Now that everyone's agreed to go camping, it's time for our cast to take a little bit of a break and explore Agate Village! What does this place have to offer? What secrets might we find here? Is Agate Village really the calm and tranquil place it appears to be on the surface? …Yes. Yes it is. But what ELSE is there to be found here? Could the rumors be correct, are there really wild pokemon in the wilds around town?

KedharS: Featured: "The Storm"

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 935

Lunch had been very hectic. It was difficult for Rui to cook food for 10 kids with just what she had on hand, so she just decided to make sandwiches instead. Of course, with how cramped the room was, they decided to eat outside. It would be a nice little foreshadowing of what camping was going to be like, she figured.

And it had gone decently enough. But now that they had finished eating and cleaned up after themselves, it was time to decide what they were going to do for the rest of the day, now that they were finished with their meal.

Tommy was busy getting the tent set up with help from Ross, and that left a lot of free time for the rest of the students to spend in Agate Village.

Rui was at a bit of a crossroads here. Frankly put, her students were starting to get a little bored. There was only so much entertainment to be found in her house, especially when there were so many more people here than were comfortable.

So she decided that it might be for the best to break one of her rules about being a chaperone, and let the students go out and enjoy themselves in town for a while. Unlike the rest of the Orre Region, Agate Village was a very safe place. She knew people here, she knew everyone here, and there wasn't any chance of them getting abducted or anything.

So it should be fine to let them have a little bit of time for themselves, right? She didn't need to watch them every minute of every day around here.

"Okay, I think that we've had a pretty long day," Rui decided, addressing the rest of the students, "after all, we did spend a pretty long time on the bus coming up here. Now that we're done with lunch, I was thinking that we could have some free time!"

"Free time doing what?" Keya asked curiously.

Rui shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not being very picky today," she said. "I think you kids have earned some time alone to yourselves. Agate Village is very safe, so it should be fine to leave you to your own devices, at least for a few hours."

The students began to perk up at that suggestion. She wasn't serious, was she? This was a first. For the last few days they'd been in the Orre Region, they'd gotten used to the idea that they didn't really have any time for themselves. They had a chaperone watching their every move, making sure that they weren't getting into any trouble. Even when they'd gone to the beach, they weren't allowed to get too far away from where Rui had set up camp.

So the idea that they would finally have some free time, some privacy to themselves, it was a very appealing prospect, even if it came as a complete surprise.

Rui looked at the pleased expressions on the kids' faces. Even the more reserved ones like Maddi, Chloe, and Mason seemed to have perked up at the idea, and that was a good sign. She let out an internal sigh of relief. Her husband would be coming home tomorrow, but in the meantime, she could find some ways to keep these kids occupied.

In the end, most of the kids wanted to go out and explore the town. Tommy and Ross excluded, of course. Tommy was still preparing their campsite, and doing a remarkable job of showing that in spite of his brashness he could be a real team player, and Ross was helping him. Meanwhile, there were a few students who weren't interested in exploring the peaceful, tranquil Agate Village and seeing the sights of nature.

Those people were, of course, Maddi, Chloe, and Mason. As expected of the three students who weren't interested in camping, they didn't have much interest going out and exploring either… at least at first, anyway.

Chloe and Mason were introverts through and through. They would remain inside the full day, on their phones or reading books, but certainly not talking to each other. Maddi, on the other hand, was a little different.

While no less private and introverted, when given the chance, she was a lot less opposed to the great outdoors. It was the socializing that she couldn't stand. So she would be spending a little time inside, and then go out for a walk by herself later. Being alone in nature was the best way to experience it, she figured.

As for the rest of the students, they were going to walk around the village and see the sights. And that made Rui rather happy. She had brought her daughter here to help her loosen up and get to enjoy herself by being back at her old home, and this was the perfect opportunity to let her have some time to herself, without having to worry about her mom always being there.

So Rui let them head out on their own, and stayed to oversee the camping preparations. It also gave her a much-needed opportunity to get to know the others better, and work on some chores around the house in the meantime.

While Rui was busy doing housework, an unlikely group of five was walking through Agate Village and seeing the sights.

Callie found it to be a little awkward herself. She and Alcea were walking together, and they just happened to be next to Alden and Vic, and then Keya was the odd man out, walking smack in the middle with an innocent smile on his face.

"So, uh… what should we do?" Callie asked.

She had touched on a crucial flaw in Rui's plan. While Agate Village was a peaceful place filled with the wonders of nature… there wasn't really anything to do. There were very few shops, there weren't things like movie theaters or malls, the only thing you could really do to pass the time was go on walks through nature and admire the picturesque scenery.

Which, admittedly, wasn't such a bad idea. Callie was enjoying herself at the moment as the kids walked alongside the river, but as someone who always felt the need to be doing something, she understood that she'd probably get bored of this very quickly.

But it seemed like Alcea was enjoying herself being around nature like this, so Callie swore that she would make the best of it.

"Hey, why did you bring that flower with you again?" Callie asked curiously. It was one thing to take it with her on the bus, but it seemed kind of silly for Alcea to have it when she was just walking through town. She could have set it on a windowsill somewhere in Rui's house, or heck, even outside with the camping gear, but she'd brought it with her.

Alcea shrugged. She couldn't quite explain it. But ever since she'd arrived at Agate Village, she'd felt extremely conscious of everything around her, and the feeling of life that was pulsing through this small village.

A sensation like that, along with the way that her flower bud seemed to be growing bigger, it almost made her wonder if it might bloom soon.

But there really wasn't any concrete reason. She just felt like she needed to have it with her, just in case of… whatever it was, she didn't know.

Agate Village was a lovely place, and the sort of quaint little town where it just felt right to be carrying around a flower.

Keya, meanwhile, was looking around suspiciously. The atmosphere of Agate Village was pleasant for people like Alcea, but where he was concerned, there was something else to be vigilant of at the moment.

"What are you doing?" Vic asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I'm looking for wild pokemon," Keya explained, a serious expression on his face. "I can feel something, they're definitely here. If they're anywhere in the Orre Region, then they'd be here!"

Vic rolled her eyes. "Trust me. I get it. I grew up on those stories myself. But as hard as it is to hear this, you won't find any wild pokemon in these parts either."

"What?" Keya asked, his face falling. "Seriously?"

"Trust me. I grew up here, and I looked all over the place trying to find wild pokemon," Vic assured him. "You won't find any. No matter how hard I checked, even with my harmonia, there just weren't any wild pokemon to be found."

Well, that certainly took the wind out of Keya's sails. But he rebounded quickly. "No, no, I'm sure there are," he said, shaking his head. "After all, I can feel them! Somewhere… there's definitely something calling to me, and I'm sure it's a wild pokemon!"

Vic let out a frustrated sigh. She could understand having that much childish optimism when she was a kid, but in spite of how he looked, Keya was her age. He couldn't really be this naïve, could he? She shook her head.

"Listen, I don't know what you think you're feeling with your harmonia, but trust me, there's nothing of the sort," Vic assured him. To prove him wrong, she began to focus her harmonia, reaching out through the village and trying to see if she could sense the thoughts of any wild pokemon.

But just as it had been so many times in the past, there was just nothing. Certainly Agate Village had a bit of a different energy about it than other places, but you didn't need harmonia to feel that. Even people like her father knew that there was something special about this place.

Keya frowned. It wasn't that he thought that Vic was lying, but…

"Our harmonia are different, you know," he reminded her. "You have the same kind as your mom, right? It's much more visual than sensational, if that makes sense."

Vic shrugged.

Keya closed his eyes. "Your harmonia connects to your pokemon… but mine's a little different. Because we're different kind of trainers."

She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it.

Keya was right, he was a different kind of trainer than she was, that much was certain. Because unlike the other members of the Commander's organization, Keya wasn't actually a member of the Battle Course, he was in the Caretaker Course, even though his goal was to join the Battle Frontier.

The reason for that was because unlike nearly every student at the Pokemon Academy, Keya did not have a single pokemon of his own.

"I've never really needed them," he'd explained to the Commander when he'd first joined. "Ever since I was a kid, I could always connect with any pokemon, whether they were with a trainer or in the wild. And I guess it just never felt like I needed to 'own' any pokemon myself."

Whenever Keya would have a pokemon battle, he would use his harmonia. And the wild pokemon around him would come running, eager to help. That was the sort of relationship that the young boy had with pokemon, and why he was in the Caretaker Course, where it was important to nurture and help even the pokemon that didn't belong to you.

Keya was an oddity. While even the most kind and generous sort, the type of person who said they loved all pokemon, still loved their own pokemon at least a little more than those that belonged to other people, Keya honestly meant it. He loved all pokemon.

Knowing this, and seeing how resolved the look in his eyes was, even Vic began to start doubting herself a little bit. Maybe it was because she was back home in Agate Village and everything seemed so much more peaceful here, or maybe she was going easy on him because of her prior hopes about the place.

Whatever the reason was, for an instant Vic began to wonder if Keya was right, and there really COULD be wild pokemon hiding somewhere in the village. There was a difference in their harmonia, after all, maybe he really was better at sensing wild pokemon than she was?

She didn't have time to really think further on that topic, though, because something else caught their attention.

"Well look at that! That isn't little Vicky now is it?"

Vic froze, her face going pale. She'd been so concerned with everyone peeking inside her room that she'd forgotten there were other things in Agate Village that were horrifyingly embarrassing for people to learn about.

For one, the fact that everyone in town knew her. And HAD known her since she was an infant. She felt herself go pale.

Indeed, walking upstream, on one of their walks, was an elderly couple that she knew quite well, the Herbert and Adea, the owners of the herbal remedy shop a few doors down. Adea was waving to her cheerily.

"H-Hello there," Vic said, trying to play it off as coolly as possible as they reached the couple. But she wouldn't be so lucky.

"Why, look how big you've grown!" Herb laughed, reaching up and patting Vic on the head. In spite of her best efforts, Vic couldn't keep herself from smiling. She quickly caught herself, though, and pulled away, red in the face.

"C-Come on," she said. "I was only here a few months ago, it hasn't been that long!"

"Ah, I think I have some candy in my purse, would you like some dearie?" Adea asked, rummaging through her handbag.

"No, no, it's fine!" Vic said, a little more rudely than she would have liked. She hastily apologized. "Sorry you two, it's just, um… been a very stressful day, is all. You know how it is, long drive coming up here and everything, and- wait, never mind!"

She wasn't supposed to be making small talk. "I-I'm just here on a field trip, that's all!" She explained, still feeling overwhelmed with shame.

"Oh, and are these your little school friends then?" Adea chuckled, turning to look past Vic and towards the others.

They were all doing a very good job of pretending that they had no idea what was going on, looking away and whistling. Callie was skipping rocks in the stream.

"Thank you for playing with our little Vicky," Adea said, bowing to them.

"Oui, our pleasure, is it?" Alcea politely replied, mirroring her bow.

"You kids have a nice day, now," Adea said, as she and her husband continued their walk.

"Say hi to your mom for me!" Herb called after her, waving.

As the pair headed off down the road, four heads turned to look at Vic.

She wanted to die with shame.

"So that was-"

Vic cut Callie off before she could say another word. "Ignore that," she snapped. "Just ignore it."

"I thought it was very cute!" Alden smiled, and Vic felt even more embarrassed than she had before. She didn't want the Commander to think of her as "cute" like that.

"Can we just… move on please?" She said through gritted teeth.

"Good idea!" Keya chirped. "I, for one, would very much like to try and find some wild pokemon, myself!"

Vic rolled her eyes. She was about to repeat what she had just said about there not being any wild pokemon in Agate Village, but she caught herself.

If that's what Keya wanted to do, well… it was better than talking about how embarrassing that encounter had just been, right? And if they searched the areas around Agate Village, instead of staying within the village itself, that meant there would be a much lower chance of them running into anyone else she knew, which was everyone.

So to protect herself from further embarrassment, Vic agreed.

"Well, I still think it's a foolish idea," Vic said to preserve her dignity, crossing her arms over her chest. "There aren't any wild pokemon to be found in these parts. But if you want to look for yourself, then I'm not going to stop you."

"Yes!" Keya cheered, punching the air with joy. That was exactly what he wanted to hear! He wasn't just short like a child, he had the energy of one, too, something that he shared in common with Callie, who was also excited at the prospect of getting to explore around town and look for wild pokemon, even if she wasn't as optimistic that they would find any.

The pair were about to run off when Alcea quickly shut them down.

"I understand you're excited, but there are still rules that must be observed, oui?" She reminded the two of them. "It still isn't safe to go off on your own, there's a chance one of you could fall and get injured, or get lost. Furthermore, remember what Rui said, we are not permitted to go past the road out of town, is it?"

That had been the only real restriction that Rui had put on them. Because of Agate Village's unique configuration, there was only one way out of the village, and that was down the same mountain road they'd come up. Everything else was blocked off by a dense forest so thick it was nearly impassible, a natural obstacle.

Even Callie and Keya were smart enough to understand not to wander too far into the forest, and knew better than to go down the road.

"So where should we start looking?" Keya wondered.

"We've gotta check the forest first," Callie insisted. "It's definitely where I would be hiding if was a wild pokemon!"

"Good thinking," Keya nodded.

"It won't work," Vic shot them down. "Believe me. I scraped through every single tree and bush there trying to find wild pokemon and there were none."

"Oh? Fine then," Callie pouted, a little irritated that she was criticizing their ideas without providing any of her own. "So if it was up to you, where would YOU suggest we start looking for wild pokemon, then, huh?"

Vic rolled her eyes. "…Nowhere. I told you, I checked the entire village."

"Really?" Callie said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "The whole village?"

Vic nodded. "Everywhere. The river, the lake, the forest, the rocky cliffs, I searched everywhere I was permitted to go."

Everyone took a second to process that.

"…What do you mean by 'everywhere you were permitted to go'?" Keya asked suspiciously.

Vic blinked in confusion. "There's a cave right up there, see?" She said, pointing to the cave a ways up the side of the cliff, by the waterfall. A thin, winding path led up the side of the riverbank towards the entrance.

"That cave leads to a sacred area. Only the elected protector of Agate Village is permitted past there," she explained. "But believe me, I've searched EVERYWHERE else, and there are NO wild pokemon in or around Agate Village.

Callie and Keya stared at her in silence. Then they glanced at each other, and a conspiratorial smirk spread across their faces as they turned back to Vic.

Well gee, I wonder where the wild pokemon could possibly be, then? Vic said she checked EVERYWHERE. I mean, not this one place that's forbidden to enter, but aside from that, EVERYWHERE. I guess there just aren't any, then.