Who, or what, awaits Elaina atop the rooftop? What will it mean for her future? Will she be able to find some sort of peace? Remember to review!

KedharS: It is hard to be in her position, she's clearly not thinking clearly. Hopefully she can find some clarity.

Thunder Fire: I know, but it's funnier that way.

Hellraiserphoenix: A lot has happened today, Elaina has been through quite an ordeal.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 346

"It is good to see you again, Elly," the lavender-haired girl said, smiling warmly up at Elaina. Her golden eyes sparkled with kindness, and looked oh, so old, too old to belong to a girl who looked so young. Although the rooftop garden was freezing, she wore a short red dress over a white blouse, tied up with a thin black ribbon. A big red ribbon was tied behind her hair in a bow. Her white stockings looked like they would also do a poor job of fighting the cold.

And yet she didn't seem bothered by it in the least.

It took Elaina a second to realize that this strange girl she'd never met had just addressed her as Elly.

"Don't call me that," she snapped.

The girl blinked. Then a solemn look crossed her pale face. Her thin lips spread into a narrow line that was almost a smile, though her eyes brimmed with sadness.

"Ah, I see, it is like that," she replied, running her fingers through her hair and looking down. "You are still wearing that mask, then."

"Who are you?" Elaina snapped.

"I am called Ryoko," Ryoko told her, lifting the hem of her red dress and curtsying for Elaina. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance… again… Elaina Bishop."

Elaina snorted in response. That was comedic. It was never a pleasure for anyone to "make her acquaintance."

"If you think that's true," Elaina whispered, stepping closer to the girl, "then it seems you really don't know me."

Ryoko smiled calmly. She turned from Elaina and strolled down the path, staring up at the sky.

"I know you and I do not," she replied. "In truth, I have not met you, not when you wore that mask. Would it trouble you so greatly to remove it?"

"Never," Elaina said. "Not in front of people, not ever, you say you know me, but I don't… what the hell are you saying?"

"I have already seen that face of yours," Ryoko said, turning back to Elaina and beckoning her over to the railing. "You do not need to wear it in my presence. I will not judge you, Elly, for I consider you to be a friend. And though you may think yourself a monster, I would never think of you in such a way. By your thoughts, I am far more unusual than you could conceive."

"Don't call me that," Elaina snapped, storming over to her side regardless, glaring down at the shorter girl. "Who the hell are you? Are you a student? If you were, you would know better, and keep your distance."

"I am but a wanderer," Ryoko answered, reaching into her blouse and withdrawing a shiny gold pocket watch, flipping it open for a second and checking the time, before glancing back to Elaina and giving her a reassuring smile. "I am not someone who belongs here."

"That makes two of us, then," Elaina muttered.

Ryoko shook her head and looked back over the railing, staring down at the snow-covered campus below her.

"You do have a place here, Elly- ahem. My apologies. Elaina." Ryoko refuted Elaina's assertion. "Whether you accept that or not, I have no control over. But there are people here who care for you, who wish to see you happy."

Elaina scowled behind her mask. This girl sounded exactly like Blake. It was all so simple for them, these people who didn't share her pain, her experience. She had gone through so much suffering, and for what? For nothing.

"What do you know? You don't know a damn thing!" Elaina shouted at the strange girl, whirling to face her. A blast of wind hit Ryoko in the face, not fazing her a bit.

"I know quite a lot actually," Ryoko murmured. "Though… I am not in a position to tell you everything. Hmm… quite a conundrum. I would like to help you any way that I can, however…"

Ryoko stroked her chin in contemplation, and fished her pocket watch out once again, taking a second look.

"If I could I would like to have more time to speak with you," Ryoko confessed, smiling sadly up at Elaina. "If I could I would like to be able to tell you everything that I know about the road you must travel. But I cannot. But there is something that I can share with you, Elaina. If you think you are alone, then know that I am far more alone than you could ever be."

Ryoko took a deep breath.

"Do you believe in time travel?"

Elaina thought she had misheard the odd girl for a moment. She blinked.

"What?"

"I have no place to belong, no where, and no when. I am just a wanderer. Going back and forth for an eternity, to different times and different places, with barely enough time spent with the ones who I care for. That is why…" Ryoko took a deep breath and wiped a tear from her eye. "I have met you before, Elaina, a good many times. I have met all of them before, Blake, Sango, Cynthia, Ayame, everyone. And yet… I have no place among them, not truly. And no matter how much I may love my dear Blake… I will never be with him the way I wish I could be."

A ping went through Elaina's heart at that assertion. She winced in sympathy.

"That is why I envy you, Elly," Ryoko murmured, forgetting to refer to her as Elaina again. Elaina didn't call her on it.

"You? Envy me?"

Elaina had envied a great many people in her life. Nearly everyone she crossed paths with, at one point or another she had wished she could switch lives with them. If she could become a normal girl, she would take that chance in a heartbeat.

So to hear someone tell her that they envied her?

She couldn't understand why. Whose life could be so miserable that they would want to take the place of someone like her?

"You? Envy me?" Elaina repeated, her words no less confused than the previous time. It just wasn't making sense.

"I do," Ryoko said, nodding her head. "You have what I never can. You think you are lonely, because you are lonely. But even so, even if Blake does not feel for you the same as you feel for him, you still have a relationship with him. Perhaps not the one you want, but a relationship all the same. I wish that you could treasure that. See it for what it was. I believe that you someday will be able to do that. But right now… do you not think that such a future could be possible?"

"If you're to be believed, then you're telling me that you're a time traveler," Elaina snidely remarked. "So you tell me."

Ryoko raised her eyebrow.

Elaina's voice grew more insistent.

"Tell me!" She cried out. "Tell me! Please! Please… please, tell me! Is it… do I have… is there any hope left for me? Please… tell me. If… if I…"

Ryoko sighed, and shook her head.

"I am not able to answer that question," she said, the sorrow in her voice clear in Elaina's ears. "I am not able to tell you anything about your future, Elaina."

Elaina held her head as high as she could, but she was clearly weakening.

"You said that… you knew me when I did not wear a mask," Elaina said. "You called me Elly. Then does that mean-"

"What that means to you could be good or bad," Ryoko said. "Everything is all because of the choices that you make, Elaina. I may see the future, I may travel back between past and future, but it is up to those who walk forward through it to make that future, through their own actions."

Elaina swallowed.

"You… you said… you travel between past and future, um… does that mean… you can go back in time? To even… even before now? Years ago?"

"Of course," Ryoko nodded, checking her watch once more. Time was running out. "I travel to the past and future countless times, across a wide distance between time and space."

"Could you, um…" Elaina held her throat, trembling. Tears of hope began to well up in her eyes. Warm, distant memories that felt like a lifetime ago flooded into her mind. The words were so hard to get out, but she had to ask. "Could you… can you… can you take… another person with you to the past? Not, not countless times, just once?"

Ryoko looked up at her sadly, already knowing what Elaina wanted from her. She shook her head.

"I am sorry, Elly," she apologized, her voice filled with sorrow. "But it does not work like that. Though I would like to grant your wish, I am not able to change your past like that."

Elaina let out a choked sob, grabbing onto the railing to keep from falling to her knees.

"My time here is almost up," Ryoko said softly, closing her watch and tucking it back into her blouse. She stepped forward and reached a hand up to touch where Elaina's cheek would be, but her hand was blocked by a wall of cold porcelain. She stroked it regardless. "I am sorry that I could not help you. But I am glad that I met you here, today. I may not have been able to help you the way you wish, but perhaps there is still something I can do."

A gentle warmth spread from Ryoko's fingers and Elaina could feel her body relaxing. She felt a soothing coolness wash over her, a familiar melody from long ago ringing in her ears. She felt warmth. The warmth of her mother's embrace. She was being gently rocked by a woman whose face she could not see, but whose voice carried all the love in the world. It was a wonderful memory.

"I know that you can be happy, Elly," Ryoko told her. "Trust in Blake. Trust in your friends. They care for you, and they want to help you. But the only one who can help you is you. So please, do not believe that you are so incapable of loving and being accepted. I would very much like to see a future where you can smile."

With that, Ryoko turned and walked away from the edge, heading towards the center of the garden. The aroma of lilac, lavender, and mint whirled through the air, even though all the plants were extinguished at the moment. Elaina followed Ryoko with her eyes, and saw a green array of light appear on the ground around the girl, her lavender hair dancing in the wind.

"Next time we meet I hope you will not be wearing that mask!" Ryoko called back to her, turning and smiling with those shiny golden eyes of hers. "I cannot hear the music you play when you wear that mask, and it is such a lovely melody!"

Elaina gulped, the light growing brighter and brighter before fading out and disappearing completely, leaving her alone on the rooftop.

She let go of the railing and fell to her knees, choking back a sob. The warmth of the memories flooding into her, it was drowning out the pain of her harmonia. She fumbled for her bag and withdrew a thin, carved wooden flute from within it, clenching it gently to her chest.

Elaina felt numb to the world and rose back to her feet, removing her mask from her face and setting it gently down in her bag. It had been some time since she'd allowed fresh air to touch her face so directly. She shivered, it was rather cold outside. And yet she didn't feel cold. She felt warmth. She raised her flute to her lips, and let the familiar melody flow out through it. The wind began to swirl gently around her, dancing to the tune of Elaina's flute in a gentle and yet passionate breeze, as she clung to the memories of her mother that she could salvage.

Meanwhile, across campus, a meeting of a different sort was occurring, and a much different kind of business was being conducted.

"Hello, Gerard."

Gerard stood in Richard Valon's office, a calm look on his face. Valon, the Phantom, was smiling that smile he always did, the smile that meant nothing.

"I'm curious why you called me in here," Gerard said. "You and I, we aren't exactly what you might call 'friends'."

Valon smirked.

"I hear you have a legendary pokemon up your sleeve," he replied. "A rather special old friend of yours? I was… let's call it a curiosity. You see, Gerard, you just said that we aren't friends. And I'm trying to figure out just why that must be."

Gerard raised his eyebrow.

"You see, Gerard, I pride myself on being a helpful sort of person. I'm just that sort of man. If someone wants something, well, if it's something that I can accommodate them with, I like to be able to accommodate them. I'm a problem solver."

"…A problem solver."

"That's right," Valon said, nodding. "But the irony is, I find myself dealing with a multitude of problems myself, would you believe that?"

Gerard raised an eyebrow.

"Between the other daevas, and my certain… other interests, you're a problem that I find to be of particular… annoyance," Valon explained. "You see, I've been spending considerable effort in keeping the nature of harmonia under wraps around here. I've been trying to track down students with that special ability privately, so as not to create a panic."

Valon rose from his seat and strolled jovially over to Gerard, clapping him on the shoulder.

"But you, you and that little witch of yours, you've caused some problems. Now, harmonia users are public enemy number one, and that girl Elaina is the poster girl. So tell me, Gerard, what should I do about this problematic solution that I find myself in?"

Gerard didn't say anything.

Valon shrugged.

"Well, didn't expect you to do much talking either way. Still, though, I am curious, Gerard, why you seem to be taking such a stance like this. I mean, most people, they pick a side. But you?" Valon laughed, pointing his finger at Gerard with a wide grin, "you, you seem to think that you're your own side! That you can stand up to the other daevas, when you got your butt whooped by Kanone Harker like it was a joke! All your posturing and you can barely even keep your grip around that little Elaina Bishop, now can you?"

Gerard grit his teeth, trying very hard not to let his face betray any emotion.

Valon sighed, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Now Gerard, we don't need to be enemies. In fact, I would like you and Elaina to… 'come under my wing' as it were."

"Why would I do that?" Gerard scowled.

Valon's grin widened and he took a step forward, placing his hand on Gerard's shoulder. Gerard felt a weight bearing down on him, as though the Phantom was telling him to kneel. He wasn't that sort of person. He met Valon's gaze with a cold glare.

"You see, Gerard, I pride myself on being a man who can get people what they want. You don't need to be so hostile, Gerard. I just want to give you what you want, is that so wrong? I do that for all my friends, after all."

Valon leaned in close, bringing his lips to Gerard's ear. His breath was as cold as ice against Gerard's skin.

"So tell me, Gerard, what is it that you want?"

Gerard wanted to pull away from Valon, but wasn't willing to show weakness to the other student.

"I want a lot of things," Gerard murmured.

"Oh, I'm sure you do!" Valon laughed, releasing Gerard and turning his back on him, walking over to his desk. He sat down in his chair and leaned back, propping his feet up on the desk. He grinned at Gerard like he didn't have a care in the world.

"You know what I think you want, Gerard?" Valon asked. "Because it's not something as simple as just beating me, destroying my associates. No, no, nothing like that. And don't even try to tell me that you're just doing your part as the head of the Eight Leaders, because I'm not a goddamn fool. You and I both know that your 'position' is just a means to an end."

Gerard sucked a breath in through his teeth with a hiss.

"Oh, really?"

"That's right," Valon said, nodding. "The question is, what end could that be? And more importantly, what end is so important that you would make use of that poor little girl, get her all twisted up in knots thinking that she can't be accepted by anyone else? It almost makes a man wonder. Did you really 'out' the existence of harmonia, try to drive people into a fear and panic, all in order to hurt me? If so, I am flattered, but no. I think there's a little more to it than that."

Valon rose from his seat again and stroked his chin, pacing around the office. His unearthly green eyes glanced at Gerard from behind his shock of silver-white hair every now and then as he thought things through. Or appeared to do so, anyway. Gerard had a suspicion that most of this was just theatrics, and Valon already knew what he was going to say.

"I also hear that Elaina is taking part in the Tag Tournament," Valon mused. "Stirring up quite an outcry, actually. It really does make me wonder… no, no, it couldn't be…"

Stroking his chin, Valon turned his head and cracked a grin, showing that he believed it was EXACTLY what he suspected.

"Could it be that, rather than trying to strike at me, your main goal in all this really was just to spread fear and panic? Get people all… riled up about the dangers of harmonia, and then… and then what? Hmm… well that would really make things hard for that little girl, now wouldn't it?" Valon saw Gerard twitch and his grin widened. He was right on the money.

"I knew it!" He chortled, clapping his hands together. "All this was just to make people hate Elaina Bishop, now wasn't it?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Gerard scowled.

"Oh, I think I very much do," Valon said, rejecting Gerard's assertion with the wave of his hand. "I think that when Elaina enrolled at this school, you were worried that she might slip out from under that tiny, little thumb you've been trying to hold her down with, that there was a chance that she might make some friends! And then you concocted a nice little scheme to turn public opinion against her. Nothing like a good old witch hunt to sow anger and doubt, isn't that right?"

Gerard didn't respond.

"I can understand why you'd want to keep her to yourself," Valon admitted. He narrowed his eyes into a quizzical look as he studied Gerard. "Are you two sleeping together? …No, apparently not. Good on you, mate. Relationships are always… messy. You don't get into bed with your weapons, you keep them at a safe distance and make sure they're ready to go off when needed, after all."

He stepped closer to Gerard, his voice deepening.

"And you definitely don't let other people get their hands on them," Valon's normally sly voice boomed, filled with confidence that he was correct in his assertions. "That's what you're so afraid of, someone coming around and taking your little weapon from you. Because with her on your side, you're powerful, isn't that right?"

Gerard's eyes narrowed into a glare. But Valon's piercing gaze caused him to blink, and he averted his eyes. Victorious, Valon tapped him on the cheek with his palm, not hard enough to be a slap, but still enough to jostle his glasses slightly.

"Without Elaina? You're just a weak guy who thinks he's capable of fighting in the big leagues. First you hid behind that legendary pokemon. Now you're hiding behind Elaina. All because you're too weak to fight on your own. And that's what really eats you up inside, isn't it? That's why you have to exert so much control over her."

"I'm done here," Gerard scowled, turning and heading towards the door.

"You need people to see you as strong so badly," Valon called after him. "That's why you've worked so hard to strip away everything that Elaina Bishop is, that's why you want her hiding behind that mask! She's not a person that way, she's not anything more than a tool to make you look good! Because that's what it's all about, Gerard, making you look good! Forget everyone else! You need to look strong, be respected, without that, well…"

Gerard froze at the door, his fingers clenched white around the knob.

"…Well then you're exactly as much of a failure as your family thinks you are, isn't that right?"

Gerard didn't respond. He didn't want to show Valon that he was right. He turned the knob and opened the door.

"Come back if you like," Valon called after Gerard as he walked out the door, "when you're done playing gym leader and want to actually get some real strength and respect around here, you just come pay me a visit, okay?"

While Elaina is finding herself, it seems Gerard is getting into bed with some dangerous people. What decision will he make? Right now he can't do all that much. But the decision he makes can have some serious repercussions. We'll have to see what his path holds, and what it will mean for Elaina.