With Gabrielle's defeat, Samarra has been pushed into a bad position. She's no long got most of her friends, and she's on the run. Hopefully we'll be able to put a stop to her plans soon, if not, well, things might get even worse. But what else could happen? And is Gabrielle alright? Will she finally be able to become Alcea's friend?

KedharS: That would be nice, wouldn't it?

T-Bird321: Thanks but I'm not ready to accept new characters yet.

Aakareo Kokokuhikari: Yeah, that's what I really wanted to focus on, the conflict in their worldviews. I was worried it wouldn't have the same impact as Anabel and Vic since she doesn't have a personal connection with the Commander, but I'm glad it was taken so positively.

Hyphenman: Yeah, this is their first real six on six battle, so I really wanted it to be something epic.

Tambry96bj: I'm glad Gabrielle might finally start making some progress.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1174

There was nothing but darkness surrounding Gabrielle. She couldn't see and couldn't hear, but there was nothing she wanted to see or hear anyway. She curled up in a ball and began shivering, feeling unimaginably cold.

I'm all alone… of course I'm all alone. No one would want to be friends with someone like me. But that's fine… after all… I don't want to be friends with anyone either… not if it means having to lose everything again…

That was a lie. But she wanted so desperately for it to be true. She never wanted anything more than she wanted to be the kind of girl the school saw her as, someone who didn't need others to be happy. Someone who didn't feel an aching hole tearing their chest open from loneliness.

Well, there was one thing she wanted more. She wanted a friend. But that wasn't possible for someone like-

A gentle hand landed on her shoulder, and the darkness burst into a bright explosion that nearly blinded her. She winced and shielded her eyes, only to realize that it wasn't some strange light illuminating her dark world.

It was the sun. She was awake.

"What…?" Gabrielle's hoarse voice came out like a croak as she stared up at the sun, framing Alcea's face like an angel. The redhead knelt beside her with a hand on her shoulder and a warm smile on her face. Gabrielle couldn't help but smile back for a second, before she realized that she was no longer dreaming.

"Ah!" She gasped, looking around. She was… where was she? It was a village of some sort, a peaceful rural place with grassy fields that were covered in melting snow. Snow… had she just been in a battle? It was hard to tell because her memories were so jumbled, but she could make out the clear shape of her Baxcalibur lying unconscious in the grass. A masked woman with blonde hair was crouched over him, and her hands were glowing.

"You're awake now, thank goodness," Alcea sighed, hugging Gabrielle tightly.

This was… strange. Gabrielle was too confused to even think of returning the hug, not that she would have done something so overtly affectionate. Now that she was free of Samarra's control that strong, forceful side of her had retreated behind the cover of her mind, and she'd hidden herself within her shell once again.

But this time Alcea wasn't going to let her stay there.

"Can you stand?" She asked, helping Gabrielle to her feet.

"Y-Yes," Gabrielle mumbled, brushing the snow off her skirt. "I just… what happened?"

Alcea took a deep breath, unsure of how she should break the news to the other girl. "You were being… controlled by someone. Your mind. It was like brainwashing or hypnosis. You were following her orders when you attacked Agate Village- that's where we are now, by the way, and I had to stop you with a pokemon battle. When I defeated you, I broke her spell over you, but unfortunately you also lost your memories. I'm sorry."

She stared anxiously at the other girl. This was a lot to take in, and she didn't know how Gabrielle was going to respond.

"…Okay," Gabrielle nodded, her face not shifting from her impassive mask.

Alcea was taken aback. "Th-That's all? Okay, is it? You realize I just told you that you were being possessed by a brainwashing woman who made you her pawn in her attack on this mountain village, oui?"

"Why would you lie to me about that?" Gabrielle asked, raising her eyebrow.

She… raised a valid point, Alcea supposed. She sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Also… while we were fighting… you… said some things," Alcea said, her cheeks turning pink from embarrassment.

Gabrielle narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What sort of things?" She asked.

Alcea cleared her throat. "Ah… you said… that you were lonely. That you wanted to be my friend, but you couldn't, and that you envied me for having the attention of so many people while you were always alone."

"…I see," Gabrielle mumbled, doing her best not to let her embarrassment show on her face.

"If-If you want-!" Alcea blurted out a little too hastily, "if you want… it would be alright with me… to become friends, is it?"

The hopeful look in her eye was a surprise to Gabrielle. She didn't quite know what to say. She had never expected such an offer from Alcea before, after all.

"That's… I see."

She wasn't ready to say "yes" just yet, but… maybe she could get there at some point. The thought of that brought a small smile to the icy trainer's cold lips.

"AHEM."

Gabrielle and Alcea turned to see Olivia standing in front of them with her arms crossed. She was tapping her foot impatiently and did not look very amused at what was going on.

"How long are you going to spend your time cozying up to my girlfriend?" Olivia demanded with a catty tone, glaring at Gabrielle.

Gabrielle turned even paler and took a step back, caught off-guard. "Y-Your… wait? What?" Without Samarra's knowledge Gabrielle was completely unaware of Alcea and Olivia's relationship. So Olivia wasn't going to let any misunderstandings take place.

"That's right," she stated proudly, stepping up and wrapping her arm around Alcea's shoulder. "She's mine, so back off."

"…I do not remember becoming someone else's possession," Alcea said, not very amused with Olivia's behavior herself. She slipped out from Olivia's grip and turned on the other girl, narrowing her eyes and cupping her chin.

"Th-That's… well… I mean, I just didn't want her to get the wrong idea, so…" Olivia's eyes darted from side to side, not used to being on the defensive like this.

Alcea smirked. "Your jealousy is quite cute, you know that?" She cooed, and Olivia felt her legs melt underneath her.

"H-Hahn…" She gasped, turning scarlet.

Gabrielle had no idea what the fuck was going on. Her heart ached a little seeing the two of them together, but… there was nothing she could do about it.

I see… so that's how it was… Gabrielle's admiration and jealousy towards Alcea had twisted into a crush when the other girl showed her kindness after what happened with Gerard. But seeing her having chosen someone else hurt surprisingly little, compared to what she'd expected. Perhaps my feelings weren't of that sort after all…

Had she really had feelings for Alcea? Or was she simply yearning for a human connection, a friend? Or maybe it was a mixture of both, she couldn't quite be sure. But that door was closed now, at least for the foreseeable future. But that didn't mean that their relationship couldn't continue on as friends in the future, right?

With that thought in her heart, Gabrielle decided that she would try becoming Alcea's friend. Maybe not right this second, but hopefully, before she graduated, the two girls could share a connection. It was a nice dream, anyway.

"Um, excuse me, Gabrielle, was it?"

"Ah!" Gabrielle finally remembered that her Baxcalibur was still unconscious on the ground. She turned to the blonde woman caring for him and fumbled to get out her pokeball. "My apologies for the inconvenience," she mumbled, approaching her.

"It's not an inconvenience at all," the woman smiled. She was strange, that was for sure. "Just make sure he gets a good rest at a Pokemon Center when this is all done."

"Yes," Gabrielle tersely nodded, recalling Baxcalibur to his pokeball. "Thank you, miss…"

"Amarillo," the woman introduced herself with a flourish, rising to her feet. "Amarillo del Bosque Verde, pleasure to meet you!"

Gabrielle's cold stare wasn't meant to be rude, it was just her default expression when she didn't know what to say. But it was super-effective against Amarillo regardless.

"Oof… even Marion's stare doesn't hurt this much…" She mumbled dramatically, clutching her chest. Again, Gabrielle had no idea what to say to that.

"What should we do now?" Vic asked suddenly. "We came here to find Maddi, but…"

"Madison isn't here," Alcea said, shaking her head. She glared coldly down at Gerard. He was still unconscious, but his complexion was better, and his life was out of danger. Diancie rested unconscious beside him, still recovering from her bout of being frozen. "He betrayed us."

"What?" Vic growled, a shadow crossing her face. She clenched her fist. "What do you mean he betrayed us? Because of Samarra?"

Alcea shook her head. "Ayame offered him the chance to become Samarra's friend again, if he sold out Madison. And he took her up on that offer because of his desperation. So Ayame's free, and she has Madison as well. She's probably bringing her to Samarra as we speak. Wes went after her along with Rui and Celia, while I stayed here to handle Gabrielle."

"Damn it, Aya!" Olivia groaned, slapping her face in frustration. "This is all my fault! If I didn't go wandering around in the forest because of my bad mood, none of this would have happened! What a mess…"

"So what now?" Tommy asked. "We should go get her, right? But none of us have any pokemon left. We can't do anything. Damn it, this is so frustrating!" He punched his palm.

"We'll have to go anyway," Amarillo decided. "We can't just leave her off in their hands. That would be disastrous! If there's a chance we can save Miss Whitmore, then it's a chance we have to take!"

"That's right," Vic nodded. "Plus, my dad's going her way, and if anyone can rescue her, then it's him, I'm sure of it."

Wes was their trump card, he should be capable of handling just about anyone in a straight-up pokemon battle, that was a relief at least.

Of course, while the others went to search the forest behind the Carvers' house, they had no way of knowing that the person they were looking for could be found in the sky. Maddi was soaring overhead on Celia's Corviknight, and the large bird landed in the more populated section of Agate Village, where Andrea and Hiromi and the others had guided them to safety. The two Pokemon Rangers (though one was retired) stood guard in front of them, with Andre and Erik as well, preparing to mount some sort of defense should Samarra come calling. But unlike with Lila and Olivia's group, Samarra hadn't attacked anyone here.

Yet.

"Hiromi!" Maddi shouted, practically leaping off the bird. "Hiromi!"

"Madison?!" Hiromi gasped, surprised to see her out of the house. But with Wes and Rui beside her, it wasn't something to be worried about. "What are you doing here?"

"I was attacked," she said. "Your daughter's free, and she brought me to Samarra."

Hiromi immediately tensed up, but figured that Maddi wouldn't have offered that information up if she were actually being controlled. She must have gotten away somehow.

"…I see. So my Aya is free now?" Hiromi frowned. Ayame may not have been the strongest trainer in Agate Village at the moment, but knowing that she was free and could be causing all sorts of unchecked damage with her team wasn't a pleasant thought for any mother to have.

"Samarra… she touched me," Maddi admitted. "She tried to make me… one of them. But it turns out she couldn't."

Hiromi raised her eyebrow, surprised. "She couldn't? And why would that be so?" She asked, confused. "Never mind, it doesn't matter right now. The important thing is that you're safe."

"Yeah. I'm our trump card," Maddi nodded. "That's why I need my pokemon back."

Hiromi gasped. "What?! You're not serious!"

"I am!" Maddi insisted. "Think about it! Samarra can't control me. That means I'm the only one of us who can actually afford to lose a pokemon battle! You've gotta give me my team back so I can help the others fight!"

Hiromi didn't like having to admit that she had a point, but… well…

It just felt wrong, giving a young girl like this her pokemon for the express purpose of attacking a woman like Samarra. It went against everything Hiromi believed in.

"Hello there."

Everyone turned, shocked, to see Ayame standing at the edge of the river. Samarra was beside her, with a cold look in her eye.

"…Hiromi, give me my pokeballs," Maddi insisted again.

"…Yeah." There was no discussion from her this time. Hiromi handed Maddi her pokeballs back.

Ayame stepped forward and sighed. "I really didn't want to have to be the one to fight," she said, shaking her head. "But I don't have a choice. We're losing so many friends now, Samarra says she needs every able hand she can get."

She looked apologetically to her mother, not paying any attention to the others. She smiled sadly. "But don't worry, mom. We'll all be friends again soon."

She took another step forward, and Samarra was right at her side. Even Wes took a step clear to give her some room, holding his arm defensively in front of Rui. He wasn't sure what his move should be.

Ayame glanced over to him.

"Why are you so worried?" She asked. A sweet smile looked strange on her face, without Blake being there. "I don't want to fight you. I wouldn't stand a chance after all, your pokemon are so much stronger than mine."

That was the sort of thing Wes liked hearing. If he could step in now and take this girl down, then Maddi wouldn't have to battle. He'd been hoping to save his team's strength for a more challenging opponent, but if they were lucky they might be able to defeat her without exhausting themselves too much. And if they beat Ayame here, that might just solve the whole thing. After all, she was the only defense Samarra had at the moment; the other trainer didn't even have pokemon.

It could have all gone as nicely as Wes had planned. But he'd never have the chance to find out. Because the second he reached for his pokeballs, Ayame reacted.

And she was a lot faster than he was.

"Haaah!" She shouted, springing forward at him. He froze in that moment, not expecting the girl to attack him herself. And that was his fatal error. Ayame spun, delivering a kick to his solar plexus with her strong runner's legs. Wes might have been in great shape, but he was still a much older man, and he'd passed the prime of his life some time ago. He took the kick to his chest and went down, gasping for air, and the entire place exploded in panic.

"Oh no!"

"He's down!"

"We've gotta get out of here!"

The villagers that had been herded together by the Pokemon Rangers scattered in an instant upon seeing their protector collapse, and there was pandemonium. While most of them were too old to make much progress getting away, it was inconvenient enough that it distracted Andrea and the others.

Rui, on the other hand, cried out when her husband went down, so there was no chance she had to protect herself. Ayame took her out next.

"Rui!" Celia cried. She felt like a complete idiot! She'd recalled her Corviknight already, thinking it was safe, and now Ayame was attacking! She shot her hand to her belt, but like with Wes, she didn't have the speed to overcome Ayame's toned body when it was dedicated to making her hurt. As the only other trainer with pokemon, Ayame made sure she was knocked unconscious before she could do a thing.

Or maybe that was an act of mercy towards one of her closest friends, sparing her from having to hurt anyone herself. Ayame couldn't quite be sure. But as she stood triumphant, facing down a shaking Maddi, Samarra couldn't help but applaud.

"Ah, that's my girl," she cooed, hugging Ayame from behind. "So many of my other friends are skilled trainers… but you, you're my golden girl, aren't you? So fierce… so powerful… and you don't even need your pokemon."

Maddi winced. Apparently, Samarra had more in common with her adopted sibling than she knew. That was a rather creepy connection to share.

"Get away from them," she snarled at Ayame, holding up her pokeball. "I'm already going to fight you, I told you so!"

"Don't…" Wes said, holding his stomach. He was sitting on the grass and trying to breathe. In spite of the pain, he still reached for his pokeballs, a testament to his strong desire to help save the village he called home. "I'll-"

"No. You won't."

Wes' hand was stopped just as it reached his belt.

By the hand of Samarra.

"…Hello there," she purred, her lips curling up in a menacing smile. "It's so nice to meet you. I just know we're going to get along great."

She let him go and his hand flopped to his side. He stood up, no longer impeded by the pain in his stomach. His eyes were glassy and cold.

"Wes… no…" Rui gasped in horror as her husband was twisted and corrupted by Samarra's touch.

Oh no. That's not good. Just when things were looking up for our heroes and we had an advantage over Samarra, this had to happen! Could things get any worse?! Now Wes is being controlled by her as well, and he's the strongest trainer they had! Not even the Commander could defeat him when he was serious, and now he has harmonia! What will our heroes do now?!