Oh no! Marion was wicked all along! Will such things be the case? What could she be doing here? Could it all be one big misunderstanding?!

Pokemonking0924: We'll have to see. Hopefully it isn't as bad as it looks.

TREBOR.E: Nah, but in Hulbury the beaches are still open until November.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: In order:

1. No.

2. No.

3. No.

4. Maybe.

5. No.

6. Not really.

7. Not even close.

JoshGamerV: I know, things look pretty bad for her.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 170

Sango looked at Marion, and felt a tremendous sense of despair. She had believed in Marion, trusted her… but it couldn't be true… She refused to believe it! There had to be an explanation!

Marion didn't notice the younger girl staring at her, and walked into the restaurant without bothering to confirm with the hostess. She said something Sango and Petal were too far away to hear, the hostess nodding and pointing in Rui's direction. Marion walked across the fancy carpeted floor, humming to herself, headed straight toward Rui's table.

And she walked right past it, neither girl giving the other even a cursory glance.

Sango and Petal gasped in surprise, glancing at each other. Marion passed Rui by and walked over to a table for two, at which was sitting a large man with jet black hair dressed in a nice suit. His back was to the two rangers, making it impossible to see his face.

A sigh of relief escaped Sango's lips. So Marion wasn't the person Rui was here to meet? Then why had she come to Galar? Could it really have been one big coincidence?

Petal put Marion out of her mind, and returned to focusing on Rui. The scantily clad girl seemed to not pay Marion any more attention than any of the other restaurant customers that walked by. Was Marion unrelated to this after all? Then where was the woman Rui was supposed to meet?

To pass the time, Rui lazily sucked on the candy she was holding, when her phone began to ring. She reached into her jacket pocket and withdrew it, holding it to her ear. Petal and Sango strained their ears to listen in.

"What?!" Rui exclaimed, shattering the lollipop with her teeth. "What do you mean she's not coming?!"

Petal's eyes widened.

"Shaw, weren't you the one who told me she'd be coming to the Captain's Table?!" Rui demanded.

Sango's eyes widened. Shaw… At the Nature Preserve, she had overheard that guy, Preya, say something about a "Shaw" having sent him on his mission. No way that could have been a coincidence.

"Her boat got into port today, didn't it? So where'd she go?!" Rui rose from her seat, incensed. "Fine! When she gets in, tell her to call me!"

Rui slammed some money down on the table and shoved aside a waiter as she stormed towards the exit.

"Change of plans," Petal said, rising from her seat. "I'm going to tail her. It seems something's wrong."

"Okay, I'll come with you," Sango said, standing up as well.

"No," Petal snapped. "You stay here and keep an eye on Marion! I still don't trust her. I'll go follow that girl!"

"Wait, but Petal…" Sango's objection fell on deaf ears, Petal and Ritsu already out the door. "…I don't have any money…"

Sango looked at the stack of empty dishes in front of her, and felt a little pale. Petal was supposed to cover the bill, and write it off as a business expense. She couldn't even imagine how big a check she'd have to write to pay off all this food… and Sango was just a student.

Worst comes to worst I'll have to have them send the bill to the Ranger Union… Sango gulped. She turned to look at the table where Marion and the unidentified man were seated. They still hadn't noticed her.

Sango felt a wave of anxiety rise up in her breast. What was Marion doing? She still didn't know for sure… but she believed in Marion. It was that fact that made her rise from her seat and walk towards Marion's table, Silver floating behind her. She stood over the table, staring at the older girl. Marion glanced up, and her blue eyes opened wide. Her face broke out into a wide, beaming smile of surprise.

"Sango!" Marion exclaimed, leaping from her seat and lunging at the girl. She pulled Sango into a big bear hug, nuzzling her tanned cheek against Sango's pale one. "What are you doing here?! It's so good to see you!"

"I should be asking you that!" Sango exclaimed. "What are you doing here, Marion?! Shouldn't you be in school?"

Sango turned to look at Marion's sitting partner, frowning. "And who's your-"

Sango took a look at the man's face and her eyes opened wide, stunned into silence by the familiar face covered in stubble. She stared silently into the deep, light brown eyes that looked back at her, eyes that were the same as her own. Eyes that she had looked up into for as long as she had remembered.

"Sango?" Marion asked, confused, glancing at up at her. "What's up?"

"…Dad?"

Petal was in a very bad mood. She had pursued the girl, Rui, but had lost her in the crowd. It really pissed her off. She had followed the girl out onto the beach, but somehow she had completely vanished from sight. Due to Hulbury's climate, even though it was October, it was still warm and sunny outside, and there were still a decent number of people on the beach. Even so, it should have been easy to track down a single skinny pale teenager, especially considering the tans of the local populace. But no. It seemed that the terrorist had vanished into thin air.

"Pichu…" Ritsu glanced up at Petal, and the ranger let out a sigh of frustration. Well, if she couldn't find the girl, she'd have to go back to the drawing board and try and fine her contact.

I overheard from her that the other Child of the Oracles should have come into port today, Petal remembered Rui's short phone outburst with decent clarity, even though it had been a little difficult to hear. But evidently, that's not the case.

With a frown on her face, Petal turned and walked toward the harbor, sending a message to Sango to meet up with her there when she was done with Marion.

I'll check with the harbor master, and see if there were any sudden delays or changes in shipping logs. It didn't make sense why the meetup wouldn't have gone off the rails if the other person had made it into port on schedule. Which means that there must have been a delay at sea.

Petal and Ritsu headed off the beach, walking down the stone path leading toward the line of ships tied at dock.

Sango, Marion, and the black-haired man were seated at Sango's table in silence.

"I'm surprised…" Marion said, glancing bat and forth between Sango and her father. "I had no idea that Uboss was your dad, Sango!"

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Sango asked, ignoring Marion and staring into the eyes of her father, her expression professional. Although she was overjoyed to see her dad again, this was a serious issue that she was involved in, and she didn't want to believe that this was all a coincidence. "Last I heard, you were still in Hoenn. I thought you wouldn't be going to Galar for at least another month."

"You're quite bold, Sango," Uboss Akana said, smiling, scratching his stubbly face. "Have you been doing well at school? It seems like you've grown quite a lot in the time since I saw you."

"I'm a Probationary Ranger now," Sango replied. "I already told mom."

"I know," Uboss said, nodding. "Didn't you get my card?" Sango didn't reply to that.

Uboss let out a sigh, scratching his black hair in resignation.

"It's our first time seeing each other in over a year, and this is how it goes."

"Don't misunderstand me," Sango said, shaking her head. "I'm not upset with you, dad. This is about Marion."

"What?!" Marion gasped. "Me? What did I do?"

"Why are you here?" Sango demanded. "Why are the both of you here? Together? What are you doing? Marion, you're supposed to be in school, and dad, you're supposed to… well, I don't ever know where exactly you're supposed to be, but I know that this is just weird!"

"I come here all the time, though?" Marion said, tilting her head to the side. "Look, see? They even have my picture on the wall."

Marion pointed over Sango's shoulder, at a series of pictures of famous celebrities that have eaten at the restaurant. And indeed, in between the Hulbury Gym Leader Nessa and Chairman Rose was a picture of Marion's smiling face.

"…Why?" Sango asked, unable to wrap her head around it.

"I'm a fishing consultant, obviously!" Marion chirped. "I'm a bit of a celebrity in fishing circles. See?"

Marion reached into her bag and pulled out some magazines. She was featured on the cover, fishing pole in hand, with a teaser for a big interview inside.

"I work with the local fishermen and help supply the restaurant with freshly caught fish from regions outside Galar. The chef is, like, a super-big fishing fan of mine! I've even got his contact in my phone!"

To prove her point, Marion showed her contacts to Sango, who shook her head in disbelief.

"This place is one of my associate organizations," Marion explained. "When I get Resort Harmony off the ground, these guys are gonna come work for me! Thanks to that, I get all my food here for free!"

Sango gaped in disbelief. Those were some pretty impressive statements to be coming out of the mouth of a highschool senior. When she put it like that, the idea that Marion was one of the daevas was really starting to sink in.

It just wasn't fair.

"But why are you here? Now?" Sango asked. She was starting to have a murky feeling that Petal's analysis had been completely off the mark, and Marion had just gotten swallowed up in the biggest misunderstanding in the world by being in the wrong place in exactly the wrong time.

"Is it wrong for me to be here?" Marion asked, confused. "I mean, I am a shareholder of the Captain's Table, after all, so I usually come here in order to-"

"No, no, it's not that," Sango said, shaking her head. "I might as well tell you, then…"

Although this was supposed to be private, she knew now, that whatever Petal had to say… seeing Marion again, like this, she could trust her completely. She wasn't doing the things Petal said she was. And of course, she could trust her father. So she told the two of them what Petal had told her.

Marion stared at Sango, her big baby blues filled with tears.

"I can'd beliebe id…" Marion wailed. "Eben after heawing all dat stuff…. You twusted me so muuuch… uwaaah!"

Marion hugged Sango tightly, sobbing into her shoulder.

Sango rolled her eyes as Marion blew her nose into Sango's shirt, icked out.

"Okay, get off of me."

Sniffling, Marion pulled off, wiping her eyes, and tried to remain composed… only to break down crying again.

"Sango, you're the beeeest…" Marion cried. "I'b neber had a fwiend wike yooouuu!"

Marion sobered up and turned to look at Sango's father, her expression serious.

"Uboss Akana…" Marion said, lowering her head politely. "I would like to extend my gratitude to you and your daughter for her unwavering trust in me."

"Uh… okay?" Uboss glanced at Sango, who gave her father a "what can you do?" look accompanied with an eyeroll.

"For all she's done for me," Marion said, draping her arm around Sango's shoulders and pulling her close, staring adamantly into Uboss's eyes, "I am now formally introducing myself to you! My name is Marion Rivers, Sango Akana's fiancé! Please, take good care of me!"

Uboss coughed in surprise, Sango's eyes bugging out.

"Marion, what-?!" Sango sputtered.

"For all you done for me…" Marion let Sango go and dotted her eyes with a napkin, a proud smile on her face. "I can never thank you enough. I can only think to repay you with my hand in marriage…"

"That isn't necessary!" Sango exclaimed, her face bright red.

"Uh, well, Sango…" Uboss said, a little stunned at this revelation. He tried to regain his composure, but in spite of his large frame and piercing gaze that made him normally the picture of a consummate professional, at this moment he seemed completely at a loss. "I-I know that you've always been a little bit of a tomboy, but I had no idea that you were actually… I don't have a problem with it, of course, I'll love you no matter what, but it's just coming as a surprise to me…"

"I like boys!" Sango exclaimed, loud enough to draw the attention of the neighboring tables. Sango blushed, sinking down into her chair.

"Ah, my heart…" Marion sobbed, feigning heartbreak. "Alas, I knew it was not meant to be… after all, my heart shall always belong to the sea…"

Marion stared wistfully out the large bay window to gaze upon the sun setting on the horizon, casting the ocean in a deep orange-red.

As much as Sango loved Marion, she really just wanted to fling the girl out of the window. Today had been a long, tiring day. She sunk into her seat.

"You two never answered my question," Sango sighed, resting her chin on the table. Silver floated up next to her, and sent a cool blow of air against her cheek. "What are you guys doing here? Dad? Marion? How do you two know each other?"

"Uboss came to me about a year ago," Marion replied. "He'd heard of my noteworthy reputation in the fishing industry, and came to me for consultation on some underwater ruins."

Sango glanced at her father in surprise. She knew her dad was working on an expedition in Hoenn, but she had no idea he would be going to a student for consultation.

"Why Marion?" Sango asked, confused.

Uboss glanced at the tanned girl. His expression was a little sheepish.

"…Funds," he muttered, unable to meet his daughter's eyes. Clearly, the idea of needing funding from a high schooler was more than a little embarrassing. Indeed, the look of condescension in Sango's eyes bore his worries out.

"Also, I've been fishing in the Hoenn region a lot," Marion added. "So I know all sorts of stuff! Plus, I was really excited to hear about the prospect of what he might discover!"

"What do you mean?" Sango asked, confused.

"The ruins I was examining," Uboss explained, "are rumored to be tied to the ancient legendary pokemon, Kyogre."

Sango's eyes widened. Kyogre was a legendary that was well-known in Hoenn. It was a pair with another legendary, called Groudon. The two pokemon were representations of the earth and the sea, respectively, and it was said that their powers were so great that the climate of the area itself was warped by their very presence.

"Oh, Kyogre~" Marion gushed, holding her hands on her cheeks and staring wistfully at the sea like she was looking at a hot guy. "What I wouldn't do to see it with my own eyes, even once…"

"Thanks to contributions from Marion and other groups, including backing from the oceanographer Captain Stern's Shipyard, we were able to make a full excavation and documentation of the underwater ruins. Which brings me to why I came here today. I was already planning to go to the Galar region, but before I left, I wanted to give something important to Marion. Something I found in the depths of those ruins, something for her and nobody else. And when I told her, she suggested we meet here in Galar, at this restaurant."

"Haven't eaten here in a while, after all~" Marion chirped. Sango wanted to bang her head against the table. It really had all been one big misunderstanding after all.

"Back to the matter at hand," Uboss returned to the subject. He reached into his pocket and withdrew something small, wrapped in cloth. "I brought this for you, Marion."

Marion's eye twitched in response.

"Is that what I think it is?" She asked, all traces of joviality vanishing from her voice. She was all business now in a way that was somewhat unnerving to Sango.

"Not here," Uboss replied, glancing around. "Too many people. We should go outside."

"Roger-dodger!" Marion giggled, rising from her seat. She waved down one of the waiters.

"Yes, Miss Rivers, what can I bring for you?" The waiter asked, eager to please.

"My pals and I wanted to go out to the deck!" Marion said, smiling. "But it's a little crowded out there… would it be possible to maybe clear it out? Pweaze?"

Marion tilted her head to the side, her cutesy voice and smile doing nothing to contradict the "this is an order" atmosphere she was giving off.

"Y-yes, of course," he said, nodding. Within a few moments, the outdoor deck had been cleared, and Marion pranced outside, followed by the father and daughter pair.

"Let's see it, then," Marion said, turning to Uboss and holding her hand out expectantly. Uboss nodded, and slowly began unwrapping the cloth. Nestled within was a smooth stone of a deep sea blue, shimmering with an internal light like the sun shining on the ocean.

"Is that…" Sango asked.

"It's an Oracle," Uboss confirmed. "Marion, if you would?"

Marion nodded, and he placed the stone in her hand. Immediately, Marion became engulfed in a blinding blue light, the same way that Kitty had been with the previous stone.

"Marion, what's going on?" Sango cried, the blue light emanating off of her was blinding.

Marion didn't answer her. She held the stone tightly in her hand, the light slowly receding, before it was just a normal stone again.

"Got a real kick to it, huh?" Marion murmured, shaking her hand slightly. "My whole hand is numb."

"That light, what was that?" Sango asked. Marion glanced at her.

"No idea," she shrugged. "When I grabbed it, there was this weird voice coming into my head, like when I use harmonia. But it wasn't a familiar voice…"

"It's the effects of the Oracle," Uboss replied. "It seems Professor Reinhart's theory was correct. There is a definite connection between Oracles and harmonia."

"Marion… that stone, that Oracle, the one I picked up from the cave in the Nature Preserve… the one Preya was trying to get…" Sango glanced down. "I gave it to Kitty. And it began glowing… just like that. Did you know that would happen? That's why you had us go outside, isn't it?"

Marion frowned. The sadness and guilt Sango saw in her eyes told her everything she needed to know.

"You knew, didn't you?" Sango asked. "About that stone. Way back in the cave, you did know what it was. You did lead me there, didn't you?"

"…That part… was true," Marion admitted. "But… but only because it was familiar! I didn't realize what it was until we got there, honest! And I had no idea that Preya was also looking for it! If I did, I never would have… I just thought it would lead to a way to get out! And when we got there, I… I didn't want to tell you the truth, because… because you might get involved."

Sango frowned. She looked at Marion, and then at her father.

"What are these Oracles?" Sango demanded. "Why are they so important?"

"I don't know, honest!" Marion pleaded. "I just know that they're weird! I didn't know anyone would be looking for 'em, I didn't know they were dangerous until Preya attacked us, honest! I'm as in the dark as you are!"

Sango saw the honesty in Marion's eyes, and heard the desperation in her voice. She nodded her head. She did trust Marion. All the way.

"Dad?" Sango asked, turning to her father. He couldn't meet her gaze.

"I… I can't tell you," Uboss said, shaking his head. "I arranged this meeting so I could give that stone to Marion. It belongs with her. But if I tell you anymore… then I'll just get you involved in all of this."

"I'm already involved!" Sango exclaimed. "I'm not some kid! I'm a Probationary Ranger now! It's my job to-"

"You're 15 years old!" Uboss snapped at her, Sango flinching at the anger in his voice. "Whatever else you are, there is absolutely no changing the fact that you are still a child! My daughter! If I were to lose you, too, then I… I…"

His voice broke, and he glanced aside.

"Please, Sango. Just… just let this go. You have so much ahead of you. I don't want you caught up in all of this. Think about what Maya would want. Do you think she'd want to see you-"

"Don't you dare," Sango hissed, her voice trembling. "Don't you dare use her like that. Not here. Not to me."

Sango's eyes blazed with a fury that Marion had never seen. It was anger brought on from grief, and a frustration at someone she loved.

"If you don't want to respect her wishes, then fine." Uboss said, walking past her. "I can't make you stop. But I've already lost one person I loved without being able to do anything. So don't ask me to bear your blood on my hands."

As her father walked back into the restaurant, Sango stood very still, tears streaming down her face. She clenched her hands into fists and tried to fight back the trembles, resisting the urge to cry. Marion placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and guided her to a chair, Silver nuzzling against her comfortingly.

"Sango… I know you want to hear everything," Marion said quietly, sitting beside her and holding Sango's hands in her lap. "But… remember how you trusted me? Even though it looked like I could be a liar… or such a bad person… you refused to believe it, right until the end. So can't you do the same for him?"

"You haven't lied to me," Sango said, shaking her head. "Not like he has. I trust you because you deserve that trust. Even though I barely know you… every time I needed you, you were there for me. That's more than he ever was."

"Do you hate your father?" Marion asked.

"I do," Sango growled. "I hate him! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!"

"Then why is your face so pained?"

Sango's only response was a choked sob. She hung her head, her tears staining her shorts. Marion patted her on the back.

"Why can't I hate him?" Sango cried. "Why?"

Marion shrugged, rubbing her back in a slow, comforting pattern.

"Sango… I don't deserve your trust," Marion said, shaking her head. "I have lied to you. Many times. I lied to you about the Oracle in the cave. I lied to you about being a daeva. I lied to you about my harmonia."

"Those weren't lies," Sango refused to listen to her. "You just… you just didn't tell me! That's different from lying!"

"No, it isn't," Marion said, shaking her head. "I could have told you. At any time. But I didn't. Because I was scared. A lie of omission is still a lie. And… there's one more thing I've lied to you about. A lie far worse than any of the others."

"…What?"

"This lie isn't just about me… I've hid something from you… because I thought that it wasn't my place to tell you. And not just you. I don't deserve to be on this pedestal you've placed me on. But right now… you need someone at your side who you can trust completely. So I'm going to tell you the whole truth. About my childhood… about the facility. But before that… I want to show you something. So you know exactly how deeply I've wronged you and your friends."

Marion reached into her backpack and dug through it, pulling out an old, weathered diary. She flipped it open. It smelled of mildew and mothballs. The pages were yellowed and the writing was scrawled to the point of illegibility. Marion flipped through it, until she found what she was looking for. Tucked into one of the pages of the journal, used as a placemarker, was a photograph. Marion removed the photograph and handed it to Sango.

"That… is Doctor Anja Karzat," Marion replied. "In the center."

Sango's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open in shock.

"She looks familiar, doesn't she?" Marion said quietly. "Remind you of anyone you know?"

The photograph was a picture of a large building that looked like a mansion of sorts. In front of the mansion's giant gates, a group of people dressed in lab coats were gathered together. In the center was the woman who Marion had indicated. Although her height and smooth skin made her look quite young, she had long and straight, snow-white hair down her back, making it difficult to place her age. But what really stood out to her was her face and features. She'd seen them before, on a much younger girl. But here they were. She knew those big, soulful red eyes. She recognized those smooth, cute pale cheeks and that button nose, and most of all, kind, but slightly shy and reserved smile.

The woman in the picture looked like she could have been Kitty aged up another ten years.

"This… is Anja Karzat?" Sango asked quietly. Marion nodded.

"But she's…"

"I know," Marion said, tears welling up in her eyes. "When I first saw her… I thought, maybe… but feeling her harmonia… being around her… it was like being around Doctor Karzat again. I'm certain of it. The doctor… she talked about once having a child… but she never said anything more to us about it. I don't know how it happened, but their harmonia… somehow… some way… Kitty is Doctor Karzat's daughter."

Sango winced.

"I'm sorry… if I had known… if you had told me, I wouldn't have…"

Marion gave Sango a strange look.

"No, no, Sango, you don't understand. I'm grateful, really! Helping Kitty… it's like repaying the doctor for all she did for me."

Now it was Sango's turn to be confused.

"But I thought… from what I heard about Anja Karzat, it sounded… she sounded…" Petal had made her sound horrible. Like living there would have been a nightmare.

Marion's lips formed a tight line.

"I didn't say anything… because Kitty seemed so happy. I didn't want to tell her the truth. But you said that you trusted me. And I want to prove I'm deserving of your trust. So no more secrets. No more lies. I'm going to tell you about Anja Karzat. The whole truth."

Marion looked at her sadly.

"That is… if you want to hear it, of course. I would never want… to burden you with something like this."

Sango swallowed, and nodded her head. Marion began to speak.

Next chapter, we get a look into Marion's backstory and the nature of Anja Karzat.