Sango has been spirited away by a ghost pokemon! Where has she gone? Is this really part of the competition? Will she be okay? What other dangers await the labyrinth? There are still many more secrets for our girls to encounter!

KedharS: I hope so too. But we'll have to see.

JoshGamerV: Those are some interesting thoughts. There is definitely something important about the Darkness, we'll see it again at some point.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: That wouldn't feel very fair. And I don't think she'd like winning that way very much herself, she wants to do this the right way.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 768

Sango had no idea what was happening. One minute, she was watching Alcea and Gabrielle engage with the Dusclops that had trapped her and her partner in its protective bubble, then the next thing she knew she was enveloped in darkness without being able to do a damn thing. There had been shouts outside, and then nothing.

The shadows retreated, and the bubble disappeared, and Sango rubbed her eyes to adjust to the return to some form of light.

The Dusclops, Alcea, Gabrielle, and their pokemon, were nowhere to be seen.

Sango rose to her feet and looked around. The sunlight from Silver's sunny day had faded, but she'd already assumed that giving he had resorted to his normal form. But besides that, something felt wrong. She couldn't quite place what it was, but there was something definitely off about this whole part of the labyrinth now…

"Castform?" Silver asked her, floating up into the air and looking around warily. She glanced at her partner with a look of sympathy and sighed, shrugging her shoulders. He was as confused as she was, apparently.

Sango turned in the direction that the girls had been walking before. If she was lucky, then the Dusclops had chased them back the way they had come.

If she was unlucky, then Alcea and Gabrielle had managed to overcome the Ghost type pokemon, and were well ahead of her.

If those were her two options, then there was a fifty-fifty chance she was in a really bad position. She would have to get moving before she-

Sango gasped and whirled around, her eyes shooting to the sky. She suddenly realized what had felt so off before.

"No, it can't be…" she whispered, staring up at the starry night sky. She shook her head in disbelief, even as she knew her suspicions to be true. It didn't make sense, but it was the only thing she could think of as an explanation for what she was seeing right now.

Sango reached into her pack and pulled out her compass, checking it for confirmation. A grim expression crossed her face and she sighed, lowering her head in resignation. The arrow had been pointing to the left when she had last checked it. And now, it was pointing straight ahead. Normally that would be expected in a labyrinth, but Sango knew she hadn't made any turns since the last time she had determined her position.

The compass should have been pointing the exact same direction, but it wasn't. She clicked the compass shut and considered putting it away, but changed her mind. She might need to use it again later. She took another look at the stars. That had been what had tipped her off in the first place, the position of the stars relative to her.

Sango had never been as good at positioning herself with the stars as she was with the sun and its movements. But she was in training to be a Pokemon Ranger, so she knew a bit, mainly how to locate the major constellations.

That had been what had tipped her up. The stars had been all wrong from the last time she'd checked, many were in different positions, even just slightly, but most obviously was the fact that the Big Pelipper was tilted at another angle.

She didn't know how it had happened, but she had been transported by that Dusclops to another location in the labyrinth. It wasn't that Alcea, Gabrielle, or even the Dusclops had left, she had been the one sent somewhere else.

Sango stopped where she was and thought about what this meant for making it through the labyrinth, both for herself and everyone else in the Miss Pokemon Academy Contest. For one, it meant that the tactics she'd been seeing up until this point were completely worthless. Alcea holding her hand against the wall and always turning right? If a Dusclops teleported her somewhere else, then it would be all for nothing. She would be unable to determine which direction was which, and which way she was supposed to turn. She could find herself going backwards.

Plus, there could be other obstacles, as well. Pokemon who put them to sleep, for use ice moves to freeze them in place, or any other sort of trap. A Sandslash might erupt from the ground beneath her feet and plunge her down into a hole, for all she could expect.

Sango turned to Silver, barely able to make out the small pokemon's concerned expression through the darkness. "Silver… this is gonna be tricky," Sango said. "We aren't going to be able to move through this maze the way we would any other maze."

"Castform," Silver said, nodding in agreement.

"Don't use sunny day, either," Sango said, shaking her head. She glanced up at the sky again, checking the stars. "It's hard to make out the night sky when you do, we just got lucky I recognized the constellation just now. If we wind up being teleported again, we'll need to see what the night sky looks like in detail."

Sango looked down at the compass in her hand. She couldn't put it away, she would need to rely on it a lot now, checking it every chance she got.

Sango was starting to get an idea of what the purpose of this leg of the Toughness Competition was. It wasn't just about getting to the end of the maze. Anyone who knew the right method could get through a maze. But getting through the maze, avoiding obstacle pokemon, and finding a way to reach the end of the labyrinth without getting set back, using all manner of skills to keep calm and not panic by the endless mystifying maze…

She had determined a rough estimate of where she was, and what direction she was facing, but that wouldn't tell her a whole lot, either. It wasn't a test of strategy anymore, now it was a test of endurance and skill. Could she get through the maze without too many of the obstacles getting in her way? It was a tricky ask, to be sure.

And it didn't help matters either that she was one a time deadline. She needed to find her way out of the maze quickly. After all, this was only the second leg of the competition, and she needed to get to the peak of the mountain by the time the sun had risen, and that was going to be exceedingly difficult. It was going to be a sleepless night for sure.

I guess testing stamina is a big part of the Toughness Competition, huh? Sango mused, walking forward with her head held high. She didn't have the time to take things easy and go slow, she needed to get through this labyrinth as fast as she could.

She turned the corner and crashed right into someone else.

"Ah! Hey! What the heck?!" The other girl shouted.

Sango gasped and quickly leapt back, startled by what she'd just done. She raised her arms up defensively before she realized that it wasn't another obstacle, it was just Olivia Himeko, knocked into the dirt.

Which was a pretty bad insult. Sango was a little worried, honestly, she might have preferred if she were dealing with one of the pokemon obstacles.

"Well… imagine running into you in a place like this…" Olivia said coolly, rising to her feet and glancing calmly at Sango. She wasn't mad? She wasn't glaring at her or seething with rage? No, she was just addressing her politely.

To Sango, that was probably worse.

"Oh, Olivia, err, I mean, Empress, I'm so, so sorry!" Sango stuttered, trying to brush some of the dirt off of Olivia's leather clothes. A bit of a waste, considering she was already caked in mud, but it was the principle of the thing.

"Don't worry about it," Olivia said, brushing Sango off. Her pleasant face had morphed into a frustrated scowl. Sensing that she had tested the last of the Empress's patience, Sango took another few steps back and swallowed.

"I-I really didn't mean to knock you over," Sango quickly apologized again. She had been acting so confident and proud and resolved before, having determined what the proper course of action was to getting through the labyrinth, and now here she was falling all over herself just because she'd upset another girl? Even if it was Olivia Himeko, it just made her feel like someone she wasn't, she shouldn't be so… flustered!

But she couldn't avoid the fact that she was. Something about the other girl just got to her. Sango laughed awkwardly, trying to make light of the whole thing. "H-Hey, you know, on the plus side, you can't see the dirt with all that mud, right? Ha ha…"

Olivia slowly slid her eyes to Sango, and they weren't eyes that shared in the joke. "I'll keep that in mind," she coldly replied. "Now. Are we done?"

Sango gulped, bobbing her head up and down as fast as she could. She stepped to the side and let Olivia storm down the hall, her Pikachu following eagerly behind her. Sango didn't have it in her to breathe until the two of them had did she have to make such a fool out of herself by running into Olivia like this?! It was the stupidest thing she ever could have done, she didn't want to make an enemy out of the Empress like that!

"Castform," Silver said quietly, and Sango paused. She glanced over her shoulder at her beloved pokemon, looking worriedly her way.

Damn it, Silver was completely right. What was she doing, getting all twisted in knots just because she'd made Olivia a little angry? Was she a scared child? That wasn't the kind of person she was, she was tougher than that.

And she was certainly tough enough to withstand some scorn from the girl as they headed in the same direction. Sango might have been going the other way before, but knowing that Olivia had come from that path, she was certainly not going that way now. And if Olivia had a problem with her going in the same direction, well…

…Well, Sango hoped that she wouldn't have a problem with it. But if she did, well, that was too bad, because Sango wasn't going back!

"Olivia! Hey, wait up, I'm coming along with you!" Sango turned back and followed after the other girl, tagging along beside Olivia's Pikachu.

Olivia didn't even pause in her steps but she did look back, raising her eyebrow in surprise, but not saying any word of objection. With a sigh, she shrugged her shoulders, and Sango took that as permission enough, increasing her pace until she was walking right beside the other girl.

As Olivia stormed through the labyrinth, making her turns decisively, Sango studied her curiously. She didn't know exactly how long they had been walking together in silence, but eventually it go to the point where Sango couldn't take it any longer, and asked her something.

"Are you… still mad at me?" She asked. This awkward silence was even worse than the silence with Alcea and Gabrielle; those two weren't very social in the first place, but Olivia was a social animal at heart, and the awkward silence from her was deafening in a much more severe way.

Olivia didn't break her stride, glancing at Sango. She let out a sigh. "Sango, I'm not upset with you, I never was," she assured Sango. At least, she was trying to assure her. But Sango wasn't exactly reassured by her snappish tone of voice.

"Are… are you sure?" Sango asked cautiously. Because she still sounded upset. "You… seem like you're a little… well…" Sango didn't want to come right out and say it, wary of upsetting Olivia even more than she already was. But she wasn't going to let her fear get the better of her, Olivia wasn't going to cow her into submission.

She had just opened her mouth to bring up the other girl's attitude directly, when Olivia interrupted her, her eyes turning sharply upon Sango.

"I am upset," Olivia clarified. She flashed Sango a winning smile that betrayed not one bit of the anger she had previously expressed. "But you don't need to worry about anything, Sango, I'm not upset with you."

"Really?" Sango asked, surprised and more than a little relieved. "Even though I bumped into you and, well…"

Olivia snorted, waving her hand dismissively and shaking her head. "You don't need to worry about something like that," she laughed, showing the first trace of levity Sango had seen from her since they entered the labyrinth. "Like you said, you can barely see the specks of dirt with all this mud! No, I'm fine, trust me."

Sango wasn't sure if she should be asking what she asked next, but she was so relieved to hear another person's voice after so long she couldn't help but press the issue, asking Olivia, "well, then, why are you in such a bad mood?"

Olivia's eyes narrowed and Sango realized she might have made a mistake. But a few seconds into that realization Olivia's face softened and she let out another sigh.

"It's okay, Sango, don't get so tense," Olivia said. "I get why you're confused, there is an… image about me, you know? How I'm the kind of girl, unflappable, never bothered by the concerns of others, not one to let the situation get the best of me, that sort of thing, a consummate professional with a cute smile."

Sango laughed a little, not sure how to respond to that, and nodded awkwardly. "Y-Yeah, I… I guess," she agreed, nodding.

Olivia shrugged. "And it's not a big deal. So yes, I often wear the guise of a lovely and elegant lady to please my audience and those around me. But there are times when even I don't mind showing my… true face to the public."

Olivia glanced up at the camera and winked, blowing a kiss. She glanced back at Sango, her face hardened with resolve. "Right now, I would wager that most of our ardent viewers are fast asleep, dreaming of the lovely lady of their choice emerging victorious. So I don't need to play a role any longer. I can set out… as I wish."

As she said this, she stifled a yawn, and winced. "I can understand the urge to sleep, of course… but I won't let it seize me."

Seeing Olivia yawn brought a yawn to Sango's own lips. But like the other girl, she didn't let it take control over her, either, and kept pace with Olivia. "Honestly, you're not wrong," Sango admitted. "I'm feeling a little tired myself, but I'm still going to keep going… but why are you so upset, then, Olivia? If… you don't mind me asking, of course."

"I'm upset because this maze is difficult," Olivia said, her voice harsh. "I'm upset because I don't know if I will emerge victorious, in spite of my best efforts." She was practically spitting her words out, not even looking Sango's way. "And I'm most furious… because as much as I might deny it, there's a needling doubt in my chest that I could actually lose to Alcea Vermeil, and even more than losing, that is something that absolutely cannot happen, do I make myself clear?"

She stopped where she stood and whirled on her heel, jamming a finger into Sango's chest so hard she nearly knocked her over.

"Y-Yeah," Sango said, nodding, "I get it…"

Honestly, Sango wasn't entirely sure that she got it. She supposed she'd never felt this… competitive urge before. Oh, sure, she'd felt the spirit of competition, and she knew what it felt like to want to win, nobody liked losing.

But the way Olivia was talking, it was like losing just wasn't an option to her. Even Sango's hardest tests, even the Probationary Ranger exam, hadn't made her feel that level of desperation before, she didn't know what to say.

"Olivia… winning this really means that much to you, huh?" Sango asked, and the minute the words escaped her lips she felt like a fool, and wanted to take them back. How could she have asked something so stupid? It was obvious to everyone with eyes that winning meant a lot to Olivia, so why say anything?

"I'm going to be victorious," Olivia said, not paying Sango any mind beyond as a sounding-board to express her frustrations. But she had enough composure to not let her deepest doubts and insecurities leak out. She wasn't about to break down and have an exclamatory outburst again, not in front of one of her juniors.

Sango watched Olivia quietly for a while longer. The silence was no longer suffocating as it had once been, now that she knew that Olivia could talk civilly if she wished to. Rather, right now Sango was more curious in what she saw as she looked at the older girl.

What Sango knew of Olivia was very little, seeing as Olivia was a rival to Marion, and Sango was more or less in Marion's faction. Mainly, she had discerned a decent amount of the other girl's personality from the few conversations that they'd had together, and more from rumors and stories about her, whether from Ayame or picked up in casual discussion of the Daevas.

And Olivia painted a fairly apt description of herself. Cool and imposing, while having an approachable air at the same time. The kind of flirty attitude that would make people think she was interested in them, and could talk to her on her level, with just enough nobility to not make the mistake of presuming too much about where they stood.

She was like everyone's friend, and no one's friend, at the same time. A beautiful girl who drew the eye and could put on a performance that would make everyone fall head over heels, while having depth to her that was surprising to the uninitiated.

Sango counted herself among the uninitiated. She had been surprised by the counsel Olivia had provided her earlier in the day, but it had coincided with some of the rumors that she'd heard about the girl. Sango knew that she wasn't some pretty face without a brain, no, she had real weight in her words, real depth in her eyes, she was the kind of girl that many people would look at and dismiss, but who the truly understanding would see as someone worthy of respect.

And Sango was starting to see a little bit of that right now.

Normally, her idea of Olivia would be that the vain girl wouldn't put so much effort into an event like this, certainly not enough to get her fine clothes covered in mud. But she'd done it without flinching, and she hadn't cared about Sango knocking her into the dirt, either.

It was like she was a different person than the Olivia that Sango was used to dealing with, and that was fascinating for her.

The way she was walking, the way she carried herself, it was like she was a woman with a mission. She wasn't taking things lightly, she was dead-set on seeing this task through, and she was giving off an air that made Sango think that maybe, just maybe, she WOULD be able to seize the initiative and win the Toughness Competition, if not the entire Miss Pokemon Academy Tournament.

She was so driven, like she didn't need to give a damn about sleep. Sango half-expected that if a Dusclops emerged from the shadows to snatch her, Olivia would grab it by the tuft of gray sticking out of its head, and fling it into a nearby wall.

And the scary thing was, Sango wasn't sure if her wild imagination was really that far outside the realm of possibility.

So Sango may have lost Alcea and Gabrielle as traveling partners, but it looks like she's found someone new! What will she and Olivia encounter? We'll have to find out!