Marion is now confronting Flora, and the girls are now confronting Gwen. What will come from this? The end is fast approaching, we'll be heading back to school any day now!

JoshGamerV: Idk man, maybe someone should help her.

MikySP: This honestly should probably be an M story but the lack of sex would probably irritate that audience, so I stuck with T.

Thunder Fire: Well I'm not quite sure, but if the games are to be believed, at least one 10 year old can.

KedharS: That was the general idea yes.

Aquahaze675: I'd like to think help her, but I don't think we're there yet.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 450

Flora and Marion stared across from each other in silence. They were eating at one of the restaurants Marion had supplied food to, so there were plates of fish in front of them both. "Eating" was a strong word, though. Neither girl really had much of an appetite. And considering Marion's affinity for fish, that was an oddity.

"If you have anything to ask me, I'll try to answer whatever questions that I can," Flora said. She wasn't sure how much she could share, or what Marion would even want to know. But she didn't want to be hated by a girl who looked so brightly at her once upon a time.

"...Is what Preya told me… true?" Marion asked. "Everybody, Rast, Alk, Katrina, and Kyrese, are they also… with you guys?"

Flora nodded her head, and Marion's face fell. "They are."

Marion swallowed, her throat feeling dry. "When… when did you guys… when did you join them?"

"When Anja Karzat fell," Flora revealed. "A man named Shaw came and rescued us. We weren't sure at first. But… we had nowhere to go. We were kids, scared and alone, and he promised us… that we could find a place to belong. That we could create the world that Doctor K dreamed of, that we could truly achieve peace in our world."

"And you believed him?" Marion snapped.

"I believe in him even now," Flora said. "He's one of us. Someone who's gone his whole life with this ability of ours."

"Tell me about him," Marion said. Flora's face froze up. She shook her head.

"That… that I can't tell you. It-it's one thing, to talk about the others, because you deserve to know, Marion. But if I tell you about Shaw, then… then you could find him. You work with Pokemon Rangers, Marion. I trust you, I love you, but… I can't betray my organization, my comrades."

Marion scowled. She knew that what Flora said made sense from her point of view, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"Are all the members of your… group… harmonia users?" Marion asked.

Flora shook her head. "I thought it was clear, but… no. They aren't. Most of us are, but some of us, we just… we just want freedom and equality. A world where we can live lives we can be proud of. Sympathizers with harmonia users, people who can't find a place in the world, people hurting and just want to achieve their dreams… all sorts of types."

"Can you tell me anything about anyone else?" Marion asked, even though she suspected that the answer was no.

Flora shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I can't."

Marion sighed.

"Are the others… doing okay?" Marion asked. "Are they… are they happy?"

A shadow crossed Flora's face. As happy as she always was, it was clear that right now, she wasn't all smiles.

"Are we ever happy?" Flora asked. "I take care of them, but at the same time… we want a peaceful future. And not all of us are sure we can get it."

A shaky smile crossed her face, not as bright as the ones she always wore. Marion winced at the sight of it.

"Then please… can I ask you something else?" Marion asked.

"Of course!" Flora said, her eyes widening, hoping that she could provide Marion with something to brighten both of their attitudes. Marion had always been smiling and positive, even through the hardest parts of Anja Karzat and their… experiments. To see her so dour and surly like this, it made Flora miss the memory of that cute little girl. "What… what is it?"

"Can you tell me… this peace you want to find… how are you planning to achieve it?" Marion asked. "I want to understand what the point of this all is, Flora. These things, these Oracles… what's the point of collecting all of them? You think you can bring peace if you do, but… can you tell me how? I want to learn the truth about it, so that I can see your side of things."

Flora made a complex expression.

"There are… 18 Oracles," Flora said. "That's what Shaw told us. They're hidden across the world. And we're trying to get ahold of them, to use them in order to create a world filled with peace and happiness."

"Okay, but how?" Marion asked. "I still don't understand how you're planning to use the Oracles, those stones, to do it."

A look of guilt flashed across Flora's face, and she averted her eyes, to Marion' curiosity. Marion pressed again, asking Flora how.

"…know," Flora mumbled, Marion only managing to catch the last part of her sentence.

"What?" Marion tilted her head to the side and leaning in closer to hear what she was saying a little better.

"I don't know," Flora admitted. "We don't… we don't know how. Shaw just told us that the Oracles, they can be used to create the world we desire."

Marion didn't like the sound of that.

"So you don't know that it's true!" She pressed. "For all you know, he's just lying to you! Using you, in order to get ahold of these Oracles in order to do who knows what! Flora, you can't just believe him when he says he's going to create peace!"

"You don't understand!" Flora exclaimed. "He's our savior! He protected us when we had nothing, so please! Don't say he's using us! He… he's felt our pain! He wants the same thing that we do, he wouldn't lie to us, Marion!"

Marion stared silently at Flora. To be honest, with what Flora had described, it was possible that she was wrong about her old friends being used. Well, they were still being used, but that didn't mean that the person using them was actually lying. And it was clear that she wouldn't win Flora over to seeing things her way, at least not with being insistent. She had planted the seed that Flora and the rest might be being deceived, and that was the best she could do for her right now. With any luck, Flora would at least be more vigilant when interacting and considering the orders given to her in the future. Marion closed her eyes, and let out a long sigh.

"I don't have the right to condemn your savior," Marion slowly said. "As anything other than being a terrorist, anyway. I can't say that he's lying to you, not truly. Maybe he does mean what he says. Just… just, in the future, when dealing with him… please, consider the possibility that you might be getting tricked."

"Marion…" Flora shook her head, already beginning to deny it. But Marion wouldn't let her. Her hands shot out, and she grabbed Flora's wrists, startling her.

"Please, Flora," Marion pleaded, her blue eyes wide and wet, the honesty shining within them making Flora uneasy. She averted her gaze, feeling dirty inside. All she had done, no matter what good she was going to accomplish, it didn't change the wrong she had done to do it.

And Marion's eyes… they were so pure and sweet. Those same crystallized pools of blue that stared up at her when Marion was an energetic little thing, showing Flora and the others pictures of fish pokemon in her books. As sweet and kind as Flora was… those eyes were the kind of pure eyes she didn't want to judge her. She couldn't resist the pleading in those eyes, so she lowered her head in shame, and nodded.

"Okay… I'll… I'll keep it in mind." In her heart, Flora didn't agree with Marion's assumptions. She didn't believe for a second that she was being lied to. But if it could bring the smile back to her sweet little Marion's soul, then she would agree with whatever Marion wanted her to.

But now that the words were uttered, Flora wanted to take them back. It felt like she was lying to the girl, because, well, she was. She wasn't going to seriously consider the possibility, no matter what she was saying.

She sighed, and glanced back up into Marion's eyes. They were so bright, brimming with joy at Flora's declaration, that Flora immediately changed her mind and decided to turn the lie she had just uttered into the truth, for the sake of her sweet Marion's belief in Flora more than anything else. Because that's what it was, belief.

Even knowing that Flora was a terrorist, who was hurting other people (as much as it might have killed her inside, and even though she would take every opportunity she could to take nonviolent actions in accomplishing her goals) Marion didn't care. Marion knew what she was doing, and she still looked at Flora like she had back in those days. It was like all the impurity that made Flora feel so dirty about the actions she was doing, even in the name of her comrades, none of that mattered to Marion, because Flora was still Flora.

The thought that Marion could still trust Flora after all that… Flora couldn't bring herself to betray that trust. So she would keep those thoughts in the back of her mind. Be open to the idea, even if only a little bit. She didn't believe she was being lied to… but she would take Marion's wish that she pay attention to things to heart.

"Is there… is there anything else?" Flora asked, swallowing the lump in her throat. As she stared into Marion's eyes, Marion leaning back and wiping the tears out of them. When she raised her head, there was a serious look in her eye that startled Flora.

"One more thing," Marion said softly, glancing around to make sure they were alone. They were, of course, the restaurant long-since having been cleared out as the evening had drawn on. Marion had been allowed to stay after-hours due to her relationship with the business. But that just signaled how private this issue was, even given the subject of the conversation before now. Convinced that they were alone, Marion reached into the bag at her waist.

Marion drew a small object from within the bag. Whatever it was, it was wrapped in a thick white cloth, so Flora couldn't see it. But even without being able to see, she knew exactly what it was. She could sense it.

Marion unwrapped the cloth from around it, blue light slowly shining through as the barrier became less thick, until it revealed a shimmering blue stone sitting between them, emanating energy with a cool light as it throbbed in resonance to the two of them.

"That…" Flora gasped, reaching her hand out instinctively towards the bright blue Oracle, feeling it call out to her with its soothing light.

Marion grabbed Flora's hand before she could touch it. Flora glanced up at Marion, who shook her head, warning her off. Flora withdrew her hand, burying in her lap with the other one so that she wouldn't be tempted to grab it again.

Flora cleared her throat and spoke again. "That… it's an Oracle, Marion."

"I know," Marion said, nodding.

"How… how did you find it?" Flora asked, not even looking at Marion. She was too entranced by the stone in front of her.

"Not important," Marion said, shaking her head. "What's important is that it's mine, Flora. And I'm keeping it."

That made Flora look up at her. Marion's expression was hard and serious, but there was a glimmer of hope behind those eyes of hers, as well.

"You… the Children of the Oracles, they want it, don't they?" Marion asked. Flora nodded her head, as Marion expected. "But I won't let you have it."

Flora's face fell.

"But Marion…"

"Now we know where we stand," Marion said, her voice solemn and resigned. "I won't let you have this. But without it, you won't achieve your goal. So what do we do now, Flora? Are you really going to take it from me? Are you going to hurt me for the sake of your organization's goals?"

Marion still stared at Flora, those pure blue eyes judging her down to her soul.

Sango stared in shock at Gwen. It was like seeing the bogeyman, she was terrified of what that girl was capable of, trembling in place and yet at the same time immobile, wanting to get away from her but able to will herself to move.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Cynthia tried again, walking up next to her sister, not irritated like Violet but more worried. For a moment, she wondered if there was something wrong, if she was staring off into the distance like that because she was under the influence of something.

"Cynthia, Violet, get away from her!" Sango croaked out. Maddi glanced back at her, confused, but her face immediately hardened and she set herself on edge when she saw the terror on Sango's face and Silver's equally horrified look as he shook, barely airborne.

"What? Sango, what's up?" Cynthia asked, turning to Sango in confusion. Violet also glanced her way. One look at Sango's face and they both felt the same as Maddi, giving the blonde a wide berth out of caution.

"What's the matter?" Violet asked.

"She's a guest, Sango, what's the issue?" Cynthia also asked, a little frightened by the wild look in Sangos eye.

"That girl, she…" Sango swallowed, finding her throat incredibly dry. "She's Gwen Harker… Blake's little sister."

Cynthia immediately understood what that meant, going as razor-focused as Sango was, whirling back to look at the blonde with fresh eyes. Violet, never having met Blake before, still looked confused. Maddi also wasn't sure what the issue was, still mostly in the dark about Blake and his family issues. But she could hear the desperation in Sango's voice and trusted her friend enough to be cautious of the blonde just on her say-so.

"What's up with Blake?" Violet asked, looking at Cynthia. "By Blake, you mean that boy you like, Cynthia? That's his sister?"

Sango tensed, worried that Gwen had overheard what Violet just said. Knowing how attached Gwen was to her brother, the knowledge that Cynthia had a crush on him might set her over the edge and she might start attacking. She glanced warily at Gwen, but if she had heard what Violet had just said, then it didn't show on her face. In fact, the entire time, she had given no indication that she acknowledged the girls were there at all.

It reminded Sango of the first time she had met the girl, long before she had any idea what Gwen's connection to Blake was. The way she had seemed as pristine as a doll, staring blankly at the wall like there was nothing to consider about anything else, completely lost in her own thoughts. It had been odd then, but now…

Sango remembered what Blake had told them about his sister. Her… issues. The fact that she wasn't as socially adept as other girls, a statement Sango privately considered to be putting it mildly. Even without considering her harmonia, it was clear that Gwen would have been a candidate for some sort of mental or developmental (or maybe even emotional) disorder.

Sango reached for her phone. Maybe if she called the rangers, they would lock up Gwen without Sango and the others getting involved? She was a terrorist, after all. But… would that be the right move to make?

Sango couldn't deny that Gwen terrified her. She had been on the receiving end of one of the girl's rage attacks, and that had been due to misunderstanding with Blake there to calm the girl down. If Gwen was set off without Blake around, well…

Cynthia was a skilled trainer and Sango's teamwork with Maddi from the past few weeks told her all she needed to know about Maddi's abilities. And while she didn't know much about Violet's capabilities, with what Cynthia told her, she might be stronger than both of them.

And yet, Sango still didn't know if the three of them would be enough to handle her.

"What… she's one of the Children of the Oracles, right?" Cynthia asked, lowering her voice and glancing at Sango nervously. "Should… we should call the pokemon rangers, right?"

Sango nodded, knowing that was the right thing to do. The pokemon rangers would be the best course of action for capturing Gwen. But… Sango couldn't bring herself to do it.

"We need to talk to her," Sango said, frowning. Cynthia looked at her, confused.

"Talk to her? Why?" Cynthia demanded. She held Aud a little closer to her chest, looking warily over her shoulder.

"I agree, if she's as dangerous as you say she is, then we need to call the rangers, like, yesterday," Violet said, nodding.

"Agreed," Maddi said, glancing back at the girl as well. She didn't trust the girl, either, judging by how scared Sango looked.

"But that…" Sango shook her head. That isn't what Blake would want.

Blake wanted to bring his sister back, to take care of her, make her happy. And while it wasn't her call to make, she still wanted to help Blake help her. At the worst… could she at least try to talk to her? Maybe she wouldn't be set off without Blake being there.

…Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Sango, see how far it gets you, she told herself. She knew it was a bad idea. But she couldn't get the image of Blake's face, twisted with pain and sadness at the knowledge that his sister had been locked up. She shoved her phone into her pocket and walked over to Gwen, even though her legs were shaky and her heart was pounding a mile a minute, and her friends were telling her otherwise.

"Gwen," Sango said. Gwen finally turned to look at her. But she didn't see a trace of recognition in the girl's eyes. It seemed like she honestly didn't know who Sango even was, and had just responded to her name, so Sango tried again. "Gwen, do you remember me?"

"No," Gwen said, staring dimly at Sango.

"Gwen, my name is Sango," Sango said, as if she expected Gwen to care what her name was. "I'm a friend of Blake's."

She had expected that to get a rise out of her. But apparently not. Time to change tactics.

"Gwen, do you know Blake Harker?" She asked.

THAT got a response. Gwen's dull eyes were immediately alight with color, shining a deep gold as a wide smile spread across her face.

"My brother! You know my brother?" Gwen asked. She began looking around as if she expected Blake to pop up out of the bushes. "Blake! Where are you?"

"He's not here," Sango said, stepping back into Gwen's line of sight. She was careful not to get too close. According to Blake, and her own experiences with the girl, Gwen would respond to any contact with someone she didn't want touching her with an outburst of violence.

"Who isn't here?" Gwen demanded. "Where's Blake?!"

"I just said he's not here," Sango repeated.

"Who? Who isn't here?" Gwen said again, the tone of her voice taking on an irritated quality. "Why won't you tell me where Blake is?"

"Blake isn't here," Sango tried for the third time. Understanding finally began to appear behind Gwen's eyes as she put the pieces together. Sango sighed in relief. She had to remember the advice she had been given about interacting with Gwen. She had said "he's not here" with the context making it clear that "he" meant "Blake". But Gwen didn't get context. So she just heard her talk about Blake, and say "he's not here" and it started frustrating her. But Sango had been able to get through to her. It seemed that she was actually capable of holding a conversation with Gwen, which was making her feel a little bit more confident.

Gwen clearly looked disappointed at the realization that Blake wasn't here, and was already disengaging from the conversation. Sango began to press, wondering if there was something she could say to get Gwen's attention.

"Gwen, Blake isn't here," Sango said, "but Blake wants to see you. Gwen, do you want to see Blake?"

"More than anything!" Gwen said, nodding, her face immediately brightening.

"Well, I can bring you to Blake if you want," Sango suggested. "Would you like that, Gwen? Would you like me to take you to see Blake?"

Gwen's eyes widened even brighter.

"Yes," she said. "Take me to Blake."

It… it couldn't be that easy, could it? Sango glanced at Cynthia, who shrugged her shoulders, not sure about what to do herself. Sango turned back to Gwen, her heart pounding in her chest. "W-well, Gwen, then we can-"

"I can't go," Gwen interrupted her. The joy had completely drained from her face in the time it took Sango to look away and back.

"Why not?" Sango asked.

"Why not what?"

"Why can't you go? To where Blake is?" Sango added, in case Gwen didn't understand the context again.

"I was told to stay here until Flora returned," Gwen said. "Want to go to Blake. Can't go to Blake." Her face, which was normally as immaculate as a doll's, was twisted into a look of confusion, like she was trying to figure a way out of this conundrum. Sango saw her come up with a solution almost as fast as she must have, with how her face lit up.

"I know!" Gwen decided, a twisted smile crossing her face as her eyes widening. "If I can't go to Blake, I'll just force you to bring Blake to me!"

Nice going, Sango, you don't negotiate with crazy, haven't you learned that yet?