Ryoko has appeared, and as one would expect, she and Celebi have a connection to Relic Cave! But not only that, they have a connection to Vic and her past! Will Vic learn the truth about what happened to her as a child? What's going on in Relic Cave, and why is it so essential that people be kept out? Hopefully Ryoko can explain it without being too cryptic! Remember to review!

KedharS: Man blew up a whole building in the intro to Colisseum while smiling like a maniac, he's plenty ruthless.

ZenoZen: Well, sadly, lightheartedness may be in short supply.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 938

There were a lot of things that Vic wanted to ask. Both of her mother, and this mysterious Ryoko woman. But this wasn't the place to do it.

"I shall answer whatever questions I am capable of answering for you," Ryoko replied. "But I shall not do it here. This is a sacred place."

Vic scowled. "Do you really think I'd go back after coming this far?" She demanded. "You've been messing around with my head since I was a kid, and why?! To hide some secret? Because of a wild pokemon? No. No, that's not acceptable. I'm not just going to turn back now, not when I'm so close!" She cried.

"It is not meant to be that you proceed further on this day," Ryoko said simply. "But it is not an impossibility that you be allowed once more to enter."

Vic's eyes widened. "What?"

Rui was also surprised to hear that reply coming from her lips. "Wait, no way, you're kidding! But you told me before-"

Ryoko glanced at her and Rui quickly shut her mouth.

"…I'm confused," Vic said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Why would you just… let me through, then, after everything you did to keep me from that place?"

"If you wish to know the answer to that question, then we can discuss it somewhere else," Ryoko replied. "As I said, this cave is a sacred place. It must remain as free from human influence as possible, both the good and the bad."

She stared pointedly at Vic, as if she was daring the other girl to challenge her. Vic swallowed her pride, and nodded her head. What mattered the most to her was her desire to know the truth. Even if it meant she would have to put this off for now.

"I'm going to come back," Vic promised. She glanced at her mother. "I know you don't want me to, but now that I know there's a wild pokemon here, I'm going to come back."

Honestly, Vic wasn't sure why she was so adamant about this. Even Keya had lost his resolve after hearing just how important of a place this was, even though sneaking in had been his idea in the first place.

But to her, it was a matter of pride. After everything she'd gone through, she needed to see it with her own eyes, it was as simple as that.

"That decision will be made after you have heard what I have to say," Ryoko said cryptically. "Is this acceptable?"

"Fine," Vic spat.

So Ryoko led them toward the exit of Relic Cave. Everyone felt tense and awkward about what was going on, even Alden. They hadn't intended a simple search for wild pokemon to result in something as serious as this.

But there was one person who lingered at the edge of Relic Cave.

Alcea.

She stopped at the mouth of the tunnel and glanced back into the shimmering green cavern, now just a dull glow in the distance.

She felt strange that odd feeling she'd had ever since she came to Agate Village was back, and it was stronger than ever. She couldn't describe it, but she couldn't deny its effects. All she could do was wonder just what it was that seized her so severely and made her feel so in touch with the energy of this place.

Perhaps it's the stress of being in a region so devoid of life, Alcea reasoned with herself, shaking the doubts clear from her head. It's causing me to latch onto the one patch of green that still survives in Orre, that's all.

Certain that must be it, Alcea headed back with the others. But her pace was slower than theirs, she had more to think about.

Callie waited back, glancing anxiously at her friend. She could see how tense Alcea was, and wasn't sure why. But she had a guess. An awful guess that wracked her with guilt. After all, Alcea was a goodie-two-shoes kind of girl. The sort of person who never broke the rules or got in trouble. And due to Callie's suggestion, they'd violated a village taboo and gotten in huge trouble with their chaperone, maybe more trouble than Alcea had ever been in her entire life.

And all because Callie was afraid she was going to get bored.

The guilt was overwhelming her, and it made her hesitate to call out to her friend. What would Alcea say? Would she get upset? Would she not want to be friends with Callie anymore? Callie couldn't be sure what would happen, so that caused her to stay her hand.

Hopefully, Alcea would be feeling a little better later.

It was a gesture of kindness on Callie's part, even if it wasn't what Alcea wanted. The truth was, she wanted someone to reach out to right now. But because Callie misunderstood what was occupying her thoughts, it looked like that person would not be her.

But Alcea had someone else she could reach out to.

Surprisingly, Agate Village had excellent cellular reception, even though it was in the middle of nowhere. The reason for that likely being due to the fact that it was located so high on Mt. Battle. Alcea took out her phone, and called the only other real friend she had.

She knew it was late, and that Kate might be asleep right now. But Kate had woken her up in the middle of the night on more than one occasion to talk about what was bothering her, and would certainly not begrudge Alcea for doing the same.

The only problem was, Alcea had no way of knowing that at the moment Kate was underground in the Virbank City sewers, completely locked out of the rest of the world and unable to get cell service. So the call was immediately cut off.

Alcea sighed, and looked at the departing backs of the others as they headed into Rui's house. No one was looking to make sure she was accompanying them. Why would they? Of all the people here, Alcea was the most trustworthy by far.

There was still one other person she could call. For a moment, she considered Blake, but dismissed that. She didn't want his opinion. In truth… there was only one person whose opinion she trusted at the moment.

"Hello?"

"Olivia, is it?" Alcea asked. She was surprised she'd been able to get up the courage to call the Empress, but now that she had, there was no going back.

"…Alcea. I'm surprised. I didn't think you would still have my number," Olivia mused. She had given it to the redhead back when Alcea had asked for her assistance all those months ago. And not once had either girl called the other.

But now Alcea had made the first move.

"I would like to talk."

"Well, better make it fast. We just got finished with a tour, and I don't think they're going to be thinking too kindly of me taking calls on the premises. So what is it?" Olivia asked. "What has you so worked up that you would need the help of someone as great as moi?"

Alcea's eye twitched. But she held her tongue. Dealing with the Empress's attitude was just one of the things she would have to accept.

"I would like to talk with you about myself, is it?" Alcea said quietly.

"Of course you do. Because it's always about you," Olivia scoffed, and Alcea could hear her rolling her eyes on the other end of the line. But she noted that the Empress didn't reject her call, either, which was fortunate.

"I'm in Agate Village right now," Alcea said. "And it is… a very strange place."

"So what?" Olivia asked. "Why are you calling me?"

"I… am not sure," Alcea admitted. Even she didn't quite know why she'd contacted the Empress. "I suppose… I needed to speak with someone."

"Wow, now that's really sad," Olivia said. "No, seriously, I'm crying over here. The great Alcea Vermeil, the Queen of Queens, has so few friends that she can confide in that she's resorted to calling me for company. I'd burst out laughing if it wasn't so pathetic."

"Tell me, what is your belief on destiny?" Alcea asked suddenly, startling Olivia.

"Huh? Destiny? What kind of crazy question is that?" Olivia demanded.

"Ever since I came here, I have felt… off," Alcea said. It was the only way she could describe how she was feeling. "Like there was something here that was calling out to me. I can't describe it, but it feels… it feels like I was meant to come here, somehow. As if… there was a higher purpose, is it?"

Olivia let out a long and exasperated sigh.

"…Why am I not surprised?" She asked. "Alcea Vermeil thinks she's so much better than the rest of us, believing that she has a higher purpose of some kind that sets her apart from everyone else. Can't just enjoy the natural beauty of the one spit of green in the entire region, no, she has to make it all about herself."

Alcea held her tongue. The Empress's words were filled with cruel scorn, but try as she might she could not deny the substance of them.

"That… was not my intention, is it?" Alcea murmured. "I simply wondered… what your thoughts on the matter were."

"Well, my 'thoughts' on the matter are fuck it," Olivia said. "You think I became the person I am because I let destiny do my thinking for me? No. I did what I had to do to get to my position, and not destiny nor anybody else can tell me that what I did was wrong."

Alcea processed that for a second. The way she thought of it, that was just another example of destiny at work. But maybe…

"Hmm. It seems I've become quite the fatalist, is it?" She mused. "I understand. Thank you, Olivia, you have been most helpful."

"Wait, what?" Olivia asked, surprised. That hadn't been her intention at all. "Uh… look, I didn't mean to…"

"I must be going now, thank you for the advice."

"Hey, wait, if there's anything else you want to talk about-"

"Thank you, goodbye." Alcea hung up on Olivia before she could finish her sentence, and picked up the pace. She entered Rui's home just in time to see Callie walking out the door.

That made her curious.

"Callie? What are you doing out here?" Alcea asked.

Callie sighed. "Apparently, they're having a private family meeting. Which means that I'm not invited," she grumbled.

She wasn't the only one who was feeling put out by Rui's decision to clear the house. While Alden and Keya took it in stride, Chloe and Mason were a little less happy about the whole thing, forced to stand awkwardly outside while the three women discussed what had happened.

Alcea looked around and realized that Maddi was missing.

"Madison," she said suddenly. "Where has she gone?"

Chloe jumped, which caught Alcea's attention. But when the redhead turned to look her way, she averted her gaze, her face heating up with shame.

Oh, gosh! I know where Madison went, but… it-it's not like I can just tell her! Madison's the kind of person who cares about her privacy! And if she found out that I was blabbing about her actions, then she would get really upset with me! Chloe wailed internally. She didn't want to make an enemy out of anyone here, certainly not Maddi. While Maddi was a good enough person, Chloe couldn't deny that the aura around the other girl was frightening.

Alcea approached Chloe gently, able to see just how upset the other girl was. She didn't want to press the issue, but she was concerned. Especially after what had just happened in Relic Cave. The last thing they needed was for someone else to wander off and get into trouble.

"Chloe, do you know something?" She asked softly, and Chloe nearly jumped ten feet in the air in surprise.

"Uh… um…"

She found herself between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, she didn't want to betray Maddi's confidence lest she upset the other girl. On the other hand, Alcea Vermeil was asking her! She couldn't just refuse to answer! That would be unbelievably impolite, and could even make an enemy out of her as well!

Chloe didn't want that. Chloe didn't want to upset anybody! All she wanted to do was get through this field trip without stepping on any toes, why did this have to be so hard?!

Realizing that Chloe looked like she was about to collapse from stress, Alcea backed off, a little startled and confused.

"Maddi went out for a walk!" Tommy called from the campsite. He jerked a thumb down one of the hiking trails. "She went that way!"

"…Oh. Thank you," Alcea said, nodding.

Chloe's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe he could just reveal that information so casually! It's like he didn't even care that Maddi might get upset with him over it!

She really envied that attitude where it seemed like Tommy didn't care about anything. She couldn't imagine being in that position herself, not in a million years.

Meanwhile, inside, Ryoko sat at the dining room table with Rui and Vic, her face a mask of serenity beneath a small smile.

"So we brought you here," Vic said, trying her best to keep her temper restrained. "Are you willing to talk now?"

"Victoria," Rui hissed. "Don't be so rude! Ryoko here is an honored guest!"

Vic scowled. That, of course, went without saying. Apparently her mom and dad were so devoted to this woman that they were willing to even put their own daughter at risk for her sake.

That was NOT something that endeared Ryoko to her.

"It is fine, Rui, that is of course why I came here," Ryoko said, shrugging her shoulders. She reached into her blouse and withdrew a golden pocket watch. "And you need not worry. I have quite a significant amount of time for conversation."

Ryoko glanced up at Vic. "So tell me, Victoria, what is it that you wish to discuss?"

Gosh, where to start? Who are you? Why do you control Celebi? Why is Relic Cave so damn important? What's the deal with the wild pokemon living inside it? Why is it so necessary for you to keep people out? Why did my parents lie to me? Why did you mess with my memories when I was a child? Why did you help me?

She didn't ask any of those questions, however. What she asked was surprising, but it had been something that had been bugging her.

"You say you knew my mom and dad since they were young," Vic said slowly. "So I assume the reason you look so young is because you're a time traveler." Vic was aware of the stories of Celebi, and how it was a pokemon that could travel through time. If Ryoko was bound to Celebi the way she appeared to be, then that meant it was very likely that the girl was a time traveler.

"If that's the case… then you know what's going to happen already, don't you? So is that why you're telling me this now?" Vic was a very logical person. If Ryoko was a time traveler, then that meant there was a pretty good likelihood that this was a predestined meeting. At least that was how the other woman seemed to be treating it, anyway.

Ryoko nodded. "That is correct."

"…Okay. Then you already know what I'm going to ask you, then," Vic said, scowling.

She was surprised when Ryoko shook her head.

"While it is true that the contents of our discussion are destined to happen, that is not to say that I am aware of them. This would be the first time I experience this moment, after all. It is only that what will happen here is something that is always meant to happen here. Does that answer your question?" She asked.

Well… it did, but not in a way that Vic would have liked it.

So she moved on and asked the question that had been burning a hole in her mind. "Is there a wild pokemon in Relic Cave?"

"I am not able to answer that."

Vic nearly threw herself across the table at the woman. What sort of bullshit response was that?! "I thought you were going to answer my questions!?" She demanded.

"There is no merit in answering that question. When the time is right, you will discover the truth for yourself," Ryoko said simply.

"And that's going to be tomorrow?" Vic asked suspiciously.

"That is not up to me. That is up to you. Or rather, that is up to your father," she clarified.

"My dad? What does he have to do with this?" Vic asked, glancing over at her mother.

"When I passed on the duty of guarding Relic Cave to Wes, I did so with the explicit instruction that the only people permitted to answer were those that he deemed to be worthy," Ryoko replied. "I have no right to accept or deny your entry at that point. I can only prevent those who have not been chosen as worthy to enter."

"…So my dad… is the one who tried to keep me out…" Vic said softly.

"Sweetie, it's not his fault, this is a very complicated-" Vic glared at her mother, and Rui shut her mouth. Now wasn't the time.

"So why did you erase my memories, then?" Vic asked quietly. It was the most important question, and the one that she was most afraid of hearing the answer to.

"I erased your memories because it was too dangerous for you to recall what you experienced the first time you were in Relic Cave. However, I would not say 'erased' is the most precise answer. Rather, I sealed those memories off for you, through the psychic powers of Celebi," Ryoko explained.

"Why were they dangerous?" Vic demanded.

"If you had kept your memories, then you would have insisted on returning to Relic Cave," Ryoko explained. "That action could not be permitted. So it was essential that I reduce the likelihood of that occurring, and tasked your parents with keeping you away from it until the time was right."

"…And that time was now," Vic said.

"Yes. Now you will be judged, and it will become apparent whether or not you deserve entrance to Relic Cave."

Vic brightened, a calculating smile spreading across her lips.

"But wait, you already said that I would discover the truth for myself, right?" She said. "That means you know I'm going to pass the test."

Ryoko stared evenly at her. "If that is how you wish to interpret my words, then I cannot change that. You are, of course, free to believe whatever you wish."

Vic's expression turned sour. That wasn't the kind of answer she'd wanted to hear.

So it seems like even though Ryoko is willing to explain some things to Vic, all the answers aren't going to come so easily. I wonder how Vic will respond, and what else we'll discover about what happened to her in the past. What could be in Relic Cave that's so important?