Samarra has begun making friends, and Valon isn't very receptive to it. Of course the Phantom isn't receptive to wanting to be friends, a guy like that isn't a very friendly guy! But maybe Samarra is just the person to get through to him! Well, we'll have to see.
The Semi-Final Round of the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Contest 3 has begun! These are our semi-finalists! Make sure to get those votes in, and choose which of these girls you think should make it to the finals! You can only vote for 3, so make sure to pick your favorites!
Semi-Finalists: Ayame, Chloe, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Marion, Sango, Vic
Aquahaze675: Hope you catch up soon! It's quite a ride!
KedharS: Stuff with the Harker family is always gonna be dark. They went through some shit.
Jjjdunk1: Samarra makes Gwen's problems seem pedestrian in comparison.
Aakareo Kokokuhikari: What dark side? She just wants to be friends with everyone, I think that's admirable of her!
Hyphenman: It's less that there were concrete hints and more just subtle clues here and there. For example, why did the Harkers do something as drastic as send Gwen to Anja Karzat? Because the last daughter they had problems with was Samarra.
Tambry96bj: Who says anybody is getting freed?
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 994
Gwen's eyes snapped open and she sprang up, her body covered in sweat. She looked around frantically, feeling an intense pressure in her chest.
She didn't know where she was. It was a cave of some sort, that was obvious. And there was someone else here as well… oh, it was a person she knew.
Val stared back at her, and didn't say anything. She was curious about what had taken Gwen so long to wake up; she had been asleep for a few days at this point. But at the same time, she didn't want to pressure the girl with questions after she just woke up.
After all, Gwen was… difficult to handle. And Val wasn't in the mood to have a big thing.
Gwen, of course, had no perception whatsoever about what Val was thinking, she didn't even pick up on the fact that the other girl was staring at her. At the moment, her entire world was the shadows of her nightmare, and the horrible things that she'd remembered about her past. Terrible, painful memories of her childhood, before Blake…
Memories of the brown-haired girl.
Her heart throbbed with pain and she clutched her head and screamed. "NO! Don't come into me, stop it! STOP IT! DON'T!"
A burst of psychic energy fueled by her harmonia erupted from Gwen's body, slamming into Val and knocking her into the cave wall.
"OW! Fucking bitch…" She muttered, rubbing her sore back. This was the thanks she got for carrying Gwen to safety and sheltering her in the cave complex near Pyrite Town? No, it absolutely wasn't worth it.
"Next time we go into hiding it damn well better be at a resort," she muttered, glancing lazily at Gwen's spasms on the ground. She sighed, completely unperturbed by the agony her partner was in. What a pain in the ass.
Of course, the reason that Gwen was reacting like this wasn't just because of the memories that Ryoko had uncovered to subdue her. If they were, there was a chance that she would have been able to control herself a little better when she woke up. No, the reason she was freaking out right now was due to the fact that now her sister was finally freed, and Gwen could sense that with her harmonia. She didn't know for sure what it meant, but she knew that there was something out there making her feel a great swell of terror.
Meanwhile, said sister didn't have time to be thinking about Gwen. She had to make friends! She'd already become friends with Kiana, Lana, Willa, Ange, and Keahi, but there were so many other people who she needed to be friends with! Starting with Valon.
She turned to her friends, and didn't even have to say the word. Like best friends would, they all seemed to know what she wanted instinctively! And why wouldn't they? Friends could understand each other's feelings and hearts, that's what was so great about them. And from what she shared with her friends, she knew that Valon was a very sad and lonely person who did a lot of bad things. And that wasn't good! Samarra needed to show him real love as a friend should, and then he wouldn't be such a terrible person anymore.
It was always so fascinating, the way humans interacted. Samarra had always had difficulty seeing things the same way as her friends did. She was always so much smarter than her older brother, and even her father and mother. She always passed the tests they gave her, because, well, they were so easy! (She didn't know, however, that her parents were testing her IQ, and she was performing off the charts). She was really, really smart!
Ange and Keahi ran towards Valon. But the Phantom had figured out a long time ago that if he was going to get out of here, he needed to do it now.
"Misato," he shouted. "We're leaving. Make sure to seal the doors behind us as we go, we need to trap them!"
"That is not possible. This facility is currently experiencing technical issues rendering it impossible for a total lockdown to be implemented. Shutting the doors will only delay them, it will not be possible to trap them. Would you still like me to implement the program?"
"YES!" Valon couldn't be picky about this. Right now, just shutting the doors for even a few seconds was good enough for him.
"Affirmative. Initializing." Misato began to close the automatic doors of the hallway as they ran down it, making sure not to close one until she and the Phantom had already passed through. Rafe and Gabrielle were running ahead of them, trying to get out of the facility. As a ninja, Dokukage's speed had allowed him to get much further, and he was already running out of the exit.
Gerard, on the other hand, wasn't much one for track and field. He was lagging behind, which was fine with Valon. In fact…
Misato and Valon slipped through one of the doors as it slammed shut behind them. Gerard nearly slammed into it. He pounded frantically on the door, but Valon didn't even turn back. Oh, well. He should have run faster.
"Phantom! Phantom, get me out of here!" Gerard pleaded. But his cries fell on deaf ears. The last thing he heard was the door behind him screeching open, followed by a giggle and the cold brush of pale fingers across his neck.
Then he smiled. Why was he trying to get away from this? All his life he'd been searching for unconditional love and acceptance. He'd always wanted people to see his value; to realize that he was great, just like his sister, and that her sacrifice hadn't been a mistake.
His family had never given that to him. No one ever had.
But Samarra did. She touched his heart, and that's when he knew that she saw him totally, completely, for who he was. And she didn't care. She accepted him regardless. He could feel her emotions blending together with his, like they were closer than any two people could ever be.
"Hello, Gerard," he heard her say, whether with his ears or his heart he couldn't be sure. "I'm so glad we can finally be friends."
He was glad, too.
They were almost to the exit. Just a few more doors, and then-
"Aaah!" Gabrielle tripped, falling forward. Rafe turned around to go get her, but Valon pushed past him with Misato.
"Forget about her!" He spat. "She's already gone!"
Rafe wasn't about to give up on her, but unfortunately the door snapped shut before he could reach her in time.
For a hot second, the two leaders stared at each other across the glass partition.
"Go," he saw her whisper, and he winced, acquiescing. He might have been able to do something if he sent out his pokemon, maybe teleport through the glass to retrieve her, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't be possible.
Whatever this glass was made of, it was the same stuff that had been keeping Samarra in her cell. And while Rafe didn't have harmonia, he trusted his instincts, and his instincts told him that a prison wouldn't work if someone could easily pass through the bars.
There had been an audible change in the atmosphere when Samarra's cage opened, like something intangible had just escaped. It had been keeping the psychic energies of her harmonia sealed away, and now she was free.
He couldn't do anything for Gabrielle. Not right now. He needed to get away from here and regroup, that was his duty as the highest ranking member of the Eight Leaders. So with a nod and a silent apology her turned and slipped through the last of the doors, running out into the sunlight.
Gabrielle sighed with relief, slumping forward and banging her head against the glass. She turned around to see Samarra approach her with a smile on her face, flanked by Gerard and Ange, with the others standing behind her.
"Hi, Gabrielle," she smiled, extending a hand to help her up. "I'm glad you decided to stay. You're such a loner I was afraid you'd leave, but I'm glad you trust me. You'll see, once we become friends, it'll feel so much nicer to be part of something."
There wasn't any point in fighting back. Not against this many people, not in this enclosed space. Resigned, Gabrielle took her hand, and felt her whole world change. Samarra was right, it did feel nice to finally be part of the group.
A smile blossomed across her face and she stood, hugging her new best friend.
The rest of the doors finally opened as the power in the underground bunker finally shut off. Samarra pulled away from Gabrielle and stepped forward, staring cautiously at the sunlight streaming in from the outside.
"Go ahead," Ange said, smiling encouragingly at her. "It's been so long since you've been outside. No one should have to spend their days cooped up in a place like this."
"You'll enjoy the sun!" Kiana grinned. "Hey! Let's all go to the beach when we get out of here, that should be a blast!"
"True, we never did go to the beach," Lana agreed with her sister.
"Eh, I don't know about that, I'm not much one for swimming," Keahi mumbled.
"Same," Gerard agreed. "But if Samarra wants to go, I'd be up for it."
"I'll can make some special sunscreen, to keep us all safe!" Willa suggested. She turned to Gabrielle. "Wouldn't want that pale skin of yours to turn all red on us, right?" She laughed, and Gabrielle laughed too.
"Fair enough," she agreed.
Samarra sighed, basking in the warmth of her friends. It might have even been better than sunlight! Yeah, this was what she wanted. Real friends. People who would understand her, not look at her like she was some freak.
With her head held high, she walked forward, and stepped into the sun.
It was so warm. So warm and bright and beautiful. She raised her hand instinctively to shield her eyes, and immediately regretted it. Why would she ever want to hide from such a place?
She looked around. The bus was long gone, taken by the others in their attempt to escape. But Samarra didn't care. Just like she didn't care about the desolate rocky crag that Mt. Battle was. It could have been the fire pits of hell and she still would find it beautiful, anything was better than that awful cell of hers.
"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" Ange asked, coming up next to her. "You know, I used to think that the Orre Region was in horrible condition. But ever since I met you, I don't know… it just seems so… so…" She was fumbling for words, and Samarra winced. She could feel the agony that her friend was in right now, and her heart went out to the girl. Ange cared so much about the environment because she was such a good person.
"It is in bad shape," Samarra agreed, patting her on the back. "But that's okay. We can fix it, after all. Once we make more friends, once everyone is our friend, then we can get started on fixing everything. And then it'll be just like a paradise!"
Ange blushed, smiling at her friend. "You know, it's strange."
"What is?" Samarra asked. Just because she could feel Ange's thoughts didn't mean that verbal communication was unnecessary. She quite liked the act of discussing with her friends, even when she already knew what they were going to say.
"Before I met you, I didn't like the idea of making friends. I didn't like anybody, really," Ange admitted, her face red with shame. Samarra felt the pain she was in, even though the poor dear didn't need to be ashamed of something like that.
"I understand, given what you've been through, I don't blame you at all, remember?" Samarra assured her.
"I know, you're a wonderful person," Ange smiled. "But even a guy like the Phantom… I didn't want anything to do with that guy, and to be honest…"
"I know, you still don't," Samarra sighed.
"When I think about that guy and everything he's done, everything he's planning to do… I don't see how you could want to be friends with him," Ange admitted. "Being your friend is just wonderful, it's great, but that guy…"
"You think he doesn't deserve it, don't you?" Samarra knew that, of course, but it didn't matter. "Ange, everyone deserves a chance to make up for what they've done. When I become friends with him, he'll see that what he's doing is wrong, and he'll come around."
Ange smiled, like she liked that idea. But Samarra could feel that she didn't. She knew everything Ange knew, after all, and felt everything she felt. They were one and the same at this point, and Samarra knew that while even though her friends all got along together, it wasn't perfect.
"Ange, did you know I have a little sister?" Samarra asked.
"You do?" Ange raised her eyebrow, and Samarra adjusted her connection so that now Ange could experience everything she had. Ange gasped in realization. "Oh! Yes, I know."
Samarra began talking again, but it was more for her own sake than that of anyone else. Her friends all knew, after all, but she still felt a compulsion to vent her feelings.
"When I was a little girl, my parents and I didn't get along very well. I was always beating my daddy at his games, but… I think he liked that. And mommy, well, she didn't have a lot of time for me, always with big brother. The issue was… I was just too smart. They didn't know what to do with a girl as smart as me."
At first, Richard had been proud that his daughter was such a genius. But as that genius grew more and more pronounced, he began to distance himself from her. She never quite understood why.
"I didn't understand. When that Pidgey crashed into the window and broke his wing, I tried to heal it. But daddy got so mad at me, and took away the scissors. He didn't understand that I needed to cut it open so I could figure out how to put it back together again, like with a computer. I wasn't trying to hurt it. Ever since that day, I always felt like daddy was upset with me. He even took Guinevere away from me!"
Because of her intellect, Samarra had spent her life surrounded by people considerably older than her. So when her mother told her that she'd be getting a little sister, she had been intrigued about the possibility. What would it mean, to have someone younger than her? Someone who she could interact with?
"But daddy didn't let me play with her. He always kept me away, saying he didn't want me to go near her. It wasn't fair, she was my sister too…"
The way she said that made it seem like she was about to cry. But she didn't. She described everything that happened to her with a bizarre detachment, as if it had happened to someone else. And she didn't notice anything unusual about that, either.
"My little sister used to cry so much. Night after night she kept the whole house up with her crying. I didn't understand why she would cry that much. It was just like that Pidgey, you see? Making noises and wailing even as I tried to help it. But Guinevere wasn't hurt."
Richard had always told her to stay away from Guinevere, and Samarra had always obeyed, because that's what a good daughter did. But it didn't seem right to stay away if she could do something to help her.
"So I went to Guinevere's crib one night, while she was crying. I finally got to see her. And I knew, just by looking at her, that I could make the crying stop. So I reached out and took her pudgy little hand in mine, and then I went inside. I was just trying to help her. I just wanted to make the crying stop, but she just kept crying and crying… louder and louder…"
Samarra had fond memories of connecting with her baby sister, using her harmonia to peer into her thoughts and merge their minds. It was all so twisted and cluttered in there. She had to make a few adjustments or else the poor thing would never be able to get any sleep.
"Mommy and daddy found me and pulled me away from her though, and they were so angry… but as she grew up, I kept trying. I did all sorts of things over the years to make her stop crying, stop screaming, I kept going inside her, to try and fix it, but it just didn't seem to work."
"That must have been so hard for you," Kiana said, walking over and placing a hand on Samarra's shoulder. "As one big sister to another, I know that I would do anything for Lana."
"Of course you would, big sisters take care of their little sisters," Samarra nodded. "But no matter how much I tried to get through to her, it just wouldn't work. Then daddy found me one day when I was trying to fix her… I knew I could, you see, I just needed to connect to her and become her friend, and then I could dig into her brain and fix all the broken parts. It was a very simple surgical procedure from the textbook, but he took my knife away before I could start… I tried to be friends with him, then, but he wouldn't touch me… he never even gave me a hug, even when he left me here…"
Samarra's voice trailed off, and her feelings flooded into them. They all felt just how hard it had been for her, to be abandoned by her family all because she was trying to help her little sister.
"It's okay," Kiana assured her. "I know your family wants to see you again. And they'll want to be friends too."
Samarra smiled, staring down the mountain trail at the region below.
"Yeah…" She echoed, nodding.
Poor Samarra. All she wanted to do was become everybody's friend and help Gwen with her problems. She didn't deserve to be locked up in that place. But now she's got a chance to make everything right again!
