Let's see if Cynthia has what it takes to negotiate with the big dogs. What could the Commander want with someone like her, anyway?
KedharS: Now that you mention it, the Phantom really is kind of "Big Mom"-like.
Duskzilla: That's why we gotta take some creative control sometimes.
Just a Bad Writer For Fun: Don't worry, we'll be meeting the final Daeva at some point soon. Well, not soon, but I've planned out when they'll show up. And yes, I am completely onboard with Vic in sexy military cosplay, don't let your dreams be dreams.
Aakareo Kokokuhikari: Vic's a senior, so yeah, way out of Cynthia's league. And Sango has some talent, but no desire.
Hellraiserphoenix: Maybe she could. The world may never know.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 108
"Where are we going?" Cynthia demanded. "I thought the Pokemon Center is in that direction?" She was following after Alden and Victoria, feeling slightly more nervous about the fact that she and Sango had separated. It was her idea, to have Sango go get food for the girls while she went off to have her discussion, but now she was wondering if it would have maybe been a better idea to stick together.
"Yeah, no need to worry," Alden said, turning back to her. "We've got our own facilities."
"Sir!" Victoria gasped. "Do you seriously mean to bring her to-"
"Absolutely," Alden interrupted her. "You worry too much, Vic."
"…" Victoria mumbled something but lowered her head in agreement. Now Cynthia was starting to get suspicious.
"Sir, if I may state my mind," Victoria spoke up a few minutes later.
"Of course, Vic, I'd prefer it."
"It seems that when it comes to special treatment, you seem to afford it to girls. First that new one, and now Cynthia?"
"What? You mean Maddi?" Alden said. "What's wrong with her? What special treatment?"
"You had her transferred into school!" Victoria nearly shouted.
"Of course! When I felt her sense, I couldn't help myself!"
"Her sense better be the only thing you're feeling, sir," Victoria muttered under her breath.
"Pu…" Cynthia held back her laugh. "You really are jealous."
Victoria twitched in anger, Alden playing it off with a laugh.
"Well, here we are."
Alden arrived at an enclosure of trees in the center of the forest. Standing in front of them was a large building that was rather difficult to see due to being painted in camouflage.
"Wha… what is this?!" Cynthia gasped, staring up at the large boxy building. "How…"
"How what?" Alden asked.
"I… I've never seen this place before!" Cynthia exclaimed, pulling her phone out of her pocket and going over the campus map she'd downloaded onto it at the beginning of the year. "It's not on the map!"
"Of course it's not," Alden laughed. "That's because it's our special facility."
"…Special?" Cynthia asked suspiciously. "What, like some secret sex dungeon?"
"S-s-s-sex dungeon!?" Victoria exclaimed, her face turning red. "Don't be ridiculous!"
In spite of her objections, Victoria began picturing… things, involving her and the Commander. She quickly shook her head, banishing the thoughts.
"Hah! No, nothing like that," Alden laughed. "No… I had this place built as my home base with my own funding, and special campus permission. Starting next year with my graduation, this place will be turned over to campus for their own uses."
"Plus…" He glanced back at her, smiling mischievously, stepping up to the wide door. "…This is nothing compared to what we've got planned."
Cynthia swallowed, glancing behind her as she stepped through the doors. If she didn't return, Sango would certainly go to campus safety. That's why she was willing to come in the first place. But if she didn't know where to look…
She exhaled, the doors closing behind her.
The inside of this building was actually quite nice. It was well-lit and very sparsely decorated, looking like something between an office building and a hospital. Strangely, though, in spite of the building's size, there was no one to be seen. Cynthia followed Alden and Victoria into a room, where a nurse was situated next to a healing machine. Unlike other nurses, her pink hair was cut short and her expression was hardened.
"I'll take your pokemon," the nurse said, holding her hand out expectantly. No niceties here, it seems.
"Come on now, Joy, no need to be so rude. Our new recruit's been through a lot."
Joy nodded, putting on an almost-comforting smile, and Cynthia turned over Tristan and Leon's pokeballs.
"Now then! While your pokemon are getting healed, let's go meet the crew!"
"Eh?"
Alden laughed and grabbed Cynthia by the wrist, half-dragging her down the hallway, much to Cynthia's confusion and Victoria's disdain.
"Alright, troops! Come meet our newest recruit!" Alden declared, throwing open a door at the end of the hallway and pulling Cynthia through it.
There were five other people sitting at various tables in what looked to be a large meeting room. Besides the basic furniture and a bar at the back of the room, the only notable feature was a large tarp thrown over something wide and misshapen in the center. What could be underneath it Cynthia could only guess.
She took a second to take stock of the other students. They all wore battle course armbands, which identified them all as upperclassmates.
The first two she spotted fit the appearance of the two students that Julia had described as attacking her and Kitty the day before. A redhead with a smiley expression and a sour-faced blonde with tanned skin.
The next student she saw was tall and pale, with inky black hair and dark eyes hidden behind large glasses. He looked like he'd never set a single foot outside. He was the only one not looking at her, his nose buried in a book. Sitting next to him was a very short student, almost her height, with dark skin and curly black hair, staring up with wide, shiny black eyes. He looked like a little kid, which she found strange. Then again, with Kitty around, everyone's age was subjective.
The last student, and the only girl in the room, seemed the oddest of the bunch. She was a slim brunette whose dark hair fell over her left eye, her right eye shining a dark red. Over her uniform she wore a leather jacket, and she had a studded choker wrapped around her pale neck. Studded boots completed the punk look, as did the cold and detached expression on her pretty face.
To some people, all these eyes from older students would be off-putting. But Cynthia just smiled and shoot free of Alden's grasp, strolling into the center of the room like she owned the place.
"You know, for someone with such big pull around here, I expected you to have more followers," Cynthia smirked.
"Impertinent little-!"
Victoria was cut off by Alden, who raised his hand to silence her.
"Now, now, don't be like that, Vic, she doesn't quite understand."
Alden sat down at one of the tables and gestured for Cynthia to take a seat across from him. Victoria stood behind him, still as a statue and with a dedicated glare aimed at the redheaded girl.
Cynthia pulled up a chair and sat down, still smiling.
"You see, Cyn, …may I call you Cyn?"
"Sure. Sounds fitting," Cynthia smirked, licking her lips.
"You see, Cyn, I'm not so much interested in building a large cult of personality like Olivia the Empress, and it's a little boring running so many people at once the way that Phantom Tricky Dicky does it. Nah, I'm much more into quality over quantity. What you're looking at here are my generals, my inner circle."
"Except Maddison has only been here for a month," Victoria muttered under her breath. The goth girl narrowed her eye into a glare.
"Anyway, the point is, a very large portion of the student body does work for me, that is true. And they have the right to use the facilities in this place to train their pokemon. However, those students are just footsoldiers. People I'm using to help… smooth along the process."
"What process is that?" Cynthia asked.
"The process of acquiring the only two things of importance," Alden smirked. "Money and power."
"Oh, really?" Cynthia narrowed her eyes.
"My soldiers pay into my organization with Pokepoints and the like, though more often with real cash. I then sink those funds into developing facilities like the one you see here, to strengthen trainers and their pokemon. From there, our members go out and compete in professional tournaments outside of school. But even the ones who have already graduated, they know who they owe for their success. So we have various donors in various places, even moreso than the Phantom and even the Empress, for all her fame, have. Nothing pays out more than successful tournament victors, after all."
Cynthia nodded. It made sense. But that had to mean that this Commander had been at this for several years, at least.
"To tell you the truth," Alden continued, "I participated in quite a few tournaments on the pro circuit of my own before I came here. All for the sake of amassing enough capital to fuel my ambitions."
"World domination?" Cynthia joked. Her face fell when she saw the serious look he gave her. "…Wait, really?"
"Of course not," Alden said, shaking his head. "Rather… a restructuring."
Cynthia gulped.
"Now, I'll let you know right now, that most of my footsoldiers are not in the know about this," Alden said. "However, I thought it was important to make an exception with you. You have some talents that are particularly desirable for our goals, and I would like your help in fulfilling them."
He gestured to her.
"Now is your time to talk. If you have any questions you'd like to ask, anything you'd like to clarify or any requests you'd like to make, I am all ears. I'd be happy to hear what you have to say."
Cynthia nodded, considering a lot of what he had said.
"You said a restructuring. What do you mean by that?"
Alden shrugged.
"To answer that question, I want to hear your opinion on the state of pokemon battling in the modern world."
"Eh?" Oh, great. It was a sociology class now.
"Specifically, what do you think about the commercialization of the pro circuit and the gym leagues?" Alden asked.
"I-I guess I've never really given it much thought," Cynthia shrugged.
"Beyond this island, most trainers go on adventures, traveling the world and fighting other trainers and gym leaders. All for the sake of fame and fortune, and to increase their bonds with their pokemon. But there is a critical problem with that structure. Such a lifestyle invariably necessitates its own limits. Particularly, funding."
"Funding?" Cynthia asked.
"Yes. A very small percentage of trainers who participate in the gym challenge actually ever end up making it through all eight gyms. The number of trainers who can collect eight badges is slightly less than 1%. And, surprisingly, the reason for this is often not because gyms are too high of a struggle to overcome. No, many trainers give up on their challenges because they lack the proper funds to keep going. One loss too many, too many wasted pokeballs, the increasing price of items, not to mention money to stay in hotels in each city. Too many trainers give up on their goals out of a lack of money.
"And the pro tour is even worse. Forget about winning and strength, what matters most there is having a good financial backer and promotional material. The pro tour is a joke. If you can't get a sponsor, you might not even be able to set foot on the stage. This is the problem with the Galar region in particular. Battles have been commercialized, and turned into a product. Sponsors have taken over everything. Between the lack of funds to complete a gym challenge and the lack of sponsors to put up a decent fight on the pro tour, trainers lack an avenue from which they can express their desire to battle and grow stronger. All of us here feel the same way. We all fell in love with the rush of battling. But for many trainers, consistent challenges are not a thing they can ever manage to achieve. Most just let their potential wilt away."
Alden looked at the other students, who all nodded in agreement.
"So when you say a restructuring…"
"The gym leader program and the pro tour are both heavily ingrained in the economy," Alden said bitterly. "So there's no real hope of overcoming that system. But what we are aiming to do… what our ultimate goal is… is the establishment of a facility where one doesn't need money or influence to enjoy all the battles they wish. A paradise where, win or lose, you can enjoy yourself for the sheer thrill of the competition."
"Wow, seriously?" Cynthia said, her eyes lighting up as she imagined somewhere where she could just battle all she wanted.
"Yes," Alden said, nodding to Victoria. She sighed, and walked over to the large tarp, along with some of the other students. Alden gestured for Cynthia to stand, and the two walked over to the strange shape in the center of the room.
The tarp was thrown aside, and Cynthia stared in wonder at what lay beneath it. It looked like an island resort. Large buildings at the center and a large expanse of wilderness circling around the edges, filled with forests, plains, and even a few mountains. And dead in the center, like a crown jewel, was a massive tower reaching up to the sky.
"Whoa! What is this!?" Cynthia exclaimed.
"I call it the 'Battle Frontier'," Alden declared. "A new frontier for pokemon trainers who wish to battle to their heart's content. Winning, losing, all that is pushed aside for the thrill of the battle itself! We've designed a multitude of facilities for trainers to challenge their skills with in as many ways as possible, all so that our visitors can enjoy the best battles we can give to them!"
The way Alden said it, Cynthia couldn't imagine anything more amazing than this.
"We've already begun construction," Alden said. "I've sunk a small fortune into the completion of this project. Our backers are quite looking forward to it, and if it's opened by a trainer graduating from this school with the reputation of being the strongest, it will all be worth it. The plan is to broadcast the matches to fund the maintenance of the facilities, but avoid commercializing the competitors themselves. The most important part of battling is the battles, after all. That's the biggest problem with things like the pro circuit. It's not about who does the fighting. It's the thrill of a fresh-faced future trainer seeing an intense battle for the first time! Wouldn't you agree?!"
The passion with which he described it was inspiring, Cynthia couldn't help but nod.
"If you joined up with us, we'd be one step closer to achieving that dream," Alden said. "So, what do you say?"
Cynthia frowned. There was something that wasn't quite sitting right.
"Why me?" Cynthia asked. "Why do you need my help? You said that normally a footsoldier wouldn't be given this kind of treatment, so why I am here? What's so special about me?"
"Indeed, normally you would just be another freshman recruit," Alden admitted. "But your battling sense really spoke to me. I just knew that what your recommender told us about your talents was correct, how you were the perfect person to bring into this project."
"Really?" Cynthia asked suspiciously. "And who was that?"
"A woman named Violet, who I'm sure you're very familiar with."
And suddenly it all made sense. Cynthia's excitement deflated like a balloon, and her expression turned sour.
"I see you don't get along with your sister very well."
"She recommended me for this?"
"She's a friend," Alden nodded. "And one of our financial backers."
"Ugh, that meddling…" Cynthia muttered. "She's always trying stuff like this!"
"Well, if you're not interested, then feel free to leave," Alden said. "Though I will request you not reveal what we're doing here to anyone…"
"No, no, just… I'll need some time to think," Cynthia grumbled. This place sounded amazing. It was everything she'd ever dreamed of! …But working with her sister…
"One more thing," Cynthia said. "I want to be clear about Kitty and Julia. What was all that about? Why were you targeting them?"
"We had it on good authority that that girl had a certain special power," Alden said. "I believe you've heard of it? It's called harmonia."
Cynthia's eyes widened. Could that be? …No… maybe?
"I wanted to meet with her so I could get a good look at her abilities for myself," Alden explained. "Unfortunately, our recruiters were a little… overzealous."
"They put Julia in the hospital."
"Indeed they did," Alden nodded. "Would it make you feel better if we broke Tommy's arm in penance?"
"C-Commander?" The dark-skinned student stuttered, shaking. Alden silenced him with a glare.
"No, no, I'm not the vengeance type," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "Look, I think your idea is pretty boss, not gonna lie. But still, I'm not entirely sure what I can expect to gain from this, y'know?"
"Well, if you join up with us, you'll be able to get in on the ground floor of the Battle Frontier," Alden explained. "You'll be able to design your own facility, with your own rules and regulations, to have exactly the kinds of battles you want."
"Seriously?" Cynthia asked.
"Of course," Alden nodded. "For example, Vic here is planning to create a facility dedicated to double battles and tag battles. And Tommy over there is planning a grueling thing… what did you say it was?"
"Survival Battles," Tommy boasted proudly. "Human and pokemon against the elements, climbing to the peak of a powerful dungeon! Only the fittest will make it through in one piece!"
"Yeah, something crazy like that," Alden nodded. "We all have our own Sense of battling, and we're all developing facilities to heighten it. Of course, it will be a year or two until it is finished, at least, but by the time you graduate your position will be open to you."
Cynthia paused to consider this. It seemed too good to be true.
"And what would I have to do?"
"Simply be another powerful trainer at our disposal," Alden informed. "When the inevitable clash between the other Daevas for the title of the strongest in this school takes place, we'll need all the soldiers we can get."
Cynthia thought about it for a long time. She stared at the diorama before her, already picturing a new building on the skyline. It would be just perfect…
"If I join… there will be some conditions."
"What would you like?"
"Kitty and Julia. They're under my protection now. I don't want any of you guys trying to hurt them. And if someone else comes sniffing around, I want you guys to help me protect them," Cynthia declared. "And also Blake, and Nick, and Sango, and-"
Alden raised his hand to stop her.
"Write a list. We'll be sure not to interfere with them."
Cynthia nodded.
"Also…" She glanced at Victoria.
"I… need to get stronger. Stronger than I already am. I've been losing… just way too much. So the way I am now… I don't imagine I'll be much use to you guys. So that's my last condition. Make me strong. Help me become the strongest trainer this school has ever seen! If you can do that, then… I promise, I will be your soldier."
Alden's smile widened, and he nodded his head, placing a hand on Cynthia's shoulder.
"Welcome to the Battle Frontier, soldier!"
So Cynthia has now declared her side! I wonder how this will affect her relationship with her friends? How will Julia and Kitty react to the news that Cynthia has turned into their protectorate? Seems like some strife might be building soon…