Darla is in bad shape, and Lila is right at her side! But before we continue the tournament, we must cover something else, first. A story of Aster and Zinnia, from before they took up new names and identities.

KedharS: That is correct.

Aquahaze675: I think it could mean some very interesting things. Really makes you reexamine the character, doesn't it?

Rus4408: That's because she was dead by that point. Aster was Zinnia's dear friend/maybe lover who died, and she named a Whismur in her memory.

Thunder Fire: What about a flashback to Zinnia and Aster meeting?

JoshGamerV: Darla being Zinnia really makes for some interesting notions about the character and her future. Especially considering Lila's identity.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 526

As the paramedics took Darla to the infirmary, Lila refused to leave her side. She didn't give a damn about the fact that there was still another fight left that night, she needed to be with Darla right now, work could wait.

"Lila…" Darla winced, staring up at her friend running beside the stretcher. "You… suck… as an idol… you know…"

"I'm not leaving you," Lila snapped, wiping her face again. She wasn't going anywhere until she knew that Darla was going to be fine. And then, once she was okay, she would ask her beloved partner just what she had been thinking, summoning Rayquaza to her side. She knew better than anyone what the cost would be. So why would she do it?

Lila didn't know the answer to that question, but she knew that as much as she loved Darla, there was absolutely no way she was going to let her off the hook for this. Darla's life wasn't hers to throw away, not as long as Lila was there for her.

That was the promise they had made that day, after all.

10 years ago, Lila had not been the same cheery, happy girl that she was now. In fact, she was honestly very shy and nervous.

Her name wasn't even Lila back then.

"Aster! What pokemon do you want your first pokemon to be?" The girl sitting next to Aster on the bus was named Roxanne, and she was a sweet girl who tried to be friends with everyone, even a timid girl like her. Aster peeked out from behind her blonde bangs (not yet having taken on the frosted tips and pink highlights of her teenage years) and stared shyly at her seatmate. Her heart was pounding and she stammered out a response, finding it difficult to come up with the right words. She was too nervous! She was only seven years old, and already she was going to be catching her first pokemon! Her whole class was. They were on a field trip to Meteor Falls, where they would be catching their first pokemon (with teacher supervision, of course).

Aster had been attending pokemon school for a few years, because her mom wanted her to become a pokemon battler. Maybe a gym leader, or even a champion. Her mom was the kind of woman who dreamed big.

But that wasn't what Aster wanted to do…

Now wasn't the time for those thoughts, though. Aster still hadn't answered Roxanne's question! She was only stammering and mumbling, and that was so rude! This was why, even after being at school for a few years now, Aster didn't have any friends. Her stutter made her too wary of speaking out, and she hated drawing attention to herself because of it. But she couldn't be rude, either.

"Um… a R-Ralts… would be nice…" Aster finally managed to get out, lowering her head shamefully. She hated her stutter.

Ralts were adorable. They were known for being kind and sweet, and best of all, they were sensitive to emotions. For a girl like Aster who couldn't communicate well with others, a pokemon who could understand how she felt seemed like a dream come true.

"Ralts? Yeah, they're so cute!" Roxanne agreed, her eyes shining as she nodded her head vigorously, her brown curls bouncing. "But I don't think there are any around Meteor Falls…"

Roxanne dug in her backpack and pulled out the folder that the teacher had given each student, filled with pokemon that were potential capture targets. It was pristine and perfect, of course, everything filed away neatly. Roxanne was a great student, of course. Aster's folder was crammed full of crumpled papers in comparison. A lot had work over the year had gone into this trip, and all the kids were teaming with excitement at getting to catch their first pokemon. Even if they couldn't officially become trainers for another three years, they would still be able to play with and bond with their pokemon for the rest of their time at school.

"Aster should catch a Whismur!" One of the boys called from across the aisle. "Since she's always stuttering and mumbling!"

Aster flinched, looking down at her lap, turning bright red. It wasn't the first time the boys had teased her. Even the girls teased her sometimes.

"Hey! Shut up, stupid boys!" Roxanne said, sitting up a little straighter to serve as a shield between Aster and the teasing kids.

Aster smiled a little. Roxanne didn't tease her, she was nice to everybody. But that didn't mean she was Aster's friend. The only reason she was sitting next to her was because no one wanted to sit next to the girl who didn't talk to anyone for the three hour drive up to Meteor Falls. Roxanne had talked a few times, but Aster, of course, didn't really respond.

It wasn't that she didn't like Roxanne, she did! Roxanne was the nicest one in class to her, and never teased her about her stutter. But Roxanne was popular and smart and nice. Everyone was her friend. Normally, you would think that would make it easier for Aster to be friends with her, but it was just the opposite. Roxanne was intimidating, she had so many friends, she was so well-liked that she was basically perfect. No way she would want to be friends with Aster. She was just being nice to the other girl.

"Just forget about them, Aster," Roxanne huffed, turning back to her. "They don't know what they're talking about. But I was right, there aren't any Ralts… are there any other pokemon you might want to catch instead?"

Roxanne offered the folder to Aster, and Aster stared at it in shock. She couldn't possibly! No way could she read the folder of the cutest girl in class! Her peasant's eyes weren't worthy of such things! She quickly dug her own folder out of her sparkly pink backpack and quickly flipped through it. As she did, she began to cringe.

Oh, no! Roxanne had offered to let her use her folder, and Aster had just said no! She was the rudest girl in the world, Roxanne was being nice, and Aster had just ignored her folder to grab her own, like Roxanne's folder wasn't good enough for her?! Roxanne, who had put so much effort into making it look absolutely PERFECT?!

Aster felt just awful.

"S-s-s-s-sorry," Aster stuttered, peeking out from behind her folder. "I-I j-just… d-didn't want to bother you, s-sorry…"

"No, no, it's fine," Roxanne said, smiling. "So, is there any pokemon? I think I want to catch a Geodude, they're on Route 114. Rock pokemon are quite something, you know! Or maybe a Lunatone or a Solrock, in Meteor Falls."

"Um, y-yeah, I…" Aster looked through the pages. She definitely didn't want a Zubat, or a Seviper. Bugs like Surskit were also no good. There were a bunch of pokemon, so she stammered and stalled for a while before finding a pokemon in the area that she wanted. "I think… a Jigglypuff would be nice… m-maybe?"

Jigglypuff was another pokemon that Aster really liked. They were cute, and the confidence with which they sang made Aster wish she could be that brave. She loved the sound of their voices, too, they always put her right to sleep.

"Jigglypuff?" Roxanne scooted over to take a look, Aster curling up a little out of embarrassment at the girl being so close to her. "Oh! They're adorable! Yeah, I want one, too, now! Let's look for them together, Aster! Maybe I'll catch one if I can't find any Rock types!"

"Uh… uh…" Aster couldn't turn her down, of course. If Roxanne wanted to hang out with her, saying no would make her look unbelievably rude to the nicest girl in class! But she couldn't say yes, either. That would be the same thing as saying she was worthy to be standing in the same grass as her! Breathing the same air! That was far too lofty an aspiration for someone like her!

But the pressure of Roxanne's shining red eyes made it impossible for Aster to say the word "no". She didn't have the courage to say yes, either, so all she could do was gulp and nod her head in reluctant assent.

"Awesome!" Roxanne chirped. "This is going to be so fun! And then you can eat lunch with me and my other friends, too!"

That made Aster feel even more anxious about what was to come. Aster turned and looked out the window, too petrified to say anything. She watched the scenery pass by for a while and wondered if it would be so bad to fake carsickness and get out of this mess.

She waited for a while, enjoying the silence, before Roxanne talked again.

Aster liked Roxanne, she really did. But the fact that Roxanne kept talking to her was making her feel anxious and queasy in her heart. She wished the girl could understand how hard it was for Aster to talk to people.

"You're really quiet, Aster, but you're alright," Roxanne said. "You should just talk a little more, you know? I'm sure you'll make a lot of friends!"

Aster knew she'd make more friends if she could talk, too, that wasn't news to her. But that would only be if she could talk without stumbling over every third word. She didn't dare open her mouth now, not with the way people laughed at her when she read aloud in class.

"I really like your dress, you always wear the cutest outfits," Roxanne said, touching the soft pink fabric of Aster's sleeve. Aster glanced back at her and gave the girl a shy smile. Her mother gave her such wonderful clothes, like the pink dress she was wearing, but she never really showed them off. That was something she needed friends for, after all.

"Th-th-thanks," Aster stuttered, not sure what else to say. Maybe if she was bolder she would have complimented Roxanne's clothes as well, but that was something only a stronger girl than her would be capable of.

The rest of the trip to Meteor Falls passed in silence, for which Aster was incredibly grateful. When the bus pulled to a stop and the teacher guided them off, Aster looked up at the massive mountain towering above them, just one of many such mountains in this side of the Hoenn Region. She swallowed, her knees already knocking in her tights.

She wasn't sure what to do now.

"Aster, you need to line up to get your pokeball!" Roxanne called to her. Aster realized she was still standing in front of the bus, while all the other kids were waiting in line. She quickly got to the back of the line, still lost in a daze. She wondered if she was coming down with something. That would be just great, wouldn't it?

"And here's your pokeball, Aster," the teacher smiled down at her, patting the blonde girl on the head with her gentle hand. She was tall and cool, and Aster couldn't help but smile back whenever Mrs. Stone smiled at her.

Aster wondered if maybe she liked girls. Was that a thing?

"Remember class!" Mrs. Stone said, clapping her hands together. "You need to stay in your assigned groups! No wandering off on your own! And if you get lost, stay right where you are. Calling for help might startle the wild pokemon, and we don't want that. I'll be keeping an eye on you, best I can, but you need to make sure you stick together!"

"Yes, Mrs. Stone," the class said altogether, except for Aster, who remained silent. She was lucky that she was in the same group as Roxanne. Or maybe unlucky. She honestly wasn't sure. At least she wasn't in a group with anyone who teased her. The other girls would probably just ignore her, and that was honestly fine.

"For the morning, we'll be searching Route 115 for wild pokemon," Mrs. Stone explained. "You'll have two hours! Then at 12, we'll head into Meteor Falls to eat our lunches by the waterfalls, and then we'll spend another two hours looking for pokemon there! And In the afternoon, we'll search Route 114 for wild pokemon, and then we'll head home! Understood?"

"Yes, Mrs. Stone!" The other kids repeated. Aster nodded in agreement.

"Great!" Mrs. Stone clapped her hands again, the way she always did to call the children to attention. "Then you have two hours to look for pokemon on Route 115! I'll be walking around keeping an eye on you, so try not to wander too far. Have fun!"

And with that, everyone rushed off. Aster trailed behind the group of gossiping girls in front of her, keeping her head down and her eyes on their feet. She knew that if she saw Roxanne looking back sadly at her, she wouldn't be able to resist the urge to catch up and say something that would completely embarrass herself. Absolutely not.

"Aster!" She didn't want to, but hearing her name being called made Aster's head jerk up out of reflex. She saw Roxanne staring at her, and blushed.

"Uhumum…" Aster stuttered.

"Come on, it's getting away!" Roxanne said, waving Aster over frantically. Aster didn't know what was going on, so she caught up to the girls, who were gathered around a pokemon scurrying for the trees, a Jigglypuff!

"Why do we have to wait for her?" One of the girls whined. It was Mari, her freckled face twisted in a sad look and her red pigtails bounced as she rose and lowered on the heels of her shoes. "I want to catch a Jigglypuff, too!"

"No, let Aster go first," Roxanne said, nodding to Aster and smiling. "She wants it too."

All the girls turned to Aster, who froze up, glancing at the Jigglypuff. She swallowed and shook her head, no way could she assert that she wanted to catch it! Not right now! Not with all of them looking, especially Mari.

"N-n-n-no, that's okay," Aster stuttered, shaking her head. "Sh-she can catch it…"

"Really?" Roxanne asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Really?" Mari asked, her face lighting up. "Thanks, Aster! You're the best!" Mari turned on her heel and threw her pokeball, snatching the fleeing pokemon right up. In a flash, the Jigglypuff was gone.

"Yay! I caught it!" Mari cheered, holding up her pokeball. "I caught it!"

The other three girls crowded around Mari, while Aster smiled on the sidelines. She was happy for her, but she also felt jealous. She had wanted to catch the Jigglypuff. She wanted it so badly, but she hadn't had it in her to stand up to Mari. This was probably for the best.

The other girls caught pokemon soon enough, with Aster and Roxanne being the only ones not to catch anything. They hadn't seen any other Jigglypuff show up since that first one, and Aster was looking glum, not that any of the other girls noticed. Even Roxanne was more interested in the pokemon being caught than in Aster, which made sense. Those girls were her friends, Aster was just her classmate. It wasn't the same.

Aster had a pretty defeatist personality. She already knew that her dream could never happen. Her mother was insistent. She would be a battler. It wasn't fair! But there wasn't anything she could do if her mom said no. It wouldn't be until Aster was much older that she could begin to see her mom's side of things. Aster's mother had been a contest idol herself. In her prime, she was beloved across the region. And then she'd gotten pregnant with Aster, and her career ended just like that. And to make things worse, Aster's father had run away shortly after getting the news.

So she eventually came to understand why her mother wouldn't want her to be in the business. Why she wouldn't want her daughter to make the same mistakes she did, and take the safer route of becoming a battler.

But at 7 Aster just thought her mom was being mean and telling her she couldn't be like those cute idols she watched on TV.

Aster was used to being disappointed. So when Mrs. Stone blew the whistle telling the kids to assemble, she didn't feel too bad about not being able to catch a Jigglypuff. It honestly was what she should have expected. She took her lunch from the teacher and the kids walked into Meteor Falls, Aster taking a deep breath and smelling the lovely scent of the salty water of the falls roaring down. It almost smelled… spicy. Weird.

The kids gasped in awe at the amazing cascade of water in front of them, the glowing stones on the walls and illuminating the shimmering water and lighting up the entire maze of caverns.

"It's amazing," Roxanne breathed, and Aster agreed. The sight was truly spectacular. Roxanne led Aster by the hand to where the other girls had gathered to eat lunch, everyone eating in their own groups. But Aster knew that would come with pressure to socialize. She wouldn't be able to eat a bite in that atmosphere, so she excused herself.

Roxanne looked skeptically at the flustered girl, and sighed.

"Fine, but please make sure not to get out of sight, okay?"

"O-o-of c-c-course," Aster nodded. She scurried away to a rock that was pretty far away from the other girls, but at least in sight. It was nice and shady in the back of the cavern, although the dampness was making her hair get all curly. She sat down on a dry spot of rock, and began to unwrap her lunch bag when she heard a small sound.

Aster twitched, straining her ear. There was a sound, a faint cooing just barely in the corner of her ear. It sounded like a pokemon groaning in pain! She turned to the other girls in her group, but they were all laughing and enjoying their lunches and talking about the pokemon they had caught, or in Roxanne's case, going to catch, and Aster didn't have it in her to interrupt them. She swallowed, holding her lunch tightly, and ducked behind the rock, heading in the direction of the voice. After about a minute she came across a small blue and white pokemon, a Swablu! What was it doing here? Aster remembered from her folder that the pokemon was on Route 114! She looked, and saw that red had seeped into the pokemon's cotton-like left wing. She could see a deep cut on the bird's side, it was injured, the poor thing!

Aster was about to go get the teacher, but then she remembered that her mom had packed her some oran berries! She had told Aster she could share them with her classmates on the bus to make friends, but that wasn't something Aster could ever do. She didn't have the heart to tell her mom's hopeful face that she could barely even talk to her classmates, and now she was glad that hadn't. She took off her backpack and pulled out the small baggie, quickly feeding the Swablu the berries.

"I hope you're okay," Aster whispered. As the weakened bird pokemon finished eating the berries, Aster could see that her wounds were slowly starting to heal. She still wasn't fully restored, but she didn't look to be in as critical of condition as she had. Aster reached out to pick her up, so she could take her to Mrs. Stone, but before she could, the Swablu flew away!

"Wait, Swablu, that's the wrong direction!" Aster cried, the small bird flying towards a tunnel that led deeper into the caves. Aster didn't want the injured pokemon to get lost or hurt! She didn't have time to get the teacher or even pick up her backpack, she chased after the Swablu, desperate to bring it back and get it out of this cave full of nasty Zubat and dangerous other pokemon!

"Swa… blu" Aster didn't know how long she had been running, but she knew she was out of breath by the time she caught up to the Swablu in a wide cavern, the pokemon having fallen out of the air, her injuries too severe. She gasped in pain and Aster ran over to her, picking her up. She turned to go bring the pokemon back, when she froze.

Where… where was the way back? She hadn't been paying attention when she entered the cavern, so she hadn't noticed. The cavern was large, a gentle waterfall filling up a spring that took up most of it, but the large rock wall behind her was filled with tunnels that led in different directions, and for the life of her she had no idea which one led back.

She was lost. She took a tentative step towards one of them and peered inside, but the darkness inside of it was too hard to see into. It didn't look familiar. She shivered, suddenly feeling very cold from the drafty, wet cave, and checked another one. That one didn't look familiar, either. She shook, and fell to her knees, beginning to cry. She didn't know how to get back!

"Waaaaaa!" Aster sobbed into the fluffy wings of the Swablu, shaking. Mrs. Stone had told the class to stay put when they got lost, but that wasn't going to help her! Why couldn't she have just eaten with the other girls? Why couldn't she have gone to get the teacher, instead of taking care of the Swablu herself? Why had she run after the pokemon?

Why was she so bad at talking to people?

Aster was sobbing so loudly she didn't hear the sounds of splashing in the water behind her.

"Hello?" A soft voice touched Aster's ear and she flinched. She wasn't alone! Maybe one of the other kids had come, maybe Roxanne, diligent as she was, had seen Aster leave! Maybe Mrs. Stone had found her, and the other kids were coming right after her! She turned her head, her eyes wide with hope, but what she saw wasn't what she had expected.

A girl about her age with short black hair and a dark tan peeked out at her from behind a rock in the center of the spring. She was glistening with water, and Aster could tell from what she saw she wasn't wearing clothes. She looked at Aster with big red eyes and Aster looked back at her in surprise, not sure what to say.

"Are you… from outside?" The tan girl asked, her eyes growing even wider with hopeful excitement as her face lit up.

And thus, the two meet! What will come from their meeting, I wonder?