Well, the Commander's group and the Empress's group have met! What will come of this, will Olivia be able to keep her composure? Will she get angry and start a war? What about Vic? And don't forget the wild card that is Marion Rivers, also technically a Daeva! We've got a lot of drama ahead, hopefully it doesn't blow up into a street war!

KedharS: That's a pretty steep ask.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Definitely dead. Tragically the number of remaining Daevas has dropped down to three.

Hellraiserphoenix: "Had" a thing. In the past tense. She used him, and now she's done. Let's see where things go from here, the two groups meeting should be interesting.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 869

Olivia had to do damage control immediately. She was taken aback by Alcea's bathing suit, and her brain had shorted out for a second. By the time she caught her breath and met the girl's face, it was an implacable mask; what the hell had Olivia just been doing?!

It pissed her off that Alcea could look that good. It was infuriating; as loathe as she was to admit it, the redhead was the only person at this school she could see as a rival, even if Olivia was so much better than her! The only thing she had over Olivia was her skill at pokemon battling, and even then Olivia had come close the last time-!

So where did she get the nerve, walking around in a bikini like she owned the place?! Showing off was Olivia's job, it was what she was made to do! Olivia was supposed to be getting Alcea to look at her, not the other way around!

"So how are you guys enjoying the trip so far?" Alden asked. He had the same big smile on his face he always wore. It didn't matter that he and Olivia were technically on opposite sides; Alden just wasn't that sort of guy. As far as he was concerned, this was time off.

"…We're enjoying ourselves just fine," Olivia said diplomatically, grateful for having an excuse to turn her attention away from Alcea. She didn't want the other girl to get the wrong idea; Olivia was the superior one and Alcea should be looking her way.

"Maddi!" A loud outburst from down the pier caused Maddi to flinch, and her face went pale. She cringed as she saw Marion running over to her. She'd been trying so hard to stay under the girl's radar, but to no avail.

"…Hey, Marion," Maddi muttered, giving her a half-hearted wave.

"Marion Rivers?" Alden asked, genuinely surprised. He quickly brightened. "Man, I haven't seen you in like forever! So you're hanging out with the Empress now, huh? That's quite a surprise, I thought you girls didn't get along!"

Olivia tensed. She didn't want the Commander to think this was some power play, that she was buttering up Marion to try and subsume his territory. If he or Vic got that impression, that could start a war, and she wasn't interested in making enemies at the moment.

She also didn't like the idea that someone like her would be thought of as being allied with Marion of all people. She wasn't sure which aspect was a bigger concern.

"So what are you guys up to?" Marion asked, skipping over with a big grin. Her eyes were shining with anticipation, and everyone knew what she was going to ask before she even said it. "Are you here to get some fishing in? I'm sure we could scrounge up some extra poles!"

"Nah, not right now," Alden said, shaking his head. "We're going to go get some dinner, we spent a lot of time partying on the beach."

"Well, isn't that fortuitous," Olivia said, smirking. "And here I thought you were a man with nothing but thoughts of battle in your head. I'm pleasantly surprised that even you can think about enjoying yourself on such a fine day."

"Hey!" Alden scowled. "Pokemon battles are all about enjoyment! I just had a roaring match that got my Sense burning with Allie earlier! Heck, you saw it!" He clapped Alcea on the shoulder, much to her displeasure.

Olivia's eye twitched. Allie?

"Please don't call me that," Alcea requested, sliding his hand off. Vic wasn't particularly thrilled herself, either. Like she didn't already have enough reasons to hold a grudge against Alcea.

Callie was dumbstruck.

Three of the four Daevas were standing in front of her, chatting like it was completely normal. Any one of them had the pull and influence to make or break a Pokemon Trainer, Coordinator, Ranger, whatever, and they were just… talking.

Callie wasn't used to being intimidated like this. And for that matter, Alcea had gotten dragged into the whole thing too! She was really starting to regret having called out to Ayame like she did, she had no idea Marion would be here too!

To an outsider, it would look like a group of teens chatting, with no concern about the deeper politics that were at play here. The Mermaid Faction were ostensibly neutral parties; her entire organization had been formed with the pretext that she didn't want her friends getting dragged into any power struggle between the others.

As for the Commander, he was interested in power. The notoriety and backing he could get from being known as the strongest trainer in his year was exactly the sort of reputation he needed to secure funds for his ideal of the Battle Frontier; anyone who stood in the way of that was a concern, even if he didn't dislike them on a personal level.

And for the Empress, it was all about influence. She had spent years slowly expanding her field of influence and making connections in the entertainment industry, getting in good with fashion moguls and makeup brands, sticking her fingers in whatever pies wanted an alliance with someone as talented as her, and with as many contacts as her. It was a spider web of "I know somebody"'s that maintained her funding and power, and another reason she wanted to stay as far away from actual conflict as possible, to protect her image.

In short, there was no reason, on paper, why the three groups couldn't get along. Marion could be friends with anybody, and Alden was much the same way. The biggest sticking point was that nobody involved actually wanted to associate with any of the others, seeing them as, at best, a nuisance, and at worst, an active hindrance.

Callie clenched her fists and prayed that the Phantom didn't take the opportunity to stroll right up and introduce himself. She might have died if that happened.

Vic was quietly seething at the Commander. She knew how important it was to maintain the image of professionalism and mutual respect, but she also knew that people like the Empress and the Mermaid were problems. Marion was a wild card that could be left to her own devices and counted on to stay out of the way, but Olivia?

Olivia was absolutely a threat. If it came down to things, she might choose to side with the Phantom, due to being, like her, similarly interested in building connections. A marriage of the two groups would see him with the resources needed to overcome the current small gap in power between the Phantom and Commander factions, and put one definitively ahead of the other; and Vic couldn't have that happen. Even before she knew he was working with Shadow Pokemon that was never going to be an option.

But the only way to prevent that would be to get the Empress to formally align with their side. But the stubbornness of the Empress and the Commander made that impossible.

Maybe if the Empress wasn't such a miserable cunt, things would be different. But she despised the Commander and probably wouldn't think too highly of the Battle Frontier, either, which made any hope for an alliance a pipe dream.

Maybe it was because these thoughts came naturally to her. Maybe it was because this was the reality of the world that she'd gotten used to in her years studying at the Pokemon Academy, so she just took it for granted.

Maybe she just hadn't stopped to consider the ramifications completely.

But there was something that Vic really should have considered about where they were and who was with them, because she was missing something really big.

Everybody was focusing on the three of them, and that meant her mother was, too.

And Rui couldn't believe what she saw. It wasn't until she broke into the center of the group and took Marion by the hand that Vic remembered where she was, and by then it was too late.

"You… You're…" Rui was stunned. This girl in front of her, she was really…

"Hi there!" Marion chirped. "I'm Marion! And you're… oh, wow. You must be Vic's mom, huh? Just… wow."

Marion had intended to introduce herself as usual to the older woman, and try to rope her into getting some fishing done. But then she really saw Rui, and immediately knew who she had to be. Neither said another word, they just exchanged quiet looks of acknowledgment.

Rui had been prepared for her daughter's friend, Keya. Vic had explained that she'd met a boy with harmonia, someone who had gotten used to the power, and used it mainly to communicate with wild pokemon. When she met him, she found someone who was much like her own daughter; comfortable in his abilities due to proper guidance from his parents, someone who could understand and connect with pokemon of all kinds.

She had never thought she'd run into someone like this girl, though.

Keya's harmonia was gentle, like the wind blowing through the trees, and Marion's was similar. It reminded her of a lake, or a bubbling brook. But she could tell that the two were night and day. They might have been the same age, but Marion's harmonia was on a level not even her daughter was close to; Rui was the only person she knew who had the same feeling she got from Marion, and she'd been training her abilities since she was a teen.

"Come with me for a second," Rui said quickly, forgetting her daughter and her responsibilities in the confusion. Marion was taken aback for a moment, but agreed, letting the woman quickly take her by the hand.

Everyone else was dumbfounded. It was the first time Marion had seemed so… compliant.

Hiromi in particular was shocked, given that Marion was technically under her charge. "H-Hey! Wait a minute there!" She cried, running after the two, but she was stopped by her daughter's hand.

"Mom, it's fine," Ayame quickly assured her, even though she had just as little of an idea what was happening. "She's… I guess she's their chaperone? She must know what group Marion's in. For now, I guess she's leaving everyone else under your supervision."

It was a cheap and easy lie, but one that worked. Being reminded of her responsibility to look after the other students was enough to get Hiromi to calm down, especially because the number in her charge had just doubled. By this point, everyone who'd been fishing was now looking towards her.

She needed to say something.

"So, um… I guess I'll be taking care of you guys for a little while?" Hiromi said to the Commander's group, completely unaware of the bad blood between the two groups of students. "I'm Hiromi Toujou, Ayame's mother. Pleased to meet you!"

It was Callie who spoke first.

"Ayame's mother?!" She sputtered in disbelief. But… but Hiromi was practically as short as her! "No way!"

"Why thank you!" Hiromi smiled, taking Callie's disbelief as a compliment about her looks.

"Hiromi, you can't seriously expect that we're just going to spend the rest of our day with them?" Olivia asked, turning back to Hiromi in disbelief. Hanging out with Marion was bad enough, but the Commander and his flunkies? Olivia's dignity could only suffer so much!

"Is there a problem?" Alcea asked coldly, narrowing her eyes.

Olivia held her tongue. She couldn't afford to look like a petulant teenager, she was the Empress! She needed to be the voice of dignity and reason. So she swallowed her pride and put on a diplomatic smile, shaking her head.

"Why no, not at all! But we wouldn't want to keep you all from whatever exciting activities you have planned," she replied. She wasn't sure what the heck that redheaded woman was doing. She was clearly the group's chaperone, so why had she just stormed off with Marion like that?

Diplomacy was called for here.

"Well, I think it's better than fishing," Donoma said, saying the word "fishing" like it was a curse. She stood up and set down her fishing pole, eyeing the newcomers. She wasn't suicidal enough to start making time with Alcea right in front of Olivia, and everyone knew how violent Vic could get when it came to the Commander. Donoma may have been a completely shameless flirt, but even she wasn't that reckless.

It was one thing to flirt with Ayame Toujou's boyfriend in front of her. It was another to flirt with your enemy's.

But there were still a couple of juicy targets she could aim for in the meantime. Donoma licked her lips and shucked off her beach cover, and got to work.

While the two groups were getting reacquainted, and hammering out a fragile truce, Rui had taken Marion somewhere private so the two could talk in peace. They were standing beside a rocky outcropping on the beach, safe from witnesses and eavesdropping.

The perfect place for a private chat.

"Who are you?" Rui asked suspiciously.

"Marion, silly! I already told you that!" Marion wore a cheerful veneer, but beneath it she was equally suspicious of her. She knew Vic had harmonia, which meant that her mother had to have it, too. And since this woman who was chaperoning the Commander's group was white, it wasn't exactly a hard guess whose mother she was.

This woman… her harmonia was impressive. It was soft and gentle like a flashlight, a warm orange glow. Nothing like Vic's. It was hard to believe that the two were even related, Marion would have guessed she was Kitty's mother!

But that light wasn't just gentle. It was strong. It brought to mind memories of Doctor K, and that made Marion curious. That curiosity and the aura of trust she felt from her was what compelled her to follow, but she still wanted to know the truth.

"Who… are you?" Marion asked cautiously, and Rui was taken aback. In the heat of things, she'd forgotten to introduce herself!

"O-Oh, sorry," Rui apologized, scratching her head sheepishly. "I guess I got so excited I kind of forgot introductions… I'm Rui. I'm Victoria's mother."

"I guessed that," Marion laughed. "What I meant was, you have really strong harmonia. So… who are you?"

"I was right then. You can see it," Rui said, sighing in relief. She hadn't met many with her abilities before.

"It's kind of rare," Marion laughed. "But yeah. And yours… wow. The feeling I get from you… you're something."

"Sorry for dragging you away like that," Rui apologized. "I didn't… I just got caught a little off-guard, seeing someone with so much… well, you know. So much."

"I was a little startled myself," Marion admitted. "Most of the people I've met just barely have a handle on it, like your daughter, or are complete beginners."

Rui's eyes widened. "You've met other people with this power? Who?" The suspicion in her tone made Marion tense.

"A… A few," she admitted. "Why? Is it important?" Suddenly, she wasn't sure if she could trust Rui as much as she thought. Sure, the woman's harmonia was nice and gentle, but that didn't mean Marion could read her mind or anything.

Flora's harmonia was gentle as could be, and look what became of her…

"Sorry, I didn't… I didn't mean to upset you," Rui apologized. "My husband says I'm a real handful when it comes to stuff like this."

"Not at all!" Marion grinned. "I don't mind, I just let the unpleasant things wash over me like waves on the beach…"

She took a deep breath and exhaled, basking in that sea breeze.

"Still, though, dragging you away like that, it was rude," Rui apologized. "I just… I just thought you might be… no, no, it's nothing."

Marion knew nothing, and this wasn't nothing. "No, no, it's fine. What's up?"

Rui looked around cautiously for a second. "It's just… there are people. With harmonia. Like us. Bad people."

"…Harmonia users come in all kinds," Marion said. "Some good, some bad. This ability itself I know can cause some issues, so you kinda have to expect that, y'know?"

"I've… heard that, from my daughter," Rui sighed. "She had… her own difficulties with it."

Marion shrugged. "Everybody does."

"Not me," Rui said, shaking her head. "Not… like that. See, I don't have any pokemon of my own, so… it wasn't really a problem. And since there aren't many native to the Orre Region, I guess… it just wasn't an issue."

Marion nodded. She could understand that. Without any pokemon, the nastier effects of harmonia were much less apparent. Maybe that was why hers was so soft and gentle.

"My husband was the pokemon trainer between the two of us," she explained. "I was more… I guess 'sidekick' is the word. I would… oh, why am I telling you all this?!" She sputtered, her face turning red. Talking about her past dating life with a total stranger?! It was so unlike her! "Sorry, I didn't mean to go off on a tangent!"

Probably because Marion seemed so… normal. With her own daughter there was an unbreakable bond, but she couldn't exactly talk about this sort of stuff with Vic. But there was something about Marion she trusted. Maybe because the girl seemed so in control of her abilities.

"What I was saying before, about the bad people… I was worried for my daughter," Rui explained. "I have some… experience. Being used for my powers. And I thought, someone as young as you, whose harmonia is so… well…"

Marion narrowed her eyes. There was something Rui wasn't telling her. Something that was bothering the woman, causing her harmonia to dim slightly.

"You don't have to worry about me, ma'am!" Marion assured her, slapping her chest with a big cheesy smile. "Old Marion here's only interested in one thing, and that's fishing! I'm not one of the bad ones, I promise!"

Rui laughed. "Oh, I know. I just… I've heard rumors. That there are people with our abilities. A group using harmonia to do bad things. So when I saw someone so powerful, I just thought… but I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

Marion said she understood and tried to smile. But inside, she knew that she didn't have the right. Because Rui was right to be suspicious. Marion had a pretty good idea who these "bad people" she was talking about were.

Rui had every reason to not want her daughter anywhere near one of their old friends.

So Rui and Marion have met. Interesting to see two people with such skill in harmonia, and zero interest in pokemon battles. I wonder if there's a connection…