Here, our trainers will start training to get stronger! Time for the training arc to begin!

Rosealine gold: Glad you like it. I like the nickname "Maddi" because it doesn't seem like a perfect fit for a quiet girl.

KedharS: Most definitely.

Just a Bad Writer For Fun: You know why when you beat a trainer they spend the rest of their lives standing on whatever route you beat them on? They don't have the money to make it back home.

Hellraiserphoenix: There will probably be some conflict, that's for sure.

Aakareo Kokokuhikari: The way the pro circuit works is that there are several tournaments that anyone can enter. If you win those tournaments, then you get prize money and eventually make it to the pro circuit of Pokemon Battles, where you may get sponsors and supporters. Meanwhile, trainers can forego this long and grueling tournament process (that really only has a chance at success if you have brand recognition and good backing to get to all the various tournaments) by challenging gyms and getting badges, and then becoming a Pokemon Master by beating the league. Basically, there are two different routes for becoming a powerful trainer.

TREBOR.E: Way, way, way too many chapters. Another 500, minimum.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 109

"…And that's basically how it went," Cynthia explained to her friends. The four girls were sitting in a circle in their bedroom, eating lunch.

"…" Kitty was silently slurping noodles, pondering the information that had just been unloaded.

"Battle Frontier?" Sango sniffed. "I can't say I'm a fan. What the point of a place that's all about pokemon hurting each other?"

Cynthia held her tongue to keep from lashing out at the girl.

"What's the matter with you?" Julia demanded. "You aren't seriously considering joining those assholes that attacked us!"

"Sorry, but I am," Cynthia said, frowning. "Don't worry. Now that I've joined up with the Commander, you and Kitty will be safe. You're under our protection now, and-"

"Fuck your protection," Julia snarled. "We can take care of ourselves, right Kitty?"

"You aren't being fair," Cynthia objected.

"Huh?!"

"I said, you aren't being fair," Cynthia repeated. "'We'? 'Ourselves'? Aren't you just making that decision for Kitty?"

"What are you talking about?" Julia demanded. "I've been trying to look after her, I just-"

"Julia, you're behaving like one of those guys who does nice things for a girl just so she'll go out with him," Cynthia said. "All you're thinking about is your own wants. What about what Kitty wants?"

Julia flinched at Cynthia's comments, glancing at Kitty. The white-haired girl glanced aside uneasily, returning to slurping her noodles.

"Kitty, what is it that you want?" Cynthia asked. "Do you really want to just spend the rest of the year cooped up in our room like a prisoner?"

Kitty frowned, putting her food down.

"Cynthia…" Kitty murmured, glancing down at her hands. "What they said about me…"

"Don't listen to that crap!" Julia snarled. "You're-"

"But it makes sense!" Kitty snapped, her sudden raised voice throwing off the other girls.

"Kitty…" Julia said, taken aback.

"Things have been off… for a while now…" Kitty said, holding her head. "I've been having migraines… and hearing voices… I thought it was nothing, that I was just tired and overworked, but…"

"Oscar… said we were the same. And Elaina… when she passed me… I could feel her! And when she fights, it's like… my head is screaming!"

She reached into her shirt pocket.

"And these pills from Blake's brother, just one of them and my migraines go away! Why… why would he have these?! Except… he has harmonia too, right?! And the way Blake acted when I told him I was hearing things… he knew! He knew there was something wrong with me… hic…"

Kitty's face was wet with her desperate tears as she started sobbing.

"That's why… that girl… and those two from yesterday… everyone's been coming after me… because I'm like Elaina, right? I'm a freak…"

"Stop talking like that!" Julia shouted, grabbing Kitty by the shoulder. "You aren't a freak!"

"Yes I am!" Kitty snarled, slapping her arm aside. "I'm just a freak who can talk to pokemon! And before long, I'll be just like Elaina, unable to control myself! I'll start hurting other people, and…"

Kitty broke down again.

"Why me… why me?" She mewled softly, her small body trembling.

"Damn it all…" Julia growled, punching the ground. She stood up, muttering something, and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Sango demanded.

"I'm going to find Blake!" Julia barked. "He's the only one who knows about this crap! Where is he, damn it?!"

"Julia!" Kitty shouted. "Please… just stop."

"But-"

"It isn't your job to protect me!" Kitty said. "Please…"

"…" Julia bit her lip, staring at Kitty with a miserable expression.

Sango and Cynthia glanced at each other, and made the silent agreement to leave the two alone.

The only two in the room, Julia and Kitty looked warily at each other.

"Remember what we agreed yesterday?" Kitty asked. "We agreed that we would both try our best to get stronger. You promised me… that you'd stop treating me like a little kid! Remember?!"

"But that was before-"

"You promised!" Kitty shouted. Julia flinched.

"Kitty…"

"Before… I didn't know why everyone was after me. But now I know…" Kitty looked at her hand, her eyes shining. "I'm… special. This power… harmonia… it's a part of me. It means… I'll grow stronger. Even so… I could still hurt other people… what… should I do?"

Julia frowned.

"I… I don't know. I could protect you from other people, but from this…"

"I already told you, I don't need your protection," Kitty said, much calmer now. "All I can do… all we can do… is get as strong as we can. So please… let's do our best, together. Okay, Julia?"

"Right," Julia said, nodding. "Then… let's go see Alcea, okay? Then, she can-"

Kitty shook her head.

"I'm not going to train with her."

"Why not?"

"Right now… you're stronger than me…" Kitty murmured. "A lot stronger than me. So if we're both training with Alcea…"

Kitty raised her head to look Julia dead in the eye, her eyes shining passionately.

"Then I won't be able to get stronger than you."

"Wha…"

"Julia… you're one of the people I want to fight. And if we're just training the same way… I won't be able to catch up to you. So… you go to train with Alcea. I'll… find someone on my own to train with."

Julia paused, taking this in. She nodded her head.

"Well, alright then."

Cynthia and Sango were sitting outside of the door, overhearing the discussion.

"Wow, even Kitty, huh…" Cynthia murmured.

"Cynthia… are you really going to join that Commander guy?" Sango asked.

"You bet I am. If this tournament has taught me anything… it's that I'm not strong enough. Right now, Blake is off somewhere doing god-knows-what, but I know it's for the sake of getting stronger."

Sango nodded her head glumly.

"But Blake… are you sure?"

"Blake and I… we fought once before. The first battle I fought here. It was close… but he managed to beat me. And now… we fought again just last week… and it was even closer, but I managed to beat him. We're tied at one win apiece… I don't know when the next time we fight is going to be… but if Blake gets any stronger, I won't be able to win. There are so many people I've been losing against… and I won't let myself just stand here rocking on my heels. I'm going to do my best, and get strong enough to where the next time I beat him… it won't be even close."

Cynthia gave Sango a beaming smile.

"I guess that's my battler's romance, eh?"

"Uh, sure," Sango said, not really understanding what she was talking about.

"I'm going to go train, Sango," Cynthia said, walking down the hall with a wave. "You keep doing your best, too!"

My best… Sango inhaled, nodding. Cynthia's right… even though all my friends are battlers… I can't let myself just stand back and do stop moving forward, either.

Alcea was working on clipping stray branches on one of trees in the garden, giving the plants her full attention.

"Milady," Julia said, lowering her head respectfully to the older trainer. "I request your assistance. Please… I need you to train me. I… I need to get stronger, so please-"

"Non," Alcea said, glancing back at her. "You have no need to rush things. You are growing steadily on your own. For a first year, that is admirable, is it?"

"I… I don't have the time for that," Julia said, shaking her head. "Please…"

Alcea paused, staring at the desperate expression on Julia's face.

"…Very well. I will help you to some measure. But in exchange, you will do as I ask, is it?"

"Y-yes!" Julia gasped, ecstatic. "Of course!"

"As you wish, then. Kate!"

"Yes, milady?" Kate asked, running up to her. "What do you need?"

"I have decided to help Julia increase her skills," Alcea said. "Bring me a pokeball, if you would."

"Yes, milady, you may have a spare of mine!" Kate handed her a pokeball, Alcea dropping her trimmers. She turned to Julia, an intense look in her eyes.

"Come with me," she ordered. Julia gulped and nodded, following Alcea deeper into the gardens.

"This garden is home to many grass type pokemon," Alcea explained. "We shall capture one for you."

"A grass type?" Julia gasped. "But I've never trained one of those before, so-"

"That is why," Alcea coldly shot her down. "There is much you do not know about raising pokemon. Now… a pokemon suitable for you…"

Alcea scanned over the plants, before her eyes landed on the perfect pokemon. A small Seedot was rustling among the bushes, minding its own business.

"There we are." Alcea held up the pokeball, and opened it, typing something into a small screen on the internal component. "I have now registered you as this pokeball's owner."

Alcea threw the pokeball, and captured the small pokemon. The grass master walked over and picked up the pokeball, turning to Julia.

"Here you are. A Seedot, is it?"

"Thanks, but I still…"

"You will raise this pokemon," Alcea ordered. "And with it, you will learn much about what you lack. In the meantime…"

Alcea held her hand out.

"Your other pokemon. Leave them with me."

"My-my pokemon?" Julia gasped, reaching her hands to her belt defensively. "N-no! You can't, I-"

"You promised you would listen to my orders, did you not? If you wish for my training to continue, then I will need to hold onto your pokemon while you are raising that Seedot."

"B-but, I…"

"You rely too much on the things you are comfortable with. Your pokemon… they are all swift, and powerful. With them at your side, you will neither change nor grow. Raising that Seedot will help you learn more about your own weakness, and find your way to turn it into your strength."

"…" Julia looked down, the reluctance obvious on her face. She sadly nodded, unhooking her belt from her waist and handing it over to Alcea in exchange for the pokeball.

"There. Time to return to my gardening, is it?" Alcea said, walking past Julia.

"W-wait, milady, what should I do with this Seedot?!"

"That is for you to discover," Alcea replied over her shoulder. "Take your time and get to know your new pokemon, for starters."

Julia frowned, and looked at the pokeball worriedly. She sighed, and pressed the button, releasing the Seedot.

"Seed?" Seedot looked up at her with his big golden eyes.

"Hey there, little guy," Julia said, kneeling down and patting it on the head. "So… I guess I'm your new trainer, eh?"

"Seed!" Seedot said, bobbing up and down eagerly. Julia smiled. At least he was a happy little guy, that was for sure.

"Well, it's just you and me now, so I guess we'll have to do our best!" Julia said, picking up the Seedot. "…Now, what, exactly, can you do?"

She considered asking Alcea, but she figured that was part of the whole "training" thing, and decided against it.

"Well, let's start finding some other wild pokemon to battle, maybe that will help us figure out what your strengths are, huh?"

This way… I see… she's helping me learn more about how to use pokemon I've never worked with… training up a brand new pokemon to learn how to start from scratch again… Don't worry, milady! I promise I'll do my best!

Kitty, meanwhile, was looking for a trainer of her own to help her. And there was only one place she could think of going.

"I'm glad you came to me, Katherine," Ayame said, smiling. The two were walking down a rocky path in the wilderness behind the main campus. "When you said you weren't going to give me your phone number, I was a little worried, so I gotta thank Sango!"

"Yeah…" Kitty said, nodding. "Um, and… you can just call me Kitty…"

"Cool. So you want to train with Blake, then?" Ayame asked. "Why?"

"Hm?"

Ayame looked suspiciously at her.

"Wait… you were also the one he told about going off to the Dragon Valley, right? And you were really protective of him, too…"

Kitty blinked innocently, not sure what she was getting at.

"A-are you and Blake… like… a couple?"

Kitty's face turned bright red.

"N-no! Nothing like that!" Kitty screeched, shaking her head frantically. "We're friends!"

"That's just what someone who had a crush on him would say…" Ayame said, frowning.

"I don't! I like-" She paused, her face getting redder and redder. "I like… I… I…"

"Oh, that's cool, then," Ayame smiled. "Then, um…"

She looked aside, blushing.

"Can you tell me… d-does… does he have a girlfriend, or anything?"

Kitty's eyes widened.

"Uh… I mean…" Sango's image flashed into her head. "I… not exactly, I guess, but…"

"Oh, really?!" Ayame's expression brightened, and she gave Kitty the most grateful smile that she'd ever seen.

Kitty felt uneasiness well up in her stomach.

"Um… he… he doesn't have a girlfriend, but… um… there might be… someone? Maybe?"

"What, like a crush?"

"No! At least… not… that I know of…" Kitty's voice got softer and softer.

"Well, great then!" Ayame said, pumping her fist. "That means there's no one to get angry if I get closer to him. We already had one date, and he was the one who invited me, so maybe he…"

"O-oh, but… it's not like I like him either, you know?! I was just curious!" Ayame realized what she'd been saying, and quickly tried to backtrack, but even Kitty wasn't that naïve.

Wh-what am I thinking? I'm a senior… I can't just go around dating a freshman, right? No way…

Ayame coughed, changing the subject.

"Anyway, Kitty, I'll take you to Blake, but are you sure about this?"

"I am," Kitty nodded. Oscar has harmonia… and he can help me get stronger… but Blake… I need to speak with him, more. There's something he isn't telling me… during the tournament, he was behaving strangely around Elaina, when he heard that she had harmonia. And he also looked weirdly at me, too, when I started showing symptoms, and he gave me these pills… He must know more… and if that's the case, then… then it might be something that can help me figure out how to keep this under control before I begin hurting people the way Elaina did.

"You realize there are a lot of scary dragons here, right? That's probably why Blake didn't tell anyone what he was doing, so we wouldn't get worried!" Ayame reminded her.

"Worried?" Kitty asked, swallowing. Indeed, the idea of scary dragons was terrifying to her, and her footsteps felt a lot heavier when she heard of it. But even so… she had to push through her fear. "Why? What is he doing?"

"He's trying to get that Salamence of his under control. I went to see him yesterday… and we both nearly got turned to cinders."

"…I… I see…" Kitty said, her face turning pale. Blake's Salamence…

No! Didn't you decide… that you would try to get stronger? Strong enough to catch up with your friends?! What are you doing, getting scared of a Salamence? Don't be a coward!

"I'll be fine," Kitty said, shaking her head. "This is what I decided to do. I'm going to see it through myself!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Ayame said, cheering. "But I gotta say… if we keep going like this on those short legs of yours, it'll take us forever to get there."

She knelt down in front of Kitty and held her arms behind her.

"Get on! I'll be happy to carry you over to where Blake is training!"

"A-are you sure?"

"You bet! You look super-light!" Ayame said, smiling. "Don't have to worry about me, cutie!"

Kitty nodded reluctantly, and climbed onto Ayame's back. Ayame stood up and ran down the rocky path leading to the Dragon Valley, Kitty clinging tightly to the faster girl's back.

"Yo, Blake, where you at?!" Ayame called, letting Kitty down.

"Ayame?!" Blake exclaimed, running over to her. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"I… I asked her to bring me here," Kitty said, staring up at Blake with her big, expressive eyes. Blake flinched.

"Kitty… you shouldn't be here. You need to go…"

"Oi, Blake," Ayame snapped, drawing his attention. Her expression was angry, and she flipped him off for good measure. "I ain't your delivery service!"

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Thanks."

"Happy to help," Ayame smiled. "Anyway, I'd say you're right about this little girl being around here… but she's got more stubborn than she can fit in that short body of hers, so I think you're out of luck. I'll head back, so… you take care of her, yeah?"

"Yeah. Thanks again, Ayame."

"No probs," Ayame said, smiling. "Kitty, you take care of yourself! I don't want you getting hurt!"

"I-I'll try…" Kitty said. Ayame's words were more terrifying than encouraging, but she seemed to mean well.

"See ya around, Blake," Ayame called back, flipping him off as usual as she ran off.

"Listen, Kitty, as I was saying, you need to-"

"Did you know?" Kitty interrupted.

"Huh?" Blake asked, Kitty glaring at him.

"Did you know?" She asked again, her voice softening into a whisper. "About… my harmonia?"

"…I did," Blake admitted, nodding.

"Bastard…" she growled, though from her it sounded more like a pout. "Why didn't you tell me? All this time… since when?!"

"Since Sarah put you in the hospital. That's when I began to suspect… that you might have it. When you were talking about hearing voices… that's when I knew for sure."

"And the migraines I've been having…"

"A side-effect of harmonia emerging," Blake confirmed. "It will flare up whenever someone else's harmonia is being used."

"Like with Oscar. Or Elaina. Or Kanone. Or…" Kitty looked down. "Or… me."

Blake nodded.

"That's why my battles have been so taxing recently, isn't it? Because my harmonia has been taking a toll on me. Like with Elaina."

"That's right."

"Then… these pills…"

"They help keep the side-effects manageable," Blake said. "My brother used them for a time, before he could learn to control his powers."

"Then… will they go away?" Kitty asked hopefully. "Can I… go back to normal?"

Blake's face held all the answers to her questions. She looked down sadly.

"I see…"

"Kitty… there isn't a 'normal'. Harmonia… it isn't some disease. It's who you are."

"But I don't want it to be!" Kitty said, shaking her head. "Why… why me?! Why do I have to…"

"What about your parents?" Blake asked. "Your mom must have had it, she-"

Kitty frantically shook her head.

"My mom and dad… they aren't… my mom and dad. I was… abandoned as a baby… that's all they told me… their Persian found me, and I…"

Abandoned like Elaina… Blake noted. "So you were never prepared for your harmonia…"

Kitty shook her head.

"I've… I don't tell people this, but… I want to find my parents… my real parents… and find out why I was abandoned… but… now I don't know if I even want to know…"

"Kitty," Blake said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Listen… there's something I need to tell you."

"Eh?" Kitty asked.

"It's a long story… a story about my past. I need you to hear it. So you know the truth. Will you… listen?"

Kitty looked into Blake's eyes. They were dead serious. She swallowed, and nodded her head.

"I will. And in return, please… help me find a way to control this. I don't… I don't want to hurt anyone the way Elaina did."

Blake nodded.

"I can't promise anything, because I don't have harmonia myself. But I'll do my best. I'll tell you all about my family, and how they've learned to control it. So… listen for a little."

Kitty nodded, and Blake began to confide in her.

Sadly, we won't get to hear it. It's a story for another day. Now, for the next week, our characters will start training! The next arc (well, I say arc, but more like a mini-arc) begins next chapter with Sango's Pokemon Ranger Probationary Test!