We've taken a look at Akira and Sylvia's interactions with Misty, getting some more information on Project ADAM and the µ Gene, and we also had a quick stopover in Unova with Kate and Roxie, where Kate caught a bunch of new pokemon. But now, we're going to move onto something that we can all get excited for… that's right, it's finally time for the arc you all have been waiting for, the school trip to the Orre Region! There are a lot of serious things here, and many arcs will come to a head. What will we do first? Let's see where we start our trip!

KedharS: Yup, for such a toxic person, Kate can be surprisingly wholesome sometimes.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 861

While Akira and Kate and many more students were dealing with their work with gym leaders across the world, the majority of the students of the Pokemon Academy, the entire Junior and Senior Classes, had traveled to the Orre Region.

Because of the size of the student body, it wasn't feasible for teachers to oversee all the students and their different groups. Because of that, the headmaster had reached out to the parents in search of volunteers for chaperone duty.

And much to Vic's embarrassment, her mother had been chosen for her own group's chaperone.

"Vicky!" Vic had barely gotten off the bus when her mother broke free of the crowd of parents and through her arms around her in a hug that caused her face to flush.

"M-Mom!" Vic gasped in surprise, shocked that her mother would be so affectionate in front of all these strangers. She looked back desperately at the Commander, hoping he wasn't watching such an embarrassing display.

She couldn't get so lucky. Alden walked off the bus right behind her and was staring right at the two of them, his face impassive at the humiliating sight before his eyes.

"Hello there," he smiled, walking over to the mother and child and greeting them. He held out his hand. "You must be Mrs. Carver, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Oh, are you Alden?" Mrs. Carver smiled, separating from her daughter and going over to shake the Commander's hand. "Nice to finally meet you! My little Vicky talks about you all the time! Oh, but none of that 'Mrs. Carver' stuff, you can just call me Rui!"

Rui was a beautiful woman, but she didn't look very much like her daughter at all. The closest she came was the fact that she wore her hair identical to Vic's, cut in a sharp bob cut that framed her face. But where Vic's hair was the stern dark of midnight, Rui's was bright orange, like the sun. Her bluish-purple eyes sparkled, and she wore a wide grin on her plump lips, another obvious departure from her daughter's stern features. And even though she was probably in her forties she looked very young, like she was only in her twenties, and still dressed stylishly, wearing a long blue jacket over a purple tank top and white skirt.

"Mom, it's whatever," Vic scowled. She loved her mother, but the woman was way too friendly for Vic's tastes.

"So you're Vic's mom, huh? Gotta say, you aren't the image I was expecting!"

Vic had to take some serious effort to keep from letting her frustration show on her face. It was bad enough that her mom was making a fool out of her in front of the Commander, but the other members of the Commander's organization were even worse. That was Tommy who had just spoke, and his tan face was stretched into a shit-eating grin that she just wanted to punch clean off.

"It's nice to meet you," Ross greeted her next, shaking Rui's hand as well. "I must say, Mrs. Carver, you look so young!"

"Oh, please, it's Rui!" She laughed. "And yes, it's all thanks to the water of Agate Village! It comes with great restorative affects, some even call it the fountain of youth!" She cradled her cheek in her hand, letting the natural glow of her skin speak for itself.

The other members of the Commander's inner circle were thankfully much less embarrassing. Maddi, of course, didn't concern herself with any of this, and neither did Mason. They were often more occupied with their own issues, which Vic was more grateful for now than ever before. Also, that new girl, Chloe, had been cowed into submission with Vic's glare.

Keya was a different matter though. The small dark-skinned boy gazed up at Rui with eyes that glowed with adoration, like he was meeting a celebrity. And in a way, he was. Like Vic, Keya possessed harmonia. His mother had taught him from a young age how to connect with the voices of pokemon, and because of that, he had made more friends with pokemon than he had with people.

But he still had an interest in other harmonia users. Vic wasn't very social, and didn't really care about people other than the Commander, but her mother was a different story. One of the many reasons that Keya had been looking forward to this trip was out of a desire to go to Agate Village and finally meet Vic's mother.

And he wasn't disappointed. He was at a loss for words.

Rui was slightly taken aback upon setting eyes on Keya, her smile slipping from her face for the first time and a look of surprise took its place as she had to process what she was seeing. When she realized that there was someone else with her power, she quickly recovered, and greeted the boy with the biggest smile yet.

"Hello there. What's your name?" She asked, walking over to Keya.

"I-I'm Keya," Keya stuttered. "Vic… Vic's told me a lot about you." He wasn't usually this shy, but Rui was very pretty, and he didn't have much experience with other harmonia users.

"You're quite a special boy, aren't you?" Rui winked. "That power of yours… it's a special one."

"Th-Thanks," Keya said, smiling shakily. He was happy to hear that.

"Now, where are the others?" Rui asked, straightening out. She looked around at the other buses that the students had come in on.

Vic was confused. "Others? What do you mean others?"

Rui took out a note from her jacket pocket and flipped it open, checking it. "Well, the chaperones are for groups of ten students," she explained. "And you, Alden, Keya, um… Mason? Maddi… Ross, Tommy, and Chloe… those are the eight I signed up for, just as you asked, but… there are still two other students we have to pick up."

Vic's eye twitched in frustration. She hadn't expected that. She'd been counting on this trip to be for just their group. She supposed, though, that they could grab a few seniors from the Battle Course that were loyal to the Commander and it wouldn't be such a loss.

"It says here that the students I'm going to be guiding are two juniors?" Rui asked. "Vic, you know these two?"

She handed the sheet over to Vic, and her face went pale as she saw who it was.

No way… why did it have to be them? Vic ground her teeth together and crumpled the paper in her fingers.

To be honest, there were worse people that could have joined their group. For example, these girls weren't members of the Phantom's organization, and they weren't affiliated with the Empress, either. But that didn't mean they were people Vic wanted to associate with, or spend the duration of their trip to the Orre Region with, either.

And no, it wasn't just because they were girls.

The names on this sheet… they were people that it would be a pain to be involved with.

Alcea Vermeil.

Callie Crawford.

Two people that, while not problems per se, weren't exactly topping the charts on people who Vic wanted for friends. They were members of the Eight Leaders, which meant that even though they weren't affiliated with any of the Daevas, they were also not people that she could count on for allies, either.

They were the quintessential neutral parties, and when you were fighting a war, the most annoying thing in the world were neutral parties.

"Yeah, I know them," she groused, shaking her head in frustration. She finished crumpling up the note and tossed it in a nearby wastebin, and turned towards the buses.

Lo and behold, there they were.

"Isn't this nice?" Callie asked, all smiles as usual. She was tagging alongside Alcea with a big bright smile on her face. "We're going to be in the same group!"

"Oui, it's fine, is it?" Alcea said, nodding in agreement, even though she didn't look nearly as enthusiastic about it. It wasn't like she had a problem with partnering up with Callie, it was just that she did not do well with strangers.

And what was truly frustrating was the fact that she had to work with the Commander and his group of people. That was something that she wasn't at all comfortable with. But similarly to Vic's line of thinking, Alcea had to admit that it could have been worse.

She wasn't forced onto the trip with the Phantom, and she wasn't going to be working with Olivia, either, which would have been a different sort of frustrating.

Olivia's feelings towards Alcea were complicated, to say the least, and that wasn't something Alcea was particularly excited about. Right now, her attention was better suited towards getting through this field trip.

Luckily, the Commander's blonde hair and military jacket made him a pretty clear beacon of where they were supposed to go.

Callie didn't share any of Alcea's concerns. She was all smiles, and for a good reason.

She wouldn't have to babysit her bother of a brother! Rafe was in a different group, and would be their responsibility! She could just enjoy the trip! Even though Callie didn't have any friends among the juniors and seniors, it didn't matter, she could still enjoy herself knowing that Rafe wasn't there to make her play the role of caretaker 24/7! He had his own chaperone!

"So you must be Alcea and Callie!" Rui greeted the two with a warm smile. "Welcome to the Orre Region! So this is everyone?"

"Maddi!" Callie ran over to the other girl, her face brightening. She and Maddi weren't exactly friends, but they had hung out in a group setting a few times. And seeing a familiar face was definitely a relief on a trip like this, that was for sure!

Maddi was less relieved. While Callie wasn't as annoying as, say, Cynthia, she was still a high-energy type of person, and Maddi wasn't good with those. But she could put up with it, at least, for the sake of not causing more tension among the groups.

With everyone gathered together, Rui decided it was time to take them on a tour of the Orre Region- starting with where they had all been dropped off at!

Compared to other regions, the Orre Region was actually very small. There were only a handful of towns, all easily reachable by bus or car. It was more akin to a very large county than its own region, it would be an easy feet to visit each town in the span of a week. Hence why it was chosen as the destination for the field trip: the different groups could split up and visit locations at their chaperone's discretion, and still be within easy contact range if something happened.

There were only five cities in the Orre Region. The capital, Phenac City, was one of them, but it wasn't where they were right now. They had been dropped off at Gateon Port, the closest city by bus from the airfield.

And what a sight it was! If one just set eyes on Gateon Port, it would be easy to forget that Orre was a desert region. A large lighthouse overlooked the sea as the waves gently rocked into the docks, and people bustled across the marketplace, eager to trade their wares.

"So this is the Orre Region?" Callie asked, surprised. She took a big whiff of the salty air. "I'm a little confused, it's not at all what I expected."

She'd been napping on the bus ride over, so she'd missed the fields and fields of arid wasteland they'd had to cross to get here.

"Gateon Port is the number one trade route in the Orre Region," Rui told them. "It's also got the largest population of all the cities in Orre!"

Maddi could believe that. While the port wasn't exactly crowded, it was still a lot more people than she'd seen at the deserted airfield.

"So my job as a chaperone is to serve as your escort," Rui explained. "I'm here to watch over you kids and keep you safe. But you guys are the ones who can decide what you want to do, and where you want to go. So what do you think? Are there any places you'd like to check out? I'd suggest we stay in Gateon at least for the night, so we could check the tour stand-"

"Battle," Alden said automatically. Vic had to suppress the smile that threatened to break out across her face. That was exactly like the Commander she idolized, not in the region for more than a couple of hours and already he was looking forward to getting some pokemon battles.

Rui was a little taken aback. "I… was thinking more about checking out the local tourism spots, like the Krabby Club…"

"Sure, we can do that later," Alden said. "But right now, I'd like to get in some pokemon battles, if you don't mind."

Rui didn't have a problem with that. She shrugged and nodded, smirking a little. This boy Alden, and his single-minded focus on battling, it was all very familiar. "My, you remind me a lot of my husband," she giggled.

"Shut up, mom!" Vic snapped. "He's nothing like dad!" Vic's father was determined, sure, and a master of pokemon battles, but he was nothing compared to Alden! Her dad was so cold and fierce, while Alden was bright and warm and accepting. There was no use comparing the two of them.

"Well, if you want to get in a few pokemon battles, the lighthouse is the best place," Rui said, pointing towards the lighthouse at the end of the pier. "Sailors go up there to look for pokemon battles, because there's an arena right at the top of it! Of course, you can have a pokemon battle just about anywhere there's free space," she said, gesturing to the wide-open area of the pier.

Alden looked around, taking in the sights. Sailors were battling sailors in pokemon battles, and all their faces were locked with determination.

It was like Vic had said. No one here was battling pokemon for fun. They were fighting to win, because victory would put money in their pockets and food on their plates.

For Vic, it was a painfully familiar sight. No wonder Cipher had been able to get such a foothold here, where people only cared about winning pokemon battles and didn't give a damn about the means to do so.

It was a painful sight to see.

The Phantom would probably have it just as easy now as Cipher did back then, she sadly had to admit to herself. Cipher may have been crushed, but when it came to the people of Orre, nothing had really changed.

They would probably take to Shadow Pokemon just as easily as they had back then, and that was a sad thing to imagine.

Alden was in a bit of a bind himself. He wanted to have a fun battle to commemorate setting foot in the Orre Region, but none of the people around him seemed like they would be up for it. Maybe he would have more luck in the lighthouse?

The group climbed the lighthouse, and emerged on the top of the building. They were expecting to see trainers battling their hearts out, but no, the battlefield was deserted.

Alden was disappointed. Apparently, today wasn't a good day to find trainers to battle. The only people he saw were other students, like them, checking out the sights. The sailors must have all cleared out when they saw the tourists.

He sighed. None of the students looked like they would be in the mood to battle, either, which was sad. Orre wasn't meeting his expectations. But he quickly picked himself back up, and his smile returned. That was the reason he was here, after all! If the people of Orre weren't looking excited for their battles, he would show them that battles were something to enjoy!

"Let's head back downstairs," he suggested. "I'm sure that there's someone we can find to battle back down by the piers!"

"Yes, sir!" Vic nodded, eager to see the Commander battle. Hopefully, if he could show the people of Orre what a real battle was like, he could get their spirits back up, and-

"Excusez-moi."

Everyone was surprised that Alcea was speaking up. She'd been quiet the entire time, not commenting on any of the things Rui pointed out on their way to the lighthouse.

She ignored everyone else, and was staring at Alden with fire in her eyes.

"If you're looking for a battle, is it… then would I be a suitable opponent?" She asked.

Callie's jaw dropped. Alcea… was going to fight against Alden? The Commander?

Alden raised his eyebrow. "Oh, now that's an interesting challenge…"

"Oui, I did not have the opportunity to face you directly in the Phantom Cup," Alcea reminded him. She narrowed her eyes. "But that doesn't mean I was not looking forward to the opportunity."

Vic fumed. She hated when the Commander fought against women, particularly strong ones, like Alcea Vermeil. This was why she hadn't wanted Alcea to join their tour group! She was a strong and talented trainer, and believed by many to be the strongest female trainer in the school.

And the thought that she was going to fight the Commander… it just made Vic sick to her stomach. With how obsessed he was with strength…

It was Anabel all over again. Someone else had appeared with the ability to capture his heart, and she didn't want to see it firsthand.

But at the same time, she couldn't say anything. Who would she be, if she interfered with the Commander enjoying a good fight? His happiness came first, and she wasn't about to get in the way of that.

So if he wanted to fight against Alcea, she would shut her mouth like a good little soldier and let her Commander have his way.

Alden grinned. She could see on his face that this was exactly what he wanted. A thrilling fight to inspire the people of Orre? Alcea would be the perfect match.

"You've got yourself a battle," he agreed. "But not right here. I want to show those sailors down there what a match should be like! Sound good?"

Alcea certainly didn't mind a little spectacle. As long as she got to test her strength against the Commander, she didn't care where they were. So they headed down the lighthouse, and prepared to face off against each other.

Everyone else in the Commander's group was tingling with excitement. Even the most reserved of them thought that this would be a good match!

So, the students have finally arrived in the Orre Region! And in true Commander fashion, we're starting things off with a battle! But what kind of match will this be? What other secrets lie within the Orre Region? We'll have to find out!