We're continuing with our cast in Agate Village, and exploring the idea that was raised last chapter about camping. Also, this chapter is a good chance to really get a chance to know the Commander's group a little bit more. We're going to be spending a lot of time in Agate Village with Vic and Alcea, but I also want a chance to get to know some of the other members of the Commander's organization a little better too.

KedharS: She's very sweet. Rui's one of my favorite girls in pokemon games.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Yep, little things like that are nice. I do want to characterize the Commander's organization a little more, since I feel the majority of the focus has been on Maddi and Vic, and even then, Maddi's sort of fallen into a minor role at that.

ArcturusDrip: It's definitely going to have an effect on her, that's for sure.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 934

The suggestion that the students spend their time in Agate Village by camping outside was a surprising one, but not an unwelcome one.

Even though a lot of the students weren't exactly used to roughing it, Agate Village was the closest thing a lot of them had seen to paradise; it would be one thing to suggest camping out in the harsh wastelands of Orre's deserts, but in a lush, fertile mountain village like this one, where even the grass smelled nice, it was a compelling idea.

Not to mention the fact that nobody was a big fan of sleeping in Rui's cramped living room with nine other students. That had all the makings of an absolute nightmare. So when Rui proposed the idea that their group camp outside while in Agate Village, the idea was discussed with some excitement, particularly among the boys.

"Finally, something to get excited about on this trip!" Tommy chortled. The giant grin never left his face. "This place is a great spot for some camping if you ask me."

Callie was genuinely surprised. "You enjoy camping?" She asked incredulously.

Tommy blinked in confusion. "Yeah, of course I do. It's the best, roughing it in the wilds with your pokemon, enjoying the thrill of nature as you struggle to survive… there's no better test of endurance if you ask me!"

He stared at her quizzically. "Why, what did you think I would think about it?"

"Uh… I can honestly say that it never really crossed my mind," Callie replied. Spending even one thought on Tommy seemed unnecessary to her, but it was a little rude to say that. Mainly though, she just wasn't that big a fan of the muscle head.

Tommy seemed to take that in stride, though. He shrugged. "Well, I'm a happy camper from way back, so just leave it to me!" He shuffled through the living room and grabbed his enormous backpack. "In fact, I've already packed all the things we'll need!"

Rui was surprised by that. When she'd proposed the camping idea, she had been worried about having to provide some of the equipment herself, as well as not being sure if they'd be able to find everything they needed for all the students.

"…Why would you bring along camping gear?" She asked, confused. "The plan was for all the groups to stay in hotels and Pokemon Centers."

Tommy looked at her like that was the stupidest question he'd ever heard. Which, coming from him, was quite an insult.

"Because it never hurts to be prepared, obviously," he snorted. "Orre is one of the harshest regions in the world, the sort of place where someone has to struggle just to survive… can you imagine what would happen if we got lost? It would just be us and our pokemon against nature, fighting to survive, forced to rough it in the wasteland…"

"…Or we could rely on a Flying type pokemon to find help," Vic dryly replied. "Any other stupid ideas you got?"

Tommy's tan face heated up and he glared at her, but quickly let that pass.

"Whatever," he shrugged, sitting back down and clapping Mason on the shoulder. "What about you, Mason, are you in the mood for some camping?"

The tone of his voice revealed that he already knew the answer to that question. Mason looked up from his book with a sour expression on his face, not saying a word. But everyone could see what his thoughts on the matter were.

Mason was not the kind of person who enjoyed "roughing it" as Tommy put it. He didn't really talk with any of the others, but everyone got that just from his gaunt appearance and his pallid skin. He was the sort of person who looked like he was allergic to the sun, and even after spending days in the Orre Region, all that had happened to his complexion was a nasty sunburn, with no signs of tanning anytime soon.

So yeah, with the burns, he wasn't exactly in the mood for talking (not that he ever was) and he definitely wasn't in the mood for camping outside.

Chloe wasn't that thrilled about it either, for that matter.

She was the quintessential nerd, after all. Playing video games, studying, writing papers, her amount of exposure to the outside world bordered on close to zero, that was why she'd joined the Research Course in the first place instead of something more active, like the Battle Course, even though she liked pokemon battles just fine.

Plus… didn't camping mean, like, having to share a tent? With a bunch of people? God, she would just DIE! Sharing a room with Maddi had been stressful enough, and that girl treated her like she didn't exist most of the time! Forget trying to get any sleep when trapped in a cramped living room, staying in a tent would be even worse!

On the other hand, she could always stay outside of the tent, wrapped up in a sleeping bag, but then she'd be prey to all the wild pokemon who would come upon her in the night when she was defenseless and sleeping and then they'd…

…

Wait, there weren't any wild pokemon in the Orre Region. Although, people did say that there had been sightings in Agate Village…

…Oh, wouldn't that be just her luck? The first confirmation that wild pokemon could indeed be found in Agate Village would be her mangled remains, her first and last true contribution to the field of academia.

It wasn't exactly something she'd be able to take pride in, now was it?

So no, the idea of camping outside was not one that kindled joy for Chloe, and Mason wasn't all that thrilled about it either. The only people who were really discussing the idea were the outgoing types like Tommy, Keya, and Callie, and of course, all of them were cool with it. Even Alcea seemed onboard with the idea, after all, she had more experience "camping" than anyone here, if spending three years stranded on a deserted island counted.

Chloe glanced warily over at Maddi. The girl hadn't said anything one way or the other, and was busy checking her phone. She sighed. There would be no help found there, it looked like.

"I agree, I think it would be a fun idea!" Alden smiled, putting the final nail in Chloe's coffin. She doubted that anyone would be willing to speak out against the Commander, especially not Vic, who was nodding in agreement with him.

But then somebody did.

"Still, there is some concern," Ross said thoughtfully, drawing the attention of everyone. They all looked to him for clarification.

He shrugged.

"All I'm saying is that not everybody may be in the mood to camp outside, is all," he explained with a calm smile that made Chloe relax. "So while it's definitely a nice idea, we need to keep in mind that some people might not be ready to have the idea sprung upon them."

Chloe didn't know if he was talking about her, or Mason, or even Maddi, but she appreciated the defense regardless.

"For example, I've never been camping before," Ross clarified, patting himself on the chest. "And while I'm definitely open to try, I'm not sure that other people who haven't tried it yet would be as accepting of such a new idea."

Again, he didn't name names, or even give any pointed looks to anybody, but what he was saying was really resonating with the others, especially Rui.

"Yeah, I guess I kind of jumped the gun on that one," she admitted sheepishly. "But still, it's not the worst idea. How about this? We have everyone who wants to camp outside, they can camp outside, and anyone who wants to stay inside, they can stay inside."

"Eh?" Chloe gasped in shock. When everyone turned to look at her, she realized she'd made that exclamation out loud, and quickly clamped her mouth shut, turning bright red with embarrassment at drawing attention to herself.

She didn't think that Rui's suggestion was a very good one. After all, who in their right mind would choose to go camping when the alternative was staying indoors in a nice, well-insulated little hut with all the modern conveniences? Chloe couldn't imagine for the life of her who would ever make that decision.

But she needed to be more imaginative.

In fact, a lot of the students were still getting worked up about the idea.

Of course, once Tommy had been given the idea of camping outside, there was no going back. All he'd needed was permission. He was practically ready to leap out the door right now and start setting up the tent, even though it was barely past lunch time.

Keya was also interested in camping outside. Due to his harmonia, he'd developed quite an affinity for wild pokemon, and though they were seldom seen in the Orre Region, he still hoped that he might spot them in Agate Village. There was something about this town that just seemed to call to him somehow, and he was hoping that what he was feeling were the emotions of wild pokemon. The more time he spent outside the more likely he was to realize his hopes, so that meant camping was absolutely on the menu.

And as for Alden, well, he just found the idea to be fun in general. He was always willing to try anything, and had gone camping a few times with his brother back home for reasons that were similar to Tommy's. So he was onboard. And if the Commander had decided to do something, that meant that Vic was going to do it as well, even though she this was her house and she already had a bedroom she could sleep in.

As for Callie, things were a little more complicated. She had been open to the idea of camping when there hadn't been any other option, but now there was. She glanced over to Alcea, and wondered what she would choose.

But for Alcea, there wasn't even a choice.

"I also think I would like to go camping, is it?" She decided, giving Rui a smile.

"Alright, way to go, Alie!" Alden whistled, clapping approvingly.

Alcea's face reddened and she turned to the Commander, scowling. "Please do not call me that!" She insisted as politely as possible, not wanting to lose her temper.

"I'm gonna go too!" Callie decided, nodding.

"Yeah, of course you are," Tommy smirked.

Callie's eye twitched. "Huh? What do you mean by that?" She demanded.

"Just that ever since you came here, you've been sticking to Alcea like glue," Tommy said, shrugging his shoulders. "It seems pretty clear that you're latching onto her, and are going to do whatever she wants to do."

Callie felt her own face heat up. "W-Well, of course! She is my friend, after all! Why wouldn't I want to go camping with her?"

Tommy shrugged. "Nothing wrong with it at all," he clarified. "Just saying that we already knew you two came as a packaged deal."

He laughed to himself and Callie fumed, wanting to lay him out on the ground again like she did on the beach. But she restrained herself.

She was curious, though, why would Alcea want to camp outside? Sure, there had been that… business she'd known about, hearing how Alcea had been stranded on a desert island. But certainly that had been enough to convince her to never get in such a circumstance ever again, right? Callie couldn't imagine that Alcea would want a repeat performance.

That was one of her own failings. Because in spite of Callie's proclaimed friendship with Alcea, and despite of how much about her she'd come to know, thanks to Alcea letting her in and sharing things with her, Callie still had a very superficial view of the girl herself.

She thought that, because of Alcea's upbringing, she would feel more affinity with staying indoors, because she was still, at her core, a noble lady. And it wasn't wrong of her to have this perspective either, given the kind of image that Alcea worked so hard to cultivate. She DID act very much the part of a noble lady, always polite and courteous, even to those who she found personally distasteful, and did her best not to make a scene.

And of course, she also had a bit of a taste for the finer things in life as well, and carried herself with the dignity that a lady should always have, which was a stark contrast to Callie's own personality and way of conducting herself.

But that was only part of the story. Callie was a very genuine person, who shared all of herself with everyone she met. What you saw was what you got, she was sweet, passionate, easily angered, and altogether a kind and understanding, if stubborn, young lady.

And because she carried herself with such candor, she had a tendency to accept people for how they appeared on the surface. She didn't bother trying to look deeper and try to peek into the parts of other people that they wanted to keep hidden, that would be incredibly rude. She would much rather just be directly rude to them.

It did her well when hanging with people like Nick, who tried his best to show her all his best sides, or people like Sango and Cynthia, who were genuinely honest and sweet with little guile. But when it came to making friends with people like Alcea, it caused her to develop an unconscious blind spot when it came to the girl's real feelings.

Alcea had two sides to her, after all. There was the dignified and composed young lady who acted as everyone expected a young lady to act, but that was just half of her. There was also the girl who had spent three years living in the wilderness as a child, learning how to survive and fend for herself with the help of her pokemon.

That part of Alcea had never truly gone away. And even after she reintegrated into society and took upon the role of "lady" again, she still felt the call of the wild in her breast sometimes, and still found herself quite comfortable with the outside.

Oh, certainly, she would never do something as crass and savage as dressing up in furs and tromping around in the jungle like some wild woman, but she did have a certain fondness for the freedom of nature. That was the wildness and ferocity that came out when she fought with her pokemon, and what made her such a deadly foe.

It wasn't a sin for Callie to not pick up on this, of course. It wouldn't have made her think any less of Alcea if she knew, and in fact, she might like that more "wild" side of Alcea even more if her friend felt comfortable revealing it. But the fact of the matter was, she still thought that Alcea was a sheltered lady, and was shocked that the girl wanted to go out camping.

Shocked, but not at all disappointed.

"I think it'll be a lot of fun," Callie whispered to Alcea while the others discussed.

Alcea nodded. "Oui. There are certain things that you can only feel when you sleep outside, and feel at one with nature…"

Callie stared at her friend in surprise. She knew Alcea was quite well-spoken, but that was downright poetic!

After a little bit more discussion, it became clear what the plan was going to be. In the end, most of the group was going to be camping outside after all.

Mason, Chloe, and Maddi would all stay in the living room, giving them more than enough space to themselves. Meanwhile, Rui would supervise the others while they camped out.

Tommy was all set to get ready, but Rui reminded him that there was no need; after all, it was barely one o'clock, they wouldn't be ready for bedtime for several hours yet.

But to Tommy that didn't make a difference, he was already out the door.

"He's very… eager, isn't he?" Rui said, suppressing a laugh.

"It's just the way he is," Ross said, shrugging his shoulders. "He's got a pretty big fondness for the outdoors, almost as much as you, Keya."

"I'm surprised too," Keya said, scratching his cheek. "The way he talks, you'd think he'd want to be a Pokemon Ranger, right?"

Ross shook his head. "Yes, you'd think so, but no. While he does enjoy camping and spending time outside, he's a much bigger fan of pokemon battles. That's where Tommy's true passions lie, after all, and the reason why he joined the Commander's organization."

"It's one of the things I like about him," Alden nodded. "His 'Sense' is always so pure and clear, just a guy who loves a good fight and is honest to a fault!"

They were very much alike in that regard.

"…Annoying," Maddi mumbled under her breath.

"Did he ever tell you guys about his goals when the Battle Frontier opens?" Ross asked, and everyone shook their heads.

Ross turned back to the door. "Hey, Tommy! Come on back, the others want to hear about what you're planning to do!"

Tommy popped his head in, confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"What's your Battle Facility going to be about?" Ross clarified. "The others are curious."

A broad grin spread across Tommy's face, and he stood up even taller. "Oh! Well, that's simple! Mine's called 'The Battle Temple'!"

Everyone gave him blank stares. They were going to need a lot more than that.

"The way it works, is that trainers take in a team of pokemon and a backpack of supplies," Tommy explained. "And they have to rough it through a facility that's filled with dangerous obstacles and wild pokemon. They have to make it all the way through a long labyrinth, camping out and trying to survive without their pokemon fainting! It's sure to get people's heartrate pumping, and build bonds with their pokemon as they struggle to get through against the other challengers!"

There were some nods of agreement, everyone could see what he was getting at. Callie thought it was a marvelous idea, and had actually grown to respect Tommy a little more after hearing it.

The only person who wasn't thrilled was Chloe. Her face went pale.

What?! His facility is a maze?! But that's what I wanted to do! She didn't have nearly the courage to stand up and say that, however.

So we got a nice little breather chapter getting to familiarize ourselves with some of the members of the Commander's group. We've known these guys for a long time, but we haven't really gotten the chance to know many of them on a deeper level. Hopefully this arc will help change some of that.