With our milestone passed, we return to the Orre Region where we check back in with Maddi and see how she's handling things! Hopefully everyone will be able to keep her special Eevee a secret for now, otherwise we might be in for some really big trouble!

The Semi-Final Round of the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Contest 3 has begun! These are our semi-finalists! Make sure to get those votes in, and choose which of these girls you think should make it to the finals! You can only vote for 3, so make sure to pick your favorites!

Semi-Finalists: Ayame, Chloe, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Marion, Sango, Vic

KedharS: Yep. Nice bonding moments are nice.

Rowlets and Oshawotts: Yep, it's definitely been a long road!

Guest: Yep. She did want to go, but her crippling fear of people (with good reason) made her have to say no. Still, she can't help but want it regardless. Such is the tragedy she finds herself in.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Again, thank you for your support! It's been a long road! Take as much time as you need.

Hyphenman: I don't know, maybe I am superhuman. Or maybe I have nothing better to do with my time…

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1001

While Cynthia was celebrating her 1000th rejection with her friends, across the world, in the Orre Region, tensions were running a little higher.

Once Maddi had finished coming up with some convincing lie about having a special Eevee, and ensured that Ian, Donoma, and Chloe wouldn't talk about it to anybody, the group of four headed to the Pokemon Center when they were stopped by a certain someone.

"Hey now! Where are you fellas going in such a hurry?" Yellow called, startling the quartet. They turned to see the blonde woman stroll up to them with her fishing rod resting lazily over her shoulder and a whimsical smile on her face.

"We were just going to heal our pokemon at the Pokemon Center," Ian explained. "We got in a bit of a battle, you see."

"Oh, I gotcha," Yellow nodded. "Well, no need for that! If you like, I can heal your pokemon right up! Sound good?"

"…Wait, what?" Maddi asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"H-Huh?" Chloe didn't know what this blonde woman was talking about. She'd learned from the last few days that Yellow had been staying with them that she was Marion River's mother, but what was she talking about healing?

Donoma was the one to step in, surprisingly.

"This woman, Yellow, she's a harmonia user as well," she explained. "And she has the power to heal pokemon with her abilities."

Maddi was taken aback. "R-Really?" She asked, her stoic expression twisting with shock. "That can't be…"

"Aww, you're making me blush!" Yellow said, turning scarlet. "Yep! That's right, I can heal any pokemon I lay my hands on! So how about it?"

"B-B-But… no, that doesn't… that doesn't make sense," Maddi said, shaking her head. She knew that harmonia allowed you to connect with pokemon and increase their strength, but something like healing, that was just… no, that couldn't be.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Yellow asked, raising her eyebrow. "Sure it's possible."

Maddi was still on guard.

"Uhum… uh…"

Everyone turned to Chloe, who'd summoned the courage to interrupt. But the second they looked her way she quickly shut up, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself. It was Maddi who helped her get over that.

"Hey, if you have something to say, just say it," the girl calmly responded. "You don't need to get all worked up over nothing."

Normally, something like that would have made her more reluctant, but Chloe actually appreciated Maddi's candor because she knew the other girl was a good person. So she swallowed her courage and explained the situation.

"Madison, um… you were… unconscious for this, I think… back when those people attacked… but actually, Victoria used something… similar, I think…" She explained.

Maddi blinked. "Wait, what? You're saying that Victoria's harmonia can do that, too?"

"Un," Yellow nodded, holding up her hand. It was glowing with a soft gold light. "Rui and her daughter both have a special kind of harmonia like mine that can be used to treat injuries and restore the energy of pokemon."

Donoma took in that new information with intrigue. So Victoria Carver had a power like that, huh? She knew the girl had harmonia, but skill of that level… for a moment, Donoma wondered if there was any money to be made in something like that, before deciding not to push her luck. She didn't want to make someone like that even more mad.

She wasn't the only one who took that news with shock.

"Wow…" Maddi shook her head in disbelief. Her regular harmonia was complex enough, she couldn't imagine having power like that.

Then a chilling thought crossed her mind. What if this was just the surface of what she could do with harmonia? Maybe she had powers like those as well?

Suddenly, Maddi felt something. It was another probing sensation, like someone was calling out to her. But it wasn't the same as when she was fighting with Vee. Then she realized where the feeling was coming from, and turned to look at Yellow. The woman smiled back to her, her eyes shimmering with a gentle glow.

So that's what it was… Maddi realized Yellow was communicating to her with harmonia. But she didn't have the confidence to communicate back.

It was Ian who broke the silence.

"I thought it was really cool, seeing you heal Allen's pokemon like that earlier," he said, remembering Yellow using her powers on the trail. "Yeah, if you want to take care of Iron, I'm fine with it! And I'm sure he'll be happy not to have to wait so long!"

Ian let his exhausted Aggron out of his pokeball. The large pokemon looked warily over to Yellow, wondering why his trainer had let him out so soon after such an intense fight.

"Please, allow me," Yellow said kindly, setting down her fishing rod. She stepped forward and held out her hands, which were both glowing gold. Reaching up she gently caressed Iron's armored skull, spreading the yellow aura out over his entire body like she was applying sunscreen. In seconds the hulking pokemon was covered in light.

To Maddi's amazement, Iron's wounds began to heal. The bruises and bumps and burns slowly smoothed out, and even the cracks in his armor from Vee's earthquake mended themselves. Before long, he was looking even better than he did before the match began.

"Pheew!" Yellow leaned back, wiping her brow. The light around them had faded away. "That one really took a lot out of me!"

"W-Wow," Maddi said, unable to find any other words to describe what she'd just see. "That was really… wow."

"It's not much," Yellow said, patting Iron on the cheek as he stood up tall, "but I'm glad I can help a pokemon like this!"

She turned to Ian and flashed a reassuring smile. "Don't worry! He's all ready to go! You could use him in a fight again, if you wanted! …But I'd request you don't. Give him a chance to rest, you know? It'll be better."

"Yeah, definitely," Ian agreed, recalling Iron to his pokeball. He couldn't help but glance expectantly over to Maddi though.

Yellow turned to her as well, smiling serenely. "If you'd like, I could help your pokemon, as well?" She offered.

Maddi hesitated for a moment. She didn't know this woman, after all. Where had she come from? Who was she? But even though she didn't know for sure, she had a pretty good guess. The calming nature she seemed to exude, the fact that she held a fishing rod, and the fact that she also had harmonia, all of these things were signs that the woman in front of her was likely Marion's mother. Being here at the same time as Marion herself was even more proof of that.

She remembered that time in Hoenn when Marion had stayed with them at the inn. The girl had bragged a ton about her mother, and how great a woman she was. Maybe… maybe Maddi could trust her, then?

It might have been her harmonia talking, but Maddi could certainly FEEL a trustworthy vibe coming off of the blonde. So she decided that it was worth a chance.

"…Okay," she relented, handing Vee's pokeball over. "You can heal him if you want. But please be careful, alright?"

"Don't worry," Yellow said, giving Maddi a smile that seemed to glow with responsibility. "I'll take very good care of him, I promise."

She released Vee from his pokeball. The small Eevee was still unconscious, but he looked healthier now that he wasn't being pinned by Aggron. He was breathing evenly, snoring away like he was just fast asleep.

Maddi was relieved.

"You have a cute Eevee," Yellow giggled, kneeling down next to him. She held up her hands and began to soothe him, releasing a yellow glow as she healed the cuts and bruises that marred her pokemon's fur.

Maddi gasped. She'd felt a little warm and odd when Yellow had used her powers on Ian's Aggron, but now that she was using it on Vee, a pokemon that she had a deep connection with, she could feel how he was being healed. It was like Yellow was using a portion of her abilities on her, as well, and it was a strange feeling.

But even stranger was the sensations she felt coming from Vee as his body healed. She could feel how his wounds were closing and his strength was returning, and it was so unnerving that she needed to take a step back to regather herself.

In a matter of minutes, Vee was totally healed. He continued to sleep, though, and Maddi was fine with that. Between the battle and all the transformations they ran through before it, she knew that he must have been completely exhausted. It was better to just let him rest and not have to worry about anything serious.

Take care, partner, she silently wished as the light died down and Vee's strength recovered. Tentatively, she reached out to him with her mind, and felt significantly more strength coming off of him. That was what finally made her relax.

"All done," Yellow said, rising to her feet and recalling Vee to his pokeball. She turned and handed it over to Maddi. "Your Eevee is in perfect health."

"…Thanks," Maddi said, bashfully taking Vee back. She felt a little embarrassed at how suspicious she'd been of Yellow given how much care she could now feel from the older woman. Maybe Cynthia was right, and she needed to be more open with others.

"Well, now that that's all settled, I suppose we should get going," Ian said. "Sorry to interfere with your walk, Madison. …Unless you'd like to come with Donoma and I, maybe?"

Maddi couldn't say "no" fast enough. Particularly after she saw the harsh look flash across Donoma's face for a moment. She shook her head. It was clear that the other girl wanted to be alone with Ian for some nefarious purpose or another, and it wasn't any of her business, so she let them head on their way.

Chloe took the opportunity to slip away herself with a quick goodbye. The truth was, she was very curious about Maddi's Eevee and this strange harmonia that the girl suddenly possessed (did she have it before? But Chloe had never found any evidence of that…) but she didn't want to turn the closest thing in her group she had for a friend into an enemy, so she excused herself before she made a scene and bothered her.

That just left Maddi alone with Yellow. And while Agate Village's aura was soothing, and Yellow was a very nice person to be around, Maddi was feeling a little awkward so she turned to get back to her walk as well.

"…Thanks for helping Vee, again," she mumbled, and headed for the trail, only to be stopped by Yellow herself.

"Hold on one moment, I wanted to ask you something," Yellow said, her expression tense. Immediately Maddi got defensive.

"…What is it?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Yellow had been kind enough to help Vee, but now she seemed different. More cautious. Maddi was reminded again that as nice as this woman may be, she was still a stranger.

"Oh, it's nothing bad, really," Yellow quickly said, doing her best to reassure Maddi. "It's just… about your Eevee…"

Wrong thing to say. Maddi's wary stare turned into a fierce glare and her guard rose up even more. "What about him?" She growled.

"When I was healing him… well, my powers… they don't just let me connect with pokemon and restore their wounds, you see," Yellow said. "They also allow me to connect to a pokemon's thoughts and even see their memories…"

Maddi froze. "…Well. It seems harmonia gives you all sorts of unique abilities then, doesn't it? And what did you see?"

Of course, Maddi knew exactly what the woman probably saw.

"Your Eevee… he's special, isn't he?" Yellow asked. "He has a very unique power… that's what I saw. The way he seemed to… be able to transform into different pokemon like that, it isn't normal of Eevee, now is it?"

"…What about it?" Maddi asked. Her hand inched towards the pokeballs on her waist before she stopped herself. Was she seriously considering attacking this women with her pokemon after she'd just healed Vee?

Yellow's eyes were watering, and she had a strange look on her face. It was a sad, nostalgic sort of visage.

"…You know… I have a very dear friend who once had an Eevee," she murmured. "Of course, now that Eevee has evolved into an Espeon."

"So what?" Maddi bluntly asked. She wasn't here to listen to this woman's life story.

"You see… I didn't see this for myself, mind you, but I heard it from him… that Eevee, it had been experimented on by Team Rocket."

Maddi tensed again. A fearful thought crossed her mind. "…Team Rocket, you say?"

Yellow nodded. "At the time, Team Rocket was doing some serious research on pokemon genetics," she explained. "And one of the pokemon they were experimenting on… it was an Eevee. And Red, my friend, his Eevee-"

"Wait, your name is Yellow, and you have a friend named 'Red'?" Maddi interrupted. She couldn't believe it. "Is that just… normal to you?"

Yellow blinked. "Isn't it?"

…Well, no idea how to respond to THAT.

"Just… go on," Maddi sighed, not seeing any point in questioning such bizarre naming sense. It was a miracle Marion's name wasn't "Turquoise" or something.

"Well, Red's Eevee… after Team Rocket experimented on it, it developed the capability to evolve between Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon, at will, and return back to Eevee," Yellow continued, another sad expression crossing her face. "It was in a lot of pain, the poor thing…"

Maddi felt an ominous chill roll down her back. That sounded dreadfully familiar, didn't it?

"Listen, about Vee…"

"Oh!" Yellow gasped, cutting her off. "D-Don't think I'm trying to imply that you did anything untoward towards your Eevee or anything! I told you, I saw all of Vee's memories, so I know that's not how it happened! You only had concern for your pokemon, after all!"

That made Maddi feel a little better at least. So Yellow wasn't going to accuse her of abusing Vee or anything like that.

"Yeah, that whole thing, it was… complicated," Maddi muttered. She didn't have a much better way of describing it.

"I was just concerned, for your sake," Yellow said, glancing at Vee's pokeball. "I know that, for Red, it caused him a lot of heartache, and his pokemon really suffered. But if you didn't know, and you were worried about Vee, then I thought I should at least tell you that Vee doesn't feel any pain from this power, alright?"

Maddi blinked. That was what she was so concerned about?

"So if you're worried about your pokemon-"

A burst of laughter escaped Maddi's lips, startling Yellow.

"Wh-What?!"

"S-Sorry," Maddi said, her face turning red. She quickly shook her head. "That's just… well, it's not what I expected."

She smiled. "You know I have harmonia, right? Which means I can hear the voices of pokemon, too. I may not be as good at it as you are, and I know I don't have any other special powers like seeing my pokemon's memories or healing their wounds…"

Maddi fondly caressed Vee's pokeball.

"…But I do know how Vee feels. And I know how happy he is. So I don't have to worry about anything like that. He and I are both on the same page, alright?" She turned to Yellow, who was just as relieved as she was.

"…That's good," Yellow sighed, relaxing. "I was kind of worried for a little bit there. But honestly… I didn't expect to ever see a pokemon with those sorts of abilities again. Being able to change form like that, and then there's the matter in which you acquired those powers…"

Maddi winced. That was what she'd been afraid of. Since Yellow had seen Vee's memories of acquiring the µ Gene, then that means she'd seen the fight that occurred at the S.S. Libra.

"Hey, listen, about that battle… and the lab…"

"You mean about that pokemon?" Yellow asked, cutting to the chase. Her expression was completely serious now. "That artificial pokemon with transforming powers, known as Eve."

Maddi nodded.

"You want me to keep it secret?" Yellow asked. "You don't have to say anything, I can feel the tension coming off of you, your harmonia is trembling."

Urf. Stupid power. Maddi scowled, tensing up.

"Listen, I know it's bad… and I know we should tell the authorities about Eve…"

"She's dangerous," Yellow said, narrowing her eyes. "You and Vee could barely stop her, from what I saw. You only just managed to drive her away."

"…I know."

"What if she attacks someone else? Don't you think people have the right to know?"

"Of course they do!" Maddi exclaimed. "It's just… can you please not tell anyone about Vee and I? Please?"

She squeezed Vee's pokeball tightly. "If they knew that he had the power to turn into different forms because of some lab experiment, because of that… what was it? The µ Gene? If that happened…"

"You're afraid that people would come and take him away, and experiment on him, aren't you?" Yellow's voice was sympathetic. She approached Maddi and placed a mothering hand on the girl's shoulder.

"They might try and take his power… use it to copy his abilities… when I think about Vee going through something like that…" Maddi couldn't get the fear she felt to leave, not even by putting it into words. It just kept piling up in her heart.

Yellow's smile soothed her, though.

"I told you before, remember? About my friend and his Eevee?" She murmured, tightening her grip on Maddi's shoulder. "Experimenting on pokemon is wrong. The people I work for, the Aether Foundation, we value pokemon and the natural state. Even if we improve the environment with our technology, we'd never do something like try to alter pokemon or experiment on them. Anyone who would do something like that is a bad guy!"

Yellow puffed up her cheeks with fury and made a fist. "I have no sympathy for bad guys! They'll get a taste of pain!"

Maddi burst out laughing again. She couldn't help it. As ditzy as she acted sometimes, just like her daughter, she couldn't help but see Yellow as anything but reliable.

And it felt nice to have someone to rely on.

That's good. Maddi's opening up a little more, and she's gotten everybody to keep her secret. Hopefully, nothing will come out of this, and her Eevee won't get taken away to get experimented on. That would be really bad.