Well, it's been a long road. After many years, and many, many chapters, we've finally hit the 1000th chapter mark! I've been wracking my brain thinking about how we should celebrate such an important milestone, and the only thing that came to mind was to have a fun time with a party! So that's right, we're going to be going back to the Pokemon Academy for this chapter and throwing a party to celebrate all the progress we've made getting this far! Congratulations, everyone!
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: That it definitely is.
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Thank you for all your support. It really means a lot to me, and it's helped me get this far! Who knows when the story will end? We'll just have to see!
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 1000
"…A party?" Blake stared at Cynthia like she was crazy. Which, in the defense of crazy, the girl had just busted into his room at six in the morning with a bright smile on her face, and he hadn't quite woken up yet.
"Yes! Exactly!" Cynthia proclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. "It's the perfect thing to do, you see! We'll be having a party!"
"…Why? Is it someone's birthday?"
Cynthia deflated, rubbing her forehead with a sigh.
"Blake… are you serious right now? You don't know what we're celebrating?"
Blake shook his head.
"It's the 1000th!" She exclaimed. "The 1000th! You've gotta be shitting me with this! How could you not know?!"
"The 1000th what?!" He demanded.
Cynthia once again stared at him like he was a moron.
"Look, I just… I can't, okay? Come on, this is the perfect time for celebration, so let's GET TO IT! Come on now, all the seniors and juniors are away, and plus, we've got a lot of the sophomores in the Battle Course gone too! The campus is mostly empty and it's almost spring break for the rest of us, so it's the perfect opportunity to throw a party!" She leaned over and began poking him in the chest, flashing a coy smile. "And. I'm. Not. Taking. No. For. An. Answer!"
Blake just sighed.
Within the hour, the forces had amassed in the common area. Cynthia had drafted Sango and Julia, of course, and roped Nick and Reiner in as well.
"So as you know, we're going to be celebrating the 1000th!" Cynthia declared. "It's a major milestone! And for that reason, I've decided to throw a party! And I need you all to help!"
"But… I don't like parties," Nick mumbled.
"Yeah, same," Sango agreed.
"They're a pain," Julia scowled.
"I'm not really up for a party…" Reiner said.
"I'm not brooking any arguments!" Cynthia snapped. "This is REALLY important, okay? Can you guys just once be cool? Please?"
Everyone glanced at each other. They didn't really want to hold a party, but it was clear that this really meant a lot to Cynthia, so they agreed to it.
"Great!" Cynthia grinned.
"When is this party anyway?" Sango asked.
"…Tonight, ideally," Cynthia replied.
Everyone took a moment to process this, then proceeded to head to the exit.
"Come back you traitors!" Cynthia shouted.
"You want us to throw a party for TONIGHT? With no prior planning?!" Julia hissed. "That's impossible! We're busy!"
"Busy with what?! Half the teachers are gone, and more than half the students are! There's nothing to do!" Cynthia said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "It's not like you have to do anything major, we're just talking about a small party with some close friends, you don't have to hold a winter formal or anything."
That caused everyone to relax for a little, but only for a little.
"Okay, so… what should we do, then?" Nick sighed in resignation.
"Well, Nick, Callie's gone, so she's off the guest list, unfortunately. So… I'll leave you and Sango to the task of finding a good place for the party! Scout out a location, and get the decorations and stuff we'll need to throw a real rager!"
Nick blinked in surprise. "Me and Sango?"
Cynthia nodded. "Yup. I don't see you two together very often. I think it would be amusing to see how you play off each other."
"Don't just go assigning us jobs off of something as arbitrary as that," Sango said dryly. Of course, Cynthia ignored her.
"Next, Reiner, I want you to convince your girlfriend to come," Cynthia said. "I know she's not the partying sort, but you should be able to handle it, right?"
Reiner scratched his head. "I guess, yeah? Maybe."
Cynthia smiled. "Great! And Julia, same with you."
"Uh… excuse me?" Julia asked, confused.
"Invite your girlfriend," Cynthia repeated.
"…" Julia just gave her a blank stare.
Cynthia rolled her eyes and sighed. "…Kitty."
"Kitty isn't my girlfriend," Julia said, waving off the idea as laughable. "But yeah I'll ask her."
Cynthia gave her a pitiful look, shaking her head sadly. Then she immediately perked up. "Okay! As for me, I'll be using my excellent culinary skills to prepare the refreshments!"
A wicked expression crossed her face, and Blake immediately had a bad feeling.
"Cynthia…"
"Hmm?"
"I don't want you preparing any alcohol you got that?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.
Cynthia made a sour expression. "GOD Blake, you're so BORING!" She groaned. "Fine. Fine, fine, fine, since mister buzzkill doesn't want to have fun-"
"NO ALCOHOL!" All five of them shouted at once.
Cynthia glared at her "helpers". "…Fine. Now, everyone have their jobs? Great! Let's get to it, people, chop chop!"
She clapped her hands together and everyone scattered.
Blake raised his hand. "Uh… what am I supposed to do? You never actually assigned me to any jobs, so…"
Cynthia blinked. "Oh, Blake, but you see, you have the easiest job of all, inviting the other guests to the party."
Blake couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?! How many people is that?!"
"Uh, only like, five more?" Cynthia shrugged. "Come on, what's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that it sounds like a lot of work! Reiner and Julia only have to invite one person each, and I have to do five? I'll be walking around campus all day!"
"Oh, come on, Blake," Cynthia groaned. "It has to be you! Once you see the list you'll understand! Come on, please?"
Blake sighed, and nodded his head in resignation. "…Fine. If that's what you want, I'll do it."
"Great! Love it! Then I'll text you the list right now! This is everyone I want coming…" She quickly took out her phone and messaged him. Blake took a look at the text she sent and his face went pale. For a second he felt like his heart had stopped.
"C-Cynthia, this list is…" He shook as he stared at the names.
"See?" Cynthia said, smiling innocently, "like I said, it just HAS to be you!"
Blake couldn't believe this.
Well… I guess I'll start with the easiest name on this list, then…
While Blake was getting started on the list for the party guests, Reiner went to go ask Nikita if she was willing to come.
"A party?" Nikita asked, raising her eyebrow. Her boyfriend had called her just as she was finishing writing a paper for class. Even though their lessons were no longer following a strict classroom schedule due to several teachers serving as chaperones, it was still important in her mind to maintain a strict pattern of workload to stay motivated.
"Yeah, tonight. Cynthia's holding it."
"…What's it for?" She asked curiously.
Reiner sighed. "That's, well…"
Nikita sighed herself. "Like I thought. It's a Cynthia party, so that makes sense…"
"Yeah, sorry, but it looks like she really does want you to come, so can you think about it? From what it seems it's not going to be a big thing, at least, just close friends."
Nikita perked up at that. "Cynthia thinks that we're close friends?" She asked, not sure how she was supposed to feel about that revelation.
Reiner shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. Congrats, you finally got into the club with the rest of us, how does it feel?"
Nikita tapped her finger against her lips and contemplated the idea of going to Cynthia's party. While she wasn't much of a party person it wasn't like she was OPPOSED to the idea. She just didn't do stuff like that often.
"Well… I suppose I could go," she agreed. "Yeah, it sounds like it could be fun!"
Reiner sighed in relief. He really didn't want Cynthia chewing him out for failing at something he didn't even want to do in the first place.
"Okay, sounds like a plan. I'll come by to pick you up at like 7 or 8 I guess."
"…You guys don't even have a time scheduled?" Nikita had to resist the urge to break out laughing.
Reiner just sighed again, shaking his head. "Yeah, it's not the most well-thought-out plan, in case you hadn't noticed."
Well, Reiner had been able to get the first name on his list. Now it was Blake's turn. He'd ordered the five names he'd been given in terms of "difficulty to invite" and the easiest among them was Sango's friend, Aidan. Luckily he was easy enough to track down in his dorm.
"…A party?" He asked. His Shinx looked up curiously from his bed in the corner.
"Yeah, my friend, Cynthia, remember her? She wants you to come."
Aidan raised his eyebrow. He wasn't particularly close with Cynthia, so he wasn't sure why she would have invited him. He wasn't that close with Blake, either.
"Why me?" He asked.
Blake's only answer was a shrug. He just felt awkward and uncomfortable standing here with this guy staring at him, what was he supposed to say? It's not like he and Aidan were exactly the closest of friends. But he was still the easiest person to ask.
Aidan thought about it for a second.
"…Is Sango gonna be there?" He asked.
Blake blinked. That was an odd question. Then again, she was his friend, so he was probably just interested in knowing whether or not people he knew were going to be at the party.
"Yeah, she is."
Aidan visibly flinched at that, startling Blake.
"Um… it probably better if I don't go, then," he mumbled, closing the door in Blake's face.
"…Weird," Blake said, shaking his head. What was up with that? He didn't think any further on it though, and went off to go ask the next person.
Meanwhile, Sango and Nick were together wandering around campus to try and find places where they could hold the party.
"So, any ideas where we could have the party?" Sango casually asked.
"Not really, no," Nick said, shaking his head. "See, all the campus rooms we could reserve are closed due to low student population I guess…"
And thus the conversation died.
…Gaaah! This is so awkward! Sango screamed internally. What's the matter?! We've been friends for over half a year! What do we normally talk about?!
Nick was in a similar situation. This is nuts! Why can't we hold a decent conversation?! I know we barely ever talk, but we're still friends, right? We should be able to talk about something!
They continued to walk through campus, and just as Sango was wondering if they should bite the bullet and go reserve a spot at a restaurant, she suddenly had a great idea. Grabbing her phone, she dialed up Cynthia in a hurry.
"Sango? What's up, found a good place? Just so you know, I invited like 10 people in total so one of our bedrooms isn't-"
"Cynthia!" Sango cut her off. "What do you think of a party outside?!"
Blake moved onto the next name on his list, a girl by the name of Danica Banks. The tan-skinned girl gave him a bored and confused look when she answered the door, not quite sure what he was here asking for her about.
She knew of Blake Harker, of course, but that didn't mean she KNEW him.
"…What's up?"
"Hi, Danica? Do you know Cynthia Fafnir?"
Danica brightened immediately. "Oh, Cynthia? Yeah, we're friends! What's up?"
"Oh, good," Blake sighed in relief, glad he wasn't inviting a total stranger along. "She's holding a party, and she wanted to know if you'd like to come. So what do you think?"
"A party, huh? Well… I'm not really good with parties," Danica admitted.
"Yeah, that's fine," Blake said, nodding. "Truth be told, a lot of us going aren't, either."
Danica blinked. A party for introverts? Well… that might actually not be so bad, then. And she HAD been meaning to spend more time with Cynthia, so…
"…Okay, sure, I'll go," she agreed, smiling.
Blake sighed in relief. That was good. "Well, we don't quite have a time or place decided yet, but do you have Cynthia's number? If you do, you can call her to ask for more details."
Danica laughed. "This is kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, huh?"
"...That it is," Blake nodded.
"Still, it sounds like fun," she said.
Kitty, on the other hand, was less excited.
"Look, I get it," Julia sighed, shaking her head and leaning back on one of the chairs in Kitty's room. "I'm not a big fan of parties either."
"You should go," Nikita urged her. "I'm going too, after all! It'll be fun!"
"W-Well…" Kitty did want to go to the party, even if she was pretty shy. Truth be told, she was only hesitating because she was disappointed. When Julia had burst into her room saying "Kitty, would you come with me tonight?!" she had… other expectations.
"…I'll do it," Kitty sighed, though she didn't think she'd enjoy it very much.
"That's great!" Julia grinned. "If you weren't going to come, I'd have been totally bored! But now it sounds like a lot of fun!"
Kitty's face turned bright red. Why… why did Julia always SAY stuff like that?!
Blake frowned. He'd crossed the two easiest names off his list. Now the difficulty level spiked massively. Swallowing his nerves, he approached the Pikachu Dorm.
He knocked on the first door, which cracked open. A blue eye peeked out through the crack, dull and lifeless for a moment before its owner realized who it was. Then the door swung wide open.
"Blake?" Caelia asked quietly. Her face was as expressionless as always, but to Blake, it seemed like she was a lot happier.
"Uh… hey. Long time no see." Blake felt uncomfortable, and it wasn't just because of the hideous odor coming out of Caelia's room. The air itself was teaming with awkwardness. "I, um… Cynthia, you remember her?"
Caelia nodded.
"Well… she's having a party, and… she was wondering if you'd like to come? You know, to celebrate the 1000th." Not that I have any idea what that is…
Caelia shook her head. "No… no need to party," she murmured.
Yeah, no surprises there. Blake fully expected an answer like that. "Well, I understand. Too bad you can't come, but-"
"Did you want me to come?" Caelia asked sharply.
Blake flinched. He wasn't a fool. He knew that Caelia was… "fond" of him. And her clinginess was like his sister's, bordering on dangerous.
Still…
"…Yeah," he admitted. "I'd like you to come."
He and Cynthia had talked about Caelia before, and shared their concerns about the girl. Even if the shut-in was only coming because Blake was going to be there, as far as either of them were concerned, that was progress.
"Then I will be there." She slammed the door in his face.
"…But I didn't even tell you where it was gonna be…" Blake mumbled after her.
The door creaked open again.
"I'll know," she said ominously, before closing him out once more.
Blake shivered. That… was not what he expected.
Cynthia's eyes widened with excitement as she heard Sango's suggestion.
"The beach?! You want to do a beach party?!"
"Yeah, does that sound okay?" Sango asked. "Marion left me in charge of her fishing place, so we can use the beach and dock outside there. I know it's not the same as a normal party, but-"
"No, no, that's TOTALLY fine!" Cynthia assured her. "Yeah, that's perfect, actually! A beach party sounds WAY better than just some stuffy thing in a ballroom! Yeah, I'll get to work on changing the menu to support a beach bash! Just leave it to me!"
Sango was surprised Cynthia took the idea so well. But then, it did sound like a lot of fun.
Hanging up, Cynthia turned back to her food preparations. She had a lot to go before the party began!
She wiped a tear from her eye. She needed to keep busy to distract herself.
Blake walked down the hall to the next name on the list. Caelia had been a hard sell, and was clearly one of the reasons Cynthia had asked HIM to do this. But this next girl…
If Caelia was hard to convince to party, the other girl in Pikachu House would be impossible.
But he still knocked on the door.
"Who…" When the door opened and the girl inside saw who had come, time seemed to freeze for a moment.
"Blake Harker?!"
A blast of wind smacked him in the face and he nearly fell over. Elaina stared at him in shock, her face red with embarrassment and confusion.
"H-Hey…" he awkwardly greeted her. "Been a while…"
"Y-Yes, yes it has," Elaina mumbled, recomposing herself. She played with a lock of hair while refusing to meet his eyes.
Why is he here? Why would he come to see me after… after that? Elaina couldn't deny that she was overjoyed that Blake was here, but she was also nervous to see him. This was their first real face to face meeting, after all.
Is my hair okay? Does he care that I don't normally wear any makeup? I don't smell weird because I've been cooped up in my room all day, right!?
Neither one of them said anything else, they just stood in awkward silence. Finally it was Elaina who decided to speak.
"…I'm sorry," she whispered. "For everything that's… happened. And also… thank you."
Blake was surprised. "Thanks? For what?"
Elaina's face was bright red. But she raised her head and looked him right in the eye.
"If not for you… I would still be hiding behind that mask. So… thank you. It may just be… only in small ways, but… I will keep trying… to step forward and hold my head up high as myself…" Her voice got softer and softer as she spoke, and finally, she reached up to close the door.
"So… thank you."
"W-Wait!" Blake exclaimed. "Actually, that's part of why I'm here!"
Elaina blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"My friend, Cynthia… she's holding a party. And she wants you to come. And… I do to. It's a chance for you to meet people and interact with others as yourself."
Elaina stared at Blake, shocked. Then she began to tear up.
"W-What?! Did I say something wrong?! I'm sorry, I-"
"No, no, it's not that," Elaina said, wiping her eyes. She smiled. "I just… honestly feel grateful for such an invitation. I've never had anyone… who would invite me to a party before."
Blake brightened. "Oh! So that's all? That's great! So you'll come, then?"
"…No," Elaina said, shaking her head. Her face fell. "You see… someone like me… if I went to your friend's party after everything I've done… people would be uncomfortable."
Blake winced. He couldn't deny that, but at the same time, he still wanted her to come. But he couldn't think of a way to convince her.
"Elaina…"
"Tell your friend thank you," Elaina said, closing the door. "And I'm sorry."
She heard Blake walk away and collapsed to the ground, sighing. She buried her face in her knees.
"I should have said yes…" She mumbled to herself.
Sango and Nick were preparing the beach for Cynthia's party. Reiner and Julia had showed up with Kitty and Nikita as reinforcements, and they were getting everything ready.
"How much longer?" Nick asked, checking his phone.
"Cynthia said the party starts at 8, right?" Reiner asked, checking his phone too. "So only a few hours before the guests show up, then."
"She still has to get here with the food, too," Sango grumbled. "I'm starving. Due to her schedule we had to work all day, and I didn't get a lunch break!"
"Castform," Silver nodded in agreement.
"Okay, guys!" Cynthia skipped up, dragging a wagon filled with Tupperware behind her. "I've got everything ready! Looks like we're good to go!"
Sango and the others had done some good work. There were streamers set up on posts, and tables and chairs in the sand. The boys had even managed to get an awning up with a little help from her as well, and there was a fire pit dug for cooking over. All in all, it looked like the perfect recipe for a fun beach party.
"Now we just need to wait for Blake to get the guests!" Cynthia chirped.
Blake swallowed. This was it. The last person on Cynthia's guest list. He'd asked regular students like Aidan and Danica, and harder sells like Caelia and Elaina. But this last person trumped all of them in terms of difficulty, it was like trying to fend off a Dragonite's hyper beam with a paper plate shield.
He summoned all his courage and knocked on the door.
"Oh! Blake!" Serefina smiled when she left her room. "Nice to see you! Enjoying your lack of classes I see?"
"…Hey," Blake greeted her. "I, um… can I ask a big favor?"
"Of course," Serefina smiled. "Ask me anything!"
"…So, Cynthia's holding a party tonight-"
"No."
"B-But it would really mean a lot to her if you could come, and-"
"No."
"Please? Just for a little-"
"What part of 'no' did you not understand?"
Serefina's scowl softened, and she sighed. "Look, Blake, you're a great guy, okay? And Cynthia… she's nice, in her own way, but spending time with her, when she's… well…"
Serefina's feelings on the matter were complicated. On principle, she didn't hate anyone. But at the same time, whenever guys treated her body like a sex object, it disgusted her. It was the reason she didn't have many guy friends.
So someone like Cynthia who did the same was a point of discomfort for her. If only she was a little less lecherous, then maybe she and Serefina could be friends. But the way they were now-
"Oh, don't be like that, Seri! It sounds like fun! I want to go!" Dakota popped up behind Serefina, and Blake fell over in shock.
It was like he was staring at a ghost.
Serefina groaned and buried her face in her hand. "Oh… that's right…"
"DAKOTA'S OKAY?!" Everyone at the party was shocked to see Dakota make her entrance with a big smile on her face, flashing a peace sign.
"Totally healed!" She grinned. She decided not to mention that she was more than just "healed", she'd been changed on a genetic level. The others didn't need to know that.
"Well, this is good, right? I'm so glad!" Eli hugged Dakota tightly.
Serefina smiled, glad that her friend had gotten such a positive welcome by all the festive partygoers. She hadn't changed her position, she still wasn't thrilled with the idea of going to Cynthia's party. She'd only agreed on the condition that she get to bring her friend Eli with her as well.
Cynthia, to her credit, was thrilled by the idea. "Eli?! I'd almost forgotten! Thanks for reminding me, Serefina, you're the best! Of course you both can come! And Dakota too?! How-?! I don't care! Absolutely, she can come!"
And thus the party started. Because nobody knew exactly what the "1000th" was supposed to be, it essentially turned into a "welcome back" party for Dakota. But Cynthia didn't seem to mind. She wasn't making herself the center of attention; in fact, she was sitting in the sand off to the side, watching everyone having fun with a smile on her face.
Blake walked up to her to see what was up.
"So, your party seems to be going good. Kind of a shocker, having Dakota return like this," he said, forcing a smile.
Cynthia nodded. "Yeah… I'm glad everyone's enjoying themselves. This was really the right call."
"…So what is it, anyway? You never said," Blake said quietly.
"Hmm?"
"This '1000th' thing. What is it? What are we even celebrating?" Blake asked.
Cynthia let out a long sigh, wearing a solemn smile.
"It's my… 1000th rejection."
"Wait, what?!"
"As of today, I've officially been rejected by 1000 people I've asked out," Cynthia explained. She turned to Blake and cracked a smile. "Oh, but it's not like it's serious or anything! I was just asking for a casual hookup, that's all!"
She glanced down and dug a circle in the sand with her shoe. "…And she still said no."
Blake didn't know what to say to that. "So… you decided to throw a party?"
Cynthia shrugged. "Well, I could curl up in my room and feel bad about myself, or I could celebrate with all my friends." She turned and grinned his way. "Tell me, which one sounds more fun to you?"
Blake gave her a small smile back. "That sounds really hard," he admitted. "You're doing good work, Cynthia. I'm happy for you."
She tried to smile. She really did try. But it was so hard. So she flopped over and rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling up close to him and hugging him from the side.
"H-Hey! Cynthia!"
"Please? It's my party, at least indulge me a little while your girlfriend isn't here, okay?" She asked, looking up at him with watery eyes.
Blake winced.
"…Fine. Just a little," he agreed.
"And put your arm over my shoulder too?"
He sighed and did as she asked. "Don't push your luck."
As he said that, he expected Cynthia to crack back with something like "okay, and now over the hands pants stuff" but no. She just sat there in quiet contemplation snuggled up against him, watching the roaring fire.
So there it is, 1000 chapters. It's been a long road getting from there to here, but I'm glad we made it! We've got so much more story left to get through, and it's time to head back to the Orre Region!