Against all odds, with his pokemon pushed to the absolute limit, and even being forced to rely on his best friend's ace pokemon, Blake was able to defeat his brother in a pokemon battle! He may have only been able to take down one pokemon, but it was Kanone's strongest! And the school's gone nuts! A display like that is going to be a memorable one! How is everyone taking it? And will Blake be ready for all the fame and attention about to come his way?

KedharS: Yeah it was really touch and go there for a long time, but he managed to pull off an upset victory! He did a great job!

Venoms Cross 2: Well, depending on how fast his pokemon get healed up, he may even be able to use them in the Pokeathlon as well! Pokemon Centers are pretty convenient, after all, and it's not like Kanone was going all-out on taking down Blake's pokemon. Sammy probably held back so as not to completely maim them.

Dalton akumu: Yeah that's probably related, yup.

Hyphenman: Exactly. In a way, Blake was only able to come as far as he did because of the work he put into his friendship with Cynthia. If not for Blake's effort in cultivating his connection with Cynthia, then he might not have been willing to rely on Tristan. But because they're such close friends and she trusts him implicitly, she was happy to loan him her strength. Same thing with Kate. Blake has done a lot to support her, and when the chips are down, she was happy to repay that support with some support of her own. If he had just treated her like crap like so many other people have done, she never would have given him those TMs and he wouldn't have been able to poison Sammy. He really owes a lot to both girls. And Mirar… was there.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1284

"He did it!" Dakota exclaimed, leaping from her seat. "I knew he'd do it! I can't believe he did it! This is just… whoa!"

She was already shifting through the aisles to get down to Blake to interview him. Akira had to grab her by the shirt and drag her back.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

"To get my interview! I definitely need to get the scoop!" Dakota explained.

Serefina rolled her eyes. "Do you really have to do it now? Can't you just let him enjoy his victory for a few seconds?"

"No, it's gotta be now!" Dakota said, putting her foot down. "I've been waiting for a scoop like this, and I need to get it written STAT!"

While Dakota was busy bickering with her friends, the others were just staring down at the stadium and cheering.

"I can't believe it… he actually won!" Kitty wailed, tears rolling down her face. She knew how important this was to Blake, and she wasn't the only one.

"I'm glad," Sango murmured, smiling brightly. She had been annoyed at Blake's decision to take this fight when she thought he should be focusing on the Pokeathlon, but the fact that he'd managed to succeed warmed her heart regardless. I know how much Gwen means to you, Blake. If this is what you need to do, then… I suppose I can't blame you for it…

"Fucking sweet is what it is!" Cynthia cheered. "Blake kicked Kanone's butt! And he did it with MY pokemon, Tristan!"

She was boasting about that to everyone who would listen, but mainly Maddi, who was unfortunately seated next to her.

"Yes, I heard that the fortieth time you said it," she muttered. While she was glad for Blake, it wasn't like she was a particularly close friend of his or anything. The only reason she'd even come to this fight was because it promised to be an interesting match.

Elaina, on the other hand, was in awe.

He did it… I can't believe it… though I suppose it makes sense… after all, he was even able to defeat me, she thought, smiling slightly. Blake had managed to defeat Elaina without the use of harmonia; so of course he'd be able to stand up against Kanone as well. That was the sort of thinking bouncing around in her skull at the moment.

"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Cynthia asked, hopping to her feet. "We should go down and congratulate him!"

Apparently, redheads think alike (even if Dakota's hair was now pink). Julia rolled her eyes.

"We can wait for little bit while the crowd thins out," she said.

"Yeah, it's not like Blake is going anywhere," Reiner said, for once agreeing with Julia, much to the other girl's distaste.

Meanwhile, other people had already started to leave. Sylvia had disappeared to parts unknown with a smirk on her lips, while Marion rushed off to get fishing. She'd wasted so many good fishing hours watching this match, after all. Mirar had disappeared into the crowd, or maybe he was still sitting next to them, it was hard to tell given how nondescript he was.

But the most important part was yet to come.

After Blake had defeated his brother and returned Tristan to his pokeball, Kanone had called Sammy back as well and come up to congratulate him on his victory.

"You've done very well, little brother," Kanone said, his face beaming with pride. Blake was surprised. He didn't think that his brother would react so graciously to a loss like that.

"…I thought you would be more upset," Blake admitted. "After all, I beat you really badly."

"Why would that upset me?" Kanone laughed. "We fought fair and square. Your team of pokemon wasn't enough for Sammy to overcome, that's all. You should be proud of your victory, Blake, I know I am."

Those encouraging words brought a smile to Blake's lips for what felt like the first time in forever. He hadn't expected Kanone to actually be proud of his achievement.

"It's not enough though," Blake said, shaking his head.

"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Kanone asked, narrowing his eyes.

The two stared at each other and Blake smirked. "I was only able to defeat Sammy this time, and even then, only because I caught the two of you off-guard with one of my friend's pokemon. That's not nearly enough for me to be satisfied, sorry."

Kanone liked where this was going. "So what are you saying then?" He asked, the corners of his mouth tugging up into a smile.

Blake smiled back, narrowing his eyes. "What I'm saying is that the next time I beat you, it's going to be with six of my pokemon, against six of yours."

It was a bold challenge. The kind of insane, bold challenge that, frankly, Blake didn't really have any right to be making. But after such a powerful wave of euphoria coming off of defeating Sammy with his team, he couldn't help himself.

Next time the two of them fought, it would be with their full teams of pokemon, he was sure of it. And even if Blake didn't win immediately, he was going to do his best to take Kanone down, he was sure of that much at least.

Kanone nodded, satisfied with his brother's challenge.

"Well, I hope you'll show me something special, then," he said with a laugh. His eyes were twinkling. "But frankly, for now… I think that's enough battling. I feel completely exhausted."

He stared down at Sammy's pokeball and smiled wistfully. "Sammy gave it everything she had in that match, after all. She needs some time to relax and unwind, and frankly, so do I. So I'll be leaving the pro circuit for a while."

Blake was surprised to hear that. "R-Really?"

Kanone nodded, and looked around at the crowded stadium. "Keep that to yourself, though," he whispered, leaning in close. "We don't want to start a riot after that stunning reversal, after all, don't you think?"

He pulled back and winked. Blake nodded. Before he had a chance to say anything to his brother, though, someone came up behind him.

Two someones, in fact.

"That was such a great match!" Lila gushed, hopping up onto the battlefield. She was in complete fangirl mode. "You were so totally cool, Blake! The way you took down Kanone's pokemon like that?! Using all your pokemon in combination with each other? It was just so romantic!"

She held her hand over her chest and swooned. "I totally could have fallen for you!" She lied through her teeth.

"I know, it was so totally badass," Darla grinned, flashing Blake a wolfish smile. Her eyes were shining with admiration as well, but there was a more predatory gleam to them that made Blake feel rather uncomfortable.

"Well, uh… I just did what I could," Blake said, not really sure what to say to these two.

"Do you mind if I become your fan from now on?!" Lila asked, grabbing Blake's hands. He was a little startled by such a pretty girl getting so close to him so easily, and the fact that she was an acquaintance of his girlfriend definitely didn't help.

"Um, yeah, I don't mind," Blake said, pulling himself free of the idol. Lila didn't mind at all.

"Yahoo!" She cheered, jumping up and down gleefully. In spite of the smile on her face, internally she was exhausted; it was getting really annoying having to play the dopey airhead and flirt with boys, especially kids like him. As impressive as Blake's battle chops might have been, flirting with him like this just turned her stomach.

"So Blake," Darla said, behaving the more professionally of the two, "is there anything you'd like to say in your moment of glory?"

She offered him the microphone and Blake took it.

"Well, Darla, I think everything I have to say will be covered tomorrow in Dakota's issue of the school newspaper," he cagily responded.

Somewhere in the distance a cheer louder than any of the others broke out over the din. It was the sort of obnoxious noise that could only come from a certain obnoxious journalist.

"…But there is one thing I can tell you," he added, giving the dragon master a wry grin.

"Oh? And what's that?" Darla asked curiously.

"There's a certain someone I'm dedicating this victory to," Blake said, his eyes scanning the bleachers and landing on the Empress's private box. He stared up at it, and even though he couldn't see through the opaque windows, he knew that the "certain someone" was sitting there, watching him, stunned and anxious.

"Who is it?" Lila asked, pretending to not have a clue as to who the most important girl in Blake's life was.

Blake grinned. "Ayame Toujou. She's the girl I love, and this entire match is dedicated to her! If it wasn't for her continued support, there's no way I would have been able to defeat my big brother and his Samurott!"

Staring squarely up at the viewing box, he blew her a kiss and winked. "I love you, Aya, and this victory was for you."

Meanwhile, in the viewing box, Ayame was going a little nuts.

"Who do you think you are, huh?!" She exclaimed, flipping him off through the glass even though she knew he couldn't see shit. "We aren't even dating anymore, you jerk! I-I mean, I never actually broke up with you officially, but you can't just-! I won't-!"

She didn't know how to process the fact that he was so bold as to use his moment in the spotlight to proclaim his love for her again. It was so dumb and childish! And she couldn't help but have her heart leap out of her chest at the thought of it.

What was the matter with her?! She shouldn't be getting swept away by emotions like this! It wasn't like her at all!

That guy… I'm just too bad at dealing with that fucking guy! Ayame wailed to herself.

She was grateful that she was alone in the private box; that way, no one could see her rolling around on the carpeted floor and cradling her head in her hands, dying of shame at Blake's romantic declaration.

"Well, that's Blake alright," Sango sighed. She was still pissed off at him but somehow it just felt… pointless. The guy just kept doing what he always did.

"What a bold love declaration," Dakota giggled, frantically taking notes. "I can't wait to ask him more about that during our interview this afternoon! A romantic dedication to a beloved girlfriend, how cool! I'll definitely follow up with her afterwards!"

Serefina tensed. She glanced over her shoulder at the others, who were all looking a little uncomfortable, Alcea especially.

No one needed to say anything, but they all knew. That was going to be a very awkward interview, if Ayame even took it in the first place.

Dakota didn't know about Ayame's amnesia, after all. Serefina had chosen not to inform her of that. It may have been a little rude, but she knew that her friend wouldn't rest until she uncovered the truth about something like that, and Serefina didn't think she had any right to go poking around Ayame's privacy.

So because of that, there were going to be a few awkward details in Dakota's interview.

Serefina sighed. This had all the makings of a gigantic mess, that was for sure.

"It'll be fine, right?" Cynthia mumbled under her breath.

"Yeah, definitely…" Sango nodded.

Elaina looked between the two of them, confused. Like Dakota, she'd been left in the dark as well, though not intentionally so.

"Is something the matter?" She asked innocently.

Sango and Cynthia shared a look. They both agreed that now was definitely not the place to tell the brunette.

"We'll explain it later," Sango finally agreed.

"O-Oh," Elaina nodded. "Well… alright then…"

She still wasn't sure what was going on, but it definitely seemed serious.

"We should be going, Kate," Alcea said, rising from her seat. It just felt uncomfortable to be standing her in the middle of all these cheering people.

In spite of her discomfort, a smile could be found on Alcea's ruby red lips. She couldn't help herself after what she'd seen the past few days and weeks.

Well done, Blake, she silently congratulated him as Kate followed her out of the stands. You finally managed to overcome Kanone's Samurott, and you did it with your own willpower.

It was the kind of display that thrilled a strong trainer. I wonder how far he's come… if we were to battle now, would I even be able to win? She wondered. She wasn't sure, but she assumed the answer was probably yes.

Either way, it would certainly be a match worth watching, just like this one had been. And that thrilled her down to her soul as a pokemon trainer.

For now, though, I have to prepare.

"Kate," she said, not even bothering to check and make sure her friend was following after her. There was no need; Kate would always follow where she walked. "You were planning on entering the Pokeathlon Competition, oui?"

"Uh, y-yes, milady!" Kate nodded eagerly. "I mean, I haven't really trained my pokemon for it or anything, but I thought… well, I thought it would be fun, so I already entered. Is that alright? Would you like me to-"

"It's fine, is it?" Alcea said. "I was just checking."

"O-Oh, I see… and what about you, milady? Are you joining?" Kate was eager to know if she would be competing with her idol. It would be a great chance to show off just how far she'd come as a trainer, even if it wasn't on the field of battle.

Alcea had other reasons for asking, however. She had no intention of joining the fray, but she wanted to tell Kate that it was okay to enjoy herself, and that she'd be rooting for her friend. Before she could let Kate know that, though, a certain someone stepped in their path.

"Leaving so soon?" Olivia asked, as if she was one to talk. Both girls had left the stadium as fast as possible.

Alcea opened her mouth to reply, but she didn't get the chance.

"What the hell do you want?!" Kate demanded, flinging herself in front of her idol and holding her arms out defensively. "Come here to pick a fight, huh?! Well you can just back off! I don't care if you're the Empress or whatever, milady is more than capable of taking a bitch like you down!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

Olivia was honestly shocked. Her mouth dropped open and she stared at the spiky-haired brunette. Then she looked up at Alcea, still bewildered, and pointed at Kate questioningly.

Alcea silently sighed and buried her face in her hand, shaking her head. These gestures went completely unnoticed by Kate, of course, who had absolutely no idea how much the relationship between the two women had changed since she'd last seen them.

"…And here I was coming to congratulate you on a job well done," Olivia smirked. "Blake getting the idea to use a Breloom, that was your doing, was it?"

"Not at all," Alcea said, shaking her head. "I didn't instruct him in any way. The decisions he made were all his own."

"That's right!" Kate snapped. "And his victory was thanks to MY genius strategies with those TMs, by the way! I taught his pokemon sludge wave, acid spray, and toxic! So if there's anyone you should be praising, it's me!"

"It's Blake, actually," Alcea corrected her, much to Kate's embarrassment. "After all, he was the one who requested those TMs, is it?"

"W-Well…" Kate blushed, looking down sheepishly. Why was Alcea correcting her in front of their mortal enemy. "I mean… yeah, that's true…"

Olivia couldn't resist the urge to smirk. Kate looked like a little lost Growlithe who'd just been kicked by her beloved trainer. It was frankly adorable, in a pathetic sort of way.

"Ah, Kate Nomia of Nomia Cosmetics," Olivia sighed, walking towards the toxic girl. "You're quite a special one, aren't you?"

"D-Don't call me that!" Kate spat, not seeing any way that the Empress could have meant "special" that wasn't an insult.

"But I'm being honest," Olivia said. "Frankly, your father's genius is quite something, using the overpowering fumes and odors of Poison type pokemon in his perfumes. I'm frankly impressed by such ingenuity."

"W-Well…" Kate squirmed, not used to being complimented. Even if it was by her enemy, it still felt pretty nice.

"If only you'd been born beautiful, I might have even taken you up into my faction," Olivia sighed, shaking her head.

…And it all came crashing down. Kate's expression immediately soured. "Why you-!"

"Kate," Alcea sternly chastised her, causing Kate to freeze in place. She was about two seconds away from launching herself at the other girl. Startled, she looked back at Alcea.

"M-Milady?" She whimpered.

"Just… be at ease for now," Alcea murmured, not quite sure what to say to defuse the situation. She turned to Olivia. "And as for you, I would ask you to please refrain from insulting my friends. Kate is very sensitive about her appearance, is it?"

Olivia nodded meekly, realizing she'd crossed a line. "I'm sorry," she apologized, hanging her head sheepishly.

It wasn't her fault! It was that stupid Kate Nomia! Why did SHE get to be by Alcea's side all the time? She wasn't even beautiful!

I'm Alcea's girlfriend! It should be me fawning over her like that, not you! Stupid Poison type bitch! Olivia cursed in her mind, squeezing her eyes shut to keep from giving Kate the stink-eye.

Kate, on the other hand, was just looking back and forth between the two women, not sure how to describe what she was seeing.

There was a change in the power dynamic that she was missing, she just had no idea what it was. What the hell's going on here? She wondered.

What indeed? Poor Kate, completely lost as usual. In the meantime, let's join the rest of campus in celebrating Blake's victory! But it will be a rather quick celebration as we need to make time for the upcoming Pokeathlon Competition! Who's going to win? What pokemon are going to be entered? Is anyone going to sit it out? This competition should be a lot of fun, that's for sure!