Kanone and Samarra's confrontation revealed a lot of the drama going on in their family. It must have been tough for him, having to confront all that pain and loss. Unfortunately, Samarra is too far gone to be talked down at this point, if such a thing was ever even possible in the first place. The only way to settle this is through battle, and Kanone is going to give it everything he has. We just have to hope that it will be enough to defeat Wes and his pokemon. Remember to review!

Rowlets and Oshawotts: Yep, a lot of really intense stuff is happening, as is suited for the climax. Hopefully, Kanone will be able to carry the fight the rest of the way.

KedharS: You're not wrong. It's definitely a shock, that's for sure. But maybe it's the fact that he's not blood related. Apparently, crazy runs in the family (at least as far as the women of the Harker Family are concerned, anyway)

Guest: Yeah, unfortunately, there's just so much drama involved with the family, it's hard to say what the right thing to do is. Well, it's easy to see that doing what Samarra does is the wrong choice, but helping someone like Gwen is hard to do. Especially when they can get violent. And dealing with Samarra, well… that's a whole other thing.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1220

Wes's eyes were sharp. He reached to his belt and took off two pokeballs.

"Solaris, Lunet," he called, sending out his Espeon and Umbreon.

Kanone nodded thoughtfully. "Espeon and Umbreon, huh? That's a rather apt pairing, I've gotta say. As for me… Kiki, Mega, go."

"Klefki!" Kanone's Klefki bounced out of her pokeball, bobbing up in the air.

"Yanmega!" At the same time, a giant bug flew through the sky, flapping her wings at high speed to generate sonic power.

Wes raised his eyebrow. "Ironic," he murmured to himself. "So you've got a pokemon named Megan as well, hm?"

"Yep, when I met Megan, I just knew she had it in her to evolve into Yanmega," Kanone laughed. "So it was the only right name to pick."

Ian was surprised that the two could chat so casually, given the circumstances. But he didn't force the issue at all.

"For me, my Megan is a Meganium," Wes explained. "It seemed like the correct naming choice."

Vic knelt down next to Rui and tugged on her mom's sleeve.

"Dad… is talking a lot, isn't he?" She whispered. She'd never known her father to be much for conversation. It felt strange. This wasn't like him at all.

Rui wore a sour expression on her face. She was glaring at Samarra. "It's that woman," she hissed under her breath. "She's controlling him. Turning him into something he's not."

Vic scowled. She couldn't argue against that.

"Let's start off strong," Kanone declared. "Megan, use bug buzz!"

"Yanmega!" Megan cried, flapping her wings. She unleashed an ear-shattering scream that carried across the battlefield, causing everyone to clutch their ears in pain. But Wes stood his ground, showing no trace of discomfort. As he did, Kanone noted that his Espeon was remaining calm as well, even while his Umbreon braced against the attack.

So she's using calm mind to increase her special defense… not a bad play, Kanone had to admit. And not only that… he gave the order without a word. Normally I would assume it's because a trainer of his level of experience can communicate his intentions to his pokemon without even needing to speak, but… no. This is something else entirely.

Kanone put together immediately that Samarra had the ability to share her harmonia with other people, after only seeing it for the first time. It made sense of course. Samarra didn't just connect with people, she shared her gifts with them. It made them that much easier to control.

And in spite of that, those kids were able to hold her off to this extent? I've gotta say, I'm pretty impressed, he admitted to himself.

"Nicely done, Megan! Now, Kiki, follow it up with your dazzling gleam!" He ordered.

"Klefki!" Kiki's keyring rattled, and she began to glow, releasing a blast of shining light that blanketed the battlefield.

"Solaris, light screen," Wes ordered.

"Espeon!" The ruby on Solaris's forehead began to glow, and a barrier of red light appeared on her side of the battlefield. The rays of light bounced off the barrier, shielding both herself and her partner from any harm.

"You won't break through our defenses so easily," he promised. "Now Lunet! Use quick attack on that Yanmega!"

"Umbreon!" Lunet rushed past the barrier, picking up speed until he was a blur of black. He leapt up with his claws raised, gnashing his teeth at the Yanmega as he pounced.

But he slammed into a silver barrier and bounced off, startled.

Kanone smirked. "You didn't think you were the only one capable of protecting your pokemon, did you?" He asked.

"Klefki!" Kiki chirped, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Kiki just set up a nice little reflect," he explained. "And thanks to her Prankster ability, she can do it in a flash. Not fun, is it?"

"Not a problem, either," Wes gruffly replied, narrowing his eyes. "Lunet!"

"Umbreon!" Lunet's eyes flashed red and he glared fiercely at Kiki, causing the Klefki to freeze when she saw the smirk on his face. Then she began to shake angrily, flying around in a circle.

"So that's how it's gonna be, then?" Kanone asked, feeling rage bubbling up inside him. It wasn't that odd, given the circumstances, but he knew it wasn't regular anger. He was feeling Kiki's emotions through their connection, and knew that right now she was so blinded with rage that she wasn't thinking clearly.

"Taunt, huh?" He clarified. Wes silently nodded.

So he's manipulating Kiki's emotions… not a bad plan. I can see why this guy is champion level, Kanone had to admit. The minute I mentioned Kiki's Prankster ability, he knew that the most effective way to take her down would be through taunt. She'll have to come back, then.

Kanone raised his pokeball to call Kiki back, only to find that he couldn't. That's when his respect for Wes's abilities grew into genuine awe.

So not just taunt, then… he layered the taunt with a mean look, as well, to keep her from escaping. Is a combination like that, using two moves almost simultaneously, even possible? Unless…

His eyes slid across the battlefield, from Lunet to Solaris. The Espeon was smirking as well.

…So that's it!

Kanone laughed, startling everyone. The situation was this tense, and he was laughing about it?

"You fooled me completely," he said, shaking his head. "For a second, I really thought your Umbreon had fired off two moves in that short window of time!"

"…Oh?" Wes raised his eyebrow.

"Taunt and mean look," Kanone clarified. "Taunt to keep Kiki from using her status moves, and mean look to force her to stay in battle, so as not to give her time to cool down. Because Kiki is so mad at your Umbreon I thought he used both of them, but that's not what happened, is it?"

"Klefki?" Kiki bobbed in confusion, not sure what her trainer was getting at. She still felt unbridled rage for that Umbreon, but if Kanone was right, then Lunet wasn't the source?

"You had your Espeon use taunt, didn't you?" Kanone clarified. "More specifically, you had her use her psychic powers to implant feelings of frustration and rage directed at your Umbreon, to throw us off, isn't that right?"

The smallest of smirks on Wes's face confirmed to Kanone that what he was saying was correct. Kanone shook his head, laughing in disbelief.

"Having both your pokemon use moves, one after the other, perfectly setting it up to psych out your opponent and make them think that one of your pokemon is responsible. A very good plan, I give you props," Kanone nodded thoughtfully. "But it won't be enough. Kiki isn't just her status moves, you know, and Megan's got some tricks of her own! Now, Megan, use defog!"

"Yanmega!" Megan flapped her wings, sending a powerful gust of wind across the battlefield. The wind cleared away the reflect that Kiki had set up, while also dispersing Solaris's light screen at the same time, resetting the conditions completely.

"What's he doing?!" Tommy groaned. "Why'd he go and do a stupid move like that?!"

"Wh-What do you mean?" Giselle asked, confused.

"He had his Yanmega clear away the light screen from Wes's side of the field," Amarillo explained. "But in doing so, she also cleared away the reflect that his Klefki set up. And while that might be an adequate trade in a normal situation, right now that Klefki is caught up in the taunt. Which means she can't set up another reflect in response. Whereas nothing's stopping that Espeon from throwing up another light screen."

"It gets worse," Ian said, scowling. "That Espeon still has taunt! If she uses it against his Yanmega, then Kanone won't be able to use defog a second time. And that means there'll be no one to stop Wes from setting up light screen all over again, reflect, too."

"We'll be doing just that," Wes decided. "Solaris! Use taunt!"

"Espeon!" Solaris's eyes flashed and she smirked, beckoning Megan to attack her through the use of her psychic energy.

"Yanmega!" Megan cried in anger, flapping her wings and flying towards Solaris.

"Now, let's try this again, shall we?" Wes narrowed his eyes.

"Umbreon!" Lunet leapt into the air, turning her back left leg and delivering a powerful kick into the side of Megan's head. It wasn't that powerful of an attack, but even with Megan's high speed it was enough to catch her, which was the point. The Yanmega spun out, letting out a pained wail, flapping her wings desperately.

"You'll have to try better than that," Wes said, already using his harmonia to communicate with his Espeon and prepare the next attack. It came so easily to him, thanks to Samarra. While he'd known about this ability ever since he was a teenager and had watched his daughter grow up to master it, becoming an excellent doubles trainer in the process, this was the first time he'd experienced its power for himself.

He liked it.

Wes had never been good about communicating his feelings, not with his wife, not with his daughter, not even with his pokemon. Growing up in such a hopeless place like the Orre Region, doing questionable things in order to survive, it had hardened him in ways that even a lifetime of softness with Rui at his side hadn't been enough to brush over.

But now, things had changed. HE had changed. He finally had the ability to communicate with his pokemon directly, in ways that words just couldn't.

And once his wife and daughter shared that connection as well, he'd finally be free to show them just how much they meant to him.

But first, he needed to take down this Kanone Harker. The man was clearly champion-level just like himself, and that made him dangerous. But Wes doubted he was adept at double battles, given how they were so often ignored by the Pokemon League. Wes would have to show him just what he and his pokemon were capable of.

"Solaris!" He shouted.

"Espeon!" Solaris fired a massive psybeam at the spiraling Yanmega, amplified by both her trainer's harmonia and the concentration she'd built up with her calm mind.

But the attack missed Megan by a mile. The Yanmega suddenly spread her wings, braking herself in midair, and did a barrel roll to evade the attack, swiftly righting herself.

"Yanmega maneuver at high speeds all the time, so dodging an attack like that is child's play," Kanone boasted. "And thanks to Megan's Speed Boost ability, she's only getting faster!"

"Yan!" Megan nodded, flapping her wings harder. It became difficult to follow her flight through the sky; she seemed to be moving like a blur, to the point where she disappeared at several times. It was more like she was teleporting from one place to another as she closed the distance between herself and Solaris.

Wes wasn't having any of that. The second he saw her pick up speed he was already giving the order to Lunet, his harmonia moving faster than his mouth could. Lunet rushed forward to attack Megan with a quick attack again, when suddenly a bright beam of light screeched across the battlefield and slammed into him, burying itself in his shoulder and sending him spinning across the grass.

"Umbreon?!" Lunet cried in disbelief, hopping back up to his feet. He glared at Kiki who was innocently bobbing up and down, her keyring still smoking from the giant flash cannon she'd fired.

"What, did you think you were the only person who could issue orders to their pokemon nonverbally?" Kanone asked, raising his eyebrow. "Well, sorry to break it to you, but I've been doing that for years now. And that's why I don't need to say anything to Megan, either, she already knows what attack to use next!"

"Yanmega!" Megan braked before reaching Solaris, returning to plain view. She hovered over the Espeon and flapped her wings rapidly, preparing another bug buzz, or maybe an air slash. Wes wasn't about to find out which.

"Solaris, use light screen!" He ordered. At the same time, he gave Lunet a silent order to attack with his harmonia. Oh, certainly, it would be much more characteristic of him issuing orders with his harmonia to get his pokemon to attack without saying anything, but by throwing in a verbal command or two while simultaneously using harmonia to convey other orders had a bonus of throwing off his opponent. It was more likely that Kanone would react to the verbal order, which he couldn't do anything about, than to the silent order to attack.

This was just one of many ways Wes had developed to make use of harmonia in battle, and so far it was working pretty fine.

There was just one slight miscalculation on his part, though.

"Megan!" Kanone shouted, and Megan disappeared completely as the light screen went up, startling Solaris.

She disappeared? Wes had seconds to process this because Megan had already reappeared, behind Solaris. And her wings were tucked in for a charge.

So it was a fake out! Megan hadn't been preparing a bug buzz or air slash or whatever at all, she'd stopped when she did to make Wes THINK she was planning to use a special attack, rather than plow right into her opponent. And Wes had fallen for the bait perfectly; Solaris had used light screen in anticipation, but Megan was preparing a different move altogether.

One of the "plow right into her opponent" variety.

"U-turn!" Kanone called. He didn't have to say that out loud, of course, he'd already long-since given the order through his harmonia. But like Wes, there was a psychological edge in calling out your moves in front of your opponent, especially when they couldn't do anything about it.

"Yanmega!" Megan plowed into Solaris, hitting her square in the back and pushing her forward. At the same time, she shot past the Espeon and returned to her pokeball.

"Nicely done!" Kanone applauded Megan, sweeping her pokeball back with a flourish as she was sucked into it. "Now, go, Skylar!"

He sent out his next pokemon immediately, and it was a second pokemon who preferred the skies.

"Skarmory!" The metal bird cried, flapping her wings and soaring over the battlefield. Wes was surprised by that move.

"A second Steel type? That's a bold play, is it?" Alcea mused.

"Hmph. Of course a trainer of that level would use Steel type pokemon," Keahi said smugly. "Those pathetic Eeveelutions won't stand a chance."

Technically he was speaking words of support for Kanone, technically. But no one was a fan of the attitude he did it with.

"Urhg…" Lila was keeping her thoughts tamped down. Not only was she not a big fan of boys with big attitudes like Keahi, she also wasn't exactly thrilled that Kanone was using Steel type pokemon, either. It was bad enough that she had to pretend like she was his biggest fangirl to play her part, but to root for him when he was using one of her most hated types?

Well, at least he was using a Klefki. Kiki was just adorable, rattling her keys around like that! It soothed Lila's worries considerably.

"Skylar, use night slash," Kanone ordered.

"Skarmory!" Skylar flapped her wings and flew towards Solaris, dark energy surging through her talons as she did a diving run.

"Curious, I wouldn't have expected him to go for a direct attack like this," Ian mused. "Normally, Skarmory are more defensive-oriented, good for things like setting up spikes and stealth rock. But going in hot with a night slash seems unusual."

"You're right, that might be the better choice," Vic agreed solemnly. "Especially given the fact that my dad's pokemon don't exactly have a type advantage over Steel types, meaning he'll have to switch out if he wants to do more damage."

Ian could sense a "but" coming so he remained silent.

"But… that wouldn't work against Solaris," she said. "You know how the Commander's Espeon has Magic Bounce?"

"Of course," Rafe nodded. "That's the hidden ability for Espeon, after all."

"Well, Eifa… is the child of Solaris and Lunet," Vic revealed. For anyone who knew anything about pokemon breeding (which, admittedly, wasn't very many of them. Their most knowledgeable person on the subject was still recovering from her bout of brainwashing) they knew what the link between a parent and child was when it came to passing on things like moves… or abilities.

"So his Espeon has Magic Bounce too, then…" Donoma mused. That was something. She was already thrilled that this battle was even taking place (even if she lacked the means to film it) but two champions fighting with pokemon like these? A money maker for sure.

"It won't matter."

Those strong words came from a source nobody expected. Everyone looked questioningly towards Olivia, surprised that she of all people had anything to say about a battle.

"What do you mean?" Alcea asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Kanone is Cynthia's son," Olivia said simply. Whatever disgust she had towards the man for being the target of Alcea's affection for so long didn't matter. That simple fact was enough. "He won't lose, not even to a trainer of that level."

"Solaris, use reflect," Wes ordered. Skylar may have had okay speed for a Steel type pokemon, but compared to Megan she was practically standing still. That gave Solaris plenty of time to reinforce her barrier with one that boosted physical defense as well. Lunet, knowing he lack the means to do much damage to either foe, quickly retreated to safety behind the shield as well.

Kanone just smiled, and used his harmonia to have Skylar pick up speed. Dark energy surged through the pokemon's claws.

"Reflect and light screen are powerful moves, I'll admit that," Kanone nodded. "But they can't protect from everything, you know. For a trainer who knows where to look, finding the vulnerability of such a move, well…"

"Skarmory!" Skylar tucked in her wings and crashed towards Solaris, claws extended. The ruby red barrier shimmered in front of her, but she smashed through it like it was nothing, digging her shadow-infused claws into the Espeon.

"ESPEON!" Solaris wailed in pain as Wes felt the sting of claws raking across his back.

Kanone smirked. "A well-placed critical hit is more than enough to break through whatever protection you think that barrier affords. An obstacle like that can be overcome easily enough!"

Nice work, Kanone! He's already off to a strong start against Wes! But this battle is far from over. Wes managed to defeat Alden, after all, and that was without having harmonia. Now he has it, and the two of them are fighting in a type of battle that's his specialty. Will Kanone be able to keep this momentum going and defeat his foe, freeing the last of Samarra's subjects? Or will Wes prove that his experience as a trainer is superior to Kanone's talent? It's a tense fight, and it's only going to get more intense in the future!