Deep within Mt. Battle, Valon has encountered a strange woman. She says her name is Samarra, and she's been locked away inside a white room for quite some time. What could possibly be up with this strange lady in this place she shouldn't be?
The Elimination Round of the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Contest 3 is over! We only got a handful of votes, but that's okay! Even with only 8 unique voters. In the meantime, let's take a look at our competitors! Who made the final 5?
Ayame: 4
Kate: 4
Vic: 4
Chloe: 3
Cynthia: 3
Elaina: 3
Marion: 3
Sango: 3
Ange: 2
Donoma: 2
Ryoko: 2
Satsuki: 2
Sylvia: 2
Caelia: 1
Maddi: 1
Misato: 1
Well, those results were quite a surprise! It seems that there were three girls in the lead, but another four girls behind them! Meaning to be fair, we've essentially just cut the numbers to a little below half! But the real surprise is the fact that Sylvia, last year's winner, has been eliminated this early with only two votes! I definitely didn't see that one coming. This is the most girls we've ever had in the Semi-Finals, Ayame, Chloe, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Marion, Sango, and Vic! Like last time, you can cast 3 votes for your top three girls, and the most votes will make it to the finals! Voting will end in September, and then we'll move on to the finals! So get those votes in!
Semi-Finalists: Ayame, Chloe, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Marion, Sango, Vic
KedharS: Like I said. Major things changing.
Aakareo Kokokuhikari: It's definitely going to be interesting to see.
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: It's from An Appointment in Samarra.
Tambry96bj: Nothing good, that's for sure.
Hyphenman: Yep. There were a lot of allusions to Samarra's existence before now. Might need to reread a few crucial chapters with the new context.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 993
Valon let those words sink in.
"So you're Samarra… and you're Kanone's younger sister? Another sister?"
"That's right," she nodded. "He's five years older than I am."
"Why have I never heard about you before?" Valon narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "For that matter, why hasn't anyone? What are you doing here?"
Samarra frowned.
"Daddy locked me up in here. He was very cross." She was pouting, and there was something about her appearance that unnerved the Phantom, which was not an easy thing to accomplish. Looking at her mannerisms and facial expressions, it was like staring at a child in an adult's body. But now that he thought about it…
"How long have you been locked up in here?" He asked. He'd never heard ANYTHING about Kanone Harker having a second sister. The knowledge of his youngest sister, Guinevere Harker, was a family secret that had taken a lot of digging to uncover. But now he was supposed to believe that all this time there had been a secret second sister? A child that, with all of his research into the Harker Family, he had been unable to find even a hint about?
It promised ominous things. She must have been in this place since she was a little girl. No, definitely. If she was five years younger than Kanone, then that meant she was about twenty years old, give or take. And Blake had been adopted by the Harkers 8 years ago. And if Blake didn't know anything about her, that meant she had to have been in this place since at least 12 years old.
That fact was chilling. What had made her father decide to lock her up in this place?
"I don't believe this!" Kiana gasped. "Are you saying that your own father locked you up in here?! That's horrible!"
She nodded. "Nobody ever comes. Not daddy, not mommy, not anyone. Only big brother… I've been alone in here for so long."
Then she began to sing.
"I know a girl lost far, far away
Locked in her room, locked in her mind.
Help salvage her 'fore her dark heart grows,
Pain hid by pain, and nobody else knows.
Don't be afraid to come to her aid,
Love is her salve— please, try.
Her light – stained in heaven,
A lost little girl's pain is leavened.
Peer through her dark gaze into the sky,
Darkness your love, wishing nothing more.
Please don't abandon her, open up her door.
Her soul seeks a hand, warm and oh so kind,
Inside twisted heart
A lost little girl you'll find.
Before all is lost and her heart is still,
Brother can you save her?
Nobody else will.
Never did he come for me, dirty and unclean
Love lost forever, never to be seen."
Kiana's heart broke, staring at the poor girl and hearing her mournful song. She looked over to the Phantom. "This is wrong. This is horribly wrong. We need to find a way to get her out of there! This is a crime!"
Valon was less certain. Richard Harker wouldn't have locked up his daughter for nearly ten years for no good reason. And this Samarra was being incredibly cagey about what exactly that reason was. She said that she and Sylvia were friends… He knew that Sylvia had traveled to the Orre Region a few times, she must have known he would find this girl here, and… then what?
What did Sylvia want him to do?
Sylvia Driscoll was an annoyance at times. For someone like the Phantom who prided himself in being able to see through the motivations of others, there were occasionally times when he found the blonde to be inscrutable. She was motivated solely by entertainment, so she must have brought him here thinking that whatever happened would be entertaining.
And the most entertaining thing he could think of involving this strange girl would be letting her out. But why did she want him to do that, when she'd been here already? Because she hadn't been able to do it herself, for some reason?
Then there was the woman herself. This Samarra, anyone with eyes could see there was something off about her. Even Sylvia was easier to read than she was. And on top of that, she was harmonia user, as well…
When Guinevere's harmonia developed, Richard Harker sent her to Anja Karzat. Immediately, without hesitation. I always thought that was a rather extreme response… but if he'd already had a severe problem with another daughter and her development of harmonia, it makes a lot more sense that he'd choose such a drastic measure.
Valon was sure of it now. Whoever this girl was, whether she was actually Kanone's sister or not, she was definitely dangerous. And he couldn't risk letting her out.
But then again, she didn't have any pokemon with her. She looked malnourished as well. This facility didn't have any personnel, so apparently, it was entirely automated. And automated prison for a hidden daughter, keeping her alive and healthy but only just so.
Valon was tempted to just turn around and leave her, but Kiana was insistent. She was already trying to call the police.
"Damn it! No cell reception!" She groaned.
Of course not. This far into the mountain? No, if she was going to get out of here, then it was up to them.
Valon glanced at Misato. "Misato, are you able to get her out of there?" He asked.
Samarra brightened at that.
"Affirmative. I am still connected to the automate system that controls everything in this facility, including the glass partition. Would you like me to do so?"
"Are you going to let me out of here?" Samarra asked hopefully.
"Hold off for now, Misato," Valon ordered. Then he turned back to Samarra with a smile on his face. "I suppose I could… but what would you do if I did?"
"I would thank you, of course," she said. "Daddy always says to thank your friends when they do something nice for you!"
"…That's certainly a good lesson," Valon agreed. "But then, you and I aren't friends, are we?"
"We can be," Samarra shrugged. "I'm supposed to be very good to my friends. Daddy says so."
Somehow, Valon didn't think she made many friends sitting in her little cage.
"Well, I'm going to be honest with you," he lied. "I'm having a bit of a fight with your big brother right now. Kanone? You remember him, right?"
"Uh-huh… why? Did big brother do something… bad?" She didn't seem to show any emotional response to the knowledge that he was Kanone's enemy. Valon wasn't sure if he should take that as a good sign or a bad one.
"…Not exactly," he said. "We're just having a difference of opinion, that's all."
She scrunched up her face. "Well, I'm kind of mad at big brother too," she said. "He won't ever take me out to play! Even when I ask very nicely! He says it's not safe, but I'm a big girl! I can take care of myself. In fact, I'm very, very smart."
Valon raised his eyebrow. "Oh, really now? How smart?"
A big smile stretched across her face. "Have you ever played 'Go' before?" She asked, stepping aside and gesturing to a large Go board in the corner of the room. It was one of the few pieces of furniture inside her cell.
"…No, I can't say I have." He'd heard of the game, though, from Sylvia. Apparently it was Richard Harker's favorite game.
"My daddy used to play it with me all the time," she giggled. "He could never win, though. Neither could big brother! Of course, I don't have anyone to play with in here…" Her expression brightened. "Oh, wait, you're Sylvia's friend, right?"
He nodded. "Something like that."
"Can you ask her to please come back and play with me again? I know she didn't like losing all the time, but it was really fun."
It took a moment for that to sink in.
"You beat… Sylvia. At this game?"
She grinned. "Seven times. She's really smart, too, but well… I'm smarter I guess."
That was… troubling. Very troubling. Valon knew first-hand how smart Sylvia Driscoll was. And this girl talked about beating her in a test of wits like it was fun.
"Excuse me, mister? Can I ask, what was your name again?" Samarra changed the subject. "Ah, never mind. I can learn it later. For now, can you please let me out? I really need to go see my big brother soon."
"If I let you out… are you going to help me against Kanone Harker?" Valon asked. "He's become a bit of a problem, you see, and I would like that to stop."
"Don't worry about a thing," Samarra assured him. "With me around, big brother won't bother you or anyone else."
Valon thought about it. Everyone else in the room was thinking about it, too. There wasn't a person there, save Misato, who didn't feel at least a little unnerved by this strange girl. But while most of them thought that it was normal for someone trapped in here to be acting like this, Valon alone suspected that it might be due to something else.
"I don't believe it," Gerard muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "All this time, Kanone Harker had another little sister…"
"We have to let her out of there," Lana said, agreeing with her sister. "It's not right to just leave her locked up in there."
"If you can get her out, then do it," Kiana insisted. She didn't have a good sense of what was going on, but she knew that woman needed help.
Valon came to his decision. It was worth the risk. He nodded to Misato, and she ordered the system to unlock the cage.
The glass wall slid up, and suddenly the pressure in the room changed considerably. It was like the other side was filled with gas, and the gas was now escaping and filling the entire chamber. But it wasn't quite gas, it was almost… euphoric. A strange emotional sensation.
Samarra smiled, stretching a little. She stepped forward, holding out a hand to Valon. "Thank you," she said, reaching out to shake his hand, but Kiana leapt on her before she could, pulling her into a heavy hug.
"I'm sorry you were trapped in there," she sobbed. "I'm… oh. Oh!"
"Hello, Kiana," Samarra smiled, separating from the other woman. "It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you, too," Kiana agreed. Her sad expression was no more, replaced by a gentle smile exactly like Samarra's.
Samarra turned to Lana next. "Lana! You're Kiana's sister, aren't you? Hello! She's told me so much about you."
Lana was a little taken aback. Samarra's words confused the others, too. How did she know Lana's name? Or Kiana's, for that matter? And how did she know they were sisters?
"Lana, come over here," Kiana said, rushing over to her sister and pushing her forward. "Samarra wants to talk to you."
"Uh, okay, I don't…" Lana wasn't sure what was happening. She shook Samarra's hand, and then she brightened up immediately.
"Wow, hi!"
Samarra giggled. "Hi there!"
Kiana turned to the others. "Everyone, come over here and say hello to Samarra!"
"I've heard a lot about you all," Samarra said, her eyes twinkling as they scanned over the students. "And I'd really like to be friends with everyone. I haven't been able to make any friends, you see, and Kiana says that you guys aren't getting along very well?"
Kiana shook her head. "They're always fighting with each other, Samarra. I'm trying to keep them under control, but it's hard."
"That's okay," Samarra assured her. "Now that I'm here, we can all be friends! And friends get along great!" She turned to Ange. "Especially you, Ange. I really want to be friends with you."
Ange scowled, crossing her arms. "Yeah, well, sorry. I'm not much one for making friends."
Samarra didn't seem bothered at all. "That's okay. We can still be friends anyway. Right, Valon?"
She turned to Valon, and he saw her eyes flash. He was frozen for a moment, like the strange woman was peering into his soul. It was like she was digging around inside of him, and her hand reached out towards-
Misato stepped in front of him and grabbed Samarra's hand before she could lay a finger on him.
"H-Hey!" Samarra said, shocked. She stared up at Misato, her face filled with confusion. She reached up and placed her hand on Misato's cheek.
"Physical contact with the Phantom is not permitted," Misato said.
"You… what are you?" Samarra asked, confused. "Why don't you want to be my friend?"
"I have no desire to be or not to be your friend," Misato replied.
"You… aren't human? No… a robot of some kind… yes, must be… artificial humanoid, I see…" Samarra pulled away from Misato, frowning. She turned to Valon.
"Valon, could you please come here? I'd like to talk to you for a moment."
"…Somehow, I don't think that's a good idea," he said, frowning. He was getting some seriously shady vibes from her.
"But I want to keep my promise!" She said. "Now that you've freed me, we can be friends. And nobody will mess with you when you're my friend, not even my big brother."
After stepping away from Valon, she found herself beside Willa. Immediately, she reached out and touched the girl's shoulder, and Willa smiled.
"Valon, I think it's essential that we all get along as friends, don't you?" Kiana asked. She turned to Ange. "Same with you, Ange, you should really open up and be friends with Samarra."
"I'm not in the mood," Ange scowled.
Then Lana lunged forward, startling everyone. Kiana ran forward too. The pair of sisters jumped on top of Ange, knocking her over before anyone could respond.
"Hey! Get off me!" Ange sputtered.
"Lana, hold her down," Kiana ordered, standing up. She turned to Keahi. "Keahi, you need to get along better, too."
Before Keahi could move, she grabbed his arm and yanked it forward, while Willa wrapped herself around his legs. That was about what it took for everyone else in the room to finally get the message and get on alert.
"What the hell's going on here?!" Gerard exclaimed.
"This is… troubling," Gabrielle didn't know how else to say it.
"Get off me you psycho bitch!" Ange spat, struggling against Lana who was straddling her.
"Watch your language!" Lana chided. "Samarra just wants to be your friend!"
"Well she can go fuck herself, too!" Ange couldn't believe how strong Lana was. But it made sense, given she was pinned. She fumbled for he pokeballs, but Lana grabbed her wrists.
Samarra knelt down, smiling. "It's okay that you're upset," she assured Ange. "I don't mind you calling my friends names. I'm really forgiving! Here." She patted Ange on the head. "Feel better?"
Ange smiled. "…Yeah, actually. Thanks, Samarra."
Lana got off her and Ange stood up, both girls turning to Valon and the others.
"We should go. Now." Gerard didn't want to stay here another second. Samarra moved to Keahi next, and suddenly Keahi was all smiles as well. Everyone began to approach the rest of them.
"Hold on a moment!" Valon said, holding his hands up. To his surprise, they listened.
"Yes, Valon?" Samarra, standing at the front of the mob, asked with her same twitchy smile.
"What the hell are you doing to them?" He demanded.
She looked confused. "I'm… becoming friends with them," she said, like she found it odd that he didn't know what was happening. "Now me, Kiana, Lana, Willa, Ange, and Keahi are all friends. Right everyone?"
"Right!" They all echoed.
"…Yet it really doesn't feel that way…" Valon scowled.
"What the hell is this?!" Gerard demanded. "Like… brainwashing? Mass hypnosis, maybe?"
"Definitely not something good," Rafe said. For once, he wasn't smiling. Gabrielle and Dokukage remained silent, but both were feeling tense.
Valon wracked his brain for answers, trying to figure out what the hell she had done.
Then it hit him.
"She's Kanone's sister… which means she has harmonia, right?"
Gerard raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, so what? What's that got to do with anything?"
"Harmonia allows people to connect with their pokemon. Sharing their thoughts and feelings and even their memories," Valon theorized. He really hoped that his hypothesis wasn't correct, but a sinking feeling in his gut told him it was.
"…So what if… it wasn't just pokemon? Imagine, for a second, that there was someone, a person with harmonia, that couldn't just connect to pokemon? What if they could connect to other things? What if they could connect to people?"
"People?" Gabrielle asked in disbelief.
"So wait, you're saying those guys, they're…" Gerard paled.
"It's your touch, isn't it?" Valon shouted across the room as he backed up, keeping Misato in front of him. "Everyone you touch, you connect to them with your harmonia. And then what, you impress your will on them? Turn them into your puppets or something, is that it?"
Kiana laughed. "Valon, you're so suspicious!"
"We're fine, really," Keahi assured him.
"We're just Samarra's friends now," Lana explained. "She wanted to be friends with us, and so we became her friends. And now we're closer than ever!"
"It's such a nice feeling, having someone connect with you on such a deep level," Willa sighed.
Samarra approached them, her hands extended. She had a warm, welcoming smile on her face. "All my friends, they're all so nice. I know how they feel, and they know how I feel. We're all together. It's so… it's so great, Valon! You'll love it! I've never had so many friends before! And everyone's so wonderful, they all want you to be our friend, too!"
They crowd grew closer, all wearing the same smiles.
Well, uh… Blake's family is really interesting huh. And here we thought Gwen was the one who had problems.
