Just when we thought everything could end and Samarra was stopped, who should show up by the other Harker sister?! Gwen Harker has come, under her sister's control, and now Kanone finds himself in a difficult position. Will he be able to defeat his little sister- both little sisters, and bring them home? Or will Samarra overwhelm him with the power of Gwen's pokemon? Whatever this trump card Kanone's holding is, hopefully this new power will be strong enough to save the day!

KedharS: Samarra could, in theory, help Gwen. The sad thing is that she can't do that and not try to (in effect) brainwash the world.

Venoms Cross 2: Something like that. Kanone doesn't have any other pokemon, after all. As for Gwen, well…

Jjjdunk1: They tried various types of therapy, but some people are just crazy.

Guest: Sadly that's the exact problem. Samarra could in theory help Gwen, but her "help" would almost be as intolerable as the problem she's solving in the first place.

Hyphenman: That's the crux of the issue. A power like Samarra's would absolutely be able to help Gwen in a considerable way. But because Samarra is the way she is, that power can only cause misery and pain to others.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1230

Kanone narrowed his eyes, staring at Gwen.

"Gwen," he called to her. "Your pokemon are incredibly powerful. Especially your Gallade. We never got the chance to fight, but I always knew that Lancelot would be a threat."

Gwen nodded silently.

"And Gwen, the fact that your Psychic type pokemon are so powerful is the reason that Sammy and I trained to find the strength to overcome your team." He gazed solemnly at his Samurott, who nodded her head in agreement. He turned back to Gwen, making sure to look her directly in the eye. He didn't want any misunderstanding between the two of them. Samarra may have been translating everything through to Gwen so that she could understand, but he didn't want to rely on that. He wanted a genuine conversation with his little sister.

It was the least he could do.

"Gwen, Sammy and I found a power that will allow us to stand on the same level as you and your team of Psychic type pokemon. And now I'm going to show you that power, Gwen," he said, closing his eyes and focusing.

A strange aura wrapped around him and his Samurott.

"What's going on?" Maddi asked, squinting. Her head was still pounding and her harmonia was just sputters after passing out, but she could still see that something strange was happening.

"He said something about a special power," Alden mused, stroking his chin. "What do you think he could mean by that?"

"He also said it would help him against Psychic types," Lila added. Then she gasped and went pale. "WAIT! What if… what if he's going to kill his Samurott, to turn her into a Ghost type pokemon?! No, Kanone! You can't do that!"

Everyone stared at Lila like she'd gone completely insane.

"…To much?" She winced.

Darla nodded.

"Don't worry."

Kanone looked back at the others with a gentle smile on his face, which was rather special considering the ominous aura around him. Lila shivered, not sure what to make of it.

"It's not anything so bad as that," he assured them. "Just… a gift from beyond time. You see, there's a woman that I've been searching for for quite some time, besides just my little sister. Someone who had the power to return things back to the way they used to be."

Alcea narrowed her eyes. She had an inkling of who Kanone was talking about, and she wasn't the only one.

"Ryoko, is it?" She asked.

Kanone nodded.

"I wanted her to turn back time, so that I could be with my sister again and stop her from going down this path. But she couldn't do that, of course," he sighed. "After all, time is fixed. It can't just be changed, at least, that's what she told me. But I wouldn't accept that. I demanded the power to change history. I was arrogant enough to think that I knew better than someone who witnessed the never-ending flow of time."

His bitter laugh was unnerving. It seemed like he was a different person in that moment.

"But even though Ryoko wouldn't grant me my wish, she gave me something else," he said, reaching into his pocket. He withdrew a tattered scroll. "It's an enchantment from the ancient world. It will only work once. But when it's done, it will permanently transform Sammy into a pokemon infused with the power of darkness. And if I'm going to save my sister… then that's precisely the type of power that I need."

He narrowed his eyes and held up the scroll. The ancient language written on it began to shine, lighting the paper it was written on ablaze.

Ange gasped. She recognized those words.

No…!

The paper had burned to ashes but the words remained, hovering in the air. They floated towards Sammy, circling around her as the dark aura suffused her, covering her entire body with black flames to the point where no one could see the pokemon underneath.

Gwen squinted and Lancelot responded to the unease in his trainer, taking a fighting stance and raising his arms. He charged at the mass of darkness in front of him and lifted his blade.

"Gallade!" Lancelot roared, swinging his arm and releasing a blade of psychokinetic energy in a rainbow arc.

A dark sword erupted from the mist and slashed through the psycho cut, dispelling it completely. The words disappeared and the darkness fell away, and a new pokemon stepped out.

Or, more accurately to Ange's eyes, an old one.

"Samurott," Sammy growled, glaring at the Gallade ahead of her.

"She's… still a Samurott?" Chloe asked, confused and a little disappointed. With the way that Kanone had been building up his pokemon's transformation she'd been expecting something like what happened to Willa and her Slowbro.

"Take a closer look," Donoma said, raising her fingers like a camera. "It's clear that something's changed, just look at her head.

"Interesting," Anabel mused. It reminded them of what had happened to Alden's Lucario, though not so drastically.

Sammy was still a Samurott, that much was clear. But whereas before the shells that covered her body, making up her helmet and leg guards, had been the color of sand on the beach, now they were a dark midnight with streaks of red through them. Her mane was wilder and more unkempt, and the shell on her head was spikier. The horn that had once so proudly jutted forward now curved and twisted in a jagged pattern, just as her swords did. The blades were no longer sharp and straight, but were now waved like the pattern of a flamberge.

Ange stared at a ghost from her past.

"It's a Samurott… from the Hisui Region," she whispered so faintly no one could hear. At least, that's what she thought, but Dokukage's ears were sensitive due to his ninja training.

"The Hisui Region?" He questioned.

Ange flinched, and shook her head. She didn't want to say more, but now that it was out there, that wasn't up to her.

"It's an ancient region," Alden explained, remembering Ange's past description of it. "Do you know of the Sinnoh Region?"

Dokukage nodded. "Of course."

"Hisui is the ancient world of Sinnoh from the past."

That statement came from a source no one would have expected, Keahi.

Ange stared at him in shock. He shrugged within his ropes.

"You're not the only student of history here," he muttered. "Everyone knows nowadays that trainers starting off their pokemon journeys are usually given one of three pokemon. In Sinnoh, those pokemon are usually Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup. But legends from Hisui tell of another trio of Grass, Fire, and Water. Pokemon who since migrated to other regions, and evolved into different forms."

He narrowed his eyes. "I don't know if that Samurott is one of those pokemon, but it could be…"

"It is," Ange snapped. "That's enough out of you."

"…Fine," Keahi shrugged. "I'll leave it to the expert then."

Ange let out a long sigh. There was no getting around it, not when everyone was looking so intently at her. "…Hisuian Samurott are Water/Dark type pokemon," she said. "Unlike Samurott from other regions who believe in fair and honorable combat, the harsh nature of Hisui necessitated their line to do whatever it took to survive. So they fought dirty. Which is their right, of course, in their struggle to survive."

"But it wasn't enough, was it?" Alden pressed. "Otherwise they wouldn't have gone extinct."

Ange looked like she wanted to throw up.

"No… it wasn't…" She snarled through clenched teeth.

"So Ryoko used her mastery over time… to give Kanone's Samurott the power of a long-extinct species of pokemon, is it?" Alcea mused. "All for the sake of his little sister… how poetic."

"That's so cool!" Marion cheered. "I want one now! Even if it's not a fishy friend, it's still super-duper coolio!"

"But will it be enough?"

Leave it to Maddi to rain on everyone's parade.

"What do you mean, Madison?" Rui asked worriedly.

"I think I know," Ian said. "It's about typing, right?"

Maddi nodded. She opened her mouth to explain but Ian stepped in. He didn't want to put any unnecessary stress on her. An action that didn't go unnoticed by Chloe or Donoma, who had new consideration of Maddi as a potential rival (albeit subconsciously in Chloe's case).

"Kanone turned his Samurott into a Water/Dark type pokemon. That's a good move against a trainer who specializes in Psychic types, like he claims his sister is," Ian explained. "The problem is the pokemon in question she's fighting against, Gallade."

"Good point," Alden nodded. "Gallade is part Fighting type. Which means his Fighting type attacks will have an advantage over that Samurott."

"So… that was a bad move, then?!" Giselle gasped.

"Impossible to say," Ian said, shaking his head. "It'll come down to the pokemon in question. Does Kanone's Samurott, weakened as she is, have the strength to defeat Gwen's Gallade? She's immune to one of Gallade's types, but weak to another now, as opposed to just being neutral to both. I would guess that the reason Kanone took this gamble… was because he wanted to bet on his pokemon's natural capabilities with the blade being better than his sister's."

He would get the chance to watch that theory in action.

"Sammy!" Kanone shouted to his newly-transformed Samurott.

"Samurott!" Sammy charged at Lancelot with her sword raised, surprising everyone.

"She's so much faster!" Lila gasped.

"Hisuian Samurott are faster than regular Samurott," Ange revealed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She still couldn't believe her eyes. Before today, she had thought that all the Hisuian pokemon had gone extinct. That had been disproven multiple times already through increasingly bizarre circumstances.

Lancelot barely had time to raise his arm and parry Sammy's slash. He leapt back, using the opportunity to raise his other arm, and swung hard. The long blade coming out of his elbow extended, and began to glow green.

"Leaf blade," Gwen snarled.

Sammy was still getting used to her new form, so she wasn't able to dodge the slash completely. The leaf blade cut into her shoulder and she roared with pain, leaping back and landing on all fours.

"Hydro pump!" Kanone ordered.

"Samurott!" Sammy fired a blast of water at Lancelot, but the Gallade flickered out of existence, using teleport to dodge.

"Not good, he could reappear anywhere," Rafe estimated. And reappear he did, right above Sammy with his sword raised and swinging down on her.

Then suddenly Sammy whirled around and caught Lancelot in the jaw with a sucker punch, knocking him out of the air. Gwen clutched her cheek as her pokemon rolled through the grass, and suppressed a painful scream.

"So much for an honorable fight, then," Val cackled, applauding the performance from where she sat on the stump. "Brilliant! Just brilliant! Who would have thought that the noble Kanone Harker would resort to such tricks? Ah, if Blake could see you now…"

Kanone glared at the interloper. What the hell was she even doing here, anyway? He didn't have time to consider that. He needed to overcome Gwen with everything he had.

"Sammy!" He shouted, giving her as much of his harmonia as he could spare. He focused on her speed once again. "Aqua jet!"

"Samurott!" Sammy lowered her head, turning her jagged horn on the Gallade. She shot forward, covering her body with water as she charged at him. But she was stopped by a wall of light that appeared in front of her, which she smashed right into.

"Sam?!"

"Quick guard," Gwen said. "Lancelot. Now!"

"Gallade!" Lancelot nodded, and he began to dance. It was uncanny. The movements the Gallade performed were an exact replica of Sammy's swords dance from earlier, down to the last step. His attacking power skyrocketed.

Kanone scowled. It was one thing to use swords dance. But to use a move exactly like their mother's? How?

"That swords dance…"

"I can answer that one!" Val volunteered. She kept butting in, who the hell did she think she was? Kanone glared at her, but it seemed to roll right off her like she was the one in control of this whole thing.

Pretty haughty for a bystander.

"You see, cute little Gwenny here knew that you would be the greatest threat to her happiness," Val explained. "You and that Samurott of yours. So in order to defeat you, she's watched video after video on you. All of your fights, down to every last move, and committed them perfectly to memory. It's that brain of hers, you know? She might not be good at communicating, but that girl's got determination in spades, and she knows you're the threat. After all, you were so single-mindedly focused on finding her, what else could you be?"

"Because I'm trying to bring her home!" Kanone roared.

"…Yeah, exactly," Val said, rolling her eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "She doesn't want that. You think she wants to go back to that house? To you and your old man? And then what? Are you going to send her away again? Oh, wait, maybe lock her up this time, so she can't hurt anybody else?"

Kanone flinched. He didn't know how she did it, but somehow this woman knew the words to strike right into his heart.

"Oh! I know! Maybe she and big sis can have adjoining rooms! Wouldn't that be a treat?" Val giggled, clapping her hands together like a toddler with keys being jangled in front of them. Then she turned serious and her golden eyes took on a harsh glare.

"Gwen doesn't need you, Kanone. She doesn't want you. You're not the brother she cares about." She smirked. This was it, this was what she relished, seeing the light of hope go out in someone's eyes. Ah, it just made her so wet! "She wants Blake. You're just… well, leftovers."

Kanone tried to put her words aside, but he couldn't. He needed to put an end to this. He needed to save his sister!

"Sammy!" He shouted, focusing his power. "Let's go! Time for that move!"

Gwen flinched and Lancelot raised his blades, getting on guard. He didn't know what "that move" was, but he needed to be prepared for it.

"Samurott!" Sammy lunged forward, sword drawn. Dark energy began to coalesce around the blade, which grew even longer and sharper.

Ange gasped. The faintest hint of a smile touched her lips.

"Lancelot!" Gwen screamed. Lancelot's arm began to glow.

"It's that move!" Alden gasped, recognizing the light from the earlier bout with Wes's Tyranitar. "Sacred sword!"

"Gallade!"

Lancelot and Sammy swung their swords, and the two attacks collided in the air. Both blades held in place for a moment… but then Sammy's shattered into shards of darkness. Not the main sword itself, of course, that remained intact, but the dark energy surrounding it broke into pieces as Lancelot's blade carried forward, driving into Sammy's chest.

Kanone screamed and fell backwards. It was like his own heart had been ripped out.

"NOT GOING BACK!" Gwen screamed. Her mind was a blur at this point. So much of her memories were plagued with Samarra's thoughts, and she could hardly distinguish her own captivity from the one Samarra had forced upon her.

That fear gave her strength, and that strength gave Lancelot the edge.

Sammy leapt back, clutching her chest. Blood oozed out of the wound.

"That was a critical hit," Chloe winced. "Not good."

"Now, finish her!" Gwen roared, burning with harmonia. Lancelot stepped forward, and then cried out in pain. Suddenly Gwen felt the sensation of thousands of razor blades slicing into her skin and she screamed.

"It's our newest technique," Kanone said solemnly. "Ceaseless edge. When performed, the wielder's sword shatters itself, burying shards inside the foe.

Cuts new and old opened up across Lancelot's body, oozing blood over his white form. He winced and nearly fell. The attack was fine, he could withstand it. But the impact it had on his trainer was overwhelming.

"So it wasn't that Gallade's sword overpowered his Samurott's, that was the plan all along!" Lila realized. "Genius!"

"What a tricky move," Val smirked. "And you call yourself a big brother? I'm ashamed of you, Kanone Harker. That move… you should know something like that is singularly painful for a girl like Gwenny to deal with."

Kanone didn't dignify her words with a response. He knew how sensitive Gwen was to stimulation. And she wasn't wrong. That was why he'd used a move like ceaseless edge. A move that would cause continual pain in its target. Right now Gwen probably felt like thousands of tiny knives were being shoved deeper and deeper into her skin.

Relying on something like that made him sick to his stomach. This girl, Val, was right. He didn't deserve to call himself her brother, not when he willingly subjected her to this kind of pain.

I know it's wrong. But in the end… if I can make things even a little better… if I can save her from Samarra… from the Children of the Oracles… none of that matters.

Kanone had made his resolve long before now. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have accepted that scroll from Ryoko in the first place.

Even if I have to become a demon… even if it means you'll hate me forever… I'm bringing you home, he thought, staring at his struggling sister.

Oof, this is pretty rough. Using a move like ceaseless edge against a girl with Gwen's problems, that's really brutal. But what else could he do? It's not like Gwen will just come along willingly. In the end, he did what he had to do. And that's precisely the reason why he used that ancient scroll, and granted Sammy that power. Now Kanone doesn't have a normal Samurott, now he has a Hisuian Samurott. The question is… will that power be enough to save his sister?