The Jump Course has gotten more and more intense, and everyone's really worked up! These trainers are doing the best they can, and their pokemon are trying their hardest! But who will come out the victor? The final event, the Hurdle Dash, is next, and the shocking conclusion will draw an end to the Jump Course with a winner finally determined in this very close competition!
KedharS: Yeah, it's nice to see him get a win. Let's see if that translates to winning the whole thing!
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Well Jo is actually in the lead right now. But you're right, it's still anyone's game to win!
Hyphenman: Anything's possible!
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 1319
Things were really heating up, and the audience was getting excited. The 15 minute break before the Hurdle Dash was like torture.
"I can't believe all the scores are so close!" Cynthia exclaimed. She was practically shaking with anticipation. "And I'm gonna win the whole thing!"
"Good luck with that," Ian smiled. "This last event is going to be a tough one. Especially due to a certain someone."
He glanced at Reiner, who blushed.
"H-Hey, come on," he said, trying to keep a straight face. "Like I can help the fact that my pokemon evolved?"
"I think that's so cool!" Jo grinned. "Your pokemon evolved when you needed him to the most! Now you're set to win this whole thing!"
His smile widened. "Of course… in this situation, I'm still the one with the advantage. I do have the most points, after all," he reminded Reiner.
"Well, we'll see about that," Reiner smirked. In the back of his mind, though, he was worried. This upcoming event, the Hurdle Dash, it required more than just jumping ability. Speed was a factor too, and while Spector and Orion were both very fast, Invictus was not. He considered the possibility of focusing everything on those two and letting Invictus lag behind, but Ange had tried that in Block A's events, and it hadn't gone well for her.
"I'm just worried about actually doing the running part," Cynthia groaned. Unlike the previous events in the Speed Course, the Jump Course had been very light on trainer participation. Keeping her balance on a trampoline and firing discs into the air was one thing, but having to do hurdles herself just sounded like a nightmare.
"Well, we just have to give it the best we've got!" Jo grinned. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine, Cynthia!"
Cynthia scowled. She didn't like thinking about it, but now that she was staring at Jo, she realized that she was the only girl in this event. Her pokemon could count on themselves, but she doubted her capability of being able to run as fast as boys. Especially when she was so short.
I guess I'll just have to try the best I can, she thought, hoping that things would go well. All she could do was believe in herself and her team.
The 15 minute break wrapped up, and it was time to get back to the events.
"Come on, Reiner!" Nikita called. "You can do it!"
"Kick his ass, Cynthia!" Julia shouted. Nikita glared at her, knowing that Julia was just rooting against Reiner. But she couldn't exactly call the other girl out for rooting for another one of their friends, either, so she kept her mouth shut.
The Hurdle Dash, like the other events in the Jump Course, was an event where the trainers used all of their pokemon. The Jump Course was quite the workout! Cynthia could tell her team was starting to get exhausted, mainly Rose. Tristan and Elise were as tough as always!
"Alright everyone, we're going to begin our final event for the Jump Course!" Leanne announced. "These trainers will rely on their pokemon to clear these hurdles! And for those of you who need a recap from last time, the pokemon's total times will be added together, and then divided from 11500! That will determine how many points the pokemon will get!"
"Again, arbitrary," Darla muttered under her breath. Lila chuckled, and Leanne silenced both girls with a look before continuing.
"The total time will then be combined with the time of the trainer's run, subtracted from 200," Leanne continued. "So if a trainer finishes their hurdles in 150 seconds, then their team will get 50 points! Which is a very good time. Let's see what these kids and their pokemon are capable of!"
"I'm really excited," Nikita admitted, squirming in her seat. "We all saw how great Ayame was! I'm wondering how Reiner is going to compare!"
"I don't think he'll do as good as she did," Callie admitted. "After all, Ayame's built for this sort of thing, and Reiner, well… he isn't."
Nikita couldn't deny that. But still, the thought made her excited. "Come on, Reiner!" She shouted. "Do your best!"
Nikita wasn't the only one cheering for Reiner.
"Come on, Reiner, kick his ass!" Joyce shouted from her seat. She had a vested interest in seeing her little brother get his ass kicked. It was all Jo's fault that she wasn't out there, after all, and she wanted Reiner to make him pay for that. "That guy is such a pain, you better make it so he's the one who needs a nurse!"
Other students were also cheering people on from the stands.
The Commander had once again dragged Maddi out to watch the events, but he wasn't alone this time. Vic had come along, of course, as she was no longer competing, and wanted to spend as much time with the Commander as possible. But while the other students in the Commander's faction had stuff they were doing (besides Tommy, who had also been dragged along) Chloe had also been dragged here.
That's what she told the others, anyway, that she was watching the events because the Commander had insisted. The truth was, she wanted to root for Ian too, and this was the perfect excuse.
She wasn't the only one rooting for Ian, though.
"Good luck, Ian!" Donoma called from the stands. She'd gone to the waiting room before the events for Block B had started, and let Ian know that she'd be cheering for him. Just the latest in her long line of manipulations, trying to get him interested in her.
Ian told her he appreciated the gesture, but left the rest of his feelings on the matter very vague, much to her frustration.
But she kept up her smile and continued cheering for him, excited to see if he would actually pull the win off or not.
"What a great idea," she mused, framing a camera with her fingers. She already had an idea for a potential show. By bringing in amateur trainers off the street like this and having them compete in Pokeathlon events, it would make for good reality television. And because it would bring attention to Pokeathlons, she might even be able to get sponsorships if she focused on it.
This was certainly something to file away for later. For now, though, she was going to focus on Ian's match.
He couldn't hear her cheering, but he must know she was there, right?
The pokemon and their trainers lined up at the hurdles and the starting pistol went off. They immediately started running, and Cynthia's concerns were quickly proven accurate.
Ian and Reiner were just faster than her. There was nothing she could do about that. She could run as fast as she liked, but since she wasn't a sports nut like Ayame or Sango, she lacked the physicality to compete with their better physiques. Ian was older and stronger than Reiner, so he took a quick lead. Reiner was hot on his heels though, and even if he didn't have experience with things like hurdles, he could get over them fine enough. But he was slowing down in comparison.
Thankfully, Jo's feminine build meant that, like Cynthia, he was lagging behind. In fact, Cynthia was actually faster than he was, even though he was a guy. She chalked this up to the fact that she at least did some exercise over the break, going on those hikes to the Jagged Pass. Jo clearly didn't have the stamina to keep up.
Problem was, his pokemon more than made up for that.
"It looks like Vespiquen and Flamigo from the Green Team are making some really good time!" Lila gasped in amazement. "They're in first and third place, respectively!"
"You're not wrong, Lila!" Darla agreed. "Both of them got off to a great start, and thanks to their wings, jumping over hurdles is easy!"
"The Red Team's Swellow is doing fine as well, though," Leanne reminded them. "After all, she is in second place."
Jo's team had a pretty tight lock on the leading spots. It was like watching Ayame's team. Even her Dachsbun was only in seventh place. Luckily, Reiner was good for something.
The current positions of the pokemon were broadcast for everyone to see. Unlike in the previous instance of the Hurdle Dash, most of the pokemon were closely packed together; they could pass each other at any point, and it could really go any way.
First – Honey (Vespiquen)
Second – Elise (Swellow)
Third – Flance (Flamigo)
Fourth – Sapphire (Crobat)
Fifth – Orion (Electrike)
Sixth – Tristan (Breloom)
Seventh – Bough (Dachbun)
Eighth – Spector (Grovyle)
Ninth – Opal (Miltank)
Tenth – Rose (Kirlia)
Eleventh – Invictus (Metang)
Twelfth – Diamond (Haxorus)
"This isn't looking good," Callie winced.
"You can say that again," Nikita said glumly. "Cynthia, Reiner, even Ian, they've all got a pokemon in the bottom three. Meanwhile, all of Jo's pokemon are really far ahead!"
"If that wasn't bad enough, Jo has the lead in points already," Akira noted. "That means he just has to maintain a good lead and he'll win."
"So it's pointless, then?" Elaina winced.
"Oh, no!" Kitty frowned.
"Come on, we can't let it end like that!" Nikita said, standing up. No more moping around! "We gotta cheer for them! Go, Reiner!"
It may have just been a coincidence, but Nikita's cheering, along with everyone else, actually seemed to have a tangible effect. The pokemon were starting to pick up speed. Sapphire shot forward, actually passing Flance and moving into third. And Orion wasn't far behind him, either. The Electrike picked up the pace, racing into fourth.
At the same time, Spector leapt over the hurdles, spreading out his arms to glide. He landed on the ground just in front of one of the hurdles and leapt again, clearing it in great time. In seconds he was right behind Tristan, putting him in seventh.
"Unlike the last Hurdle Dash, where the focus was on the trainers who were running, it seems the most competitive element here is definitely the trainers and their pokemon!" Leanne marveled. "Look at that! Even that Haxorus at the back is really close!"
"I'm surprised too," Darla nodded. "A bulky pokemon like that isn't usually good at competitions like these."
"Come on, Kirlia!" Lila cheered. "You can catch that slow and fat Miltank!"
It was unbecoming of an announcer to take sides, but that ship had already sailed as far as Lila was concerned, so nobody bothered saying anything. But it did give some extra motivation to Rose, who began running even faster.
"Look at her go!" Kitty gasped. Rose had managed to pass Opal's place on the hurdles as they got closer to the end. If that wasn't enough, then she even managed to reach Bough!
"Aargh! Come on, no way!" Jo focused his energy, refusing to fall behind his own team. Things were going neck and neck, and at this rate, they might lose! Not because his pokemon weren't doing well, but because HE was the weakest link!
Jo leapt up, trying to clear the next hurdle. But he focused so hard on getting ahead, he didn't realize what was in front of him.
CRACK!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!" Jo's scream filled the stadium as everyone gasped. The slender boy had misjudged the jump, and his leg slammed right into one of the hurdles. He tumbled over and sprawled out in the dirt, stunning everyone, but no one more so than his pokemon. And at the worst possible time, too. They all froze, turning back to their trainer, allowing the pokemon catching up to them to pass.
"JUST GO!" Jo shouted through the pain, trying to pick himself up out of the ground. His pokemon resumed the race, but it was too late. They'd already fallen behind, cementing the final rankings for everyone.
First – Elise (Swellow)
Second – Sapphire (Crobat)
Third – Honey (Vespiquen)
Fourth – Orion (Electrike)
Fifth – Tristan (Breloom)
Sixth – Spector (Grovyle)
Seventh – Flance (Flamigo)
Eighth – Rose (Kirlia)
Ninth – Bough (Dachsbun)
Tenth – Opal (Miltank)
Eleventh – Diamond (Haxorus)
Twelfth – Invictus (Metang)
"Is he alright?!" Leanne exclaimed, rising from her seat. "Someone call medical!"
"I'm fine…" Jo managed to pick himself up off the ground. His leg was swollen, but he could still stand. He forced a grin to his face. "I'm studying medicine, after all… I know what I'm capable of…"
But that didn't really matter. Even though Jo was capable of standing, there was no way he could finish the race. He removed himself from that aspect of the competition, meaning his team would receive no extra points for his time.
As soon as the other students finished their own jumps, they rushed back to Jo, who had managed to hobble to the waiting area. All their pokemon came with them, of course, as well as Jo's. Everyone was focusing on the injury. Nobody cared about the results of the event, at this point.
"Are you sure you're alright?!" Reiner exclaimed.
"I'm telling you, I'm fine," Jo said, rolling his eyes. "It's just a bruise. Trust me, if I broke my leg, I would know."
"I'm so sorry… this is just awful…" Cynthia was practically on the verge of tears, which was surprising to Jo, because he barely knew her.
"This could be serious," Ian said, frowning. He knelt beside Jo, and looked up at her. "Can I check your injury? We need to make sure it's not that badly damaged."
Jo rolled his eyes. "I told you, I'm fine. But if it'll make you happy…"
He rolled up the leg of his track suit and everyone gasped. Halfway up Jo's lower leg, a thick purplish-black bruise started to form in the shape of a rectangle. It was obvious to see what made that injury.
"You need to stay off this leg," Ian insisted. "And we should get you to the infirmary!"
Jo just laughed it off. "I told you, I'm-"
"You are NOT fine!"
Jo's head snapped up in surprise. He stared at his sister, who had rushed to the waiting area. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide with horror. She was trying to catch her breath, showing just how fast she'd run to get here.
"Um… sis, I know-"
"You dummy!" Joyce ran into the tent and threw her arms around her brother. "Why weren't you looking where you were going?! Idiot, idiot, idiot!"
"…Love you too, sis," Jo said. He tried to make it sound like he was sarcastic, but the genuine appreciation for his sister coming to check on him came through for everybody.
"Okay, let me get a look." Joyce knelt next to her brother as the EMTs came into the tent. She sighed with relief as she finished her inspection. "Good. It's not broken."
"Yup. I've only said that like fifty times already."
"Jo, I'm so sorry this happened…" Reiner apologized.
"It's fine, it's fine!" He laughed. No one else was laughing. "Look, whatever, I'll go to the infirmary and get a checkup, I promise. But can I pleeeeeeeaaase stay and see the results?"
He knew he hadn't won. But he wanted to see who did, at least.
"I, um, suppose that can be arranged…" Leanne mumbled. She had come to check up on Jo as well. But if he wanted to see who won, she couldn't exactly say no. She left the tent, and returned to the announcer's table.
"Ladies and gentlemen, don't worry, Jo will be just fine," she assured the audience. "He'll be heading off to the infirmary soon to get his leg checked out. But don't worry, the hurdles are made with special material to minimize damage. In fact, his condition is stable enough where he doesn't need to be evacuated, and he requested that, before he receive medical attention, that we show the results for who won Block B."
It was a little strange, and everyone knew it. The winner was the last thing on anyone's mind.
Luckily, Lila had the perfect remedy for soothing the concerns of the audience.
"Did you hear that, everyone? Jo is going to be just fine!" She gushed. "That's why I think it's really important that we show him that WE are going to be just fine as well!"
"What do you mean, Lila?" Darla asked curiously.
"What I mean is that we need to send him off with a smile!" The blonde idol explained. "Let's not focus on the bad accident, but take a look at everyone's scores! Starting with Cynthia and the Red Team!"
She nodded to Leanne, urging the professor to begin.
"R-Right," Leanne mumbled. "Starting with the individual times… Cynthia Fafnir, with a time of 168 seconds, your team will receive 32 points!"
Cynthia tried to smile, but she was still worried.
"Next, the Blue Team, Ian Davidson, with a time of 152 seconds, your team will receive 48 points!"
"Not bad at all," Ian nodded, going along with Lila's suggestion and trying to keep a positive attitude.
"And then, sadly, due to Jo's accident, the Green Team will not be receiving any points," Leanne apologized. Jo just shrugged.
"Well, can't be helped, I guess I'm going to really 'fall' in the point totals!" He joked. Nobody laughed. "Ah, whatever…"
"Which brings us to the Yellow Team. Reiner Zollern, with a time of 156 seconds, your team will receive 44 points!"
"You know, these scores really put a lot into perspective," Akira noted. "Kate got 153 seconds, didn't she? That's shockingly good in comparison to Ian and Reiner, considering she's a woman."
"Allegedly a woman," Callie corrected him.
Alcea rolled her eyes.
"With that settled, we'll move onto the pokemon times," Leanne continued. She was rushing through this so they could get Jo to the hospital as soon as possible. "For the Red Team, let's take a look at the pokemon's times!"
First – Elise (Swellow) – 25 seconds
Second – Sapphire (Crobat) – 28 seconds
Third – Honey (Vespiquen) – 30 seconds
Fourth – Orion (Electrike) – 31 seconds
Fifth – Tristan (Breloom) – 33 seconds
Sixth – Spector (Grovyle) – 34 seconds
Seventh – Flance (Flamigo) – 36 seconds
Eighth – Rose (Kirlia) – 37 seconds
Ninth – Bough (Dachsbun) – 38 seconds
Tenth – Opal (Miltank) – 39 seconds
Eleventh – Diamond (Haxorus) – 40 seconds
Twelfth – Invictus (Metang) – 42 seconds
"The times are much closer together than the previous Hurdle Dash," Nikita noted. "That's to be expected, I suppose."
"Starting with the Red Team! The Red Team's times were 25 seconds for Swellow, 33 seconds for Breloom, and 37 seconds for Kirlia! We add the total time together and get 95 seconds in total! Then, 11500 divided by 95 gives us the total points for the Red Team, 121 points! Which, combined with Cynthia's 32 points, gives us 153 points in total!"
"Yeah, not bad!" Cynthia's positive attitude had finally rebounded.
"And then the Blue Team is next!" Leanne was really blazing through. "Crobat got 28 seconds, Miltank got 39 seconds, and Haxorus got 40 seconds. A bit of a drop. In total the time is 107 seconds, or 108 points! Which, combined with Ian's 48 points, gets us to 156 points for the Blue Team!"
Cynthia perked up at that. "Wait, what?" It was less points than she'd expected. No way…
"The Green Team, sadly, didn't get many points," Leanne sighed. "What can you expect though, when the pokemon have such a strong bond with their trainer? Vespiquen got 30 seconds, Flamigo got 36 seconds, and Dachsbun got 38 seconds, for a total time of 104 seconds. But with nothing from Jo, they will only be getting 111 points."
Jo shrugged. He already knew he'd lost.
"And finally, that takes us to the Yellow Team," Leanne said, glancing at Reiner. "Electrike got 31 seconds, Grovyle got 34 seconds, and Metang got 42 seconds, for a total time of 107 seconds."
"Whoa, same time as Ian," Reiner said, surprised.
Nikita sighed and lowered her head. She already knew what was coming, and it sucked.
"With 108 points, combined with Reiner's 44 points, the Yellow Team gets 152 points in total. Which now brings us to our final point tabulation."
"So close," Nikita sighed, shaking her head. She knew she should be more concerned about Jo's injury, but she was still bummed out.
The scores flashed up on the screen, showing the total number of points that the teams had accumulated over the three events.
Cynthia – Red Team – 406 Points
Ian – Blue Team – 399 Points
Jo – Green Team – 370 Points
Reiner – Yellow Team – 397 Points
"I… I won?" Cynthia couldn't believe her eyes.
Well, it was a close match, and one that was full of tragedy. If not for Jo's stumble, things really could have turned out differently. But alas, he fell, and the result was that he couldn't get any points for his own run. This allowed Cynthia to pull ahead, and thus, she is the winner of Block B. But is it a position she deserves? What will everyone else think of this result?