Continuing with Cynthia, Sango, and Julia, our girls are going to plan forward for the future, as well as for the upcoming spring break trip! How are things going back at the Pokemon Academy? Is everyone getting along okay? And will Cynthia be able to work out what she wants to do for her job?

The Final Round of the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Contest 3 has begun! Get the votes going in soon! There are three girls in the finals! Who's going to win? Chloe? Cynthia? Or Vic? One of those girls will become the third best girl, so get those votes in as soon as possible! You've only got one vote this time, so make it count!

Finalists: Chloe, Cynthia, Vic

KedharS: Yep. Luckily she's a big fan of pickles, especially the veiny ones.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Yup. Cynthia and Sango are alike in a lot of ways, but while Sango is firmly aware of what she wants to do, it's clear that Cynthia really doesn't have any clue. She's easily swept up by her impulses, and there are a lot of ways forward for a pokemon trainer. But she'll do the best she can. Maybe working for the Battle Frontier, or maybe something else. It's impossible to say at the moment.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1026

Cynthia wished that Julia was a little more convincing. But she wasn't. She was still wracking her brain for ideas.

"You could try thinking thematically?" Sango offered as the girls walked to the Snorlax Commons for breakfast. "I mean, that's always a good place to start. Aesthetically speaking, what do you want this place to look like?"

Cynthia opened her mouth to reply and Sango cut her off.

"Let's keep it child-friendly please?" She asked, in no mood for Cynthia's usual shenanigans. Cynthia zipped her mouth and nodded.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Cynthia admitted. "I'm thinking I'd like a cosplay sort of thing, but at the same time, that's just… I don't know. It seems a little too gimmicky."

"Yeah, kinda," Sango nodded. "You know, if I was designing a battle facility? I'd totally make it a ranger theme. You know, something foresty, or maybe a lake or stream… ooh, or mountains would be nice too…"

She swooned a little as she imagined her own battle facility, even though she wasn't a pokemon trainer, and Cynthia rolled her eyes.

"You wouldn't know the first thing about running a battle facility," she scoffed, even though she knew next to nothing herself. "But I bet you'd like Keya's Battle Safari a lot, huh?"

"Duh, are you kidding me!?" Sango exclaimed. "Getting to go through all sorts of environments and capture wild pokemon to work with temporarily!? It's exactly what I do as a ranger, just, well, minus the battles."

"Yup, sounds right up your alley," Cynthia agreed.

"You gotta tell me when that place is ready," Sango insisted. "I need to see it! And then live there! Promise me!"

Julia, who had been listening to this discussion the entire time, had finally reached the end of her rope. She let out a loud groan. "Are you guys REALLY still talking about this?" She demanded, startling both girls.

"W-Well…" Cynthia wasn't sure how to respond. She glanced at Sango, who just shrugged.

"C-Come on, Julia, it's not that big of a deal," Sango laughed shakily. "We're just passing the time on the way to breakfast, that's all."

Julia was just annoyed since it felt like they'd been having this discussion for hours, and they weren't getting anywhere.

"Didn't we agree to give it a rest?" She asked, glancing at them. "Come on, we've got other stuff to focus on right now."

"Yeah, like breakfast," Sango agreed, rubbing her belly. "Ever notice how since the seniors and juniors and folks left we've been getting a lower quality of food? It sucks! It's like 'oh, they're just freshmen, who cares if they need to eat!' I'm serious here!"

Cynthia groaned. The three girls entered the cafeteria and got their trays, meeting up again outside on the veranda. Now that winter had passed, the place was clear of snow and nice and sunny, perfect for eating outside.

"You know, it still amazes me how you can eat that much food," Julia said, wincing as she saw the amount of pancakes Sango had stacked on her plate.

"Are you going to eat this much when we go to Hoenn?" Cynthia winced herself. "Because I don't think my grandparents have that much food at the inn."

"At least they'll be prepared now that they know who they're dealing with," Julia smirked. Sango shot her a dirty look.

"OH, you're telling me?" Cynthia cackled. "They were eaten out of house and home last time, they're gonna stock up!"

Sango turned her dirty look towards Cynthia and bit into her pancake defiantly. "Whatever," she grumbled.

"So how's the trip going, anyway?" Julia asked. "Isn't spring break like less than a week away? You still haven't told us anything. I'm not even packed yet since I don't know what to bring, or who else is even coming."

Cynthia sighed, scratching her hair. "My grandparents said I could invite nine of my friends to come with me, and they'll even pay for your guys' plane tickets."

"Damn, really?" Julia shook her head in surprise. "That's really generous of them."

"They paid for me and Maddi too," Sango nodded.

"Apparently, they're afraid that if they don't do stuff like this, I won't be able to make any friends," Cynthia grumbled. She loved her grandparents but sometimes it felt like they still thought of her as the shy girl she used to be, insecure due to her sister stealing all the girls she had crushes on. Nowadays she was a lot more energetic.

"So the three of us, and Blake of course," Sango counted off, setting her spoon down in the tub of oatmeal she'd lugged out. "Who else?"

"Kitty's coming too, right?" Julia asked hopefully.

"Yep," Cynthia nodded. "Not Nikita though. I asked her, but she said she's staying on campus to do some work for Professor Reinhart. For extra credit."

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Julia nodded. "Always studying that girl."

"You guys talking about my girlfriend?" Reiner asked, sitting down at their table. Nick and Blake sat down as well.

"You mean she's still dating you?" Julia asked, raising her eyebrow. Reiner glared at her.

Cynthia pushed past her friends' feud, turning to the boys. "So did you guys talk with your parents? What did they say? Can you come?"

"My mom's cool with it," Nick nodded.

"And I think we all know that my family's not going to give a damn," Blake said, trying to sound positive about the whole thing. Nobody really wanted to follow up with that thought.

"I can go too," Reiner said. "So it seems like we're all on board!"

Julia snorted. "No wonder Nikita's staying on campus."

"What is your problem?!" Reiner exclaimed, the smile slipping from his face. Julia had been especially rude recently.

"It's jealousy, obviously," Cynthia said, rolling her eyes. "She's upset because in spite of all the sexual tension between the two of you, you're dating Nikita and not her."

Julia's jaw dropped in shock and her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. The others all looked at Cynthia in disbelief.

"You cannot be serious," Sango said, shaking her head. She scooted away from Julia and waited for everything to explode. But Julia actually managed to keep her calm, taking a few deep breaths. Then she locked her eyes on Cynthia and glared furiously at her.

"Dude, NOT cool," Reiner scowled at Cynthia, not any happier about this than Julia was.

"Hey, come on guys, let's calm down," Nick said, trying desperately to reduce the tension. "What were you guys talking about before we got here?"

"The Battle Front-" Cynthia clamped her hand over Sango's mouth before she could blurt it out.

"Will you keep your mouth shut?!" She hissed. "This is supposed to be a secret! I wasn't even supposed to tell you two about it!"

"Frnrm," Sango mumbled through Cynthia's hand. Cynthia let her talk.

"It's not important anyway," she said, turning to the others, "for now, let's just think about the trip, alright Cynthia?"

"Works for me," Cynthia said, cracking a smile. "So with Kitty on board and Nikita not, that leaves three people we can still invite. Hmm…"

"What about that Danica girl from your party?" Julia asked. "She seems nice."

"Already asked her," Cynthia shook her head. "Unfortunately she's busy during spring break, visiting her family."

"So we have to think of more people? Huh…" Sango thought for a moment, but wasn't sure she knew anyone else who'd be interested in coming.

"Oh! I know!" Cynthia said. "We'll ask Aidan to come!"

Sango nearly choked on her pancakes. "Aidan?! Wh-Why him?" She sputtered out crumbs, staring at Cynthia in shock. Her face was as red as the other girl's hair.

Cynthia smirked. "Oh? Is there a particular reason why we shouldn't invite him?" She asked, knowing full well how awkward things were between Sango and the other boy. "He's your friend, isn't he? I thought you'd be thrilled."

Sango gulped, grabbing her milk and downing the glass. "W-Well… it's not THAT specifically… I mean, I was just thinking…"

Crap. There wasn't really a way for her to dig herself out of this one.

"Aidan's an okay guy," Blake said, turning to Sango. "Why don't you want him to come on the trip, Sango?"

Sango turned even redder. Then she pretended to choke. It was better than people learn that Aidan had recently confessed to her.

After going through a long, drawn out song and dance, Sango finally sobered up, and turned to Cynthia with a resigned look on her face.

"…Okay, if you want Aidan to come, that's fine with me."

"Really?" Cynthia asked, blinking in surprise. She wasn't completely shocked by Sango's acquiescence, after all, Aidan was her friend. But given how awkward things had been between the two of them, she expected a little more pushback.

And it wasn't like Sango didn't want to push back. But she knew that if she was too adamant about this, it would only cause Cynthia and the others to be suspicious of her, and that was something that she definitely didn't want.

As far as Sango knew, she was the only one who was aware of Aidan's confession. And if she had her way, that would continue to be the case.

Of course, Cynthia just couldn't leave well enough alone.

"That's great!" She cheered, clapping her hands together. "In that case, I'm sure you'll be happy to be the one to ask him, isn't that right?"

Sango went a little pale. "Uhum… uh, what? Excuse me?"

"What?" Cynthia shrugged. "You're all onboard with him coming, right? So you should be happy to be the one who'll ask him to come with us. I have someone else I have to ask myself, anyway, so this is important."

She turned to Blake. "Hey, uh… Blake, can you do me a big favor?"

Blake winced. He didn't like the sound of that.

"…What kind of favor?" He asked weakly.

Cynthia rolled her eyes. "It's not anything serious, don't worry. I just need your help with something! Come on!"

She was still being cagey. The last time Blake had agreed to something like this it was for her party, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to get caught up in a mess like that again. But he knew that saying something like that would just cause more drama, so he kept his mouth shut.

Besides, Cynthia was giving him those Growlithe eyes, it was WAY too hard for him to say no to those baby blues.

"…Fine," he agreed, hanging his head in resignation. "If that's what you want, I can help you. Just tell me what to do."

"Great!" Cynthia cheered. "I knew I could count on you! For now, let's just get done with breakfast and then we can go!"

Cynthia turned to her sugary cereal, which had since become soggy and moist from the milk. But she didn't seem to care, shoveling it eagerly into her mouth as the rest of them got to eating breakfast themselves.

Blake, in the meantime, knew that there was something he'd have to worry about later. But for now, he was just going to enjoy his eggs.

He was right to be worried about things though.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what Cynthia needed Blake for when, after breakfast, she marched him over to Kangaskhan Hall.

"Please!" Cynthia begged, kneeling in the grass with her forehead pressed to the ground. "Please, please, please come!"

"Not happening." Serefina's answer was short and sweet. She went back to spreading pokemon feed in the different feeding troughs spread across the Floette Fields, which was what she'd been busy with before Cynthia showed up to bug her about the trip.

"But… but… come on, it'll be so much fun!" Cynthia pleaded. "We've got amazing springs, and wonderful soothing views… I can even… err, I mean, you'll even be given a complementary full-body massage if you come!"

"Your ulterior motive is showing," Blake muttered under his breath.

"I'm not going to spend spring break at your family's hot spring, I'm sorry," Serefina said. Her voice was unusually gentle for how she addressed Cynthia, which both first-years found rather surprising.

"Why… why not?" Cynthia asked, picking herself up off the ground. "Is it because you're still made at me about… well…"

"About the way you always act?" Serefina asked, raising her eyebrow. She sighed. "No, don't worry, it's not about that. Believe me, while I'm not thrilled that you stare at me like a piece of meat-"

"I haven't done that in forever!" Cynthia protested. True to her word, she was trying her hardest not to let her eyes slip down to Serefina's chest. And it was a hard struggle too, given the fact that the warm spring weather meant she was wearing a top that clung to her figure and revealed a generous amount of cleavage.

Serefina sighed again. "Believe me, it's not about that," she assured her. "Even though we aren't exactly close, it's not like I'm opposed to going on a trip with you and your friends. It's just that I have responsibilities here."

"Taking care of the pokemon, I'm guessing?" Blake tried.

"Exactly," she nodded. "It's not like these pokemon are going to get a vacation, someone has to stay and take care of them."

"And does that someone have to be you?" Cynthia groaned. "I feel like you're ALWAYS here! You're not even officially part of the Caretaking Course yet, can't you ask a… oh, whoops. I guess you can't do that, huh?" It had totally slipped her mind that all the seniors and juniors were on a trip, leaving sophomores like Serefina the only reliable people to look after the pokemon for the school.

Serefina shrugged. "I love the little guys. And besides, the more volunteer hours I spend, the more extra credit I get. If I get amazing enough grades, then it'll look really good for when I want to start my own pokemon daycare service someday."

Cynthia perked up at that.

"Wait, that's what you want to do in the future?" She asked, suddenly curious. Serefina blinked, surprised.

"Well I mean… where did this come from?" It was a surprising thing to hear that Cynthia was interested in something about Serefina that didn't involve her boobs, so she wasn't sure how to respond to the sudden interest in her profession.

"Oh, well…" Cynthia blushed a little under the curious stares of Blake and Serefina. "I guess I was just curious… you're only a year ahead of me, and you're already set on what you want to do, so I'm just a little surprised is all."

"…Oh, I gotcha," Serefina nodded. "You're feeling a little pressured about that yourself, huh?"

"Something like that," Cynthia nodded, vaguely playing things off. No need to let Serefina know everything that was going on. "So I was just curious what made you decide you wanted to be a Pokemon Breeder so early? Aren't the first two years of school supposed to be for figuring out what you want to do? It seems like you're already well on-track to become a breeder, right?"

Serefina stared at her with a shocked look on her face. Cynthia began to get a little self-conscious, fidgeting in place.

"…What? Did I say something weird?" She asked nervously.

Serefina shook her head. "No, it's not that, I'm just a little surprised," she admitted. "I think this is the first time you've talked about me becoming a Pokemon Breeder without trying to turn it into innuendo of some kind."

Cynthia's face lit up with embarrassment. "Th-That's-! …Probably accurate," she had to admit, hanging her head in shame. "But come on! It's just… well, I'm getting better, see? So come on, you can come, right?"

"I already said no. But I'm happy to talk to you a little bit more about being a Pokemon Breeder!" Serefina said cheerily. "Who knows? It might be able to help you with your own problems figuring out what you want to do, what do you think?"

Blake glanced curiously at Cynthia. While it was clear that the "help" he was supposed to give her was emotional support while she asked her sort-of-crush-but-not-really to go on the trip, he was curious at how different Cynthia was acting. And what was this about her not being sure about her future? Blake thought that she was always the type of girl who preferred to live in the moment.

…And if he was being honest, he couldn't envision a future for Cynthia that didn't involve charges for sexual misconduct somewhere along the way.

But apparently, she was taking this pretty seriously. She nodded her head vigorously, interested in whatever Serefina had to say.

"Well, the reason why I wanted to become a Pokemon Breeder was so I could be like my mom," Serefina explained.

"Your mom?" Cynthia blinked in surprise.

"Yeah. After my dad passed away in a factory accident, my mom retired from her career as a pokemon trainer to become a breeder instead, working hard every day to take care of my older sister and I. My big sis went on to be a Pokemon Coordinator, but I was always fascinated with how amazing my mom was, you know?" Serefina's face was rosy with nostalgia. "She looked after everyone's pokemon, making sure that they were all loved and cared for, and somehow still had the time to raise two daughters while doing it."

"It sounds like she's your hero," Blake said enviously, thinking fondly about his own mother.

"Yeah, she really is," Serefina murmured, nodding. "Although my big sister is pretty amazing in her own way. But really, it's always been my mom who I've wanted to be like, looking after pokemon, taking care of them, making everyone happy… Cynthia, what's wrong with your nose?!"

Blood was gushing from Cynthia's nose. She quickly clamped her fingers over it to stop the flow as Blake and Serefina stepped back, grossed out and worried at the same time.

Cynthia sniffed. "I'b sowwy," she gurgled out. "Jus'… thinging 'bout Serefina… and mom… and big sister… dhey've godda be… eben bigger…"

The dam burst and more blood poured out of her nose. Serefina rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

Well, Cynthia's trying her best, but it seems that some things will never change. If Serefina's a no-go, I wonder who else they'll get to go on the trip?