Noivern is… somehow… forcing her way through the ice beam!" Lila exclaimed.
"It's shocking…" Darla said, her mouth falling open. "I didn't expect a dragon type to be able to endure so much abuse and still be able to keep going, especially from an ice type!"
"Snowcap! Keep going! More ice beams!" Roose shouted. Snowcap continued to fire ice beam after ice beam, but none of them were enough to stop Noctre from advancing.
"NOI!" Noctre howled, stopping in front of Snowcap, swinging her right wing, striking up into Snowcap's stomach. A powerful gust of wind erupted from her claw, sending Snowcap flying across the battlefield. Snowcap hit the dirt and skidded to a hard stop, slamming into the stadium wall.
"Snowcap!" Roose exclaimed.
"In spite of the massive damage inflicted on it and the powerful ice moves…" Darla said, her voice containing more than a hint of disbelief.
"…Noivern has somehow managed to knock Glaceon unconscious…" Lila said, shaking her head.
"Return, Snowcap," Roose said, returning the Glaceon to her pokeball.
"Noctre!" Elaina called, Noctre slamming her wing against the battlefield, breaking the ice that encrusted it and crying out in pain. She turned and flew back to Elaina, landing next to her.
"Good… job…" Elaina coughed, rising to her feet.
"Do you see that?!" She demanded. "No matter what you try, there's no way you can overcome me! You can't do anything against my power!"
"No way…" Roose shuddered, his face turning white as he stepped back, shocked.
"That was unreal…" Sango said, shaking her head. "That Glaceon should have had her!"
"It's just like her fight with me," Julia said, frowning. "No matter what I tried, I couldn't overcome her pokemon. Even if I managed to hit her, I just couldn't bring her down."
"She's powerful," Kanone said, nodding in agreement. "And not just her pokemon. That's real power she has. That Noivern was barely scratched by those ice beams. All that damage was dealt to her by her own hand."
Kanone narrowed his eyes, staring at the girl, wind dancing around her.
She has no control over her power though… She can barely control herself. If she continues down this path, things could get very bad. Not just for her, but for anyone she fights. But how can someone with Harmonia that powerful not have any control over it? Where did she learn to use that power of hers? It doesn't make sense… Kanone sighed, shaking his head. I'll keep an eye on her. If my suspicions are right, whoever is teaching her how to use that Harmonia of hers just may be in contact with her. And when I find that person, I'm going to have a nice, long talk with them to find out just where she's been hiding all this time.
Ooh, now this looks good. I wonder what Kanone is trying to accomplish? And will Elaina be able to win her battle, or will her own power be her undoing?