Cynthia felt somewhat bad that Caelia isn't here with the other girls. So she went out to go talk to her! And hopefully things will go okay! But what about Elaina? It can't be easy to balance these two girls, they've both got a lot of issues. But will Cynthia the hostess manage to pull them all together and become friends with them?

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: Cynthia's trying her best. Sadly, her normal antics are more than a little problematic. I don't think Elaina liked it very much. She might blow the inn down.

Hyphenman: Female bonding. Cynthia's favorite kind.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1037

Cynthia had insisted that all the girls stay in one room and all the boys stay in another. Even when her grandparents insisted that they had enough rooms for all the students to double or triple up if they wanted to, she insisted that they all stay in one room.

Nobody had a chance to unpack yet, since they were all eager to get into the baths. So their stuff was all stacked up in the corner and the futons were laid out in two rows of three. Cynthia looked around, but Caelia wasn't there.

Hmm… if she's not here, then she must still be in the bath… she reasoned. She was tempted to go in and check on her, but she knew how sensitive Caelia was about her burns. Even if she didn't show it on the surface, there were ways to tell her mood that one could see if they looked closely at her, and studied her baseline apathy.

Cynthia stroked her chin and thought about what to do. She arrived a compromise, and headed towards the private baths. She could hear the shower running when she got there. Had Caelia not entered the bath yet?

"Caelia? Are you in there?" Cynthia called. She didn't expect to get a reply over the sound of the water and due to Caelia's natural personality, but to her surprise, the shower shut off and a quiet voice responded.

"…Yes."

"O-Oh. Well, um, don't worry. I'm not going to come inside, this bath is just for you, so… I-I just came here to leave this bathrobe for you, I'll put it outside the door, okay?" Cynthia called inside, setting down the robe.

"Okay."

"…Well, uh… I'll go…" Cynthia mumbled. Honestly, she really wanted to go inside. But she also knew that she couldn't. She took a deep breath and stared at the door, wondering how Caelia was doing. On the other hand, Caelia hadn't even given Cynthia a second thought, walking into the bath and staring into the steam.

She couldn't feel the warm water washing over her; not even the heat of the steam. Caelia didn't even know how to swim; being suspended in water like this was odd. She stared at the surface and just waited.

How long do I need to stay in here? She wondered.

A few minutes later, she was coming out of the bath, a little wetter than usual and a little warmer than usual, and definitely smelling a LOT better than usual. She also looked completely different than usual; dressed in a fluffy white bathrobe with only her long glove and eye-patch, she actually looked clean for once.

"Oh."

She wasn't sure why Cynthia was still standing out in front of the bathroom. She had an anxious look on her face, and Caelia didn't know (or really care) why.

"H-Hey, Caelia. How was the bath?" Cynthia asked, forcing a smile onto her face. She reached out to Caelia but halted her hand at the last second.

"Fine. I didn't… never mind," Caelia glanced away and headed down the hall, and Cynthia quickly chased after her.

"H-Hey, I was just wondering… um, can we talk?" Cynthia asked hopefully.

"We are."

"N-No, that's not what I meant," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "I mean… can we just… you know, talk? Seriously, I mean."

She rushed ahead and peeked into the room. Thanks to Caelia's short bath, the other girls still hadn't gotten back yet. She sighed in relief. She turned back to Caelia, who sat down in the corner and stared off into the distance. Cynthia sat down in front of her.

Caelia's unblinking stare was devoid of emotion, but Cynthia needed to talk with her somehow. She felt bad. While she and the other girls were enjoying themselves in the bath, Caelia had been bathing all by herself.

"So… how was the private bath? We spent a lot of time renovating it, you know. It's pretty nice, I think. Did you like it?" It was an awkward question that she'd already asked, but she wasn't sure what to say to the other girl.

"I said. Fine."

"Huh… um, you said… wait, are you sure?" Cynthia asked suspiciously. "You were only in there for a little while."

Caelia didn't respond.

Cynthia sighed. "Sorry for bugging you."

Still no answer.

Cynthia pressed the issue. "I mean, coming to the bathroom like this and trying to talk to you. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, okay?"

"Not uncomfortable," Caelia murmured.

Cynthia sighed again. She didn't know how to talk to this girl. "Look, Caelia… I feel bad, okay? It seems like this trip isn't very fun for you."

Caelia's silent stare was like a guilty rock dropping down on Cynthia's back.

"Sango and the rest of us were having fun in the bath… but you, well… you were in the bath all by yourself. It didn't seem very fair, you know? I was worried. That, well… you wouldn't have any fun if you just stayed on your own."

She looked warily up at Caelia for a response, but the other girl was impossible to read right now. Her eye was dull.

"L-Look, it's not like I'm trying to pressure you into taking a bath with the rest of us, okay?!" Cynthia insisted, glancing at the covered parts of Caelia's body, concealing her scars. "After all, I know that your scars are… sensitive. But at the same time… are you sure you're having fun? Taking baths by yourself, without anyone here?"

"…Fun? Baths are… fun?" Caelia's tone didn't sound emotional, but Cynthia could catch the briefest hint of a question in her voice.

"I-I mean… hot springs are supposed to be, yeah," Cynthia said, nodding. She felt a little guilty that Caelia wasn't, to be honest. "So like… when you were in there by yourself… it might have been relaxing, but I don't think it was the same as being with the rest of us in the bath, right?"

Caelia didn't know what to say to that. Cynthia continued her explanation.

"I-I mean... would it even have been fun for you? Being with the rest of us?" She rambled, not sure if Caelia would even have enjoyed herself. After all, the brunette wasn't exactly social to begin with. She could clearly picture her sitting off in a corner of the bath not talking to anybody like Elaina had tried to do. Which wasn't very good.

Cynthia wanted everyone to have fun on the trip, but apparently that just wasn't a possibility, no matter how much she wished it could have been.

But that wasn't going to stop her from trying.

"Hey… why did you come?" Cynthia asked. She'd been wondering since practically the second Caelia had accepted the invitation.

That question did get a response. It was a blink of confusion from the brunette.

"…What?" Caelia mumbled.

"On the trip. Why did you come?" Cynthia asked again. "I mean… you never seem to want to hang out with other people, and a trip like this… it's a social environment. So if you don't like that sort of thing, then I just can't see why you would want to go on a trip with me and my friends. Was it… was it just because Blake was going to be here?"

Anyone with eyes could see how Caelia felt about Blake. Cynthia had exploited those feelings in the past. But when she'd tried to leave way back when she'd invited Caelia, Caelia had clutched her sleeve like she didn't want her to go, and asked if she could come.

That had given Cynthia hope that the other girl had come because she wanted to spend time with her and her friends. She didn't want to believe that Blake had been the only reason Caelia would go on the trip, but it was the answer that made the most sense.

But Caelia didn't agree outright. She just stared at Cynthia.

"…The bath."

Of all the answers Caelia could have given, that wasn't one Cynthia had expected. She blinked, not sure if she'd heard right.

"You wanted to come… because of the hot spring?" Cynthia asked, confused.

"I came here… before…" Caelia's explanation came from a voice as soft as silk, almost unnatural to hear from her lips. "On the trip."

"Yeah, I remember."

"The bath… didn't feel anything," she continued. "It just was. Showered. Cleaned myself. But bath… no, just… pointless."

Cynthia sighed. That wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it made sense. Her family's hot spring was cool, but if Caelia couldn't feel anything then she wouldn't care about any of that.

"So what? Why come back?"

"Wanted to see… if different," Caelia answered. "After the trip… with Blake… my body began to… feel things. I wanted to know… the things I hadn't felt until now… would I still not feel them? Or maybe… could I actually…"

Her voice sounded genuinely sad.

"But it didn't work?" Cynthia asked.

"I couldn't feel it. Nothing."

Cynthia felt like crying when she heard Caelia.

Caelia turned away and stared out the window, seeing the steam rise over the horizon. "I don't understand the appeal."

"Maybe if you went with the rest of… no, never mind," Cynthia said, shaking her head. She was about to suggest Caelia join them for the bath next time, to see if she would feel anything, but that might be even worse, given her hang-ups about her body.

There was something else she wanted to ask.

"Does that mean you wouldn't want to come if it wasn't to the hot spring?" Cynthia asked quietly. "You didn't want to spend time with us? With… me?"

Caelia didn't reply. Cynthia didn't know if that was good or bad. She took a deep breath and did the only thing she could.

She hugged Caelia tightly.

"…Huh."

Caelia's gasp of surprise was muted, and Cynthia couldn't see her face so she didn't know what her response was. In fact, she wasn't even sure if this was the right thing to do. Caelia couldn't feel her hug, after all. Maybe this was just a bother.

Before she could second-guess herself and pull back, the sliding door opened and Julia entered the room.

"…Well, I know you left early," she said with a smirk in her voice, "and apparently you snuck off to get all hot and heavy with Caelia over there."

"Julia!" Cynthia gasped, pulling away from Caelia in surprise. "This is… just, uh… what are you doing here?!" She sputtered, her face red.

Julia raised her eyebrow. "…I'm going to be staying here for the rest of the week, you realize that, right? You did invite me after all."

Cynthia backed off, glaring at Julia to keep her mouth shut. Fortunately Julia was maybe the one girl on this trip who could read the room, and knew better than to push the issue. If Cynthia was hugging Caelia, it had to be serious.

"Time for dinner yet?" Sango asked, walking in with Silver floating over her shoulder. Kitty walked in right beside her. She was yawning like a little kitten.

"Haaan… I'm more tired than hungy…" Kitty murmured.

"Um…"

Elaina peeked into the room, her face red with embarrassment.

"What's up?" Cynthia asked, raising her eyebrow. "You can come on in."

"W-Well…" Elaina stepped into the room, and Cynthia's priorities took an immediate shift. Elaina's bathrobe was… Well, maybe Cynthia had gotten the wrong size bathrobe for her by accident. (or on purpose)

It was tight on her body and displayed a huge amount of cleavage, and she had to constantly tug it up to keep from showing certain parts of her.

"C-Can I please change?" Elaina hissed, glaring at Cynthia. "This is… you expect me to eat in this outfit?! Seriously?"

Cynthia wiped the blood from her nose. "Rejected. At this hot spring, it's tradition to eat after taking a bath, and do it in a bathrobe."

"Can I get a bigger one then?!" She pleaded. "I-I'm not used to wearing clothes this… skimpy!"

"Come on, Elaina, now that you don't have a mask, it's time to reimagine yourself!" Cynthia said, walking over to her and patting her on the shoulder. "You can become the big and sexy Elaina Bishop, out of her shell."

Elaina narrowed her eyes. "Please don't touch me," she scowled, batting Cynthia's hand away. "And please get me a bigger bathrobe."

"Okay, fine, I'll see if my parents have one," Cynthia said, heading for the exit. She paused at the door, and walked over to Sango, pulling her aside.

"What? I'm not trading with her," Sango scowled.

"Huh? No, not that," Cynthia shook her head. "Yours wouldn't fit anyway, it would pinch even tighter in the chest."

Sango glared at her.

"…Bad joke. Never mind. Anyway, I was wondering if you guys could, you know, do some social stuff while I'm gone?"

"Like what?" Sango asked.

"I don't know, play some card games. Summon your Blue-Eyes or something," Cynthia rolled her eyes. "But the point is, I want you to invite Caelia."

"Hmm?" Sango glanced over her shoulder to where Caelia was sitting, staring off into the distance with an absent look on her face.

"Caelia… well, I don't know if she's feeling lonely. But I feel bad that we're all hanging out together, even Elaina, and it's like she's not being included. And I don't think that's okay," Cynthia said. "Could you just make her feel like she's one of us? …I-If she wants to, of course!" She hastily added. "Don't pressure her if she doesn't want to do it."

"Yeah, no problem," Sango said, nodding. "I'll help her."

Cynthia sighed in relief and headed out to go get a new bathrobe in Elaina's size. Or maybe she'd get one with a tight cut on the hips, to show off those thighs. Blake would like it better if he could check out her ass.

That would be amusing, she laughed to herself. But then she decided not to push her luck in case Elaina wanted to go back to the good old days and unleash a hurricane in her family's inn. That wouldn't go over well.

When we're closer friends, maybe I can pull more tricks like that, she convinced herself. For now, it's probably better if I just treat her like I don't want to make her mad.

Of course, Cynthia should be doing that regardless, but sometimes she made bad decisions. Thankfully, now wasn't one of those times.

After retrieving a suitable bathrobe she headed back to the girls' room, when she ran into Blake coming back from the baths.

"Oh, Blake! How'd it go?" Cynthia asked. She flashed a coy smile. "I hope you didn't do anything… untoward in the hot spring. The water has been known for having rather… stimulating effects, if you know what I mean."

Blake glared at her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's just a joke Blake, come on. Don't be so serious!" Cynthia laughed, patting him on the shoulder. He still wasn't amused.

"Cynthia," he said quietly, "what was up with Elaina in the hot spring?"

She sensed that it would be stepping on a land mine to say anything else, but her tongue wasn't listening to her brain's orders.

"I know, right?! Those knockers, WOW! Serefina's stacked, but Elaina could seriously give her a run for her… money…"

Cynthia trailed off as she saw the intense aura coming off of Blake. She swallowed and stepped back, her tongue finally deciding to shut up.

"H-Hey, I was just joking around…"

"Cynthia, you can't do that sort of stuff with Elaina!" Blake hissed. "Do you have any idea how sensitive she is? She's incredibly fragile! This is her first time in a social situation like this, she's trying to make friends! But you're still… well, you know! What if you make her upset?! What if you hurt her even more?!"

"Hey, it was just some skinship!" Cynthia protested. "I didn't think-"

"NO, you DIDN'T think!" Blake was shouting now, and Cynthia felt like a shaky leaf. "You can't just do that sort of thing! Isn't Serefina enough? Didn't you learn anything from Maddi? These girls have feelings and your 'skinship' is just sexual assault!"

"I-I knoooow!" Cynthia wailed. She collapsed to her knees and started to cry. Her breakdown was startling.

For a moment, Blake felt like he'd been the one who'd gone too far. But he remembered the way that Cynthia had acted tonight, and knew he was in the right.

"If you know how bad you're being, then why?" He demanded.

"Because it's hard, okay?!" Cynthia exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how hard it is?! How difficult you made this trip by inviting her here?!"

Blake felt like she'd slapped him across the face. "Are you kidding me right now? YOU? Are you telling me you're upset that I invited Elaina? Cynthia, if you had something to say, then why didn't you say it before I invited her?"

"No!" Cynthia blurted out. "Not exactly! Elaina… I want to get to know her, I do! I'd love to be her friend, and I AM happy she's here, it's just…"

She glanced down at the ground.

"Elaina… she's hard to be friends with. What do we even talk about? What do you talk about? Sango? She's easy. Julia? Easy! Nick and Reiner, just throw some video games at him and we're the best of pals! And Kitty loves pokemon as much as I do, plus you and me, well, we have pokemon battles, but how am I supposed to get through to her, huh? After… you know."

Blake couldn't believe what he was hearing. But he couldn't blame Cynthia for feeling that way. "So… groping Elaina, that's… what? You trying to bond with her?"

"When I don't know what to do, I default to bad behaviors," Cynthia admitted, her face flushed with guilt. "I felt awful even when I was doing it, but I thought it was the only way I could loosen her up, and before I knew it…"

She was really wailing now.

"I bwought… *sniff* I brought this baffwobe begause I feld bad," she choked out, holding up the bathrobe.

Blake sighed. "Cynthia… I know you're a good person. But you go too far. How do you think Elaina felt, being touched like that?"

"I know she felt horrible," Cynthia nodded. "I need to apologize."

"That's right, you do," Blake nodded. He patted her on the head. "Come on. I'll help you, okay? She'll listen to me."

Cynthia wiped her eyes and nodded, then blew her nose in the bathrobe. Blake winced.

"…Maybe you should get a new one of those, too, yeah?" He added. Cynthia nodded again.

Well, Cynthia did some bad stuff. But she did some good stuff, too. It's clear that having Caelia and Elaina here is really difficult for her to juggle. She made a big mistake, but hopefully she'll be able to make up for it. She did have good intentions, at least. But in the meantime, they're gonna go out to dinner.