So I know I said last chapter we'd be moving on to the major part of the arc, and I'm sure that made a lot of you expect that we'd be turning our attention to all the characters we were focusing on in that chapter! Well… we're not. Not for a little while, anyway. After all, since we're moving into the major part of the Orre Region arc, that means we have to focus on what brought us here in the first place- the Battle Frontier! That's right, we're going to turn our attention to Alden and the Battle Frontier that he's creating, and shed a little more light on the Commander's group and what they are going to be focusing on in their facilities!
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! So far, only three people have voted, we need more votes for 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. Gwen is a really tragic character. Hopefully she can catch a break at some point, she really deserves it.
Hyphenman: They'll be coming together for sure. It just won't be the focus for a while yet, we have Battle Frontier stuff to focus on, first.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 1019
A large jeep rolled over the desert, packed to the brim with children. Rui was at the wheel, driving a vehicle of her own for once, and trying very hard not to crash and kill them all. Perhaps she should have asked her husband to accompany them a little further.
"Well, I've found one thing wrong with the location you picked, Commander," Tommy said, holding up his cell phone. The words "No Service" blared over the top. "…This place doesn't have any cell reception."
"It's the middle of the desert," Vic snapped. "Why do you need a cell phone out here? Once we get the place set up properly, we can see people about building some cell towers in the area. Until then, stop complaining!"
"You said it, Victoria!" Anabel nodded, flashing a grin. "Although if you ask me, we've got a pretty big tower right there!"
Rui had escorted the Commander's group to a very familiar place. Realgam Tower. Just looking at that ominous structure sent a shiver down her spine. She hadn't been here for years; the truth was, no one had.
Realgam Tower no longer looked like a shining monument of opulence. Over the course of two decades it had fallen into ruin; the three large platforms that surrounded the main tower had come crashing down into the sand, sticking out like twisted spikes that shielded the center structure. The entranceway had become buried in sand as well, leaving the tower itself as the only marker of what had once been the focal point of Team Cipher's power.
Chloe couldn't believe what she was looking at. This place was like the setting of a horror movie, not somewhere that people could come to enjoy battles. Did the Commander really intend to build a facility like the Battle Frontier over this ruin?
She began to wonder if she'd made a terrible mistake or not. And she wasn't the only one. Nobody was saying it, but a lot of people were doubting whether or not the Commander's ambitions were attainable in a place like this.
Alden wasn't worried though. "We're not there yet," he assured them. They were still quite a few miles from the tower, in fact. Being the only structure around, the desert horizon was playing tricks on their eyes, making them think it was closer than it actually was.
"The Commander is right!" Vic's four favorite words popped out of her mouth. She glared at the others. "Don't worry, we're almost there. And once we get there, you'll see that this is the perfect place to build the Battle Frontier."
Nobody had it in them to question Vic's declaration. Rui suppressed a sigh and kept her eyes glued to what passed for a road out here. She really hoped that her daughter wasn't deluding herself, but she didn't see how she could be right.
Deep down, Vic was somewhat worried herself. But she needed to have faith in the Commander; he wouldn't have chosen a place like this if he wasn't sure!
As they got closer to the tower, it became clear that what the eye could see wasn't all there was. In fact, the place wasn't abandoned; not totally, anyway. Large tents had been set up in the sand around the tower, and excavation equipment was off to the side, secured and ready.
Rui pulled the truck to a stop and hopped out, surprised.
"What's going on here?" She asked, looking around at all the people bustling to and fro.
"Ah! You must be Rui! Glad to see you all could make it!"
Rui turned in the direction the loud voice came from, and saw a round, jovial-looking man walk out of one of the tents. His sunglasses covered his eyes, but nothing could conceal the gleaming sunlight reflecting off his balding head. He was wearing an Alola flower-patterned shirt. He waved at them as he approached.
"Scott!" Anabel hopped out of the jeep and skipped over to him. "Glad you could make it! So this is really happening, huh?"
"What is going on here?" Tommy asked, raising his eyebrow.
"It's the excavation," Scott replied. "Come on, you didn't think we'd be using this place in its current condition, did you?"
"There are a few people who have some questions about things," Alden admitted. "Can't say I blame 'em, either. Building a place like the Battle Frontier in an area filled with sandstorms definitely seems like a risky prospect."
"Oh, for sure," Scott nodded. "But don't worry. We've got a solution to that."
"Really?" Rui brightened. "Are you going to enact major environmental policies that will change the ecological condition of our region, thereby improving the condition of the land so we won't be faced with such a hazardous environment?"
Scott's blink of surprise went unseen behind his shades but his silence spoke volumes. His smile never wavered, though. "Oh, nah, we're just gonna build a big dome."
Rui slapped her forehead and groaned.
"A dome? You've gotta be kidding me."
"Come in, come in, we'll show you the plans we're working with," Scott said, gesturing the group to follow him. Everyone followed him into one of the larger tents, if only to avoid being out in the arid desert air.
The tent was nice. Several fans were hooked up to a generator, as were large lights. It looked like a very professional operation.
Spread out across the table was a model of Realgam Tower, but it looked a lot different than the monstrosity outside.
"So you may not know this, but when Realgam Tower was built, it came with a special internal transportation path," Scott explained. "On the ground, there were corridors with moving floors that would take you wherever you wanted to go."
"Oh! I remember those! Yeah, we didn't even have to walk!" Rui gasped, remembering the automated walkways.
"It was definitely some remarkable technology, but unfortunately, those pathways are all buried," Scott sighed. "Not to mention the entire facility is out of power."
His face brightened. "But on the other hand, they should still be in working order if we can power them properly! Due to the materials used in construction, especially on the glass itself, even being buried wouldn't necessarily lead to it being shut down."
Ross glanced over the model. "It looks like you're planning to use them as sort of a subway system, then. Good thinking."
"Exactly right," Scott grinned, giving him a thumbs' up. "An underground network of tunnels. With a few adjustments, we can take our guests to whatever section they want under the ground. Meanwhile, we'll pave over the sand for more traditional walkways around the tower as well."
"As expected, you've made the tower the central feature," Vic said. "Excellent thinking. The Commander's Battle Tower should be the main attraction."
"Isn't, um… isn't it a little tall, though?" Chloe asked. She didn't quite feel comfortable speaking up yet, but at the same time, talking about logistical stuff like this was one of the reasons the Commander had scouted her in the first place.
"That's exactly it!" Scott said, his passion startling her. "You see, the idea is that all the other facilities will be encased in a big dome, see?" He picked up a massive concave glass dome off the ground and slid it over the model. The spire of Realgam Tower- or more accurately, the Battle Tower, slid through a hole in the center of the dome, standing over it. "But those who climb all the way to the top of the Battle Tower, the highest point of the Battle Frontier, will look out over everyone. Pretty amazing, don't you think?"
"So what about these places, then?" Tommy asked, pointing at the large structures sticking out of the sand. Once upon a time, those buildings had been attached to the main disk of Realgam Tower, but now they rested at its base.
"Once we get those sections straightened out and repaired, we'll be using them for the main facilities you all will be running," Scott explained. "How many facilities did you say there would be, again? Just to check."
"I'll have the Battle Tower," Alden said. He glanced at the others. "Then there'll be Vic's, Anabel's, Maddi's, Tommy's, Ross's, Keya's, Mason's, and Chloe's, right? Oh, and Cynthia's too, but she's not here. So 10 in total."
"I see, that goes with what I was thinking," Scott nodded. "See, the underground road system leads to four separate areas as well as to the main Battle Tower. So we were thinking that four of you would set up your facilities a bit of a distance away from the main building.
"Okay, yeah, that does make sense," Alden agreed. "It would depend on who wants to be where, though, I'd say."
"That'll leave us with five left," Scott continued. "And I'm thinking that these three areas should be where we host those. In a design kind of like this."
The three structures that surrounded the Battle Tower were all laid out in a specific way. One was directly behind the facility, and the other two were off to the sides, forming a triangle with the tower at its center. Between those two sections of development was a large space of flatland, a giant plaza filled with smaller buildings and stands right outside of the Battle Tower's main entrance.
"This here's the main plaza." Anabel took over the explanation. "That's where I'll be hosting my facility, the Battle Salon."
Vic snorted. "A salon? What is this, the Appeals Course? We're here for pokemon battles, not to make everyone look nice."
The fact of the matter was she was just pissed that Anabel was calling "dibs" on the area right outside of the Commander's Battle Tower. Whereas her facility would probably be located a fair distance away, in one of the other three areas. It just didn't seem fair.
Anabel just smiled. It was a playful, mischievous smile.
"Oh, I think you might be underestimating the purpose of a salon just a tad," Anabel tittered. Thy shook their head. "It's more than just hairstyling. We'll be running concession stands and exchanges for prizes and teaching moves as well. It's the central economy of the Battle Frontier, after all. All these shops you see? They're all for the sake of keeping pokemon as happy and healthy as possible, so they'll be able to fight to their fullest."
Vic scowled. She crossed her arms indignantly. "Okay, go on. You have to do more than just sell stuff, you know, the Battle Frontier is about battling."
Anabel rolled their eyes and giggled. "Yeah, obviously. The way I imagine the Battle Salon is that trainers can go about their business, walking around and enjoying the sights. But when they spot another trainer…" Anabel snapped a pokeball off their belt and held it out towards Vic. "…They can challenge them to a battle! There are systems in place to set up a battlefield anywhere in the plaza, for the public to watch!"
"So people can go around and start fights anywhere, huh? That is pretty cool!" This was the first time Alden was hearing about this idea, and it sounded really exciting.
"That's just half of it," Anabel said proudly. "Remember what I said before about all those concession stands and prize shops? Well, they don't operate based on money."
"They don't?" Vic asked, surprised. "But then how do you keep them open?"
"Well, it works like this," Anabel explained, taking out their phone. "You can the code to enter the Battle Frontier, and you pay a fee to get a Salon Pass. That gives you full access to the Battle Salon facilities, and means you can be challenged to a battle at any time you're on the Salon premises. Then, when the battle is finished, both participants are given Battle Points, which they can use at any of the Salon's facilities! Neat, huh?"
"Wait, so people who win the battles get Battle Points? Does that mean that if you lose, you don't get anything?" Vic's expression darkened. This was sounding uncomfortably close to how battles tended to go in the Orre Region; she hated the idea behind Orre's "survival of the fittest" mentality, that wasn't at all what the Battle Frontier was supposed to represent!
"No, that's not what I'm saying," Anabel assured her, shaking their head. "You see, whether you win or lose the battle, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is how much time you spend battling in total."
"How much time you spend battling… total?" Vic was lost.
"Exactly. When two trainers start a match, their phones begin recording the battle," Anabel explained. "The amount of time the battle takes is used to calculate how much points each trainer receives. So if you run a long match, then you both get a lot of points, but if you run a short match, then you both get very few… but then that gives you more time to go battle other trainers, you get it? One long match that takes all morning, or a series of small matches, the idea of this system is for people to be battling as much as they can!"
Anabel was shining like the sun as they explained their plan. Alden was nodding along, completely convinced. "I get it. So you create an economic incentive for people to battle, but the actual results of the battles aren't what matters."
"Right. Plus, Pokemon Center services will be free to all, of course," Anabel said. "And the concessions will offer stuff like food and drinks that you can pay for with money, too. The Battle Points system is just for the Salon Shops, stuff like buying TMs and items for your pokemon. So the more battles you fight, the more you can prepare your pokemon for future battles! What do you think, everybody?"
They looked around the tent, and it seemed like a lot of people were onboard with that idea.
"…I'm still confused," Chloe admitted. "Why not call it, like, the 'Battle Plaza' or something, why 'Battle Salon'? It doesn't seem like much of a salon…"
Anabel shrugged. "Salons sound cool, and besides, the idea is that you'll be using the rewards to take care of your pokemon, so I think it's a perfect fit."
Vic just glowered. She hated the idea of battling for incentives. But at the same time, she couldn't technically find any problems with the idea that Anabel was proposing.
"Oh, by the way, I'll be going around the Salon area as well," Anabel added. "Introducing myself to people, offering them chances to battle, just another participant, of course."
"With this plan, we can make Anabel be one of the faces of the Battle Frontier," Scott nodded in agreement. "Along with the Commander, of course, as the head of what we imagine to be the most prestigious facility, the Battle Tower."
That was it for Vic. It was bad enough that Anabel got to be so involved in the Battle Frontier project, but now Scott was talking about making her the face of the whole thing?! Unacceptable! She opened her mouth to say something when she felt Rui grab her hand.
She glanced at her mom. Rui's face was hard. She shook her head and squeezed Vic's hand tightly, telling her to let it go.
Vic grumbled under her breath. "Fine."
She turned to Scott. "So what about the other facilities, then? What will we put in these buildings here?" She asked, pointing at the three large structures that surrounded the Battle Tower and the Battle Salon area.
"The spot in the back we're going to be using for customers," Scott explained. "Stuff like hotels and fancy restaurants will be placed in that area, at the back of the Battle Frontier." A smarmy grin passed his face. "That way, it makes trainers have to pass through all the facilities to get to the hospitality section."
Chloe sighed. That definitely made sense from an economic standpoint, but it still sounded pretty sleazy to her.
"And the others?" Vic pressed.
"Well, these two by the Battle Tower's main entrance, that space will be for you guys. You can put the last four Battle Facilities there. It should be more than enough room, I'd say. So I'll leave it up to you to work out. Who gets to be in the main section, and whose facilities will be better on the outskirts of the frontier, where there's more space?"
With that, Scott stepped aside and let the students look over the model, to determine where would be the best fit for the facilities they planned to open.
"I'll take one of the outskirt areas," Tommy immediately volunteered.
"You sure?" Ross asked. "You won't be getting as much traffic if you make the park guests have to take an underground path to get to your facility."
"They can still get there on foot," Anabel said, pointing to the foot paths. "What did you want to do, Tommy?"
Tommy explained his camping idea to Anabel, and how important it was for there to be a lot of open space for him to use. Anabel nodded in agreement, while Chloe just watched enviously. That was her idea he was copying, darn it!
Then, before she even knew what was happening, it just came blurting out.
"I-I actually… I also wanted to do a Battle Maze!" She cried. Everyone turned her way, and she immediately slapped her hands over her mouth (which was already covered by her medical mask) and what little of her face could be seen turned bright red with shame.
Did she really just come out and say it?! What was the matter with her?!
Nice, Chloe's finally standing up for herself for once! Let's see if this will be a recurring thing, or if she'll be too embarrassed to push the issue properly. Yes, we're going to be spending some time working on the Battle Frontier!