Kanone has been pushed to the brink against Wes, and now things have gone from bad to worse! With his Samurott still weakened, he'll have to fight against his little sister Gwen with everything he has in the hopes of freeing her from Samarra's control. Will he be able to win? Will his trump card of turning Sammy into a Hisuian Samurott manage to change the tide? Or will he fall against Gwen's burning grudge? Remember to review!

KedharS: The harshest thing about her is that she attacks you with the truth. It's why people find it difficult to argue back.

Gyvarius: Yep. Gwen specializes in Psychic types, so why wouldn't Kanone turn his ace into a Dark type to fight her?

Tambry96bj: Well, Legends: Arceus is my favorite game, so I love throwing in Hisui stuff where I can. Who knows, we might get some Paldean pokemon coming soon!

Hyphenman: Yeah, Kanone is a very complex character. He does what he does for the sake of his family, but he just can't help Gwen the same way Blake can. I think we'll come to see a lot of that in this chapter.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1231

Gwen was in agony. Her head felt like it was on fire, and her body felt like it was being stabbed repeatedly. But the worst part was her brain. She had never been good at understanding the world around her. She had always relied on Blake to reach out to her, to be there for her. That's why she needed to bring him back.

Then came the worst moment of her life. When her memories flooded into her skull, memories of what her sister had done to her, she had nearly broken. They had been sealed away, how, she didn't know, but now they were back. And now they felt like they were killing her.

Samarra had merged with her mind. She was telling her all these things, guiding her in a way she never could have imagined. And it was torture. But this? Fighting against her other brother, Kanone? This was almost as bad as torture.

Save me, big brother, she prayed, wishing against hope that Blake would come and rescue her from all this. Please stop them!

At this point, Gwen couldn't even be certain of the difference between Kanone and Samarra. Both of her older siblings were agony to her.

But Samarra forced her to fight. If she defeated Kanone, then maybe… maybe the pain would finally end for her.

That was the hope she clung to, a single rope of possibility extended by her older sister, and the reason why she didn't fight the connection Samarra had imposed on her.

If she could just win, then this would all be over, right?

"Lancelot!" She screamed, putting her trust in her beloved pokemon. Lancelot would protect her. He always protected her. Even if his body was torn to ribbons.

"Gallade!" Lancelot lunged forward, charging at Samarra. The Samurott raised her sword and charged as well, the two pokemon swinging their blades at each other.

When the two swords collided against one another, a shockwave carried across the battlefield, nearly knocking the trainers over.

"So much force!" Rui gasped, nearly losing her balance. She was amazed that two pokemon crossing swords could have such a powerful effect.

"We need to watch out," Wes said, gesturing to the others to step back. "If we stay here and watch these two fight too closely, we might get caught up in this mess.

It was a frightening prospect and not one anybody here was particularly excited about. They all nodded and tried to give Kanone and his sister some space.

Lancelot and Sammy's blades clashed again. At this point they weren't even using pokemon attacks, they were just swinging their swords at each other. One hesitation, one attempt to use a move, and their opponent would certainly seize on the opportunity to land a critical blow. Kanone was amazed at how powerful his sister had become.

No… perhaps she's always been this strong. I never realized because I never saw her fight, but maybe… maybe this was what waited for me the whole time.

He remembered when Blake told him about his battle against Gwen. How hard he'd tried to save her, but in the end, she still managed to get away.

Maybe I was too hard on him… Kanone thought bitterly.

Gwen was showing just how fearsome her Gallade was.

Even with the shards digging into his body, Lancelot continued to fight. He was a mon possessed, ignoring the pain and swinging his blades with everything he had.

And Sammy… Sammy was starting to get overwhelmed.

Kanone winced. He could tell where his sister was getting all this power. It wasn't just her harmonia. She was tapping into the primal rage from her frustration with reality. Samarra was pumping it with everything she had, spurring on her pain and agony to make her little sister an even stronger trainer, and it was working.

Sammy was pushed back. She stumbled, and that gave Lancelot an opening.

"Leaf blade!" Gwen screamed.

"Gallade!" Lancelot stepped forward and swung his arm in a wide slash, the blade on the tip of his elbow extending and glowing green with nature energy. With a roar, Lancelot drove the tip of the sword into Sammy's side, carving a deep gash across her chest.

If Sammy hadn't had to fight that Tyranitar earlier, we would have had the strength to put up a better fight, Kanone recognized. I was arrogant… thinking that this power would be enough to defeat Gwen's pokemon so easily.

In his mind, Gwen was still that twisted little sister who needed support to do anything. He'd chased after her for years, but for the first time he was seeing her for what she really was, an angry and lonely girl who craved power.

"It seems we had more in common than I thought, little sister," Kanone murmured, closing his eyes. Just as he'd chased strength in order to protect his family, Gwen had pursued strength on her own as well, and now she was standing triumphant in front of him.

Kanone linked his mind with Sammy. He and his Samurott were being pushed to the brink. But that was fine. They had strength to spare.

I won't lose. I can't lose. I we lose, then it's over. Samarra gets away. She gets away with Gwen. And if that happens, then no one is safe.

The worst thing he could imagine was Samarra keeping her claws sunk into their little sister. The more pressure she put on Gwen's body and mind, the more likely it was that Gwen would break under the strain.

Samarra doesn't care. She thinks she does, but she can't see beyond her own existence. Which means it's up to me to keep this family intact, he decided. "Sammy!"

"Samurott!" Sammy nodded, summoning a torrent of water that wrapped around her blades. She charged at Lancelot and swung her sword, sending a blade of water at the Gallade.

"Aqua cutter," Kanone ordered as she followed up the first attack with a second one, and then a third. She still outsped Lancelot at least, which was something Kanone would take full advantage of if he had to.

"Gallade!" Lancelot stepped back, trying to avoid the first blade. He managed that easily enough. And the second he dispatched with a slash of his own, projecting out psionic energy. Just because Sammy was immune to Psychic type moves now, that didn't mean her attacks were.

But the third one got him. The water blade struck him diagonally across the chest, landing right on one of his old scars and opening it. The Gallade roared with pain and stumbled back, glaring furiously at Sammy with his good eye.

"Gyaaaagh!" Gwen screamed. Unlike Samarra's other friends, she made no moves to quash down her little sister's pain. After all, Gwen's pain and fury were what drove her to be strong, and right now, Samarra needed her strength.

"GALLADE!" Lancelot surged with power, and his body started to glow. Then he disappeared in a flash of light.

"Teleport again, huh?" Kanone said, narrowing his eyes. "Predictable. Don't you have anything new, little sister?"

Sammy whirled around and parried Lancelot's blade, knowing full well where he would reappear. That was because her eyes were linked to Kanone's. As long as Kanone stood behind his pokemon, there was no way Lancelot would sneak up and catch her off guard. They were perfectly bound together.

"Samurott!" Sammy pushed forward, overwhelming Lancelot with a burst of strength. She lowered her horn and lunged forward, driving it deep into the Gallade's chest.

"Aaaaaargh!" Gwen screamed in pain, clutching her heart and falling to the ground. Kanone winced at the brutality of the attack he'd inflicted on his sister. But he couldn't let up now. That megahorn had done damage and he needed to follow it up with another move!

"Razor shell," he ordered. Sammy raised her sword and swung it at the Gallade, but Lancelot had already disappeared, teleporting to his trainer's side. He crouched down beside Gwen, his face filled with worry at the condition of his trainer.

"That's… whoa," Rui said, amazed.

"I've never seen a pokemon rush to their trainer's side in the middle of a fight before," Hiromi marveled, shaking her head in disbelief.

"It's because they're linked by harmonia," Anabel solemnly explained. "They have a connection with one another. I wonder… just how strong is the bond between that trainer and her pokemon?" In spite of what Anabel said, they were as surprised as anyone else by the care Lancelot was showing to Gwen. Even if a pokemon was concerned about their trainer's wellbeing due to harmonia, in their experience the pokemon would at least wait until the battle was over before rushing to their trainer's side. Lancelot was a lot more special than anyone had given him credit for.

"…Gallade," Lancelot hissed, rising to his feet. He turned and glared at Sammy and his body started to glow again, but this time he wasn't using teleport.

"That water," Alden said, recognizing the attack that Lancelot was using. "He's using life dew to heal his wounds!"

It made perfect sense of course. Lancelot was concerned for his trainer's wellbeing. Of course he'd try to heal himself, it if made Gwen feel batter.

Samarra had other plans though.

"Don't focus on healing!" She snarled. "Just take that Samurott down! Who cares if you fall? She has four pokemon left after you!"

While Samarra had no idea if any of Gwen's other pokemon could stand up in battle against her brother's Samurott, she didn't really care at this point. She was in as much pain as Gwen was, and just wanted to win. All thoughts of escape had fled her by now; she could have had Gwen and Lancelot teleport her away the moment they showed up, but she hadn't.

To her, that felt like losing to Kanone. And she couldn't allow that. Now that her brother was here, she was going to defeat him. She would EARN her freedom, and when he was beaten then she'd build a connection with everyone here!

But first, she needed to stop this life dew move. If Lancelot had time to heal, then he had time to fight. Another swords dance. Or an attacking move. Even teleport again, to try and catch Sammy and Kanone by surprise.

But healing would just prolong things. She didn't have time for that.

"Attack!" She shouted again.

But to her shock, Lancelot refused to listen.

Samarra whirled upon her little sister, wondering how it was possible for Gwen to resist her orders. That Gallade should do everything she wanted!

And yet… he didn't listen. He refused to listen. Lancelot would not fight until his trainer's pain had alleviated. No matter how painful the shards dug into his skin were, Gwen's safety mattered most to him, enough to suppress even Samarra's power.

Why was it always like this? Why did her family refuse to listen? She knew what was best for them! She knew what to do!

If they would just let her have her way, everything would be fine.

"Samurott!" Seizing the initiative, Sammy charged at Lancelot as the Gallade continued to heal. She couldn't allow that to happen. She raised her sword and slashed with everything she had, cutting apart the wind itself.

"Gallade!" Lancelot was blown back by the power of the air slash. But he kept his stance, raising his arm to defend against whatever Sammy threw at him while he healed. But Sammy had already disappeared from the field.

It took a moment for Lancelot to realize what was happening. Then Sammy reappeared behind him with her sword raised.

"Aerial ace!" Kanone shouted as she swung her blade down upon his back, slicing out a deep gash in his skin. Lancelot stumbled forward but he refused to fall.

Instead, he braced against the grass, turned, and swung his arm back to pierce Sammy in the side with the tip of his elbow blade.

"SAMUROTT!" Sammy belched in pain, firing a blast of water that hit Lancelot in the back of the head. The Gallade rolled forward and hopped to his feet, turning and raising his arms.

"X-scissor!" Gwen screamed, clutching her skull to try and stave off the pain. Lancelot shot forward and crossed his arms together, slicing in an X shape aimed right at Sammy's chest.

"You'll have to do better than that, little sister," Kanone warned her. "Swords dance!"

"Samurott!" Sammy raised her swords and parried the twin strikes, deflecting them with her graceful footwork. Her shell blades danced around her as she pushed forward, forcing Lancelot back. The Gallade maintained his balance and raised his arms once more, showing off his blades. And suddenly both pokemon were dancing.

"They're trying to force their way through," Alden noted. "Using their swords dance attacks to find an opening in their opponent's defenses while raising their own strength."

"This is really tough," Ian winced. He didn't like the condition that Kanone's Samurott was in. She'd been pressured severely by that Tyranitar, and now she was facing against the most powerful Gallade he'd ever seen.

Sammy and Lancelot clashed swords one final time and stepped back, preparing for their follow-up attacks. Sammy raised her blade and turned it towards Lancelot, while Lancelot… stood in place and did nothing.

For a second, Kanone wondered why his sister had paused. He sent a silent command to his Samurott to strike Lancelot down with another aerial ace, but before Sammy could execute the move, something changed.

Lancelot picked up speed.

The Gallade lunged forward, raising his arm and bringing it up into Sammy's gut with a powerful punch before the Samurott could even react.

"That speed!" Kanone gasped, feeling pain blossom through his own stomach. "H-How…"

"Won't lose…" Gwen muttered. The air around her crackled with energy and her hair stood on end. "Can't lose…"

In that moment, Kanone realized that his sister had never used the full strength of her harmonia. She'd been holding back, whether consciously or unconsciously, but now she was fighting with everything she had.

Sammy was overwhelmed by the severe boost in her foe's speed. Even when Kanone tried to supplement her own speed with his harmonia, it made a negligible different.

Shit, Kanone cursed. If only I hadn't used so much energy against Wes… that battle drained my reserves… drained Sammy's strength… and now we're…

"Samurott!" Sammy roared. She refused to let her disadvantage get the better of her. She raised her sword and darkness began to swirl around it. Then she raised her other sword, summoning a torrent of water around it as well.

"She's using two attacks at once!" Maddi marveled. She'd never seen anything like it. "A Dark type move and a Water type move, dancing cheek to cheek!"

Sammy held her swords together and the two attacks mixed with each other, forming a blade that was a combination of water and darkness. She lunged forward and Kanone gave her all the harmonia he had available, hoping it would be enough to win.

She's moving faster than ever, he reassured himself. Even faster than Lancelot had been moving. If the Gallade tried to dodge, Sammy would be able to follow him, and strike!

But to Kanone's shock, Lancelot didn't dodge. He didn't step out of the way or try to teleport to safety, he didn't do anything to avoid Sammy's blow.

He glared at her.

Sammy's swords struck Lancelot in the chest, and the Gallade roared with pain. His screams blended with Gwen's agonizing cry. But to Kanone's shock, the Gallade held on. Lancelot simply refused to fall to the attack!

"Gall… GALLADE!" Lancelot screamed, raising his fist even as the swords jammed themselves into his chest. The blood spurting out of his wounds didn't matter to him in that moment, all that mattered was the enemy standing in front of him.

He swung with everything he had, his arm glowing with bright light.

"Sacred…" Gwen coughed out, feeling her own heart tearing open. "SWORD!"

"GALLADE!" Lancelot brought his blade down upon Sammy with everything he had. The slash traveled past the Samurott, carving through the grass. Kanone had to jump to the side to avoid the shockwave as it traveled all the way to the river bank, splitting it in half for a brief moment. The sacred sword slash was so strong it had warped the landscape.

"Sam… Samurott…" Sammy tried to hold on. She really did. She was Kanone's strongest pokemon. She refused to fall, not after they'd gotten so close. Not when Gwen was right in front of them!

"No way…" Rin breathed, her eyes wide with shock. She never would have imagined it was possible for Kanone's Samurott to fall.

But fall she did. Sammy collapsed into the grass and slipped away into unconsciousness, leaving a wounded and half-dead Lancelot to stand triumphant over his fallen foe.

"GALLADE!" Lancelot roared, holding up his blades as if to challenge anyone else to try and take him down.

No one stepped up to the plate.

"This can't be…" Rui said, her face going pale.

"Kanone… lost?" Alcea shook her head in disbelief.

Samarra was stunned. A twisted smile crossed her face. "I-I did it…" She said, as if not even she could believe that her older brother had been defeated. "I won!"

"What… what do we do now?" Chloe asked, shivering. They'd fought so hard. They'd all tried to defeat Samarra. But now it was over.

"Does anyone have any pokemon left?!" Raizer exclaimed. "Someone! Anyone! We can't just lose like this!"

"Is Kanone… is he…?" Maddi began to panic at the thought of Kanone being defeated. After all, if someone lost against Samarra…

"It's fine," Kanone said, rising shakily to his feet. He recalled Sammy to her pokeball. If she was going to suffer as a result of his loss… then at least she could have a few moments of rest inside the capsule. He still couldn't believe his sister had beaten him. He shook his head. "Samarra can't put me under her control."

"But I can still form a connection with the rest of you," Samarra said, turning to the others. A wicked smile crossed her face, one that the woman no doubt believed was a generous one. "We'll all be together after that."

This wasn't good. There had to be something. SOME way to stop Gwen and Samarra. But that Gallade was too strong. And all their pokemon were exhausted from the other battles they'd had to fight through.

At a time like this…

"Well, this is really bad, isn't it?" A voice mused. Samarra blinked, turning towards the amused voice.

"…What?"

"Well, I'm just saying, this has all the makings of a really bad situation, don't you agree? I mean, poor little Gwenny is being controlled by the big bad evil sister, and not even the brave and heroic Kanone Harker could save her! What a pickle, what an absolute quagmire! I can't imagine ever seeing a moment filled with so much despair!"

Samarra narrowed her eyes. What was this woman talking about?

"But don't worry, everyone. Don't be alarmed. I'm still here after all, and I'll make sure not to let things end on such a tragic note."

Val stood up from her stump and strolled into the middle of the field, her eyes laughing at a joke no one else could hear.

Well. Who would have thought Kanone Harker would lose to Gwen? He's one of the strongest trainers in the world, and yet he still was beaten by her Gallade! If only he hadn't fought against Wes before this match… then maybe he would have been able to turn it around. But there's no use imagining about what could have happened. Now, the only thing left to do is… put our faith in Valerie Chiester and figure out what the hell she wants now.