Ayame is in pretty rough shape. After breaking her connection with Samarra like that, it seems she's lost her memories of Blake! The only hope left for her is that she can hopefully somehow regain her memories when they're reunited at the Pokemon Academy! And if that doesn't work, well… whatever! We just have to hope that it will work! Now, as for the rest of the students, how are they handling the aftermath of what happened?

KedharS: It's not going to be pleasant for him, that's for sure.

Arbiter8991: Yep, that's the thing about Ayame, without Blake to moderate her she can have a bit of a temper. We'll just have to see how much of what Blake helped her with managed to stay inside her even without her memories of him.

Hyphenman: Ryoko could probably do something, I'm sure. But the question is whether or not that's what the timeline wants to have happen. If not, there's not a lot that she can do about it.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1245

Alcea watched Kanone and Wes out of the corner of her eye. They were arguing about something, but they were too far away for her to hear what it was.

Things had been tense for the last few days. Ever since he showed up.

Richard Valon. When Alcea saw him walk into the Pokemon Center with that smirk on her face, her blood went cold. She knew that whatever he wanted, it was going to be something bad, for everyone involved.

She was quickly proven correct.

Wes had already been upset, and she could tell that it was about the Shadow Pokemon that Keahi had been using. Lana had one too, and to Alcea's eyes it looked like she felt a little queasy whenever Wes or Rui would come near her.

It made sense, Alcea supposed. Unlike the others, Lana hadn't spent enough time around the couple to fully trust them. But at least she had her sister to rely on.

Keahi, on the other hand, was clearly in some hot water. And in Alcea's eyes, it was rightly deserved. She didn't know a lot about Shadow Pokemon but from what she'd gotten to understand, they were awful, and someone who used them was probably not the kind of person she wanted for a classmate. She considered bringing the issue up with the headmaster, but then…

This had already been argued before, hadn't it? During the Phantom Cup. And the headmaster hadn't done anything either.

Alcea sighed. Whatever was going on with the Shadow Pokemon, she didn't like it. But she didn't know what to do, either. It was always something. Gerard and Elaina, and the obsession with harmonia. Now the Phantom and his Shadow Pokemon. It seemed like everywhere she turned, people were causing problems and using her school as a cover to do it.

It was the sort of thing that made her seethe with rage.

Alcea took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Getting upset would change anything. Whatever the issues with the Shadow Pokemon were, it was something that they could address when they got back to school. In the meantime, she had other issues to worry about.

…If only Olivia were here. The Empress had left several days ago after getting a call from her chaperone, Hiromi. Apparently Ayame had woken up. Olivia had been in a bit of a panic when she explained it to Alcea, but from what she could understand the issue was that Ayame was having some issues with her memory.

That made Alcea feel even worse. They'd managed to get through this trip mostly unscathed- emphasis on mostly. Callie's scars would probably never heal. She'd be stuck with the grotesque "X" carved in her chest for the rest of her life, most likely. And all because Alcea had been focused on helping Shaymin, and hadn't been there when her friend needed her.

Then there was Samarra. Alcea didn't need to be a genius to understand the issue there. She'd been captured by the same people who had attacked them before; the Children of the Oracles, they'd called themselves. Dangerous people who had tried to steal the precious stone she'd gotten from her childhood, the stone that was still tucked beneath her shirt, burning cold against her breast. It put a heavy weight on her; they'd be after her again, she was certain of it now.

And now they had Samarra with them. A woman who could turn anyone to her will. Alcea could think of a few scenarios from that, and none of them were good. The BEST case scenario was that the Children of the Oracles would try to contain her and her powers, so she wouldn't be a threat. The other possibility would be that Samarra would simply turn her captors to her will as she'd done to so many of them before, and they'd all be right back where they started. Just the thought of that sent a chill down Alcea's spine.

But that wasn't the worst case scenario. Samarra was dangerous, certainly, but her ambitions were… convoluted. Alcea wasn't even sure that the woman was sane enough to know what she wanted, or to have any sort of grand design. But if the Children of the Oracles could put her powers to use for their purposes? Turn her into a weapon?

That would be a situation Alcea would find untenable. Things would be bad for everyone involved, that was for sure.

And that was why Alcea had been trying to work herself up into doing something that she wasn't comfortable with, but really had no choice in the matter about.

She had to speak to Kanone Harker, the man who'd rejected her.

It made her chest ache. Even though things were just starting between her and Olivia, she couldn't turn off the feelings she'd felt for her childhood idol. But she needed to if she had a hope of talking things through with him.

So she sucked up her pride and approached him when Wes finally gave him some space to breathe.

"Oh. Hello there, Alcea. Are you doing alright?" Kanone asked. He wasn't smiling, which was a rarity. The look on his face was so unlike what she was used to that she froze for a moment.

She cleared her throat. "O-Oui, well… I was thinking… that perhaps it would be best if we had a discussion?" She asked.

It was a weak request. She felt like an idiot for wording it so awkwardly. But he didn't seem to mind.

"Sure we can," he said, trying to smile. It just didn't seem to stick. That made what she was going to ask even harder.

Alcea swallowed, glancing around, trying to maintain her visage of nobility. "I-I see that Rin isn't here, is it?"

Why would she ask that? What did that have to do with anything?!

"…No, she's not," Kanone said, looking just as confused as she felt. "I asked her to look into some things, to help in the search for Samarra. I can't leave her alone, after all."

"No, of course not," Alcea muttered, shaking her head. Kanone had done a great boon for her with that. She'd given her something to latch onto, so she could guide the conversation in the direction she needed it to go. "Actually… that is what I wanted to talk about with you, is it?"

Kanone raised his eyebrow, tensing. "…My sister?"

She nodded sharply, a little rougher than she'd meant. She just couldn't make herself relax! Between the tension of the situation, the nature of her question, and the awkward air that hung between the two of them ever since their last real conversation, Alcea felt that even opening her mouth was a herculean task.

But she didn't have a choice, did she?

"I am… worried," she managed to spit out. "We're in a difficult situation, you realize that, oui? That woman, Samarra… her power… being able to control anyone with just a touch…"

A shiver went down her spine. She had been fortunate not to fall under Samarra's sway. But just the thought of being turned against those she cared about, being a prisoner in her own body… no, she wouldn't even know she was a prisoner, would she? She'd completely believe that this course of action was for the best.

It made her nauseous.

A shadow crossed Kanone's face. She didn't know if she'd crossed a line, but she feared that she had. He walked closer and she took a step back out of reflex.

"I-I just meant…"

"Alcea, it's fine," Kanone assured her. His voice was trying to sound gentle, she knew that of course, but he couldn't fully remove the hardness. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, I know that this is difficult for you, really. My sister's abilities… they defy reason."

A sigh escaped her lips. She couldn't help herself.

"But if you're worried about her, don't be. With my harmonia I can tell when she's in the vicinity. I can track her down, I swear. I'm not going to rest until she's safely locked up again, I can promise you that." The conviction in his voice was believable. She felt her heart stir the more he spoke, but at the same time…

There was something about him that just rubbed her the wrong way. It seemed like he was forcing himself.

Was that… was locking up Samarra really the correct thing?

Alcea had a little sister herself. What if the day came when she was forced to lock up Holly, because the little girl was a threat to herself and others? Would she be okay with that? Would she have the strength to do it?

She wanted to say yes, because it was the right thing to do.

But it was still her sister.

"…Okay," she croaked out, nodding reluctantly. She'd just have to be fine with it, there wasn't really any other choice.

Kanone's expression hardened. He stared suspiciously at Alcea, his eyes running across her like he was studying her, to see if she could be trusted.

She turned red. Even if she had moved on, Kanone was still someone she had pined for. And now he was looking so intently at her…

God I must look like a mess! She wailed internally. My hair probably is probably full of split ends, I'm not wearing any makeup, and my clothes…!

She had to get those thoughts out of her head. She was over him, she was!

…But that didn't make what was happening any easier on her.

Kanone frowned. "Alcea… I don't think I have to tell you how important this is, right?" He asked. "I don't want you talking about my sister with other people. Either sister."

The implication was clear. "Don't go to the police". Which was fine, Alcea had already made up her mind about that.

"Y-You don't have to worry," she promised, nodding rapidly. "I won't tell the police, I swear. It's not like… it's not like they'd believe me if I told them what happened here anyway, is it?" She mumbled, lowering her head. She'd just come off sounding like a crazy person.

"…No, I'm not talking about that."

Her eyes shot up to meet his, and she was confused.

"…Then what…?"

"What I mean is… I don't want you to tell Blake."

Ah.

So that's what it was.

That had been what had been eating at her these past few days. She hadn't been sure until he'd said it, the thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

But now that he'd put it in her head, she couldn't think of anything else.

How would Blake react, if he were told this news? That he had a sister he'd never met before, one that his brother had been keeping prisoner? That said sister had tormented his other sister to the point of breaking, and had been abducted by the same organization that Guinevere was a part of? That Guinevere herself had attacked Alcea, attacked Callie, and tried to destroy Agate Village?

What would he think about that?

What would he think about Ayame? She was hospitalized, her brain had been damaged, all because of his sister, Samarra?

"That's… I can't…" She couldn't make that promise. No one could. In an instant, All the esteem Alcea held for Kanone Harker crumbled into dust. What sort of brother could do something like that? Conceal something so precious, so important, from his brother? She burned with indignation at his callousness and raised her hand to smack him across the face.

"I need to be the one to tell him," Kanone said quietly, and she froze.

"Is… is that so?" She mumbled, stunned by the weakness in his voice. For the first time he seemed vulnerable, fragile, like a lost little boy.

"Blake… when he learns the truth… he's going to be crushed," Kanone murmured. "I can't let that happen. I can't. But if I tell him… I can give him a way that he can cope with it. I just need time to figure out what to say, please Alcea. The others will listen to you. They'll understand if you convince them. Please."

She could see the pain in his eyes. She didn't have a choice. She couldn't say no to those eyes, not knowing how hard this must have been for him. She lowered her hand and nodded tenderly, forcing a smile to her lips.

"Oui. I'll do it… for Blake's sake. It is a promise, is it?"

Kanone sighed, slumping over in relief. 'Thank you, Alcea. You really are amazing.

"But," she sharply added, emulating Olivia's cold authority, "you will tell him. Soon. I cannot promise to stay my tongue for too lengthy a period. Nor do I know how long it will be before my resolve crumbles, or before one of the others lets it slip. So if you do not want your brother to find out the truth by someone else's hand… then I suggest you think quickly about what you want to say."

Without another word she turned on her heel and strutted away. It wasn't until she was sure she was out of sight that she let herself collapse, struggling to catch her breath.

She'd nearly had a heart attack, confronting him like that!

While this was going on, Wes was seething. He'd tried to compel Kanone to do something. Something about these fucking Shadow Pokemon. The way Wes saw it, Kanone had a lot of influence over the Pokemon Academy, given the nature of the incident. If he wanted his way, he could get it.

Wes wanted Kanone to blow the whistle. Trade his own silence about the event for Kanone to do something about the Shadow Pokemon, but Kanone had rebuffed him.

He didn't know why. Had the Phantom already gotten to him? Or was Kanone's position with the academy not as powerful as Wes had been led to believe? He couldn't really be sure, but he doubted it was the former. The latter, then? Or was there some other reason that Kanone had refused to get involved, even if it risked the incident with his sister being revealed?

Well, whatever the reason was, Kanone had called his bluff. And in the end, Wes couldn't do anything about it. He wasn't going to admit what had happened, even if that was the right thing to do. For starters, no one would believe him about Samarra's ability. And if he tried to push the matter further, or go to the police…

…

Well, he'd abducted a high school girl and tied her up in his bedroom for several days. That wouldn't reflect on him very positively. And he didn't want to put his family through that strain.

With a frustrated scream he punched a tree.

Damn it. Curse Ein, or Valon, or whatever the fuck that monster wanted to call himself. If it wasn't for him, Wes wouldn't have been backed into this corner.

It had all been going perfectly just a few days ago. Back then, Keahi had been the one backed into a corner. Wes had his pokemon, and he had him. There would have been nothing he could do in the face of Wes's authority, should he seek to turn him in for creating Shadow Pokemon.

And then Valon had waltzed into the room and smashed it all to pieces.

"You can't be serious," Wes growled. "Give back his pokemon?! Look the other way?! Are you kidding me right now?!"

"I know it's going to be hard for you, Wesley," Valon shrugged, his eyes shining with excitement. He relished in seeing the anguish on Wes's face. "I know how passionate you are about the Shadow Pokemon. How much you want to save them. But… I'm afraid there's nothing you can do about it, in the end."

"The hell there isn't," Wes growled, storming across the room. He could still strangle Valon's chicken neck!

But before he got there, Misato stepped between the two of them, and he paused. He'd seen what she was capable of. As long as that robot was here, physical violence was out of the question.

That didn't mean Wes was going to meekly roll over and play dead, though.

"What in the world makes you think I would agree to that?" Wes demanded. "Give me one good reason why I would EVER consider letting your sick experiments continue?"

"I'll give you two reasons," Valon chirped. "The first is a girl named Eve."

Wes froze. Valon's eyes narrowed and he held up his second finger.

"The second… is a little thing called 'the µ Gene'."

A shadow crossed Wes's face.

"…Wes?" Rui asked nervously, not sure what was going on.

"…Rui, please leave," Wes said, turning to his wife. "He and I have a lot to discuss."

"Yes, Rui, run along. The adults are talking now," Valon sneered.

Rui's eyes narrowed and she stomped her foot. "No, I WON'T leave!" She shouted. "Wes, tell me what's going on, right now! Why is Ein here?! Why is he so- so young?! Who is this 'Eve' person, and what the hell is the µ Gene, huh?!"

Valon cackled. "What? You mean our dear Wesley hasn't told you the whole story? Why, how could he? And here I thought married couples shared everything! Are you telling me that our boy here isn't the most forthright person in the world?" He sniggered.

Rui glared at Wes, and he could tell that he didn't have a choice. He had to come clean. So he did. He told her everything. About the µ Gene, about Professor Decker, Eve, everything that had happened with Maddi, as well as Valon's involvement in all of it.

By the end, Rui was horrified.

"I'm going to make things very clear," Valon said calmly. He wasn't even smirking anymore, his face was as cold as a snake. "You WILL return Keahi's pokemon, unchanged. And that will be the end of this. You'll stop pressuring the academy, you won't go to the police, you will do nothing. Do I make myself clear?"

Wes had an expression of resignation on his face. He could already see the ending to this nightmare, and it made him sick.

He was alone in that, though.

"No! No way!" Rui shouted. "He doesn't have to listen to you! You don't have any leverage! What does it matter if that stuff gets out?!"

Valon blinked. "Professor Decker is still in critical condition, isn't he? He hasn't woken up yet. I don't imagine things would go well for him if he was transferred to a prison to make his recovery, should that happen. Orre doesn't look too kindly on genetic tampering, after all."

"Who cares about him!?" Rui demanded.

Wes was almost proud of his wife. But this was about more than that.

"Rui, we can't," he croaked, shaking his head. "Use your head. Think. Who's going to suffer the most if all this comes out, huh?"

Rui blinked. "Who's going to-? What are you talking about?" She asked. Then it dawned on her. She turned pale.

"…Madison…!" She gasped.

"Exactly," Valon said, his smirk returning. "What do you think will happen to that poor girl, if it comes out that she's a successful patient of genetic augmentation? That she has the µ Gene inside of her body? Or her Eevee? The poor thing. She'll be hounded for the rest of her life by scientists, if she's lucky, the Pokemon League might even let her keep her precious pet, instead of confiscating it to make an example of."

Rui was disgusted. Time had only made him even more vile.

"You… you can't do that!" She seethed, her fists trembling with anger. "It's not FAIR! It's not right!"

Valon's eyes were shining with glee.

"No, it's not!" He crowed. "But then… you don't have much of a choice, do you?"

In the end, they really didn't. If he wanted to keep Maddi safe, to keep her secret from being leaked out, as well as information about the monster that was Eve spurring the public into a panic, then he needed to keep what he knew secret.

He needed to let Valon continue with his sick experiments.

It was an affront to everything he'd believed in, everything he'd fought for. But what could he do? What would the old him have done?

Wes was tired. He was an old man who'd spent his youth battling evil. And now it appeared that even after all these years, evil was still alive and well, and emerging triumphant.

He didn't know how he could fight back. All he could do was hang his head and buy some time by returning Keahi's pokeballs while he thought of what his next step was.

And that was how he found himself punching a tree several days later. Unable to come up with a plan that would tear Valon down while simultaneously ensuring Maddi's protection.

In all his years as the greatest pokemon trainer in the Orre Region, this was the first time he felt truly powerless.

Oof. That's rough, Wes. This isn't looking good for him. It's not looking good for Kanone and Alcea, either. This whole trip has been a disaster! It feels like everything's falling apart. Isn't there anything they can do, to move things in a positive direction? Or are they really completely screwed? I guess we'll just have to see how it all shakes out.