Ryoko has revealed a lot about what happened to Vic in the past, but there's also a lot of things that she's keeping secret. Why could this be? What is she trying to hide? And what else does she have to tell us about Vic and her family? There has to be a reason that Vic had those memories, after all. We're going to be learning some more about Vic and her family this chapter!

KedharS: Vic always knew about Wes's past fighting against Team Cipher. She may not know all the details, but her parents never tried to hide that part from her, at least.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 939

Vic reigned in her pain and anger. She had to stay in control of her emotions. She was angry at Ryoko. She was angry at her mother. And she was angry at her father.

But most of all she was angry at herself.

She had just accepted her parents' restrictions without thinking about them. When they told her not to go into Relic Cave, she believed that they must have a reason for it. And from what Ryoko had said, that wasn't far from the truth. Her parents HAD a reason for lying to her, but even now, they wouldn't tell her what it was.

Ryoko had said something about worthiness. Did that mean her own parents didn't think that she was worthy?

There was so much she wanted to say. So many things she wanted to ask. But she held her tongue. Ryoko, for all her words about being willing to explain the truth, hadn't told her anything. She wouldn't even confirm whether or not there was a wild pokemon in Relic Cave.

Vic knew there was. Just the look of guilt on her mother's face was enough to confirm her suspicions. The question was whether or not she would ever get the chance to see it.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally broke the silence.

"Ryoko, I only have one other question," she said quietly.

"If it is something that is within my power to answer, then I am happy to do so," Ryoko calmly replied, giving Vic a cool smile.

"The memories that you hid from me… when you suppressed them… can I ask you why you did that?" Vic asked. "Why would you lead me into Relic Cave, show me… whatever it is you wanted to show me, and then seal away my memories of what happened? It doesn't make sense."

That had been something that had been bugging Vic ever since her memories first started returning. Ryoko and her mother had both been talking about how important it was to keep people away from Relic Cave, to protect whatever was inside of it.

But instead of turning her away, Ryoko had led her inside hand in hand.

It was an inconsistency that was eating away at her, and she wanted to know the reason for it. But she suspected that would just be another question that Ryoko would respond with "I am not able to answer that question at this time" or some other non-answer.

Which is what made Ryoko's response all the more shocking.

"That was because I needed your help," Ryoko calmly replied.

"My help?!" Vic asked in disbelief. She glanced over at her mother and saw that Rui was just as shocked as she was. Clearly this hadn't been a response that either had expected.

Ryoko nodded, her eyes never leaving Vic's. "Due to the nature of your harmonia, it was essential that I get your assistance."

Vic remembered that day a lot clearer now. That voice… that feeling… her harmonia had awakened that long ago, and she'd just never known because she had been around so few pokemon. But that voice… yes, whatever she had sensed, the pokemon had certainly been asking her for help!

"What's so special about my harmonia, then?" Vic demanded.

"All harmonia have similarities, but they also have unique differences," Ryoko explained. "Some may feel a connection toward a specific type of pokemon. Others may have particularly severe manifestations of their abilities in the physical world around them. And still others may connect with pokemon in ways uncommon for other harmonia, such as being able to speak with one directly, not simply sensing their thoughts and feelings. Every line of harmonia is unique in the way that it manifests itself."

Vic shook her head. "I still don't understand."

Ryoko glanced over towards Rui. "The line of harmonia possessed by your mother is not necessarily as powerful as other types," she explained. "However, there is a quality to it that was essential for her in her youth. She could not only see the corruption of Shadow Pokemon, but she also possessed a natural ability to reach out to them through that suffering and heal the scars on their heart."

Vic looked at her mother in surprise. Rui's face was impossible to read, however.

"Wes and I… I've told you the story of how we met, right sweetheart?" Rui asked quietly, turning to meet her daughter's gaze.

"Yeah, you always said that dad saved you from kidnappers who wanted to study your harmonia, because it was a threat to what Cipher was doing with the Shadow Pokemon," Vic said. "And after he rescued you, the two of you teamed up to take down the organization."

"That is what happened," Rui said, nodding. A nostalgic smile crossed her lips. "But that isn't the full story. Wes and I, we captured Shadow Pokemon from the bad trainers who used them, and worked together to purify the corruption in their hearts. Wes would fight with them, to help them work through their trauma, while I connected to them with my harmonia and tried to slowly chip away at the locks over the doors of their heart."

Vic was amazed. It was the first time she'd heard that. In all their stories, her mother had always made it out to be the case that all she'd done was stand on the sidelines while Wes battled, giving him encouragement and using her abilities to sense which pokemon were Shadow Pokemon. But to think that her gentle mother had actually played a direct role in things…

"Even though I wasn't fighting directly, I still tried to connect with the Shadow Pokemon," Rui said. Her hands were shaking. "It was… difficult."

Vic remembered the last time she'd seen Shadow Pokemon, at the Phatom Cup. And the first time, as well. Every Shadow Pokemon she'd seen had been like poison striking her heart, threatening to overwhelm her.

But she'd never tried to reach out and actually connect with one. The thought of doing that… it was overwhelming to her, it made her sick to her stomach.

And her mother had done that for every one of the Shadow Pokemon? It sounded impossible, unimaginable. And yet she could see the truth in Rui's eyes.

"Mom, that's… that's amazing," Vic breathed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Your mother has a very unique harmonia that allows her to heal pokemon that would otherwise be beyond saving," Ryoko explained. "One of the abilities of harmonia naturally allows one to heal their pokemon, but in her case, it is far more significant. Even the deepest, oldest of scars can be healed given enough time. And it is that very ability that made her so vital in helping your father defeat the Shadow Pokemon."

"It's the reason why our family has always resided here, in Agate Village," Rui explained. "Back to my mother, my grandmother, and her mother's grandmother… countless generations of holy women residing in Agate Village, the purest spot in the Orre Region, tasked with the duty of healing those who could not heal themselves."

Ryoko nodded. "And it is that very same power that resides in you."

Vic shook her head. "Me? No. No, you're wrong, my harmonia, it's nothing like that."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her? Some great healer? Certainly her mother, gentle and kind as she was, was the sort of woman who would tend to the injured pokemon, but Vic… she wasn't any sort of healer.

"That's because I never wanted this for you," Rui said quietly. "I ran away from Agate Village when my grandparents tried to explain my responsibility to me. I didn't want to live the life they wanted me to live, so I ran. And I kept running, until I ran right into the arms of the man I love. And he showed me how important it was, to embrace this power and use it to help others."

She looked down, and a shadow crossed her face.

"But I didn't want to force that on you. I thought that, when you were ready, I could tell you the nature of your powers, once you got used to them and had a chance to live your life a little longer. Then you could decide what you wanted to do. I wanted to give you the same choice I got," she said, reaching over and placing her hand on Vic's.

Vic didn't have the heart to tell her mom that she didn't want anything to do with Agate Village or her family responsibility. She wanted to stand at the Commander's side, working with him on the Battle Frontier.

That was all she wanted.

As Rui held her hand, Vic thought about what she had just learned. Not just about her family's history but about her own. It was all starting to fall into place. Vic had the same ability as her mother, even though she hadn't really ever used it. And that had been what Ryoko was after. Ryoko hadn't said as much, but Vic could see it clearly.

The responsibility of her mother's family wasn't just helping injured pokemon. Not anymore, anyway. They guarded Relic Cave, in order to protect what was in there. That's why they needed a strong trainer like her father, and a healer, like her mother.

That pokemon, or whatever it was that was in Relic Cave, had been injured. Or sick, maybe. And it was calling out for help. And Ryoko had come to her for help, so she could save it with her harmonia. Vic had done so, clearly, because the pokemon was still around. But because she was too young for her parents to decide if she was worthy or not, Ryoko had erased her memories after the fact. It was the only thing that made sense…

Vic gasped in realization.

…Except it didn't.

Clearly, Ryoko knew about Rui's abilities, if she had sought out Vic for help. Which raised the question, why didn't she just go to Rui in the first place, then? Why bother going to the trouble of asking Vic to help her?

"There's something you aren't telling me, isn't there?" She asked, staring suspiciously first at her mother, then at Ryoko.

Rui shook her head in confusion, but Ryoko didn't blink.

"Yes," she said with a calm nod, "there are still many things that I have not informed you of. Does this upset you?"

Vic scowled. Yeah, it upset her alright! "Tell me, why did you choose me? If my mom was right there, then you could have gone to her, right? And she's got a lot more experience with this kind of stuff than me."

Rui gasped, realizing what her daughter had said was the truth. She turned to Ryoko. "Victoria's right! Ryoko, why did you ask my daughter? You'd always said she snuck in, but if you actually brought her, then why didn't you ask me? This whole time I'm the one who's been helping keep-"

She clamped her hand over her mouth before she gave anything else away, turning pale.

Ryoko took a deep breath, held it for quite some time, and then gently let it out.

A small, enigmatic smile crossed her lips.

"That… is not something that I can reveal at this time," she confessed.

Vic growled. She knew that well enough already.

"Then is there anything else you can tell me?" She demanded.

"There is only one last thing I have to say to you," Ryoko replied, checking her watch. "Then I must depart."

"Fine. What is it then?" Vic demanded.

Ryoko clicked her watch closed and rose from her seat, staring at Vic with an expression that was impossible to read.

"Do you remember the girl?" She asked.

Vic blinked. The girl? What did she mean by-

Then it flashed through her mind. Just a fraction of a second, but she saw a young girl's face in her memory. An impossible memory, she was the only child to live in Agate Village through her entire youth. Could it have been a tourist? A visitor, perhaps? She searched her memories desperately for the answer but as fast as the image had appeared, it was gone.

"W-Wait, I don't… what does that mean?" She demanded, leaping from her seat and fleeing out the door after Ryoko.

Everyone outside stared in shock at the sight of Ryoko exiting the house with a frantic Vic in tow. It wasn't the kind of event that happened every day.

Ryoko turned back to look at her, and shook her head. "You will learn that truth at a later time, Victoria," she replied.

"Celebi!" Suddenly before everyone's eyes, a pokemon flew through the sky as green as the rest of the village, tiny and dainty as a pixie. It was Celebi! The Legendary Pokemon began to glow brightly, lighting up the entire village.

A pattern of green light traced itself into the ground at Ryoko's feet, practically blending in with the brilliant grass. The scent of lavender, lilac, and mint filled the air and with a chirp from Celebi, Ryoko vanished into time.

Frustrated, Vic slammed her fist against the door.

"…Whoa."

Everyone turned to see Maddi standing at the base of one of the hiking trails, her jaw dropped in surprise. Needless to say, it wasn't the sort of thing she'd expected to see coming back from her hike through the woods.

Nobody quite knew how to process what they had just seen. Unlike Blake and his friends, who'd had a run-in or two with Ryoko, most of the Commander's group was completely shocked at the fact that they had just spotted a glimpse of the legendary Celebi, and witness her time traveling powers first-hand on another person.

It wasn't the kind of thing you just recovered from.

"What the actual fuck was that?!" Tommy said in disbelief.

"That was… a pokemon, I believe?" Ross asked, as if he wasn't quite sure himself.

"It was Celebi," Alden confirmed for everyone. "A Legendary Pokemon that can travel through time. That's what we saw just now."

"He's right," Callie said, nodding. "I've seen it before myself."

Everyone let that sink in. Nobody really had the capability of processing it at the moment, and even the reserved Mason looked a little shaken by what he'd just seen.

Chloe, on the other hand, was completely losing it.

What the actual fuck!? She shouted internally. That was a fucking LEGENDARY POKEMON for fuck's sake! I never would have expected to see something like that here! Never, not ever! What's it doing here?! Where on earth could it have come from?! And why are people just acting like it's something we should accept?! That isn't normal! Legendary Pokemon are beyond rare, that's why they're called legends!

Chloe had to try very hard to keep her shock from leaking out. She was completely overwhelmed by what she'd just seen, and didn't really know how to process it.

Fortunately, Rui was there to redirect everyone's confusion. She stepped outside with a shaky smile on her face and clapped her hands together loudly, breaking the silence that hung over her front yard with a start.

They all turned her way, and her smile grew more confident.

"Well, that was certainly a surprise, wasn't it?" She said, trying to laugh the whole thing off. "But what do you guys think about getting ready for dinner?"

Dinner was rather tense and awkward. They ate burgers prepared outside, which not everyone was happy with, but people were too surprised to complain. Instead, the conversation topic at dinner was focused around countless questions about Celebi and Ryoko. What were they doing here? How did Rui know them? What did they want?

Rui, thankfully, managed to skillfully deflect most of their inquiries, and eventually the conversation dried up. By the end of the meal, everyone was still intrigued by what had happened, and of course they were curious, but it was plain to see that Rui wasn't going to be giving them any more information than she already had.

With that in mind, attention shifted next to the sleeping arrangements.

As agreed upon before, Maddi, Mason, and Chloe all decided to sleep indoors. The boys were all going to share Tommy's tent, which was a little difficult since it was made for two people, and there were four of them. Luckily, Keya was more than happy to camp outside. Spring in Agate Village was as tranquil as could be, so he would be happy outside just watching the stars.

Rui had her own tent for camping, though not as big as Tommy's, and she was going to sleep in there, with her daughter. Which meant Alcea and Callie were going to sleep outside as well, with Keya. Callie couldn't help but look forward to it.

"It's really lucky that Rui had so many extra sleeping bags, huh?" Callie said, unfolding hers next to Alcea. She was a little miffed that Rui had given her one from when her daughter was a child, but she had to get used to that sort of thing.

"…Oui, lucky, is it," Alcea mused, her mind a thousand miles away… or more specifically, focused on what they'd seen in Relic Cave.

Even though she didn't have harmonia, she couldn't deny her own feelings. There was something she sensed about this place, and she still couldn't put her finger on it.

She went inside to get her things, saying she needed to use the restroom. But when she entered, she set down her bag, unzipped it, and withdrew something important from within.

It was a pendant she'd made years ago. And in the center, surrounded by gold, was a stone nearly as large as a baseball. It was so big that it was impractical to wear as a necklace, but Alcea never went anywhere without it.

The stone in the center shined a bright green, and to her surprise, the light was so much more intense than the last time she had glanced at it.

She couldn't help but wonder if it was glowing this brightly due to being in Agate Village.

Alcea shook her head, and returned the necklace to wear she had stored it, taking her backpack and heading back outside. I'm just overthinking things, she decided. I need to get some rest. It's been a long day, and everything will look clearer in the morning.

What will the morning bring? We've had a pretty intense day with a lot of big revelations, and Vic has learned a lot about not only her past, but about her family as well. What impact will that have on her, and how will she change? What will we see from her, moving forward? And when is Wes coming back home?