In the hunt for wild pokemon, Keya and Callie have set out to explore Agate Village, headed for the one place that it's forbidden to enter – Relic Cave. What will they find inside? Will there be wild pokemon there? Or is this just one big wild goose chase? Whatever the answer is, hopefully they don't get caught. It's not good to sneak around into places that you aren't allowed in, especially not if the people who won't allow you in are your parents! Remember to review!

KedharS: It is kind of complicated, and a pretty big problem, at that.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Interesting… I wonder who else might be there, if Celebi is there?

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 936

"This is a bad idea."

Vic said that for what felt like the hundredth time that day. The other four were walking up the winding path toward the mouth of Relic Cave, and she was trailing behind them constantly reminding them that they weren't supposed to go inside.

"Come on, Vic, it's exciting!" Alden called back to her. "We get to go see if there really are wild pokemon in the Orre Region hiding in this cave! Don't you want to find out the truth for yourself and see if the rumors are correct?" He asked.

Vic bit her lip, and glanced over her shoulder. The truth was, she couldn't deny what the Commander was saying. Ever since she had been a little girl, the idea of finding wild pokemon living in Agate Village had been appealing to her. Back in those days the only pokemon she'd seen were her father's, and she'd always wanted to see more.

There was still that hopeful, excited girl deep down inside that wanted this, and no matter how hard she tried to fight it she couldn't help but want to verify it for herself.

She took another peek behind her. Agate Village was a calm, peaceful place, filled with sweet old folks who all doted on her. So why was she feeling so cautious? Why was there a pounding terror in her breast, telling her not to go inside? Was it because, as a little girl, her parents had always warned her not to enter that cave? Yes, that had to be the reason why.

And yet, she couldn't help herself. Unable to go against what the Commander wanted to do when he set his mind to it, all she could do was follow him up and hope that everything turned out for the best in the end.

When they reached the cave entrance, Vic was surprised at how small it was. When she had snuck up here once, as a little girl, it had seemed large and imposing, but now it looked just… normal. There was a grassy ridge sticking out of the side of the cliff, just large enough to stand on, with the cave smack in the center of it.

It was barely taller than she was.

It must have been her childhood anxiety that had made it seem so much larger than it was, Vic realized. She'd been chastised by her parents that day for trying to sneak in, and that must have made the place out to be so much bigger and more intimidating than it actually was.

"Yeah, let's go!" Keya said, heading for the cave, but Alden stopped him.

"Hold on now," he said, glancing back to Vic. "Vic's been waiting for this longer than anyone, hasn't she?"

"Wh-What?" Vic asked, surprised that he was talking to her. "I mean…"

"Don't you think it's only fair that she be the first one to go inside?" Alden asked the others.

Alcea shrugged, not at all invested. She had other things occupying her mind at the moment, if that's what Alden wanted to do then it was fine with her. Callie and Keya glanced at each other, and silently agreed that it was only fair that Vic, who had always dreamed of finding wild pokemon in Agate Village since she was a child, deserved to have the opportunity to go in herself first.

"And there you have it," Alden said, flashing Vic a smile. "What do you think? Want to be the first one to go and see for yourself?"

Vic swallowed. She hadn't been expecting something like that. She glanced at the cave. Dangling across the mouth was a chain, and planted beside it was a sign that read "Keep Out, Only Village Protector Beyond This Point".

Everyone was looking at her. Waiting to see what her decision would be. She couldn't deny that she wanted to see what was behind that chain, she'd wanted it since she was little. And if there really were wild pokemon…

She knew it was wrong, but she still climbed over the chain and headed into the cavern.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Keya cheered, eagerly following after her, with Callie hot on his heels. Alden headed in after them, leaving Alcea standing along on the side of the cliff, staring in the yawning abyss.

Alcea hadn't said anything, but she was having second thoughts. After all, she was a good girl. Ladies didn't break the rules and sneak into places they weren't supposed to. Frankly, she was surprised that Callie had gone along with it, given how responsible she usually was. Perhaps she was making too big of a deal out of this?

Truthfully though, the notion of there being wild pokemon in Agate Village, or in the Orre Region at all, for that matter, wasn't the most important thing for her at the moment. Far more serious was the conflict she found herself in when it came to her own emotions.

Orre had been hectic for her. Developing feelings that could only be called a crush for the last person she would have expected was one thing, but now that she was in Agate Village, everything felt somewhat strange.

She wondered if this had been what Keya was alluding to when he was talking about sensing something with his harmonia. It couldn't be, could it? After all, Alcea didn't possess harmonia of any kind, she was a normal girl.

But she couldn't deny that she felt something abnormal about Agate Village's atmosphere. It just felt so unusual, she couldn't help but note the change. Not that unusual was a bad thing, of course. In fact, she found the sensation to be rather pleasant. It was like just being here filled her with energy and made her feel more lively, it reminded her of… something.

This nostalgic sensation was exactly like when she had been on that island. She squinted and tried to remember, there was something about that place, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, like part of her memory was blocked off. It wouldn't be odd, of course, for a child to repress something as traumatic as being stranded on a deserted island and fearing that their family must be dead from a shipwreck, but those weren't the memories that were missing it was something else…

Well, whatever it was, it wasn't enough to keep Alcea from following after the others into the cave and seeing what was inside. If anything, the desire to figure out why she was having these familiar sensations was only making her more curious.

But it was enough time for something else to happen. Because while Alcea was dawdling outside the cave, there were other people out and about in Agate Village themselves.

Rui walked outside and stretched, feeling refreshed now that she'd finished up the chores. She glanced at the tent that was halfway set up and nodded in approval, it seemed tha Tommy really did know what he was doing.

Then she was surprised when the door opened up behind her and Maddi stepped out.

"Oh, Madison, hello," Rui greeted her. "I thought you were staying inside?"

"I was," Maddi murmured, squinting a little to let her eyes readjust to the light. "But I thought I might go for a little walk, if that's okay."

Rui brightened. "Oh, of course! That's perfect! Agate Village is such a lovely place, we have such great scenery for you to check out, if you like! Take all the time you need, just remember to be back by six so we can have dinner!"

Maddi gave a noncommittal nod. "Yeah, sure," she murmured. "No problem."

She turned and took a look at the side of the cliff and the waterfall, taking in the breathtaking scenery that Rui had described. That's when she spotted something out of place.

"Wait, what's that over there?" She asked, squinting at the cave and pointing.

"Oh, that's the entrance to Relic Cave, please stay far away from there," Rui said. "I already told the others, that cave is a protected landmark, and only the village's protector is allowed to go inside, for upkeep purposes."

Maddi blinked, and nodded. "Okay, but that's not what I was talking about," she said. "I mean, what's that, in front of the cave? Isn't that Alcea over there?"

"Huh?" Rui shielded her eyes with her hand and squinted, trying to get a better look at what Maddi was pointing at. She saw a flash of bright red standing out starkly against the green of the vines and grass around the cliff, and gasped.

That bright red hair, it had to be Alcea! And then with a flutter, it was gone, slipping into the mouth of the cavern.

Rui went pale, then her face flushed with anger. "What are those kids doing?!" She roared. "I told them to stay far away from that place!" Maddi left forgotten, Rui broke into a mad dash towards the path leading up to the cave, desperate to stop the students before they did something that they wouldn't be able to take back.

Maddi blinked, watching Rui depart. She shrugged, and headed off in the other direction for her own little walk around town, enjoying the fresh air.

Being outside wasn't so bad. She wasn't about to go camping, but she was content where she was at the moment, that was for sure. Agate Village was a nice place, and it almost made her forget about the dull throbbing pain in her eye.

Meanwhile, the other kids who had snuck into Relic Cave were busy admiring the beauty of it, and none was more in awe than Vic.

Ever since she was little, she had built this place up in her mind, imagining what it was like and what she would find when she eventually entered.

She hadn't been expecting this, however.

The walls of the cave were lined in bright green stones, and seemed to be shining. It was like a stained glass window it was so beautiful. The entire cave was illuminated by streams of light like the sun was shining in, casting the long tunnel in a soft green glow.

"What's up with this place?" Callie asked, letting out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. "It's amazing!"

"It really is," Keya agreed, kneeling next to one of the large pools of water leaking in through the cavern wall. Like the rest of the cave, it was also glowing a bright green. There was shiny moss growing at the bottom, making it look almost like limeade. "How does everything get to be so… so this color?" He wondered curiously.

"It's the natural rock formations, I guess," Alden shrugged, running his hand along the side of the wall. Even the parts of the cavern that weren't made of the shiny green rocks were still colored a very deep green, there wasn't a single patch of the cave that wasn't. "I guess there must be holes in the cave that go all the way up to the surface."

"It's not that," Alcea said, causing everyone to turn and look at her as she walked up to them. They hadn't even realized that she had been gone until now.

"Oh? What do you mean?" Alden asked, curious.

"This cavern isn't being lit by sunlight," Alcea assured them, running her hand along one of the shiny rock surfaces. "The angle of the light is incorrect, is it?"

"Oh, yeah?" Callie asked, glancing at one of the walls. "Then what's causing it to glow like this, then? It's so pretty."

Alcea knelt down next to the same pool of water that Keya was standing beside. "It's bioluminescent moss," she explained. "It grows in very damp, dark environments like this one. It must be growing in tiny pockets in the earth, in other sections of the tunnel complex, and we're seeing the effects of it shining through this ore. The green agate is so clear and pure that it's almost like a window, amplifying the brightness of the moss."

"Pure agate, huh?" Alden said thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "Well gee, I guess I know why they call it the 'Ore' Region then, huh?"

Everyone stared at him for a moment as the stupid joke hung in the air. Then laughter burst out from one of the most unlikely sources, Alcea.

Callie stared at her in amazement as she chuckled, that was the first time she'd ever heard Alcea laugh that hard… heck, that might have been the first time she'd ever heard Alcea laugh period that wasn't anything but a soft chuckle!

"Apologies," Alcea said, sobering up and rising to her feet, her cheeks pink with shame. "Puns are a bit of a weakness of mine, is it?"

"Well, that's enough of that," Keya decided, standing up as well. "This place is cool and all, but remember why we came here! We need to find those wild pokemon, and right now I'm sensing one that's gotta be really close!"

The sensation he'd been feeling, that connection to wild pokemon, it had only been growing stronger since he'd entered Relic Cave, and he was desperate to see what was on the other end of it. He turned and looked at the others expectantly, waiting for them to follow.

But Vic stopped him before he got too far.

"Not… not just yet," she said, shaking her head. She had started to sense something too, in fact, ever since she'd entered. Those feelings of harmonia that she had dismissed from Keya, well, it wasn't so easy to dismiss them anymore.

Because right now, Vic was remembering something from when she was a child. From when her harmonia had first started to develop. She was remembering the reason why she'd first came to this cave, all those years ago, and it wasn't because she had just been curious.

She had sensed something.

Even when she was just a little girl, her harmonia had responded to something, like a voice that had been calling her to this cave. She hadn't thought anything of it at the time, because she'd just been a child who had no idea what harmonia even was, and maybe she'd thought that she'd just imagined the whole thing to begin with. And once she'd grown up, and she stopped being able to sense that voice, she had forgotten about it entirely.

But now she was an adult, and she was back here again ten years later, and that feeling was back and it was stronger than ever.

She concentrated, trying to feel that connection again, desperate to understand just what it was she was sensing. Was it a pokemon? It had to be, right?

Realizing that sent her heart ablaze with excitement. There was a wild pokemon here. There had to be. She could feel it. She didn't know what lay deeper within this cavern, what was at the end of this tunnel, but she knew as well as Keya did that it had to be a wild pokemon of some sort, there was no doubt about it.

The two of them glanced at each other and shared a look of understanding. Keya smiled, and Vic even smiled back, and they both nodded.

This was it. It was exactly what they had come here for.

Unfortunately, neither one of them had the chance to go further and vindicate themselves, because a loud voice echoing off the cavern walls put the fear of god in their chests.

"What the hell is going on here!?"

Five heads turned in a panic to see Rui standing behind them, panting, her face covered in sweat and flushed with exertion and outrage.

"What did I tell you?!" She demanded. "What did I explicitly tell you!? You kids are NOT permitted to enter Relic Cave!"

She was furious. This was the angriest she had ever been in a very long time. She had made herself perfectly clear, and the kids had all agreed that they wouldn't go near it. She felt betrayed, taken advantage of, and mocked.

"I gave you kids a little bit of freedom," she growled, storming up to them, "and this is what you chose to do with it? Spit in my face and break one of our village's most sacred taboos? One of the ONLY rules I gave you, and the SECOND I take my eyes off of you, you sneak in and do THIS?!"

Nobody said anything. Not the strong-willed Callie, or the perpetually-happy Keya. Not Alcea, who was used to handling herself under pressure, or Alden, whose attitude was usually that of a very permissible and composed leader. Everyone knew that they were the ones in the wrong, and nobody had the courage to stand up to an enraged Rui.

Not even Vic. She felt the weakest out of everyone here. After all, it was her own damn fault that this had happened, and she'd known better than anyone here that it wasn't okay to come to this place. She'd known, but she'd gone ahead and done it anyway, and now her mom was upset.

"M-Mom," she tried to explain, but Rui silenced her with an icy glare.

"And you, Victoria, you know better than ANYONE that you aren't allowed in Relic Cave," Rui hissed, walking over and glaring at her daughter. "I can believe that these kids would break the rules out of curiosity, but you… you KNOW how important this place is to us!"

"It-It wasn't her fault!" Callie weakly protested. "We dragged her with us! She kept telling us not to come!"

"And yet here she is," Rui snapped. "But that's not important right now. What's important is that we need to LEAVE. We'll sort out what sort of punishment you kids get when we get back home, do you understand me?"

Vic swallowed, and stood up straight. She shook her head.

"I'm not leaving," she replied. It was one of the hardest things she'd ever said.

Rui looked at her daughter like Vic had slapped her across the face.

"What did you say?" Rui demanded.

Vic faltered. "I-I said… I said I'm not leaving! You can't fool me this time, mom! I can feel it! My harmonia is calling out to me!"

"Same with me!" Keya agreed. "We know there's a wild pokemon here! Maybe a whole bunch of them! We can't just leave now!"

Rui couldn't believe what she was hearing. "A wild pokemon? Ridiculous. That's just a rumor," she scoffed. "There aren't any pokemon in Relic Cave. There aren't any pokemon in Agate Village! You're being silly, your harmonia is convincing you of something that isn't true."

Vic wasn't buying it for a second. "No way, mom," she said, shaking her head. "I know you can feel it too. Your harmonia is telling you the same thing that mine is, isn't it? You KNOW that there are wild pokemon here! You've known ever since I was a little kid!"

Rui glared at her daughter, but her voice caught in her throat. She hated lying to Vic, she hated it. But she couldn't tell her the truth, either.

What would you do, Wes? She asked herself. What would you do right now?

Well, this is a fine kettle of fish. Vic's standing up to her mother, and is convinced that there's a wild pokemon inside of Relic Cave! Could she be right? It certainly seems that way. But if so, does Rui know? How could she not, with her harmonia? But if she does know the truth, why is she hiding it from her daughter?