Our competitors have begun trying to travel through the labyrinth! Will they be able to find their way out, or will they get hopelessly lost? We'll have to find out! Remember to review!

KedharS: Definitely, especially if there are also booby traps within the labyrinth, which there probably are.

Pokemonking0924: Don't worry, our girls know all sorts of tricks about how to get through mazes. And then there's Ayame, whose trick is "charging headfirst into things."

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 765

Olivia made it into the maze not long after Sango, not letting her frustration get the better of her. She needed to make some progress, and she needed to have a clear head to do it.

She felt the pressure of the cameras pointed at her. Everyone on campus was watching her, but that was nothing new.

She was used to being in the spotlight, and she knew not to let it affect her judgment. She took a deep breath and smiled, taking the first right ahead of her.

Olivia had grown up in a very complex household. Being the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy house, she was used to being both never seen, and always seen, at the same time. It was like no one cared to give her a look, but she could still feel the pressure of their stares. Waiting for her to mess up, to do something wrong, anything to reinforce their belief that she wasn't "worthy" to share the blood of the head of the household.

Olivia had gotten very good at wearing a lie on her face. Giving the perfect performance when asked, excelling in everything, except for her ability to battle. Maybe if she'd had Alcea's talent for pokemon battles then her childhood would have been different. But she didn't, and so she would never know how it might have changed.

She smiled. She curtsied. Her childhood was one big performance, keeping her emotions restrained, not letting her true thoughts bleed out. Her path forward into the field of acting was natural, in hindsight. After all, she had spent her childhood refining those skills, developing her mastery of playing a role, and showing a false performance to everyone.

This was just more of the same. Even when she lost in contests, or was outshone by Alcea Vermeil, she took pride in her ability as an actress to not let those reactions show on her face. She was just herself, just normal, even when deep down inside her emotions were a seething cauldron of rage just begging to bubble over.

But it never would. Only in private would she let her frustrations loose. Only when she was alone would anger have lease.

She didn't mind being behind. She had no idea whether or not she would win. She wanted to win, more than anything. And of course, she certainly wasn't WORRIED about her victory. So she was a little behind Alcea in points, and several girls were ahead of her in the competition. None of that mattered to her. She was going to win, and that was that.

Because she had decided to win.

But even if the impossible happened and she somehow lost, she would accept it with grace. Even though it defied imagination that she could lose, and certainly not to Alcea Vermeil, of all people, she would still accept it.

Because that was what was expected of her, conceding with grace and honor.

She would unleash that rage in private, like every other surge of anger she felt.

It was one of the many things that she loathed Alcea for. That girl acted like nothing shook her, she never got angry, she never showed her sadness, she carried herself as the perfect noble lady, not letting things bother her as she continued to succeed in every avenue she set her mind towards, even the ones that Olivia loved.

She made it look so easy, even though Olivia had struggled all her life to succeed. It made her want to scream.

Olivia studied the sides of the maze. It had been built up with large walls of rock and dirt, forming a nicely-designed maze.

"Hm… I wonder…" Olivia glanced at Belle. "Belle! Use mega punch to break through the wall, let's do this!"

"Pika!" Belle chirped, nodding eagerly. She raised her hand and clenched her fist, swinging back and punching the wall as hard as she could. Her tiny fist broke through the dirt, breaking the rock apart, and for a moment Olivia imagined that she could succeed this way; breaking through the walls, cheating her way through the maze.

Sure, it was a dirty trick, but it was the perfect strategy for an Empress to employ; not yielding even to the walls, she would break through and step forward with confidence.

At least, that was her plan. But that plan ran into a major problem when Belle's fist struck a solid wall of light. Belle was repelled, rolling backwards. She stared in shock at the wall, looking back at Olivia in confusion.

"Pika?!" She gasped in surprise.

"Yeah, you can say that again," Olivia laughed, not letting herself get bothered much by it. She shrugged her shoulders and turned to the path down through the maze. Inside, she was frustrated, not being able to break through the barrier. But there was nothing she could do about it. She would keep her head high and not let anything get to her. The maze may have been difficult, but that was just how it worked.

"Oof, that was a nice try from the Empress," Lukas said, shaking his head sympathetically. "She tried her hardest, but unfortunately, the maze can't be cheated that way. It was packed with ground and rock for décor purposes, of course, but beneath that the maze is being maintained by a mix of screens from a team of Psychic type pokemon, courtesy of Rafe, the Seventh Leader."

"Rafe?! Seriously?!" Callie exclaimed. So that was where her brother had snuck off to! She thought he was just being lazy and shirking his responsibilities, but he was actually working hard at something? That wasn't the brother she knew!

"Not only will it protect against pokemon attacks," Lukas continued, but even things like Ghost type pokemon trying to pass through walls won't be able to make a difference. Nothing passes through those walls, the only way through the maze is to complete it!"

Cynthia glanced at Serefina as the girl entered the maze with her Banette. Unfortunately, she wouldn't have the ability to use her Banette's natural qualities to pass through the walls and find a secret route out.

If that bothered Serefina, though, it didn't show on her face. She hadn't even considered using her pokemon to sneak through the walls like that, her goal had been to solve the maze the normal way. It was more fun that way, after all.

"And little do our young ladies know, from what I hear there are multiple ways through the maze," Lukas confided in the audience. "The night is long, and the labyrinth is full of surprises! What will they uncover within it?"

With that ominous question hanging in the air, Lukas cackled maniacally, enjoying the theatricality of his performance as the evil dungeon master. But the audience was ignoring him, focusing more on the travel through the maze.

It was Cynthia who realized that this was probably going to be boring. It wasn't exactly the most exciting thing in the world, watching people complete a maze. And it was starting to sink in for not only Cynthia, but a large portion of the audience, that this was going to be a full-night affair. People weren't cheering as loudly, and by the time Darla and Lila entered the labyrinth the number of fans cheering them on had decreased significantly.

People were starting to get antsy, watching the match with a feeling of reluctance and obligation at this point, rather than excitement.

The advisory that came with the contest announcement had said that the dome had been reserved for 24 hours, but most people assumed that had just been a promotional thing, how the area was usually reserved.

But now, 24 hours was starting to look like a downright conservative estimate. It was Kitty who raised the question first, the rest of the crowd watching in silence. She looked around nervously, feeling a large sense of pressure weighing down on her.

But that was nothing new to her, so she took a stab and asked softly, "um… are we going to be here all night?"

The way she said that, so resigned and pathetic, sent a chill down everyone's spine.

"You guys weren't prepared for that?" Kate asked, reaching up and stretching, letting out a yawn. She smirked. "Last time the contest went this late, too. Why do you think these seats recline, huh?" She asked, leaning back in her seat and fumbling with a lever on the side. The seat tilted back and unfolded out to a makeshift mattress.

She lounged out, flashing a smirk at them, reaching under the seat and pulling out a pillow. "Just picture it, a nice and relaxing night in the Milotic Dome, fully catered. You could definitely do a lot worse," she explained with a laugh.

Everyone looked at each other. In fairness, when she put it that way, it didn't sound all that bad. In fact, it sounded like a fun night!

"It'll be just like a sleepover!" Cynthia cheered, already flipping her seat back and stretching out. "And you said full catering? We can get food served? That's awesome!"

"It'll be the perfect setting to watch her highness's glorious victory!" Kate boasted, cackling like a Mightyena.

Blake sighed, rolling his eyes. That was the way Kate was, no changing that. He didn't bother leaning his seat back, he was glued to the edge of it, after all. Even though the crowd was starting to get tired of watching this, he was still completely engrossed in Aya's performance. As she ran through the maze he continued to cheer for her.

"Fuck!" Ayame scowled, kicking the wall in frustration. "Another dead end!" She turned and stomped back down the hallway, fuming and cursing under her breath. This was like the tenth dead end in an hour, where was the way out of here?!

It was almost like she was in a maze or something.

Ayame was loathe to admit it, but she couldn't avoid the fact that she was in a situation that she wasn't that well-equipped for. She had entered the labyrinth first with her head held high, eager to win, but right now she was in a bit of a tough spot.

Maybe Lukas was right. She wasn't exactly a big thinker. Figuring her way through the maze was going to be one of the hardest things Ayame had ever done.

"Aaagh! It's fucking impossible!" Ayame exclaimed, practically tearing out her hair in frustration. "No one could find their way out of this stupid fucking thing! This is supposed to be a Toughness Competition, not a Smartness Competition! What does getting through a stupid fucking maze have to do with being tough?!"

Give her an obstacle course, sure, and she would run the fuck out of it. And when she got to the mountain climbing part, she was certain that she and Foof would be more than capable enough to succeed!

But a maze?! Damn it, fuck, she didn't want to think about how hard her brain was hurting, that would just make her brain hurt more!

"Woooo!" Foof said, rubbing her head against Ayame's leg. She blinked, and looked down at her Wooloo, smiling sweetly.

"Aww, thanks, Foof, you're right! We won't lose!" Ayame said, punching the sky in victory. "We'll do the best we can!" Her confidence was reinvigorated. "Come on, Foof," she continued, waving to Foof, "we're almost there!"

Ayame and Foof eagerly turned the corner… into another dead end.

"GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!" She roared, slamming her head against the wall as she turned and raced back down the labyrinth, Foof charging loyally behind her.

But as upset as Aya was, her feelings weren't shared by her boyfriend.

Blake was smiling. Even when she was getting frustrated Aya was still adorable. No, especially when she was getting frustrated.

Yeah, Aya was basically just adorable, it didn't matter what the context was. He cheered her on all the same. Aya deserved to win because she was absolutely Miss Pokemon Academy material, but even if she didn't win, Blake was still going to cheer her on to the best of his ability. She was the greatest, after all! He didn't mind her losing.

Besides, seeing her get more and more upset as she tried to wander through the maze was a victory of its own, since he got to see her show off just how adorable she really was. Everyone could see his girlfriend do the best that she could.

She was a lovely girl.

"This contest is really something, huh?" Cynthia said, laughing, slapping her chest. "I love it! It's great, this is wonderful! I'm having a blast!" Blake always loved her positive attitude, it was one of the things he liked the most about his friend. Even if she was just pretending to keep up the spirit of the others, it was still appreciated.

Sango could use a bit of a pick-me-up like that. She was walking through the maze with her right hand pressed against the wall, but her enthusiasm was starting to wane. She wasn't like Aya, the kind of girl who would charge head-on into the maze without a plan and try to muddle her way through with courage and boldness. She knew that Ayame was a rather passionate person, even if she wasn't the brightest when it came to challenges like these, and she could respect that.

But at the same time, she knew that there was a way to make it through the labyrinth without having to guess. It was an old trick, and one she was using: right hand against the wall, and eventually you'll make it to the end of the maze.

That would get Sango out, she knew that of course. But the problem was, the competition wasn't a simple matter of making it through the maze, it was about making it through the maze ahead of everyone else.

After all, the other girls weren't using this strategy, at least as far as Sango knew. They were likely trying to solve the maze on guesswork and while that wasn't the sort of tactic that would guarantee victory, she couldn't deny the possibility of someone guessing right and taking a commanding lead while Sango was still doing things the "right" way.

She let out a sigh, and lowered her hand, shaking her head. The right way was going to work, but Sango could already feel like it wouldn't work in time. She didn't have that same confidence and boldness that Ayame did, no-doubt having foregone strategy to try and get to the end in a hurry. But she wasn't that brave.

She had to be, though. Forget walking, or even running, with her hand against the wall, she was going to have to-

Just as she was making that decision, she let out a gasp of surprise as she saw someone coming down the hall in the direction she was walking.

It was Alcea and Gabrielle, walking together with their pokemon, both girls holding their right hands against the wall. Sango should have known that someone like Alca wouldn't care about the time constraints and would use the strategy that was proven to work.

Flustered, Sango quickly returned her hand to the wall, not wanting to seem like she was a fool who didn't know how to get through a maze properly. Neither girl seemed to let on any reaction to the act, however, and continued their even pace forward.

As they were about to pass, Sango felt the exclamation escape her lips before she knew what she was going to say.

"Um! You guys… are together? That's a really odd combination!" Sango said a little too loudly. She was just trying to make small-talk, trying to keep this whole thing from seeming a little too awkward. She wasn't having much luck, unfortunately, and the tense atmosphere hanging in the air around them stung.

It only made it worse that neither Alcea nor Gabrielle seemed to be affected by it.

Alcea did eventually reply, of course, when she was close enough to do so. She was a polite person, after all.

"Oui, good evening," she greeted Sango, lowering her hand to do a curtsy. It was rather remarkable, to see Alcea curtsying in a cream-stained dress, keeping her dignity intact in spite of the state of her outfit, but Sango wasn't one to judge. After all, her ranger outfit was covered in mud.

"You guys… trying to get through the maze?" Sango asked, mentally slapping herself in the face as she did so. What a stupid question. Of course they were trying to get through the maze, everyone was, that meant nothing.

"Oui," Alcea said, nodding. If she was annoyed by the fact that she had been forced to stop her progress to converse with Sango, she did an exceptional job at hiding it. "Gabrielle and I have been working together."

A smile crossed her face, that seemed to light up the whole world around them. "It's nice to spendtime with friends, is it?"

Sango marveled at the fact that Alcea was describing her relationship with Gabrielle as one of friendship. From what she knew about how the two girls interacted with one another, she thought they were very hostile, or at the very least rivals, like her and Ayame.

"I… I guess you're right," Sango admitted. She knew that she had enjoyed the brief moments of camaraderie between herself and Ayame, and she had been tempted to go through the tournament with her because of it, but her rivalry was more important.

At the same time, the idea of friendship birthing between bitter rivals made her heart feel all warm and fuzzy. She couldn't help but smile.

"Um, do… do you mind if I come with you guys, at least for a little while?" Sango asked, glancing down the hall where the girls had come from. Alcea and Gabrielle had entered the labyrinth first, and if they were using the hand against the wall tactic and were coming back from the direction she was heading in, that told Sango all she needed to know about what awaited her down that hall.

It was a dead end.

"This is a labyrinth," Alcea said, raising her eyebrow as if she had no idea why Sango would ask a question like that. "You may walk whichever direction you wish, is it? Let us go, then." She turned and headed down the hall, nodding her head to indicate that Sango could come with them.

Sango sighed in relief. She followed after the two of them, not sure how long she would be accompanying them. After all, she wanted to get ahead of Alcea in this competition, and she couldn't stick with them forever.

But the fact that she was relying on this slower tactic was definitely reassuring, as it meant that she didn't have to worry about the other girl pulling too far ahead with the amount of time this method would take. Now she just needed to stick with her and move ahead.

It was going to be quite a labyrinth indeed.

So our cast is in for the long haul! How long will it take to make it through the labyrinth, and what will they find inside?