Olivia has been found! Now we can get back to Agate Village since everything is fine! Unless the girls get lost, of course. That would be very bad.

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

KedharS: Yep. They're really great friends. Friendship is one of the things this arc explores quite a lot, in case you haven't noticed.

Guest: That would definitely be something dangerous.

Hyphenman: Nah it's really her. Don't be paranoid.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1004

Ayame felt uncomfortable. She was following Olivia back to the trail because the other girl had insisted that she knew the way, and Ayame couldn't assert with confidence that she did herself. But there was something that just felt odd.

"Boss, are you sure this is the right way back?" Ayame asked. "I'm pretty sure the sun is supposed to be on the other side."

"Of course I'm sure, Aya," Olivia smiled. "I haven't just been wandering around lost, you know, I've been learning more about this place."

Ayame had her doubts. "Well just to be sure, don't you think it would be better to use one of our pokemon to go get help?"

"That would be fine, except we don't have any Flying type pokemon, do we?" Olivia reminded her. "Besides, you already called your mother, right? She'll be expecting us back soon!"

After finding Olivia, the first thing Ayame did was call her mom and let her know they were both safe. Hiromi had been upset at her daughter running off like that, but agreed to inform the others and wait for Ayame to find them.

Now Ayame was starting to doubt if that had been the right thing to do. This wouldn't be the first time that Olivia had asserted that she knew what she was doing out of pride when the truth was completely different, but Ayame didn't feel comfortable questioning her on this, especially after she'd just run off like that. It was liable to make Olivia run off again, which would be even more of a problem.

But she couldn't just do nothing, either. Olivia was acting strangely. This wasn't the way she behaved when she was in a good mood, there had to still be something bothering her. Otherwise, there's no way she would be smiling like that.

"Boss… is everything okay?" Ayame asked quietly.

Olivia looked back at her with that same cheery smile. "Of course, Aya! Why would anything be wrong? We're headed back to Agate Village, after all!"

"Then… can you tell me why you ran off all of a sudden?" Ayame knew she was stepping into a minefield by asking that question and tensed up. Hopefully, if Olivia really was pretending that everything was alright, she wouldn't snap.

But surprisingly she seemed completely unbothered by the question.

"It's not important," she laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "I was feeling bad, but now I don't anymore."

That was… not the sort of answer Ayame was expecting to receive. It was the most un-Empress response she'd ever heard.

"Well… I'm glad you're feeling better, then…" Ayame knew something was wrong. Everything was wrong. She was no longer sure whether or not Olivia's bizarre change in attitude was because of what had happened earlier, it seemed like the girl was drugged.

"I'm feeling much better," Olivia assured her, still smiling that same placid, empty smile. "It's all because of my new friend!"

Ayame stopped walking. A shiver ran down her spine.

"New… friend?"

Olivia stopped and turned back to face her, still smiling. They were far from the trail now, nothing but trees all around them. And there was a chill in the air.

"She's very kind. She helped me understand that my problems were something I shouldn't be worried about, that I should take steps to change things myself. And I have to say… she's right. Isn't that the perfect way? Taking matters into your own hands?" Olivia asked, tilting her head to the side as if she was saying something totally natural.

Ayame disagreed of course. "Olivia, what are you talking about? Who's this friend?"

"We'll get to that," Olivia laughed, waving her hand. "Once I became friends with her, she was really interested in become friends with you, Aya. So she asked me to come bring you to meet her! But it was really lucky that you managed to find me first."

Then her face brightened. "This is Samarra!"

A twig snapped behind her and Ayame whirled around in a panic. For an instant she saw a brunette in a white dress extending out her hands like she was trying to get a hug, then she felt the tickle of fingertips against her cheeks.

And suddenly Ayame realized just how great Samarra really was. She could feel everything her friend was feeling, and it felt so warm and good she couldn't help but smile.

"Hello, Aya. It's a pleasure to meet you," Samarra smiled back. "May I call you Aya?"

"Only my closest friends call me that, so of course!" Ayame laughed. She was thrilled that Samarra liked her so much that she wanted to call her by her nickname. But then, why wouldn't she? After all, Samarra was a wonderful girl who was the best friend someone could ever have, of course she'd want to be even closer with Ayame.

Not that she needed to even use her name to talk with her. Ayame could feel all of Samarra's thoughts. She knew what her dear friend was thinking without her even having to say it. It's possible that she'd never need to have another conversation with her friend again, the two were entwined together, bonded in a way closer and more intimate than even the bond that Ayame had with Olivia. Closer than even…

For a moment, Ayame felt something crack. Like her friendship with Samarra had weakened somehow, like something was pushing against it. But that only lasted for a moment and then she was at peace again, and her smile reappeared.

Samarra's face lit up as she connected with Ayame. She had been eager to meet Ayame for quite some time. In fact, even before becoming friends with Olivia, Ayame had intrigued her; not because of Ayame herself, although she did love making new friends, but because of what she'd learned from her friend Lana.

Lana had opened her mind to a lot of new things. And then running into her friend Olivia was a welcome coincidence that just strengthened Samarra's desire even more. But with Ayame here…

Ayame's thoughts were filled with him. The overwhelming feelings of love and affection for the boy were rushing into Samarra just as fiercely as Samarra's own feelings were rushing into Ayame. In that moment they were one, and Samarra knew everything Ayame did about someone very important to both of them.

"Blake Harker…" She murmured. An electric current ran down her spine. Fond memories of playing with her sister were eclipsed by new exciting possibilities and they brought a smile to her face.

"A little brother?"

Hiromi was starting to get worried. Olivia and Ayame were late. It had been almost an hour since her daughter had called to let her know that she'd found Olivia and was heading back, but she hadn't heard from either girl in forever. She'd since regrouped with the other search party and they were waiting at the fork in the road.

"Are you sure she said that she'd meet you here?" Andrea asked suspiciously. She was starting to get worried. What if she'd gotten lost herself? This is why amateurs needed to stay away from professional search and rescue operations, situations like this.

"I don't know," Hiromi said, shaking her head. "But I'm worried. I think you're right, I'm going to try and call her again… oh!"

Just as Hiromi was beginning to dial, her daughter emerged from the brush with Olivia in tow, both girls wearing cheerful smiles.

"Aya!" Hiromi cried, rushing over and hugging her daughter tightly. "Where did you go?! What took so long?"

"We were really worried about you," Andrea said, scowling. "You can't go wandering off on your own like that, you can get lost!"

"We're both very sorry," Olivia said, lowering her head contritely. "I needed some time to clear my head, and got lost. Luckily, Aya found me, and we had a long talk. Now I'm feeling much better, thank you."

Andrea was a little taken aback. From what she'd come to learn about Olivia's personality over the past week, the fact that the girl would lower her head and apologize seemed unthinkable. Erik and Andre were equally shocked, nobody sure how to respond to such a direct admission of responsibility from the Empress.

Hiromi took it as a positive sign. Olivia really DID think that what she'd done was wrong, and was learning from it. Excellent! That was just the sort of thing she wanted to see. With that in mind, she turned to Andrea and suggested they all head back.

Andrea nodded, and the group returned to Agate Village, blind to the fact that two of their members weren't returning in exactly the same condition that they'd left.

Samarra sat back on a stump and stared up the mountainside, covered in trees. She took a deep breath, enjoying the peaceful mountain air.

"You're right, Ange, this place is wonderful," she smiled to her friend. Ange nodded, feeling the same way.

Even though all their thoughts were linked together, it wasn't like they were sharing one mind. Ange, like all the others, was still her own person with her own thoughts and desires. Samarra had just opened her mind to the beauty of her friendship, and helped her see how important it was to be a good friend and embrace your wants.

In return, Ange had helped Samarra, who'd been locked away for so long, see just what beautiful things nature had to offer after being trapped in that sterile cell. And Samarra was immensely grateful. That was why she'd taken Ange's suggestion to go to Agate Village.

Her other friends had questions, of course. Wondering why Ange didn't go with Ayame and Olivia to turn everyone in the village into her friends immediately. That had, of course, been her original plan, but once she'd stumbled upon Olivia and seen everyone that was staying in Agate Village, she'd immediately changed her mind.

"There are powerful pokemon trainers in Agate Village," she explained. "Even stronger trainers than all of you."

"So? They'll still want to be our friends," Lana said, unable to imagine why anyone WOULDN'T want to be friends with Samarra.

Gerard was the one who explained his understanding of Samarra's position. Having immediately tried to run away from Samarra, he had a better idea of what they might be thinking. "Remember how Valon and the others ran away? Because they didn't want to be our friends? Well, what if the Commander did the same? Olivia and Ayame are our friends now, but that might not be enough."

"Alcea's there, too," Gabrielle said, looking down sadly. "She probably wouldn't want to be our friend, either…"

"It's alright," Samarra assured her, sending Gabrielle some positive vibes. "I know Alcea is important to you, Elle, so if you show her how great it is being her friend, I'm sure she'll come around to it."

"If only there was some way that we could help," Willa grumbled. "The fact that Samarra is the only one who can make friends is really inefficient! I know if I were making a drug to spread through a person's body it would be best to make it self-replicating or self-propelling, not necessitating a direct application to every spot!"

No one quite understood what Willa was saying, but thanks to their unified connection with Samarra they all got the general idea.

"Oh, but you can!" Samarra smiled. "You're all my friends, after all, and friends can help make friends."

Keahi frowned. "But even when the others were holding me down, I didn't become your friend until you touched me. Isn't it the same?"

"Me too," Ange nodded.

"But now you're all connected to me," Samarra didn't say that with words. Rather, she relayed that feeling through her connection like a radio tower's broadcast, with all her friends receiving the message. "And through me, you're connected to your pokemon as well."

Everyone glanced down at their pokeballs.

"Because of the bonds you have with your pokemon," Samarra continued to explain through her feelings, "your pokemon are as much my friends as you are. Their thoughts are shared with you and I as well. And when pokemon fight one another, those thoughts are conveyed to them."

Immediately, everyone realized what Samarra was saying.

If they wanted to make friends without Samarra having to befriend everyone directly, all they had to do was use their pokemon! If they fought another trainer, they could convey Samarra's feelings of friendship through that battle. Then upon winning, those feelings would be conveyed to the trainer. All they needed to do was make sure all their pokemon fainted, and then they would have a new friend! It was so simple and efficient!

"So that's why Agate Village is off limits for now, then," Gerard realized. "There are too many trainers there that we might not be able to defeat. You're right, Samarra, it's better to bide our time and make more friends for now."

He seemed down when he said that, so Samarra conveyed him some positive feelings. "Yes, Gerard, there's no denying that you're weak," she confirmed. "But that's okay. All you have to do is keep trying to win! Push your pokemon harder and harder until you succeed!"

And perhaps this was the most insidious part of Samarra's "friendship" of all. Where a real friend had their own thoughts and feelings to give in council to someone they cared about, Samarra had none of those things. With no idea at all of what it meant to be "real" friend to someone, her opinion of her friend Gerard was completely tied to his own self-perception. That colored her perception of him, and guided her thinking on how to help solve his problem the way a "friend" was supposed to.

Gerard thought he was weak. He believed the only way he could be acknowledged as worthwhile to anyone was by proving that he wasn't, which meant pushing himself further and further into questionable territory to increase his strength.

Samarra completely agreed, and was all too happy to lend him whatever assistance he needed in that regard.

And so it was for all of her friends' problems. Samarra saw what their hearts desired most, and using her power she stoked those flames as hard as she could to please her dear friends. Whether that was Gerard's thirst for respect and power, Gabrielle's desire to defeat Alcea, or Ange's wish to purge the planet of the human corruption that strangled it, Samarra let them bathe in those desires as much as they wanted, because what friend wouldn't do anything to make their friends happy?

It was exactly that mindset Olivia carried back with her to Agate Village.

With knowledge from Ayame, Samarra now knew that the two groups would be splitting. And the group with the majority of the strongest battlers would be going to Realgam Tower. Knowing that, both girls were to bide their time and wait, for the perfect moment to strike.

Things were not so pleasant when Olivia and Ayame returned. While most people were happy to see Olivia was safe, there was still a lot of tension. Luckily, Olivia appeared to be in a far better mood than when she'd left, so a lot of them were grateful for the change.

Rui explained her decision to the group. She would be taking everyone in her group but Callie to Realgam Tower first thing in the morning, and Anabel would be coming with them. That's when Alcea raised her hand.

"Actually… I would like to remain in Agate Village, if possible." She turned to Callie and smiled. "It would be best to stay with my friend and give support, is it?"

"You okay with that?" Rui asked her husband, who nodded. Just another person to look after, it should be fine.

With that plan all figured out, everyone gathered together for dinner, which was a pretty large cookout that they held outside.

During dinner, Alcea approached Olivia. She was still feeling uncomfortable about how they'd left things before, and a little guilty as well.

To her shock, Olivia seemed more than happy to speak with her. It was actually kind of creepy. Everyone was surprised to see the two girls go off on their own, considering the reputation between the two of them. But a few figured it was just Agate Village's natural charm that had finally caused the Empress to open up a little and be nicer.

Alcea was the first one to speak.

"I'm… sorry for being insensitive, earlier today," she apologized. She even lowered her head to show the Empress that she was sincere. "But I really wish that I could get your assistance in dealing with the Phantom."

"Dealing with the Phantom," Olivia said thoughtfully. Knowing what she now knew through Samarra, she couldn't imagine the Phantom being much of a threat. Especially not with all the new friends she'd made.

But Olivia was still Olivia. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help you."

Alcea sighed. She hadn't expected any change in the other girl's response, but she'd still wanted to apologize, and there was still that small sliver of hope.

Then Olivia said something that turned all of that on its head.

"You see, I only extend my aid to friends," Olivia said. She seemed almost apologetic about that, like she wanted to help, but genuinely couldn't. Seeing such contriteness made Alcea even more confused, this wasn't the Empress she knew.

"I-I see… well, it seems there's no helping that, is it?" Alcea said quietly.

"But we could be friends."

Alcea gasped, her eyes widening. That… Olivia actually wanted to be her friend?

"We… th-that's… what?" For once, she was completely at a loss for words.

"Not now," Olivia said, shaking her head. She patted Alcea on the shoulder. "We can talk about it more tomorrow, after the rest of your group has gone. We should be able to have more privacy that way. In the meantime, let's return to dinner. It should be fun!"

With that Olivia returned to the others, leaving a very flustered and confused Alcea standing there in shock.

Aww! Olivia is finally being honest about wanting to be Alcea's friend! That's so sweet! You can do it, Olivia! Go!