Now that everything's been wrapped up with Alden and Ange, how have the fights with the distraction group gone? Did all the good guys manage to win? Or did Samarra manage to defeat someone? Will we know? Hopefully our friends will be able to win! If not, then maybe this battle is just getting started, and that might be a problem!

KedharS: That would certainly be a problem.

Hyphenman: That's quite an interesting theory, I can tell you put a lot of thought into it. As for Ange going down the stairs, well… she's stubborn. That's just the sort of person she is, low-tech under any means.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1133

The sun was just starting to rise when the four of them, with Ange in tow, stepped out of the Battle Tower to go find the others. Everyone was on guard. None of their pokemon were in any shape to fight, and if Ian and the others had failed in their mission, well…

"There he is!" Tommy called, waving them down.

"Are they being controlled?!" Mason asked suspiciously, reaching for his belt.

"Uwaah?!" It wasn't just the people who'd been under Samarra's control who'd come to greet them. Chloe was there too, with Ian and Donoma. Keya and Ross were in the back, along with all the workers as well.

Everyone stared cautiously at each other for a second. But given the state everyone was in, it quickly became clear that both sides had emerged victorious.

"That's a load off my shoulders," Rui sighed in relief, relaxing as Ian explained what had happened. After they'd cleared out the workers, the trio had split up, with each of them taking down one of the members of the Commander's organization. And they'd all managed to win!

"So there isn't anyone left controlled by Samarra?" Vic asked, suspicious. She glared at the others, but she couldn't tell. Maybe if they were in the heat of the battle she could sense with her harmonia, but at the moment, she didn't feel anything from any of them.

Nobody said a word. They had all been up the whole night fighting pokemon battles, and everyone looked completely exhausted. And frankly, not even Alden was in the mood for verifying who was who in another way- if another way even existed in the first place.

"Vic, it's fine," he assured her with an exhausted smile. "Let's not worry about it right now, alright? We have more important things to worry about."

"He's right," Rui nodded. "We didn't just come here to save everyone."

"Gee, thanks mom," Vic snapped snarkily, and Rui rolled her eyes.

"Victoria Carver, I will not be spoken to like that," she snapped. "This is an important issue we're dealing with, you know! Samarra is going to attack Agate Village!"

"Attack Agate Village?!" Tommy gasped, his jaw dropping. "What the heck? Why would she do something like that?!"

"No way!" Vic snarled, punching her palm. "That's never going to happen!"

"It's because of Maddi," Alden explained. "Do you remember how she was having problems with her eye before, and Vic's dad took her to a doctor?"

"Yeah, when she was developing harmonia," Keya remembered. "And she still has that power, right? It's even gotten stronger."

"She did fight rather well, and made good use of that power," Ian said, recalling his battle against Maddi and her unique Eevee. "But I had no idea that she actually had a problem because of it. Are you saying that something happened to her? Is that why her Eevee is so special?"

Alden frowned. "What do you mean by special?" He asked, and Ian flinched.

"Oh, um…" He suddenly realized he'd said something that maybe he shouldn't have, and looked to Chloe and Donoma for support. The responses he got from both girls couldn't be more different. Chloe gave him a blank stare like a Stantler caught in the headlights, while Donoma gave him the sweetest most innocent smile in the world, even though she was trying very hard to avoid bursting out laughing on the inside.

"Listen, Ian, I don't think you understand how serious of an issue this is," Alden said, narrowing his eyes. "You realize that Maddi is the only person we know of who's capable of figuring out who is under Samarra's influence, right? So if there's something going on with her, then we need to figure out what it is."

"Wait, seriously?!" Vic gasped.

"It's true," Chloe nodded. "We, um… saw it ourselves…" She glanced at Rui and Alden, who both nodded in agreement.

"Whatever happened to her, her harmonia… apparently she can see who's under the influence of Samarra and who isn't," Alden explained. He didn't need to mention how important that was for fighting against the crazy woman.

"I see, with that in mind, I suppose this isn't the biggest problem then," Anabel said thoughtfully. "It's probably for the best if we all head back there."

"Do we need to, though?" Keya asked. He still hadn't figured out what was going on. Everyone looked a little uncomfortable.

It was Ange, of all people, who made everything clear.

"They're saying that no one here is trustworthy," she snapped. "The Commander has no way of proving to you that he didn't lose to one of us and become brainwashed by Samarra. At the same time, you don't have a way of proving to him that YOU all didn't become brainwashed by Samarra. If this 'Maddi' girl is the only one who can clear things up, then it's vital that we get to her as soon as possible so there won't be any suspicion of anyone else."

Things hung in the air for a few seconds before a chorus of voices broke out, mainly from the workers on the tower.

"Hey! That's not right!"

"I'm not being controlled anymore!"

"I have a family! I can't just go to Agate Village!"

"ENOUGH!" Alden clapped his hands together loudly, silencing everyone. He turned to the workforce. "Listen. I'm sorry that we can't do anything to ensure that you're free right here. But if you just listen to me-"

"No, they aren't brainwashed," Keya interrupted. "I saw it. Ian and the others beat all of them in pokemon battles."

"Okay, but why should we trust you?" Vic asked suspiciously. "For all we know, YOU could be one of Samarra's pawns, just telling us what we want to hear!"

"Paranoia won't get us anywhere," Alden said. The last thing he wanted was everyone turning on each other. He realized that maybe this hadn't been the smartest thing, splitting up. It had sounded good in the moment, but now it just seemed to be leading to more division and conflict.

"Well I wouldn't be so paranoid if I knew who I could trust!" Vic snapped, which made everyone with two braincells to rub together want to sigh in frustration at such a stupid statement.

"You know you can trust us," Alden said, gesturing to the group that had come down from the tower. "After all, I'm the one who SAVED you, remember?"

"She might be able to trust you, but that doesn't mean WE can," Donoma said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Then she remembered that she was supposed to be playing nice. "I mean… while we were all down here… who knows what could have happened? You all could be under Samarra's control, and plotting to use us to infiltrate Agate Village… you know?"

She gave Ian an innocent smile, and he just smiled back good-naturedly, not suspecting anything was amiss.

"Well actually… I think we can prove that's not the case," Rui said, stepping forward. Everyone turned her way curiously.

"Oh? What do you mean?" Donoma asked, stroking her chin.

"Well… you can only become possessed by Samarra if she touches you, right? Or if someone who is controlled by her defeats you in a pokemon battle, right? But… I don't have any pokemon to fight with," she reminded them. "So I can't lose a battle and fall under her influence."

"That's true," Ian nodded. "Rui can't be controlled by Samarra. And I'm sure you'd tell us if any of them were, right?"

"That's right," Rui nodded. "Alden wasn't controlled when he came here either, as I'm sure you know, and he defeated all three of them in battle, freeing them from Samarra's influence. So the five of us from the tower are cleared."

"In that case, then that applies to me, too," Keya said, raising his hand. "I don't have any pokemon to fight with, and that's why I came on the distraction team, because everyone knows that I'm not controlled. So I wouldn't lie either."

With that, it became clearer who could be trusted. Keya went on to explain how he'd seen the combined efforts of Donoma, Ian, and Chloe defeat the workers, freeing them all from Samarra's influence.

The workmen were all relieved to hear that they were off the hook, and wouldn't have to go all the way to Agate Village. None of them were clear what this supernatural power that had manipulated them was, but no one among them wanted anything to do with it.

But that's where things began to get murky.

"What about the others?" Vic urged. "Did you see anyone else win or lose their battles?" It was important to know just who they could trust. Unfortunately, Keya didn't have an answer that she'd want to hear. He just shook his head.

"Sorry," he glumly apologized. "I got separated from the others when they all went off to fight against Tommy, Ross, and Mason. So I didn't see how the battles went."

"I won my battle and trashed Tommy completely," Donoma cheerily announced. "You don't have to worry! I know I might not look like much due to being from the Appeals Course, but I can put up a good fight!" She gave Ian a wink.

"She's right…" Tommy sighed. "I don't know what happened… but when I came to, I was completely defeated…"

"Same with me," Ross agreed with a nod. "I can't remember a thing either. Though I suppose that it's to be expected, losing to a trainer of Ian's caliber."

"It was a good match," Ian said with a smile. "I'm just glad I managed to win!"

"I, um… w-well of course…" Chloe was having a hard time getting the words out. But she had to say something! What was she going to, let them think she was the only one who didn't win her battle?! They'd suspect her for sure!

"I lost." Mason's sharp voice and cold eyes expressed what Chloe had been trying to blurt out. She sighed in relief. Even though he looked really mad about it.

"…Yeah," she said lamely. "I managed to win somehow…"

Donoma frowned. "…Is that right?" She asked suspiciously. "I'm sorry, but I just find that a little hard to believe…"

Chloe froze. N-No way… did Donoma really think that she was under Samarra's influence?! Why?! Because she wasn't a member of the Battle Course?! That was ridiculous!

"Stop sewing discord," Rui frowned. "You don't really suspect her, do you?"

"Nope!" Donoma chirped. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood!"

Lighten the mood?! Chloe could just scream. But of course, she couldn't do something like that. So she swallowed her outrage and just put up with the other girl's abuse.

"Well, enough of that," Alden said, shaking his head. "There's no sense in making a big deal out of any of this!" He wore a big beaming smile. "I say that we just accept the good fortune of everyone having emerged the victor! I believe no one here is under Samarra's control!"

Ange rolled her eyes. Vic may have hated the blonde, but she shared her sentiment. The Commander was too trusting, being willing to believe so readily that everything was alright.

"Still, what an interesting idea for a show," Donoma said, tapping her lips thoughtfully. She took a step back and made the shape of a camera with both fingers. "Just imagine it! A bunch of people living together in a house, but one of them is a spy! And every week, they try and narrow down who the spy is by voting them off! Sounds like a fun idea, right?"

"…You have a very twisted idea of fun," Anabel said. They didn't know who this girl was, but they seemed like a very… interesting person.

Donoma lowered her fingers and turned to Anabel. "…Now that I think about it, who might you be?" She asked curiously. "You're not a student, I know that much. I'd know such a cute face like yours. Are you a friend of the Commander's?"

"…Something like that," Anabel said, smiling diplomatically. They weren't about to feed this woman any more information than was absolutely necessary.

For a moment, Donoma considered adding Anabel to her list of people she would try to seduce, but quickly dismissed that. They weren't getting any vibes that man (woman?) would be receptive to such advances.

Besides, she had Ian to work on.

"My name is Anabel," Anabel introduced themselves. "You can refer to me with they/them pronouns, if you wouldn't I'm working with Alden on his Battle Frontier project."

They clasped their hand over their mouth. "Oh! I'm sorry. I wasn't supposed to share that…" They looked apologetically over to Alden. But Alden just shook his head.

"Don't worry about it," he laughed. "There's no sense in trying to keep it a secret at this point. We've got bigger things to talk about."

He gave an apologetic look to Chloe, who just sighed in defeat and gave a begrudging nod.

"Okay, so spill," Donoma nearly pushed Alden over in her eagerness to hear more about this Battle Frontier idea. At the same time, Ian found himself getting curious as well, asking questions himself. They were really a pretty good match.

Chloe felt a little unincluded. She watched the two of them and sighed. But she wasn't the only one on the outside looking in.

That girl… she's Evangeline Moonshadow, if memory serves… Chloe glanced over at Ange, who seemed absolutely miserable. Chloe knew a not-insignificant amount of information about Ange, even though the girl had next to no battle record to speak of. After all, there weren't many people in a given space that looked more upset about life than she usually did.

She considered reaching out to her, but one look at those cold blue eyes made her reconsider that decision real quick.

Rui clapped her hands together. "Okay then," she said. "This isn't something that we should be spending too much time talking about. This discussion would better suit us on the road, don't you think?" She suggested.

"I agree with that," Alden said, nodding. "We've got a long journey back to Agate Village, and we should get going as soon as possible."

Ange actually brightened at that. She might hate this "Battle Frontier" and everyone associated with it, which was pretty much everyone here, but the idea of finally going to see Agate Village… that did put a bit of a spring in her step.

So with the faintest of smiles on her face, she led the way towards the… ugh… "truck" that they had come in, but some sacrifices would have to be made.

As everyone followed her, discussing the exhausting night they'd shared an expressing their relief that they were heading back to Agate Village, no one was aware that two of the people there were lying about who had defeated whom in their pokemon battle.

Samarra smirked. They were coming to her now…

She stood in the forest outside Agate Village, plotting how she could best infiltrate their ranks and turn them into her friends. It would be a slightly difficult task, but fortunately her battles in the Battle Tower had served a sufficient purpose. She'd lost a good portion of her fighting force, but that didn't bother her very much.

After all, there was no way the Commander's pokemon would have recovered enough to fight another battle, not after the massive gauntlet they'd been through. It would take at least a week before they'd be ready to battle.

The other trainers had also taken a lot of abuse to their teams. She doubted they'd be able to be much help either. So while she'd lost several powerful friends, particularly Ange, she'd reduced their fighting force considerably too.

She had to think about who was capable of what. Fortunately, she had Ayame to give her all the information she needed. Try as they might to keep things from her, she had very good ears, and that was fortuitous.

Dokukage could fight. Raizer and Alcea as well. They were the biggest threats after Wes. Marion Rivers… she was also a threat. Her mother, Yellow, as well, was clearly a talented trainer, though how talented Ayame didn't know.

Then there was Darla Drake. Lila Seelie was no threat. Celia… she was in the Battle Course, but judging from her power level, Samarra didn't think she'd be able to put up much of a fight. Callie was talented, but several of her pokemon were weakened from an unrelated battle that had been rather fortuitous as well.

Her brother Rafe… now HE was a wild card. She couldn't be sure how that would go. Mirar… a non-threat. Similarly, the other members of the Appeals Course weren't that threatening. That just left one person capable of fighting…

Gerard Alkwest… how curious… Samarra looked out across the table and considered her next move. Her opponent had arranged his stones rather fortuitously, and now she was at a disadvantage.

It wasn't something that usually happened.

I suppose… I must seek out reinforcements. In order to capture the stones I need to capture. There was one person in particular that Samarra was interested in more than anyone else. Out of the people that were thorns in her side, Madison Whitmore's ability to expose who was and was not her friend was a threat. But now that she'd made a brand-new friend, a friend who knew what she was REALLY capable of, that threat had increased significantly.

She would have to take appropriate measures to accommodate.

Uh-oh. "Seek out reinforcements"! What could Samarra mean by that? How will she plan out her attack? Will the good guys win? Or will she find a method for defeating them? That's not good. We can only hope that there will be some solution… but unfortunately, she's got a spy who's infiltrated their ranks! Will Maddi expose them before it's too late?!