Time to continue the match, but not before we get more in depth on what Harmonia really entails.
Darkhammer: Awesome, thanks. I'm glad you like it!
Superblal: Oh, I know that there's a fundamental difference between Elaina and N, but in terms of their relationships with Gerard and Ghetsis, in my eyes the relationships there are a parallel. Elaina is much more complex than she seems. But we'll get there in time.
Jay Hayden: Let's find out.
Duskzilla: Goodie indeed.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 47
"Harmonia is a mysterious power," Oscar began. "Not even I know everything about it. What little I do know comes from research done by my parents on the ability and my own possession of it."
"I'll begin with my own experience. When I use the power, I can connect with the mind of my pokemon. I can speak with them, hear their thoughts and feelings, it's as though we become of one mind and one body. But this also carries its share of risks to myself. Using Harmonia puts a tax upon the mental and physical faculties of the body; prolonged usage can drain a person's energy, and even hospitalize them. From what I can guess, it seems that even with Harmonia, people are not meant to unify our souls with those of pokemon."
"Okay, wait, wait, I don't get it," Darla interjected. "You say that Harmonia lets you communicate with pokemon, and that it puts a tax on you, but what I don't understand is why use it? What's the point? What does it do?"
"Beside the benefit of connecting with our pokemon?" Oscar asked. "Harmonia allows one to use their energy for the aid of their pokemon partners. It lets trainers and pokemon fight beside each other, strengthening each other with their abilities. Pokemon boosted with Harmonia have their abilities maximized, their stats increase, and their moves do far more damage."
"Unbelievable…" Sango murmured. "So that's how a Yanma can push back a Boldore? Even as weak as it seems?"
"It makes sense though…" Julia said, frowning. "Then do you think… the reason why Elaina was so powerful… does she have it too?" Kitty remained silent, looking at both of her friends, her face wracked with worry.
"Wait… but… is that… fair?" Lila whispered.
"What do you mean?" Darla asked, turning to her partner in confusion.
"I mean… Harmonia lets you strengthen your pokemon, right? Isn't that kind of… unfair in a pokemon battle? Since your pokemon are so much more powerful than anyone else's?" There were several murmurs of agreement among the audience. Julia rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Oh, please."
"Oh, come on, Lila, it's a pokemon battle!" Darla said. "I mean, yeah, if something like that really exists and it lets pokemon grow more powerful, then it's really strong and maybe a shortcut, but does that mean people who naturally have super strong pokemon are unfair? You can't complain that your opponent is using pokemon more powerful than yours, even if they got them through some sort of special ability. Strength is the only thing that matters."
"Not to mention that Harmonia isn't something is so easily used," Oscar added. "A powerful bond does not just spring into existence at a moment's notice. Trainers treating their pokemon with kindness and growing together beside them, trainers who treasure the bonds with their pokemon, those are the people who develop Harmonia. Even if one were to possess the ability to use it, if they did not nurture and cherish their pokemon then they could never manifest Harmonia no matter how hard they try. It isn't a shortcut, but a different payout, a greater return on their training than usual. No different than how there are some pokemon that naturally grow at a faster rate than others."
Blake nodded, glancing at Elaina.
"Harmonia increases a pokemon's power exponentially," Oscar continued, "but such a boost is a double-edged sword. The greater the natural strength of the pokemon you harmonize with, the greater the strain it places on the trainer's body. It's the reason I keep my pokemon at such a low level of power. If my pokemon were ten, or twenty levels higher, then I would hardly be able to finish a battle and remain standing. Harmonia takes an immense toll on the mind and body that only increases the longer it's used… but there is something even worse. When a person harmonizes with their pokemon, damage to the pokemon reflects itself upon the trainer. Harmonia can push that aside on the pokemon, but the stress on the trainer will be immense. And with pokemon of the level of Kanone Harker, the toll must be immense."
"Wait, what about Kanone?" Darla asked, concern flashing across her face. "Are you saying…"
"Kanone has Harmonia?" Lila gasped.
The gasps of shock echoed across the stadium, Kanone remaining impassive to them even as Sango, Kitty, and Julia turned to look at him in shock.
"That would explain how strong he is," Darla said, nodding.
"Again, it doesn't seem fair," Lila said, frowning. "But I mean… he's still an amazing trainer, right? Even with this power of his?"
"Who cares?!" Darla scoffed, shaking her head in defiance. "Kanone is still totally awesome even with some sort of magical superpower pumping his pokemon up!"
In spite of Darla's assertions, there were murmurs of unrest welling up in the crowd. It seems not everyone agreed with her conclusion.
"Look at them, Blake," Oscar said, frowning. "I can understand why you would want to hide from this power. To keep your abilities under wraps. People always fear what they don't understand. I know that better than most."
Oscar took a deep breath, frowning.
"Harmonia inspires fear in itself. Harmonia, when in use, creates an aura around the user that can even influence their surroundings. Thankfully, my own abilities never reached that level of raw power, so I only know about it from what I managed to find in my father's research notes. But that aura, when used by someone without the proper training and control, can damage cause grievous harm to those around them. I think you've seen the effects of that for yourself."
Blake nodded, but remained silent.
"But Harmonia is a power that can cause great good. It allows trainers to communicate with their pokemon! Interact with them on a level beyond those of normal people. People like us… people with our abilities… we need to work together, and help each other. Not hide ourselves because we're afraid."
"Oscar, I understand what you're saying," Blake said, frowning, "but you're wrong. I don't have the ability to use Harmonia, understand?"
Oscar said nothing.
"I know you do, Blake," Oscar said. "You have to. That's why I've kept such a close eye on you." Kanone chuckled.
Oscar raised a hand, tapping his fingers against the side of his head.
"Harmonia users release a pressured aura when they use their abilities. That's how we can find each other. Whenever someone is using their abilities, they release an unmistakable energy, like a beacon that resounds in our heads."
"What's your point?" Blake asked, frowning. "I haven't given off any sort of aura, I know that for a fact."
"I know," Oscar said, frowning, "and that's how I know that either you're hiding this ability of yours, or you have yet to develop it. Because anyone with eyes can see that the bond you possess with your pokemon is greater than that of most others."
Blake inhaled, closing his eyes, letting out a relaxed breath. He opened his eyes into a calm expression that caught Oscar off guard.
"Do you have anything more to say?" Blake asked. "Any more secrets of Harmonia you'd like to reveal?"
"One more," Oscar said, nodding. "But if you are so desperate to hide… then I won't continue any further. I'll do what I should have done in the first place."
"And what's that?" Blake asked.
"I want you to make a choice, that's all," Oscar said simply. "I'll fight you with the full power of my Harmonia as I intended from the beginning. Fight me with your full strength… and release the full power of your Harmonia. You can choose to keep it to yourself and live in denial costing you the match, or you can use the power we know you possess and win. It's as simple as that."
"Man, you must really have it in for me, huh?" Blake asked.
"Actually I respect you quite a bit, Blake," Oscar said, "but I need the help of people who share my gift."
"Then it looks like there's nothing more to be said," Blake said, frowning. "Let's get back to the battle."
Alcea glanced at Gerard.
"You should be happy, Gerard," she said, her voice holding more than a tinge of irony. "At least he refrained from mentioning that lady friend of yours."
Gerard said nothing, fuming in anger as he glared at Oscar.
"Growlithe, use ember," Oscar ordered. His Growlithe ran forward and opened his mouth, a blast of fire more akin to a flamethrower attack than a smattering of embers shooting out towards Weiss.
"Weiss, dodge and use double team" Blake ordered, Weiss easily maneuvering out of the way of the fire attack. He held his pincers up, moving at a speed fast enough to create several afterimages, the clones encircling around Growlithe.
"Growlithe." Feeling Oscar's orders, Growlithe opened his mouth and fired another spray of flames at the Scizor, striking one of the clones harmlessly. He turned on his paws and began mowing down the copies, the number of double team images quickly decreasing.
"Weiss!" Blake shouted, Weiss opening up his pincer and preparing a flash cannon, the duplicates mirroring the move. The beams converged on Growlithe from all sides, the puppy pokemon letting out a whimper in pain as he got struck by the powerful steel attack. Due to the type resistance and a boost from Harmonia the attack didn't do much damage, but it still made Oscar wince slightly.
"Growlithe, behind you, to the left!" Oscar shouted. Growlithe whirled around just as Weiss struck him in the face with another flash cannon, pushing him backwards. With a howl, Growlithe fired another stream of flames, hitting the ray of light, the attack letting up from the increase in pressure. The deception broken, the copies fell away, leaving Weiss and Growlithe facing each other down, their moves pushing against each other with no major give in either direction. They simply managed to increase in intensity.
"Growlithe and Scizor are caught in a deadlock with two incredibly powerful attacks!" Darla, returning to her role as announcer, reported.
"Will Blake be able to overcome Oscar's power boost?" Lila asked worriedly.
"So if this isn't enough, then try a little more," Oscar murmured, clenching his fist. The stream of fire throbbed shakily a few times as the flames sputtered, and then it increased in size and intensity, the flash cannon beginning to lose ground. Weiss flapped his wings and flew up into the air, the attack dying down as fire flooded across the battlefield, just barely singing Weiss's legs.
Growlithe's head shot up and he fired another blast of flames at Weiss, who dodged to the side, using the advantage of being airborne to maneuver outside of Growlithe's range of fire. Evading the attack, Weiss dropped down behind Growlithe and struck him in the back with a slash, Growlithe letting out a yelp and jumped forward, spinning around, firing another blast of flames. Weiss flew back and landed in front of Blake, glancing back at him.
"Weiss, you're going to have to pull back, got it? I have an idea," Blake said, Weiss nodding. He charged forward, Growlithe greeting him with a blast of fire. Before the flames hit, however, Weiss disappeared.
Weiss reappeared behind Growlithe, pulling his pincer back and throwing a powerful punch at the fire pokemon. But Growlithe managed to jump out of the way, turning to Weiss and opening his mouth, a burst of flames launching at the steel type. Weiss narrowed his eyes and leapt forward, the flames striking him head on.
"Blake's Scizor, for some reason, has leapt headfirst into the flames!" Darla exclaimed.
"Oh no!" Lila cried.
Weiss emerged from the flames, singed but uninjured, and punched Growlithe on the muzzle, knocking him back. Weiss flew back as well, returning to his pokeball.
"It seems, sensing the type disadvantage, Blake decided to have his Scizor use u-turn to switch out for something with a better matchup," Darla explained.
"It lets him take the initiative without losing ground to the Growlithe by a normal switch," Lila agreed, "but will the next pokemon be able to fight well enough?"
"Rogen, let's see if this matchup is a little more favorable for you," Blake said, sending out his Boldore again.
"Blake is using his Boldore to fight against Growlithe," Darla said.
"Makes sense, better than having another pokemon use up its energy," Lila agreed.
"That one again, huh?" Oscar asked. "Growlithe, use ember to burn him!"
"Growl!" Growlithe barked, firing a stream of flames at Rogen.
"Rogen, stone edge!" Blake ordered. Rogen raised his claws and slammed them down into the ground, a wall of stone erupting from the arena and creating a barrier of rock that protected Rogen from the flames. The stones shot toward Growlithe, who jumped out of the way, avoiding the attacks.
"Growlithe, I'm increasing your speed," Oscar said, Growlithe nodding. Growlithe ran forward, leaping from stone to stone as they emerged from the ground, avoiding the damage as he drew closer to Rogen, flames leaping up around him as he wrapped them around his body, spitting another blast of flames in a close up shot at Rogen's face.
"Rogen, rock blast!" Blake exclaimed. Rogen raised his claws, and fired a large stone at the flames, burrowing through them, hitting Growlithe head-on. Growlithe landed on the ground and growled, firing another blast of flames before running back and creating some distance between the two of them, panting.
"Growlithe seems to be out of breath," Darla said, frowning. "Could this be the turning point for Blake's victory?"
As if in defiance of her optimism, flames erupted around Rogen and he cried out in pain, falling to the ground.
"Oh no! It seems that Boldore has sustained a burn!" Lila cried.
"It seems even with the power I can give you, it's still hard to damage rock types," Oscar said, frowning. "But don't worry. That Boldore is running out of strength. If I put my full power into it, we should be able to win." Growlithe nodded in agreement, wreathing himself in a wheel of fire.
"Rogen, are you okay?" Blake asked worriedly.
"Bold… ore…" Rogen grunted, picking himself off the ground, bobbing his body up and down in a reassuring nod.
"Okay then," Blake said, turning back to Oscar, "then let's get this settled."
"Boldore!" Rogen agreed.
"Growlithe, go!" Oscar said, Growlithe charging straight at the rock type pokemon. Rogen struck the ground, sending a barrage of stones toward the fire type in a rock slide attack, but Growlithe leapt up on each of them, jumping down toward Rogen.
"Power gem," Blake ordered. Rogen immediately tilted upward, reading the Growlithe's attempted attack and redirecting himself. He held up his pincers and created several glowing crystals of energy that launched at the puppy pokemon.
"Growl!" Growlithe whimpered, barraged by crystals from all sides, but in spite of the hits to his body his flames only intensified. He continued, landing in front of Rogen, the fire wrapped around his body burning the hottest it had burned thus far. Growlithe lunged forward, lowering his head for a powerful flame wheel attack.
"Rogen, use iron defense to protect yourself!" Blake cried out, Rogen holding up his claws in front of him as a makeshift shield, his body glimmering with a silvery light as he greatly increased his defensive powers. Growlithe tackled him head-on and released a powerful blast of flames from around him, the power and intensity of the fire attack steadily pushing Rogen back.
"Boldore and Growlithe are locked in a battle of wills!" Darla commented, shielding her eyes from the bright light the flames were giving off. "Although Boldore seems to be giving ground, his defenses seem to be holding as far as I can tell!"
"Will Boldore be able to take down the Growlithe before his defenses give in, or will the flames be too much for him?" Lila asked worriedly.
"Rogen!" Blake shouted, Rogen digging his claws into the stadium ground and standing firm, bringing Growlithe's assault to a stunned stop. With nowhere to go, the fire attack burned brighter and hotter, Oscar clenching his hand as he felt the heat from the flames begin to slowly lick at his flesh as well.
Just a little more… he comforted Growlithe, nodding. Focus all of your energy into offense, and-
"Rogen, use stone edge!" Blake ordered. Rogen dropped his defensive guard and let the flames consume him, driving his claws into the ground and releasing his energy into the stadium at their feet, a massive stone pillar erupting from where he was standing and hitting Growlithe square in the stomach. Oscar clutched his own stomach and doubled over, coughing, nearly losing his balance.
As the flames died down, Rogen appeared from their center, badly singed from the powerful fire attack, but still standing, which was more than could be said for Oscar's Growlithe. The fire type pokemon lay crumpled in front of the rock type, letting out a final whimper before fainting.
"Wow… it looks like Boldore has sustained some serious burns, but he still comes out of this victorious!" Darla cheered.
"But it's not over yet," Lila reminded her, "this battle could still go either way!"
"Blake…" Oscar said, returning his Growlithe, a look of genuine confusion on his face. "Why aren't you using it? I don't understand. I know Harmonia must be intimidating, but-"
"That's not it," Blake said, glaring at Oscar. "I told you already, I told you a hundred times, I can't use that power!"
"That's only because you've never tried," Oscar insisted. "I'm sure if you tried, then you could-"
"No, I can't!" Blake said again, shaking his head. "Why can't you just accept that!"
"Because your brother is Kanone Harker!" Oscar replied, Blake's eyes narrowing as a shadow crossed over his face.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Blake asked, his voice carrying an eerily calm tone to it that seemed out of place to his friends and anyone who knew him.
"I was being honest when I said I was holding something back before," Oscar said. "I didn't mention how Harmonia is acquired. And that's because it isn't. My family's research bore it out, and my own mother's tests provided confirmation when compared with mine. Harmonia isn't some sort of magical power that suddenly appears in random people. It's a hereditary trait that is possessed in certain bloodlines."
"What?" Kitty gasped in shock.
"Harmonia is a gift that is passed down from mother to child," Oscar explained. "Although men can possess it, they cannot pass it down. Rather, when a woman who possesses Harmonia carries a child in her womb, the child inherits certain traits from the mother, the most significant of them being this power of Harmonia. Now do you understand? Even if you've never used this power, even if there has never been any hint that you possess it, Kanone Harker has Harmonia. This is an undeniable fact. Kanone has it, and your mother must have it. And that means that you, his younger brother, must also possess the ability to use Harmonia, don't you understand?"
Sango glanced at Kanone, her eyes widening. Kanone's expression was completely stone. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning either. It was a strange face, almost like he was completely unconcerned with what he was hearing. Then, his tight lips spread in a smirk and he shook his head, closing his eyes.
"I see…" Blake said, looking down, holding his hand on his forehead. "My brother, huh…"
"Ha… ha…! Hahaha!" Blake raised his head and burst out laughing, much to the shock of not only the stadium, but Oscar.
"I see… what a great misunderstanding this is," Blake laughed, the bitterness ringing loudly in his joyless tone. "And to think I could have saved you so much effort if you had just come to me from the start. You're wrong, Oscar, completely and utterly off base."
"What do you mean?" Oscar demanded.
"Harmonia is possessed by members of the same family, right?" Blake asked, staring at him as he continued his cold, sad laughter. "Then it's that simple, isn't it? Don't you get it, Oscar? My brother and I… have no connection by blood whatsoever!"
Well now, that's surprising. So even though Blake and Kanone are brothers, they don't share the same blood?