Block D, the one we've been waiting for! Blake's tried his hardest to get to this point, and now, if he wants the chance to go up against Ayame in the finals of the Pokeathlon Competition, the only way he'll be able to do that is if he can defeat his rivals in Block D! You've got Sango, who's incredibly athletic, Andy, an ace tennis player, and Marion! …A girl who's only good if she's fishing, and when she's not fishing, she's thinking about fishing. …Well, Andy and Sango should still be a pretty significant threat, anyway.
The Nomination Round for the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Competition has begun! Here are the current nominees! We've got a bunch of girls so far, but the day is almost over! Remember, July 5th is the deadline, and that's tomorrow! If there is anyone else that you want who hasn't been nominated yet, be sure to nominate them!
Currently Nominated: Alcea, Ange, Ayame, Caelia, Callie, Cynthia, Elaina, Gabrielle, Joyce, Maddi, Nikita, Sango, Sylvia, Vic
KedharS: True, he's in a pretty rough spot. Hopefully he can pull this off.
Hyphenman: It's going to be difficult, but facing Kanone's challenge was also difficult. Blake won't let something like that stand in his way, he's going to do his best to succeed regardless!
Aakareo Kokokuhikari: Mason is certainly a man of a particular culture alright.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 1330
"Alright, these events look like they're going to be a lot of fun!" Lila cheered. "So come on, what are we waiting for already?" She asked, turning to Leanne. "Let's get everybody out here!"
"Works for me," Darla nodded. "Let's meet the teams from Block D!"
"First, the Red Team!" Leanne declared. "Andrea Rollins!"
"Hiyahoo!" Andy ran out onto the field with her arms up in the air, a wild grin on her face. And she wasn't alone. Her trusty Ambipom, Ace followed right behind her, as well her Spidops, Silk. Both pokemon came from the preliminary rounds, and the audience was well aware of how much of a threat they were.
What caught them off guard was the third pokemon following behind her, a tiny little bug walking on its front legs, rolling a brown ball of gunk in front of it.
"Uh… what pokemon is that?" Lila asked, glancing at the bug. She couldn't be sure what it was, but something about it was rubbing her the wrong way.
"I don't know," Darla admitted. "I've never seen a pokemon like that before, either. Leanne? You're the head of the Caretaker Department, you've gotta know what pokemon that is, right?" She asked hopefully. Like Lila, the bug pokemon weirded her out. Specifically, the brown ball it was rolling through the dirt. That thing gave her some seriously bad vibes.
"I do," Leanne said, happy to provide some information to the students. "That pokemon is a Rellor. It's known as the rolling pokemon because it rolls a ball made of dirt and mud in front of it, which it keeps contained with psychic energy.
Lila took a look at the sticky brown ball, which was magnified by the cameras. She shivered involuntarily and averted her eyes.
"You're sure… it's just mud, right?" She asked Leanne. It practically sounded like she was begging. "JUST mud, right?!"
Leanne blinked. "Whatever do you mean?"
"I think what Lila is trying to say is that the stuff that ball is made out of…" Darla winced, feeling a little sick to her stomach herself. "It kind of looks like dun-"
"DARLA!" Lila practically threw herself over the professor to shut up her friend. "You can't say stuff like that! Idols aren't allowed to use words like that, you know!"
She turned to Leanne. "With that being said… that pokemon… Rellor, you said it was? That ball it's rolling… it IS just mud? Not, um… not what we're thinking of?"
Leanne stared blankly at Lila and then glanced away.
Lila threw up in her mouth a little bit.
"Don't worry!" Andy called from her spot on the red bracket, giving Lila a thumbs up. "The pokedex says that Pewpa's ball is made out of mud and dirt, and nothing else!"
"You named it Poopa?!" Lila screeched, turning pale.
"Pewpa, Lila, geez," Darla groaned, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "Whatever. Anyway, this has just become a really gross event…"
"It's a good thing she wasn't in my block," Nick shivered. "I don't want to think about having Abby or Primeape or Nidorino have to wrestle against a pokemon covered in-"
"It's just mud," Callie cut him off, not wanting to hear her boyfriend talk about shit in front of her. "Just. Mud. Got it?"
Everyone got it. But like with Lila, they still found it pretty gross.
"Alright, well, now that we've seen Andy's team, the Red Team looks like a pretty well-thought-out group," Leanne said. "She's using her trusty Ambipom, a pokemon well-known for his skill and dexterity as her own record on the tennis court will attest to! And Spidops as well is a pokemon good for setting up a trap."
"And I guess that Rellor will be decent at making snowballs and pushing those balls," Darla said, looking a little nauseous.
"Why did you have to put that image in my head!?" Lila wailed. "They're supposed to be throwing snowballs, not balls of-!"
"Lila, please, that's enough," Leanne snapped. Even she was starting to get embarrassed about what the other girl was saying.
"Did you know that in zoos, monkey pokemon like Aipom and Ambipom often throw their-" Reiner wasn't allowed to finish that sentence because Nikita pinched him hard in the arm, causing him to let out a pained yelp.
"Thank you very much," Olivia said, scowling. "Bringing such a vulgar pokemon to a sporting event like this, what is she thinking?"
Ayame didn't say anything. She actually thought a Rellor was a pretty good choice for a Skill Course pokemon.
"Okay, shush up you guys!" Cynthia huffed. "Blake's coming up next! Don't you want to see what pokemon he chose?!"
She was squirming with anticipation as Blake stepped onto the field.
"Presenting our second competitor, for the Blue Team!" Lila announced, thrilled that she wouldn't have to be worrying about shit any longer.
"Blake Harker!" Darla cheered.
Blake walked through the dirt, taking care not to step on any spots that Andy's Rellor had rolled through.
"So that's who he's using, huh?" Nick said, surprised. "I thought for sure he'd be relying on his Scizor for this match."
Blake's team was a bit of a shock. Instead of counting on Weiss, the way he always did, he'd chosen to use other pokemon. A few of them weren't that surprising. Tara, of course, was going to be great at skill events. And Ruru was the same way. Plus, both pokemon were very fast. The surprising thing was the fact that he was using Maria.
"Blake probably wanted to give his Scizor a chance to rest," Ayame said. "He's probably planning to use him in the Stamina Course tomorrow if he makes it to the finals, so he let him take a break today." Everyone looked at her, not expecting her to pitch in like that.
She raised her eyebrow. "What? It's the most important thing for a Pokeathlon. You want to use pokemon that are well-rested and ready to fight. Blake's Scizor has worked incredibly hard this last week. First, fighting Kanone Harker's Samurott, then racing with the other pokemon the very next day? If Blake was going to use him two days in a row for Pokeathlons after that, then I would consider reporting him for overworking his pokemon."
"You raise a very good point, is it?" Alcea mused. "Indeed, it would be best for Blake's pokemon to get a chance to rest."
"It's still risky though," Elaina said. "He's gambling on the possibility that he'll even make it to the next round at all. If you ask me, it's like handicapping yourself in a battle. It's important to ensure you get as far as you can with your pokemon. Don't hold anything back for a 'later' round, because that later round might never come."
What Elaina said made a decent amount of sense.
"Not everyone can just pull a little more fighting spirit out of their harmonia," Julia scowled, narrowing her eyes at the bird trainer. "Just because your fighting style revolves around forcing your pokemon to the limit of their ability and overcome obstacles with sheer willpower doesn't mean that's something that can work for everyone."
Elaina flinched, glancing down at the ground. She didn't have a rebuttal to that.
Kitty frowned. "Julia, that's not nice…"
Julia muttered something under her breath but didn't call out Kitty specifically. She just focused her attention on the battlefield instead.
"Blake's chosen a very interesting selection of pokemon, wouldn't you agree, Darla?" Lila asked, looking to her partner.
"That's right, Lila, don't forget that Mareanie of his was able to make that crack shot in the second round of the preliminaries with her poison sting, and get Blake a perfect score," Darla said. "And his Snivy and Galvantula have proven their abilities as well. He's got a team with a lot of speed, precision, and brains."
"And yet…" Leanne pointed out at the field, where Blake's pokemon were supposed to be lining up behind him.
"Snivy!" Tara shoved Maria with a scowl.
"Mar!" Maria pushed back against her.
"…What are they doing?" Lila asked, squinting at the squabbling pokemon.
"It looks like… they're fighting over who gets to be the first slot on the team," Darla said, trying not to laugh.
Blake cradled his face in his hands and shook his head, embarrassed.
"Ah, those two are great!" Cynthia cackled. All the tension from the previous round had completely dissipated as everyone laughed at Blake's pokemon arguing over who deserved to lead the team to victory.
"Lighthearted bickering like that is always good for building the bonds of friendship, that's what I say," Leanne said. "But then… it's important to use moderation, of course. We don't want those fights to affect the team's performance."
That was what Blake was afraid of.
"Well, while those two are deciding who's going to be in charge, I say we should call out the next competitor!" Lila decided.
"I couldn't agree more, Lila!" Darla nodded. "Let's give a round of applause for Blake, and welcome in the Green Team! Marion Rivers"
"WOOOOO!" Marion skipped out onto the field with her fishing pole in hand. Her green tracksuit blended together nicely with the green of her hair, and caused her tan skin to pop. For once, she seemed excited to do something other than fishing.
"How is she even planning to compete?" Callie asked, confused. "After all, her pokemon are all swimmers, aren't they? Can they even go on land?"
"They can," Ayame said. "It's possible in a Pokeathlon for pokemon that are usually restricted to water to be able to compete. This is accomplished through what is called a float band, a special device given to those pokemon that allow them to float in the air, and swim as they would if they were in the water. Take a look."
Indeed, Marion's team of fishy friends were floating behind her, swimming on cushions of air as if they were in the ocean. Of course, she'd chosen Mana, her reliable Mantine, as one of her pokemon, and Clawz, the Clawitzer that had caused such an upset in the first round of the preliminaries. Rounding out the team was Bass, her Basculegion, floating ominously through the air without the need of any floating devices.
"She's chosen quite an array of fish, that's for sure," Reiner noted. "It's like a seafood platter over there."
"Thanks for that image," Nikita winced. "What are you going to do if I can eat sushi anymore after this, huh?!"
"Marion's chosen quite an assortment of pokemon," Lila said, echoing Reiner's sentiments. "What do you think, Darla? Can she do it with all those?"
"Well, it's going to be interesting to judge how well those pokemon of hers perform on land, as opposed to the water," Darla said. "I imagine if there was some sort of water-based Pokeathlon, she'd be at a way bigger advantage. But then, she's still a fairly talented student, so I wouldn't say it's completely out of the question that she could win…"
"Oh my gosh!" Marion exclaimed, turning to Darla. Her eyes were shining. "That's so cool! I just thought of a great idea for an event next year, water-based Pokeathlons! It's going to be so much fun, I've already got a million event ideas!"
"Um, Marion, did you forget you're graduating this year?" Leanne reminded the fishing enthusiast, raising her eyebrow.
Marion slumped over and sighed. "Aargh, that's right…"
"Well, at least she's excited about something, right?" Lila laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Usually Marion Rivers is only this passionate about fishing!"
"Speaking of which…" Darla glanced at the fishing pole in Marion's hands. "That's… not allowed, right? Trainers aren't allowed to bring tools to help them, are they?"
"Oh! Oh! Can I go get my tennis racket then?!" Andy asked excitedly.
"No!" Leanne snapped. "And Darla, you're right. Sorry, Marion, but you'll have to leave your fishing pole in the rest tent."
Marion's tan faded away as she turned pale.
"B-But… fishing…"
"Those are the rules," Leanne sternly rebuked her.
Hanging her head, Marion trudged over to the rest tent and set down her fishing pole beside her straw hat.
"Well, this might be easier for Blake than I thought," Olivia cackled. "It looks like Marion's motivation to win has completely drained!"
Alcea said nothing. As much a she loved Olivia, the way the other girl spitefully held grudges towards people she didn't like still rubbed her the wrong way.
"Aah, whatever!" Marion perked up immediately. "It'll be fine! I can go without fishing for a little bit, you'll see!"
To everyone's amazement, her smile had quickly reappeared, and didn't seem to have dulled at all. She quickly skipped back to her place in the green bracket, to the shock of the announcers and the audience as well.
Lila and Darla looked at each other, not sure what to make of the total transformation that she'd gone through.
"Uh… that's not like her, right?" Lila clarified, pointing at Marion. "She's not the kind of person who can just bounce back from being told she's not allowed to fish, right?"
"I've never imagined that was possible," Darla agreed, shaking her head. She was just as confused as her partner.
"Well now!" Leanne clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention back. "We've got one more team to get to before we can start this last round of the Pokeathlon Competition!"
"That's right!" Lila nodded, quickly regaining her momentum. "Let's introduce the last member of Block D, Sango Akana!"
While Blake's entrance had been more subdued (in part due to the bickering of two of his pokemon) Sango didn't lose out in enthusiasm or excitement as she took to the field, waving at the crowd.
Her pokemon flew behind her; or rather, Elaina's did. Silver was the only pokemon Sango had, after all, he floated obediently over her shoulder.
The other two pokemon Sango had chosen to rely on her Elaina's Oricorio, Doria, who was still in her cheerleading form (fitting for the Yellow Team) and of course, Mukuro, Elaina's Decidueye. The perfect pokemon when it came to handling events with skill and accuracy.
"Those two should be fine," Elaina said, sighing in relief. "Mukuro especially should be excellent in the upcoming competitions."
"Yeah, since he's a Ghost type," Callie said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She remembered what Sylvia did with Ghost type pokemon in the previous round, and she wasn't exactly thrilled with it.
"I think it's cute that Sango and Marion's jerseys both match their hair," Kitty giggled. "What an adorable coincidence!"
"Sango has chosen some interesting pokemon for this event," Leanne noted. "Particularly in regards to that Oricorio!"
"What do you mean, Leanne?" Lila asked curiously.
"Well, as anyone who's owned an Oricorio will tell you, that species is a special type of pokemon that can change its form, along with its type, when it consumes nectar from a specific type of flower," Leanne explained. "And the benefits of those different forms can't be overstated. I would have imagined that, for the Skill Course, she would have chosen Sensu Style or Pa'u Style."
Lila didn't really get it, but just nodded her head.
"Perhaps there's something she's trying to say, then," Darla suggested, watching Sango walk out with a resolute expression on her face.
"Ooh, Sango's ready to fight," Cynthia whistled.
"What do you mean by that?" Olivia asked, raising her eyebrow.
Cynthia smirked, pleased that she'd gotten one over on one of the Daevas. "Maybe you should ask Ayame over there what I mean," she giggled, and Ayame rolled her eyes.
She didn't disagree with the redhead's assessment, though. As someone who was also friends with Sango, Ayame could recognize changes in her behavior, even though several of her memories were scrambled. Normally the blonde was very perky, but right now, while still energetic as always, she carried herself with a ton of focus.
"Sango's definitely got some resolve," Reiner agreed.
"I wonder who's going to win?" Nikita asked excitedly. "Her, or Blake?"
"Sango of course," Elaina asserted. "She's using my pokemon, after all."
"Hey, it could be Andy, too," Nick said. "She's really skilled in Pokemon Fitness Fundamanetals, right, Ayame?"
Ayame nodded, and then pointed past Nick. He turned around, and gulped at what he saw.
"Oh? And just where have you been looking during these workout classes of yours?" Callie scowled, glaring at her boyfriend.
"Uh, Callie, it's not what you think…"
"Just because she's a little taller and has bigger boobs, you're ogling her?!"
"That's not what I said! I mean…"
Julia sighed, and rolled her eyes. "Everyone's all talking about Blake, or Sango, or even that Andy girl, but you guys are forgetting that Marion is in this, too, remember? She's one of the Daevas, and she's one of the most well-known students among the Caretaker and Ranger Courses. She's not someone to underestimate."
"But she doesn't have her fishing pole, so her power is reduced by like ten times," Kitty reminded her.
Julia considered that. It was a pretty good point. "Still… the way she's acting, like she's not fazed at all… it's unlike her, don't you think?"
"Totally," Cynthia nodded, frowning suspiciously.
"Hey, Marion, are you sure you're okay?" Sango asked as she lined up beside Marion. "Not having your fishing pole with you… you aren't going to go through withdrawal, are you?"
"Ah, no way!" Marion laughed. "I've come prepared!"
She rolled up the sleeve of her tracksuit. Her arm was covered in tiny patches with fish drawn on them.
Sango stared at her. "Is that a…"
"A fishing patch!" Marion grinned, punching the air. "That chemistry girl, Willa, she made it for me after I beat her! It makes me feel like I'm fishing even when I'm not!"
"THEY MAKE A PATCH FOR THAT?!" Lila exclaimed into the microphone in shock.
Sango gulped. Marion was at full power now.
The entire meta of Block D had just been turned on its head.
Uh-oh, that's not good. Marion's easy to beat on dry land when there's no water around, and she can't do any fishing. But she's brought a secret weapon! Now Marion can fish even on dry land! The consequences could be devastating… forget Andy and Sango, how will Blake overcome this new threat to his chance of going up against Ayame in the finals!?