Kanone's pushed Wes pretty far, and has forced out his final pokemon, his Tyranitar! Now Wes has sent out his strongest pokemon, an absolute beast! Kanone's Kommo-o is pretty strong in his own right, but will he stand a chance against Wes and his well-trained Tyranitar? This fight is approaching the climax, and the fate of Agate Village hangs in the balance!

KedharS: Giraud is quite a monster, so I'd say there's a good chance of that, yes. Hopefully Kanone will be able to do his best to fight back!

Guest: Yeah, Giraud might have a decent amount of control, but I'd argue that just makes him deadlier in a situation like this.

Venoms Cross 2: I agree, that would be pretty epic.

RKS Legacy: That's certainly a bold prediction, let's see if it shapes out that way!

Hyphenman: Yeah, Wes's Tyranitar is definitely his trump card. That thing defeated Corin, and she's a Fighting/Steel type! Giraud is definitely not to be underestimated, that's for sure.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1226

"TYRANITAAAAAAAR!" Giraud roared, and Agate Village shook.

Kanone braced himself against the outpouring of power coming from the behemoth in front of him. It actually forced him to step back from the pressure.

So much strength… but this feeling… why isn't there a sandstorm brewing? I don't feel the pressure from Unnerve, so… While lost in thought, Vic cried out to him to make things clear.

"Kanone!" She shouted. "My dad's Tyranitar has absolute control over his ability! He can keep Sand Stream from triggering with just a thought!"

"Oh, really? Well, that's troublesome," Kanone scowled. "What a pesky pokemon that is."

"And that's not all," Wes snarled. "Giraud! Use stone edge!"

"Tyranitar!" Giraud stomped on the ground, tearing massive chunks of hardened magma up off the grass. The stones coalesced into sharp spikes that he flung at the two pokemon, trying to bury them under the rubble.

"You'll need to try harder than that," Kanone said, narrowing his eyes. "Komei!"

"Kommo-o!" Komei raised his fists and unleashed a flurry of punches, creating shockwaves in the air that shattered the stones before they could make contact. The dirt and debris rained down on the battlefield.

"Nice job!" Rui cheered. She was actually starting to feel invigorated. Maybe… maybe Kanone could really do it! Maybe he could defeat Wes's strongest pokemon! It was possible, right? She could believe in that, right?

She had never seen her husband lose a pokemon battle before. In the past, defeating Wes had always seemed impossible to her. No matter what challenge he faced, he would always meet it head-on with grim determination and come out the winner, and nothing had changed in their 25 years of happiness together.

But if that streak would finally be broken, and Wes would finally lose, she hoped that it would happen today. Please, she prayed, let today be the day my husband finally loses a pokemon battle. I don't know how I could go on without him.

If she wanted to keep her family together, then Kanone would have to defeat Wes. It was the only option available for them. And maybe for the future of the pokemon world as well. Those were the wishes she conveyed with her prayers.

Samarra cared nothing for the wishes of a housewife. She focused her harmonia and directed it into Wes and his pokemon, giving him all the power he could ever need. He was her sole focus at this point, so she could take her time and grant him anything.

And Wes was planning to make use of it.

"Both of your pokemon are severely wounded," Wes said. "You may have the edge in terms of power… and even then, that's a maybe… but when it comes to the condition of your pokemon…"

Kanone scowled. He wasn't wrong. Phoenix and Komei had both taken quite a beating against Wes's team. Phoenix had managed to get some health back as a result of Kanone's trickery, but most of that strength had been depleted. And while Komei was in much better shape in comparison, he'd taken a few Ice type moves that had really done their damage, and his defenses were shot.

Komei could tank the moves of weaker pokemon like Orgon all day. But when it came to a beast with power as mighty as that Tyranitar… that was another story.

We can't hold back, he decided. The only chance now is to go in with everything we have. Kanone clenched his fist and focused his harmonia, directing everything to Komei.

"Komei!" He shouted. "Use every last bit of your power to take that Tyranitar down! Don't hold anything back, you understand?!"

Everyone was shocked by that exclamation. While Kanone had gotten irritated a few times before in the match, he generally kept things pretty casual, and even smiled on occasion while fighting against Wes, in spite of the seriousness of the situation.

But he wasn't smiling now. His focus was completely on defeating the opponent in front of him, and he gave his pokemon everything he needed to accomplish that goal.

For many people here, it was their first time really seeing Kanone Harker get serious.

"KOMMMOOOOOOO!" Komei roared, flexing his muscles and throwing back his head in a mighty howl. The scales on his body clattered together, filling the air with a gnawing screech that made everyone double over in pain.

Then Komei leapt forward.

It was still surprising that a pokemon that big and bulky could move with such speed. But that was the boon that came with such a reduction to his stats. Komei lunged at Giraud, raising his fist and unleashing a powerful assault against the Tyranitar.

"So that's his game," Alden said, narrowing his eyes. "He's giving everything into close combat. That should be a considerable boon."

Everyone had seen close combat enough times to know how powerful of a move it was. By sacrificing one's capacity for defense, close combat unleashed a devastating assault on the opponent. And Komei wasn't the only pokemon capable of such a move, either.

"Blaziken!" Phoenix ran ahead like his paralysis was little more than a leg cramp. Raising his fists, he flanked Komei, preparing a close combat of his own. Both Fighting type pokemon were prepared to give everything they had to take the Tyranitar down.

"Of course you'd try something like that," Wes said, narrowing his eyes. "Giraud!"

"Tyranitar!" Giraud stomped on the ground as the two pokemon drew close, and suddenly a burst of sand erupted from his scaly hide. Komei and Phoenix quickly shielded their eyes, stumbling slightly from the impromptu sand attack.

"I believe my daughter already explained it to you," Wes said calmly. "Through years of focus and meditation, Giraud has absolute control over his Sand Stream ability. He can release sand whenever he wants. Far faster than a pokemon using a move like sand attack or sandstorm could. Don't feel bad for the blinding, it just means that your pokemon are susceptible! Giraud! Use bulldoze!"

"TYRANITAR!" Giraud threw back his head and roared, releasing a shockwave of power that pressed the ground flat around him, forcing Komei and Phoenix down. The two Fighting type pokemon struggled against the overwhelming pressure from Giraud's attack, but could barely stand.

Wes smirked.

"Another move and they'll be finished. There's no chance of-"

"Komei!" Kanone shouted.

A massive shockwave slammed into Giraud, throwing the Tyranitar off his balance. Wes coughed and clutched his stomach, doubling over in pain from the assault.

"Y-You-!" He gasped, staring in disbelief. Komei had shrugged off the effect of bulldoze and cracked back with a powerful punch that tore through the air, countering the Tyranitar's attack.

And then Komei was on him.

With a savage roar, Komei lunged at Giraud and followed that first punch with a second, and then with a third. As Phoenix watched paralyzed from the ground, Komei unleashed a close combat attack that seemed more powerful than anything the two pokemon could have done together. It was like he was taking the rage and power from his incapacitated partner and channeling it into his fists, punching Giraud with everything he had. And the Tyranitar was forced to take it.

Vic and Rui watched on in horror. As desperately as they wanted to see their father and husband defeated, none of this was what they'd hoped for. They were forced to watch as Komei bludgeoned Giraud with everything he had, and hitting Wes as well. Wes took every blow Giraud felt into his own body, shaking and twitching and nearly falling over.

Samarra could suppress most of the pain. But not even she could stop ALL of it. Giraud's scales dented and the spikes on his carapace bent, testament to the overwhelming power that Komei possessed as the dragon continued his fierce assault.

No one was sure which was loudest. Giraud's howls of pain? Komei's furious roars? The sound of fist against armor? Or the ringing of Komei's scales with every punch? They all blended together into a cacophony of brutality that promised a savage defeat of the Orre Region's champion.

But tragically, that promise would be broken.

"TYRANITAR!" Giraud had found it. A lull in Komei's attack, a moment when the strain of using close combat became too much for the Kommo-o to bear, and he flinched, for just the fraction of a second. And that was all the time Giraud needed. The Tyranitar swung his fist, catching Komei in the jaw, and unleashed all the damage he'd just been subjected to twofold onto the dragon, striking back with a devastating counter that saw Komei sprawled out on the grass.

"Aargh!" Kanone clutched his cheek and fell to his knees, beaten back by the power of Giraud's punch. Blood trickled down from his nose and his skull screamed out in agony.

"Oh, no!" Hiromi wailed.

"Kanone!" Alcea cried.

"This isn't good," Ian winced. Komei had taken real damage from that counter.

"Tyranitar!" Giraud roared again, stomping his foot triumphantly. His scales were glittering brightly, and it became apparent that he'd used iron defense to protect himself. There was no chance of completely blunting the assault- after all, close combat had devastating power, Komei had devastating strength, and Giraud had a devastating weakness to Fighting type moves.

But in that moment? It seemed like nothing Komei tried had any effect whatsoever. The Kommo-o coughed in pain and tried to stand back up, but the damage was too severe. Just as he finally managed to get his balance and stand back up, the grass beneath him stretched up and wrapped around his limbs, dragging him back down.

"Meganium," Megan huffed. She'd been forgotten in the heat of battle, but no longer. With her grass knot, she was finally able to restrict Komei's movements, which meant there was no chance of the dragon getting back on his feet.

"Your pokemon is incredibly powerful," Wes panted, wiping the sweat from his brow. It was a rare thing, fighting against a trainer that could put such pressure on him. "Truly an exceptional match for Giraud. Give it another 10… no, as little as 5 years, and you might have a real chance at defeating me… even now, I can't help but wonder how things would go differently, should your pokemon and mine both be at full power… but that's enough. This is the end. Megan, protect yourself. Giraud? Finish them both off with earthquake."

"Meganium!" Megan shielded her body with a barrier of light to protect against the devastating power of earthquake. At the same time, Giraud released the energy he'd built up into the ground, summoning massive tremors that echoed through the battlefield.

Kanone narrowed his eyes. He only had once chance at this. One chance to settle everything. But he needed to count on his power working at its best.

"Phoenix!" He shouted. "Use feint!"

"Blaziken!" Phoenix had been forgotten much like Megan had. And why shouldn't he be? The Blaziken was on his last legs anyway. But those last legs were powerful ones, and they carried him to his feet and sent him flying towards his target.

It wasn't Giraud he was aiming his attack at, however. The target of his attack was Megan.

"What?! You're still capable of moving?!" Wes gasped in disbelief. How could that Blaziken still pull off an attack like that?! Even with harmonia, it had taken so much damage it should be completely incapacitated!

"Don't underestimate my pokemon," Kanone said, narrowing his eyes. "Every last one of them knows what's at stake here. And they will give it their all to make sure that you and your pokemon will never be able to win."

"Blaziken!" Phoenix roared in agreement, curling his claw into a fist. He punched with everything he had and shattered Megan's barrier, tearing down her only line of defense with a blow to the jaw and leaving her vulnerable to the same tremors that seized the battlefield.

Wes stared in wide-eyed shock. It was too late to call it off. He couldn't even boost his pokemon's defenses. He'd put everything he had, every last speck of Samarra's harmonia into Giraud's attack, meaning he had nothing to spare on protecting Megan.

Giraud's devastation was plain for all to see. Phoenix succumbed first, having expended his strength on that final feint. Megan followed not longer after him, her resistance to Ground type attacks doing no good to her as Giraud's powerful earthquake ravaged her body.

Komei was the last to faint, holding on for as long as he possibly could. But he'd taken so much abuse up to this point, and his defenses had been torn down so severely. And even then, he still managed to summon enough strength to rip through the grass knot and rise to his feet one last time, scales clattering as he charged at Giraud to get in one final blow.

He never had that opportunity, however. His body gave into the damage before he could throw a single punch, collapsing in the grass. Kanone collapsed with him.

"TYRANITAR!" Giraud roared. The mighty beast was triumphant, reigning victoriously over all its vanquished foes, both ally and enemy.

He had wiped out three pokemon in one attack, and no one watching that battle could say with confidence that even a trainer as strong as Kanone Harker wouldn't falter against a foe of that magnitude.

Samarra's lips curled up in a triumphant smile as she watched the carnage unfold in front of her very eyes. Yes… this was exactly what she had been looking for. A trainer with enough power to defeat her older brother.

She had known from the moment she was freed from her prison that this day would come. The day when Kanone finally tracked her down to put a stop to her and send her back to that place. But she didn't expect it would be so soon! She'd counted on having much more time to prepare, gathering together resources and friends to fight against him.

But she didn't need that anymore. Not when she had Wes at her side.

I really did find a treasure in this little garden, didn't I? Samarra thought. All the other friends she had made… their connections had been severed from her, and she could scarcely remember anything about them now. But she doubted that any of them were as useful tools in her arsenal as Wes.

…With one exception.

Samarra's eyes landed on Ayame Toujou, still comatose in her mother's lap. Ayame was a different case altogether.

Somehow, that girl had been able to resist Samarra's influence. But why? Something like that shouldn't be possible. Not even her own sister was immune to the effects of her harmonia; in fact, only two people had ever been, her mother and her older brother. Samarra had always postulated that such a thing was due to a type of genetic immunity; her mother and brother's harmonia had both been conceived before hers (as she was younger than either of them) so they were naturally immune to the effects of her own. It was why her sister was not.

She had never tried it on her father, because he had never touched her, not since her powers developed. But perhaps he would be immune like her mother and brother? Anything was possible, she supposed.

I may not be able to make a connection with Kanone, but with Wesley at my side, I won't need to, she thought. The only problem then is that girl, Ayame, and however it was she was able to break free. If she can do it, willingly sever my connection, then it stands to reason that other people can as well. I will need to dissect her brain to figure out how such a thing is possible. A new mystery to discover, how tantalizing! I shall take proceed with that once I've regained my strength, and then come for her and Madison at the same time. Somehow she's able to resist my harmonia even though she's not related to me by blood.

There was a reason for that. Samarra had attempted to make a connection with Maddi to figure out what that was. But she didn't need to anymore. Now that Wes was friends with her, she could see everything he knew. She saw him take Maddi to Professor Decker's lab just as clearly as if she herself had driven her there. She saw the horrors that went on, and saw what was injected into Maddi's body to stabilize her power.

It was either that injection to stabilize her harmonia that did it, or the transplant that gave her that eye in the first place, Samarra judged. She couldn't rightly say which one. Or maybe it was a combination of both? Whatever the reasoning, that thing, the "µ gene" as they called it, was a threat to everything Samarra hoped to accomplish.

She'd need to put an end to it.

And that thing in the tube as well…

Samarra had no pokemon of her own. She'd never had the opportunity, nor felt the need to bond with any of them. Human beings were bad enough with their primitive thoughts, connecting directly with pokemon would be nightmarish.

But that thing? The spawn of Johannes Decker? It was a creature that should not be allowed to exist under any circumstances.

Even if I formed a connection with it, it would likely be unsustainable because of the µ gene. No, it must be eliminated.

While Samarra was deciding what to do, she extended her sensory abilities out past her body, and through the entire town.

One of the aspects of harmonia that was rarely touched upon was that those who possessed this gift were able to sense the presence of one another. For someone like Samarra who had spent so many years locked in a cell that restrained those gifts, it was child's play. She'd spent so many years extending her influence beyond her body, trying to form a connection with those beyond the walls, that now that she was finally free it was like this entire mountain was her territory.

Which meant she knew exactly where the other harmonia users were in Agate Village, though she was only looking for one in particular.

Gwen froze.

"Gwen, why did you stop?" Val asked, looking directly back to her traveling partner. She was careful to speak directly to the other girl so she knew who was talking to her. They had just crossed the threshold into Agate Village, and the entire town seemed deserted, like a ghost town.

Gwen didn't reply. She could feel it.

A sensation in her skull that was familiar and terrifying.

"Hello, little sister," Samarra greeted her long lost sibling, reestablishing the connection she'd spent so much time cultivating all those years before.

"I'm so glad we could finally meet each other again."

Gwen fell to her knees and screamed.

Uh-oh, things are really going bad! Wes turned the entire fight around with his Tyranitar, and now the situation's become critical! And if that wasn't bad enough, now that Kanone's been pushed to the brink, Samarra followed it up by communicating with Gwen! Things were finally reaching a turning point, and now a wild card has been dealt into the mix! How will this alter the situation!?