It's been a long journey. Today marks the five-year anniversary of this story. So to celebrate, rather than write a chapter like normal, we're going to invite the cast of Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings to answer questions that our readers have been dying to know! And if there were any questions you wanted an answer to that I didn't ask… well, there's a reason I didn't ask for your questions beforehand. This is all scripted, so nothing too tantalizing is being given away.
This is a long one, guys. Make sure you've got your energy drinks with you. Remember to review!
As for the Best Girl nominations, still going strong. Anyone else left to add?
Currently Nominated: Sango, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Dakota, Ayame, Marion, Kitty
Tambry96bj: You're supposed to nominate 3 people, but if the other people you'd want to add are already up there, that's fine too.
Aakareo Kokokuhikari: You can nominate two other girls as well if you like girls besides Sango.
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Well… today is kind of special, so not just yet.
Hellraiserphoenix: Well they're both battle maniacs with a horrible lack of self control.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Bonus Chapter 3: The Tonight Show, with Dakota Evans!
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" To the sound of thunderous applause, Dakota Evans walked onstage, waving to her audience of eager fans. In the center of the stage were two large armchairs side by side, and another armchair on the other side of a table, which had some water and magazines on it for the guests. Dakota chose not to sit in any of the chairs, though, walking up and down the stage instead.
"So, as you may have heard, today we're celebrating a very special anniversary! Do you know what day it is?"
Dakota paused, holding the microphone out to the audience. No response came. Her face soured.
"Fine, fine, I'll tell you," Dakota snarled, scowling at the audience. "Today is the Five-Year Anniversary of Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings!"
More silence. Dakota held up a small remote and pressed a button, an applause track ringing out across the theater.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Dakota huffed. "So today, rather than our regularly scheduled performance of Pokemon Academy, which, let me tell you, is going through a bit of a ratings slump, we're going to be conducting some interviews with the cast and crew! You've sent in your questions, and we have a lot of them, let me tell you! I'm getting so excited, I can't stand it! The fans have spoken, and they want to know what's going on! Don't you?!"
This time the audience did applause. That was good enough for Dakota, who smiled smugly and walked over to the lone chair on the stage right, plopping down into it. Beside the chair was a large bag, and inside were stacks upon stacks of letters.
"Now, we have a lot of guests here from the series, and you better believe we're going to ask them as many questions as we can! It's gonna be a long one, folks!" Dakota dug through her bag, pulling out a large stack of letters and setting it down on the table in front of her. "Now, for starters, since we just finished her story arc, and she's a pretty popular character, let's invite the young ranger herself, Sango Akana!"
Sango
Sango walked onstage, smiling, the audience cheering her on as she did. She sat in the chair opposite to Dakota, a big smile on her face.
"Glad to have you here, Sango!" Dakota smiled.
"Glad to be here, Dakota," Sango chuckled, nodding her head.
"Well, it's certainly better than being stuck in the brig of a Team Rocket freighter, I'd imagine," Dakota chuckled. The audience laughed along with her and Sango nodded as well, it was all in good fun.
"Yes, well, about that scene, a lot of people don't know this, but the author originally intended me to be on that boat from the very beginning."
"Oh, really?" Dakota asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I was surprised at first, because it was like, back when we were filming Chapter 7 I believe, and I went up to the Mr. Espeon of Shadows, and I was like 'are you sure you want me to handle this scene?' and he was like 'absolutely, it's got to be you'."
"Wow, so does that mean that this whole plotline about Harmonia and the Children of the Oracles, all that has been planned out from the start?"
"I think so?" Sango said, tilting her head to the side. "I don't know a lot about the author's writing process. All I knew was that Guinevere and I were on a boat together."
"Oh, so it was originally just you and Guinevere, then," Dakota said, raising her eyebrows. "Ryoko wasn't there?"
"No, I think Ryoko came in later, actually, I think she was one of the changes the author made back when we went on hiatus after Chapter 24."
"Ugh, the hiatus, I know," Dakota said, rolling her eyes. "Man, I remember before that happened, we'd be getting 10, 15 reviews a day per chapter. And then he cuts things off for more than a year!"
"Oh, I know, right?" Sango laughed. "God, and not only that, he ended it with 'I hope I can get these out a little faster now' and then he goes dark? How's that for ironic!"
The two shared a great laugh at my expense.
"Well, now that your second major arc of the series has come to a close, I gotta say, what's it like to be the leading female character?" Dakota asked.
"Oh, you would not imagine," Sango said, rolling her eyes. "The looks I get sometimes, from the other cast members? Cynthia can't stand the fact that I've gotten two arcs all to myself and she hasn't even had one. I mean, I love her to death, but I didn't want this either, you know!"
"So you think things are going to calm down after this?" Dakota asked. "You've been propped up for a lot of this later part of the story. You think that in the coming chapters, he's going to put some focus on the other girls, maybe?"
Sango paused, thinking of her answer.
"Well I'm not going to say 'no'," Sango said, smiling. "But if you read the chapters, I'm sure you can see that there are some significant events that were built up in this last arc, even if it was a little bit long. And I will say, some of those events will come into play sooner than you might expect."
"Indeed, it does have the makings of some serious stuff going on," Dakota agreed. "Okay, but now you've got me all frazzled! Tell me, what's going to happen?"
"I can't tell you," Sango laughed. "It's a spoiler!"
"Oh, come on! Just a little one! What can you tell me, then?"
"Hm… well, I'll have to think about it…" Sango paused contemplatively. "I've got it." She lowered her voice into a conspiratorial tone, leaning in close to Dakota.
"Guinevere is the key to all this. If we get Guinevere working. Cause she's a funnier character than we've ever had in any of the chapters before."
Dakota scowled, rolling her eyes.
"That sounds like a lie."
"I can't tell you the actual spoilers!" Sango laughed. "I'd ruin things for the audience!"
"Fine, fine," Dakota's expression was sour, but she nodded anyway. "Now then, the fans have sent you in some questions."
"Oh, really?" Sango asked, surprised. "To me? Gosh, put me on the spot."
"Quite a few, too, seeing as how you're one of the main characters," Dakota continued, patting the stack of letters in front of her. She lifted the first one up, and peeled it open.
"So our first question is from BattleFan39, and he asks 'Sango, I really like that you're so tough and I totally respect your decision to be a Pokemon Ranger. But I gotta ask, why all the hate on Pokemon Battling?'" Dakota glanced up at Sango. "So? Why all the hate on Pokemon Battling, Sango?"
"Okay, well, I think I should clarify something, if it's all the same," Sango replied. "I don't hate battling! Not at all! I actual respect battling, and pokemon battlers, quite a bit! It's just… it's just not for me, see?"
"What do you mean not for you?" Dakota inquired.
"I don't like seeing pokemon get hurt," Sango explained. "But even so, the mechanics of fighting… I can still understand it pretty well, and I still like giving advice to my friends. But to imagine Silver getting injured in battle? I just don't want to put my beloved partner in danger like that."
"Yeah, I think that makes sense," Dakota agreed. "I mean, I'm not the biggest fan of battling myself, you know."
"I just wish it wasn't so mandatory for so many classes," Sango sighed. "You know?"
Dakota nodded sympathetically, and moved on to the next letter.
"This one is from AspiringRangerGirl. She says 'Sango, I've been a fan of Pokemon Rangers for a long time. I feel that they've been very underrepresented in pokemon media, and I just want to know how much I appreciate reading about you and your exploits. How does it feel, being an inspiration to girls like me, who want to become Pokemon Rangers ourselves?'"
Sango smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"I have to say, you're quite the inspiration," Dakota agreed. "How does it feel, being the ranger star of the story?"
"It is great," Sango admitted. "But it's a lot of pressure. I mean, the other members of the Ranger Course, well, there's Marion, but she's not really trying to be a ranger. And then there's Aidan, and Erik and Andre, you know? But none of them are featured as prominently as me, and so sometimes I feel like there's this huge pressure on my shoulders, telling me that I need to be the perfect representative of the Ranger Course, and sometimes, you know, I just want…"
Sango sighed.
"Sometimes I just want to hang with my friends, you know?"
Dakota nodded sympathetically.
"Well from what we've read, it seems that you're going to be slowing down a little, isn't that right?"
"That's right, Dakota," Sango agreed. "I've actually talked about this with Espeon of Shadows for a long time, about how I want to take things slow, and just hang out with my friends some more, you know?"
Dakota nodded.
"I think that's a good idea. Thank you for sharing that with me, Sango," Dakota smiled. "Now then, since you brought up Marion, here's a few questions about her."
Dakota took out a few letters and read them.
"SeaMan7 asks 'So what's going on between you and Marion?' and OceanQueen asks 'Is it true that you and Marion are more than just friends? Is there anything special between the two of you?' Oh, spicy!"
"Wha-what?" Sango gasped, her mouth falling open. "Wait, do people really think of me like… like that? That me and Marion are… are like that? Romantically?"
"You aren't?" Dakota asked.
"No! Not even a little bit! We're friends! That's it! Just friends!"
"And what if she feels differently?"
"What do you mean 'what if she feels differently'?" Sango asked, frowning. "Marion and I are just friends!"
"Well, I'm glad to hear you say that, Sango," Dakota purred. "Let's hear from the lady herself, shall we?"
"What?"
"Marion Rivers, everybody!" Dakota called. Sango turned her head to see Marion step out onto the stage, waving happily towards the audience with a big smile on her face.
"Marion?!" Sango exclaimed. Marion winked at her, flopping down into the chair beside Sango's.
"Well, welcome to our show, Marion," Dakota said, smiling. "I'm Dakota Evans."
"Marion Rivers, nice ta meetcha!" Marion chirped, waving at Dakota cheerily.
"So now, what's this I hear about your relationship with Sango?" Dakota asked, leaning and propping her chin up with her hands. "Are you really just friends? I know the story has said as much, but the two of you seem to have had some rather… intimate scenes, in the most recent arc. And you've certainly used the 'L' word more than a couple of times. So… what's up? Are you friends? Or is there… something more? According to Sango, you two aren't any more than friends. What's your feelings on the subject?"
Marion gasped in surprise, holding her hand to her mouth.
"What? You said that?!" Marion cried.
"W-well, yeah, of course!" Sango exclaimed. "We're just friends! That's it!"
"But… but…" Tears were welling up in Marion's eyes. "I… I thought we were best friends!"
"Oh… oh!" Sango gasped, placing her hand on Marion's arm. "No, no, that's not what I meant, Marion! Honest! I… I didn't…"
Dakota gestured to the cameraman sharply, directing the camera towards Sango's hand.
"Oh, yeah, that's the stuff. Touch her, stroke her, oh, baby, that's what we want to see, nice and steamy…" Dakota drooled. Sango shot her a dirty look, returning her hands to her lap. Dakota rolled her eyes, clearly disappointed.
"Fine, fine, if you don't want to talk about Marion…" Dakota took a stack of letters off the table and tossed them over her shoulder, leaving the rest of the stack alone. "Then here's some more questions for you. About your relationship with another certain person…"
Sango gulped. She knew where this was going.
Dakota picked up the stack of letters, staring seriously at Sango, and then dropped it on the table with a loud thump.
"…Yeah, I get it," Sango sighed.
"CheerShipping4Life asks 'OMG! CheerShipping is my absolute favorite ship! Sango! When are you and Blake going to get together?!'"
"CheerShipping, really?!" Sango exclaimed. "Is this because of that cheerleading outfit I wore?!"
"Answer the question," Dakota requested.
"Yeah, Sango! Answer the question!" Marion giggled. Sango silenced her with a glare, before turning back to Dakota.
"I don't know when!" Sango cried. "I can't see the future! I'm doing the best I can, okay?"
"Are you really?" Dakota smirked, picking out another letter. "Because OnoderaFanX wants to ask you 'Please, Sango, can you confess before it's too late? I don't want to see another ship sink because the girl I supported held her feelings in for too long!' So? What do you think?"
"Eve… even if I did confess to him, he's still probably going to reject me, anyway!" Sango exclaimed. "Ayame said it herself! That Blake isn't ready to date anyone yet!"
"Well, but didn't you say you were going to tell him your feelings soon?" Marion asked, Sango glaring at her. Marion giggled in response.
"Marion's right, Sango. You did say you were gonna do it," Dakota sneered.
"I will! Just leave me alone!" Sango exclaimed.
"Well, while we're on the topic…" Dakota reached for one of the last letters, putting the "when are you going to ask out Blake" questions aside. She unfolded the letter. "ShippingWarriorSeven wants to know 'What do you think about Ayame? She's totally trying to steal Blake from you! Are you just going to put up with that?!'"
"What?! Steal? It's not like he's mine!" Sango exclaimed. "I mean… Ayame…"
Sango looked down, unable to meet Dakota's inquisitive gaze.
"Ayame… has really helped me out a lot…" Sango murmured. "Before… I was incredibly jealous of her. I didn't want anything to do with her, in fact, I just wanted her and Blake to stop talking completely. But now…"
Sango smiled.
"Now, I appreciate her a lot. Both her feelings, and… her friendship. I'm happy that she cares for Blake so much, and that he has someone looking out for him, someone who… loves him. And even though we aren't… really friends… I think we could be. I, at least… I would like to be her friend, and get to know her better."
"Aw, Sango!" Marion gushed, leaning over and wrapping her arms around Sango. "That's my girl! I love ya! You're so cute!"
"Thanks, Marion," Sango murmured, the brim of Marion's hat driving into her cheek.
"But don't get me wrong," Sango clarified, pushing Marion off of her and staring at Dakota with a serious look in her eyes. "Just because I appreciate her… does not mean I'm just going to give her Blake! I'm going to tell him how I feel. What happens after that… is up to him."
"I'm looking forward to it, then!" Dakota nodded. "Now, we have another question, about your opinion of Claire-"
"PASS." Sango snarled coldly. Dakota flinched, tossing the card over her shoulder.
"In that case, we only have one question left," Dakota said, taking out one more letter. She flipped it open.
"This one is from ShiningGirl*_*Sparkles," Dakota smiled. "'Sango… when Olivia gave you that makeover… it seemed like you were really, really beautiful. But even so… you still said it didn't suit you, that a natural look was better. Although I want to know why, more than that… I wanted to let you know that I think whatever you look like, makeup or not… you're still beautiful!'"
Sango's eyes widened in surprise and her face turned pink.
"…Wh-what?"
"Isn't that nice?" Dakota grinned. "I wanted to save the best for last."
"I… yeah," Sango admitted, nodding. "I did… like feeling beautiful. It was like a dream. But even with makeup and the face of an angel… or just me being myself… I'm going to keep doing the best I can. So thank you for your support."
Sango gave a beaming smile of gratitude to the camera, Dakota nodding in agreement.
"I think that's for the best, definitely," Dakota agreed. She set the letter down, and turned back to Sango. "Thank you for coming in today to talk to us, Sango. I think you've cleared up quite a lot for us today!"
"Happy to help!" Sango said, smiling. She rose from her seat, shaking Dakota's hand. She glanced at Marion, but the fishing girl remained seated, waving at Sango. Sango looked confused, but shrugged. It wasn't her problem anymore.
"Sango Akana, everyone! Give her a hand!"
Sango waved to the applauding audience as she left, her face covered in a beaming smile.
"Now then, let's move on to our next guest! And since you're already here, Marion, it looks like you're up! Marion Rivers!"
Marion rose from her seat and waved, the audience continuing to clap for her as she sat down in the seat Sango had occupied, crossing one leg over the other.
Marion
"So, Marion, you've received quite a lot of focus in the last arc! We got to see some of your backstory, which helped us get to know you a lot better!"
"That's right," Marion said, her expression distraught. "It was hard, for young me to do so many scenes without fishing! I was getting the shakes the whole time!"
"Are you sure that wasn't just due to the difficulty of the subject matter you were dealing with?"
"Oh, that was nothing. Things got way worse, but we didn't show those parts," Marion said, waving off her childhood trauma like it was nothing. "Still, though, the author had a lot of difficulty with those parts. This is a series rated 'T' for 'Teen' after all, so there are limits to what we could show. And child torture is a big no-no. So we had to cut some scenes out. Plus, the ratings started going in the can, so the author had to pull focus and end things early. What a gyp! We didn't even get to see how Little Rey and I made up and became friends, or how his hair went from black to the light grey it is now!"
"That's true, but I think that part of the story was starting to drag a little," Dakota replied. Marion gave a huff in response.
"Ah, no worries! Now then, let's get on with those questions! I'll take 'Fishing' for 100, Bob!" Marion chortled. "Hit me with your worst! I know all there is to know! Just you ask this fishing guru anything!"
"Actually, Marion, we aren't going to be asking any questions about fishing today," Dakota replied. Marion's face froze.
"…Wh-what?" Marion asked, her tan seeming to fall away as her face turned pale white.
"Yeah, we figure that you're going to answer any fishing questions we might have in the story itself, so we wanted to inquire some more about you, and not about fishing."
"…Eeeehhhh…" Marion sighed, utterly drained of energy. She had no interest in answering any questions now, much to Dakota's irritation. Still, she reached inside and pulled out a stack of letters.
"We can skip the ones about you and Sango, you two have made things clear there, but here's another question about your love life, from FishingFangirl55! 'Hey, Marion! Nice to meet another fishing enthusiast! So I was just wondering, is there someone special you're interested in? A boy you've got your eye on? If not, what's your type?'"
"Always nice to hear from a fellow fishing enthusiast!" Marion laughed. "Nah, but the truth is, I don't have much of an interest in dating! The ocean is my one true love, you know! And the fish in her depths are my dearest friends! As long as there are fishies that still need to be reeled in, I'll never have the time for romance!"
"Oh, is that so?" Dakota asked, surprised. "And yet when you were younger, you seemed pretty interested in Rast, if I recall correctly? And you have a bit of chemistry with Rey, as well."
"N-n-no, nothing like that!" Marion exclaimed, her tanned face turning red. "I-I mean, yeah, I kissed them a few times, but…"
"Oh-ho?" Dakota smiled, narrowing her eyes like a cop catching a perp in a lie. Marion yet out a "yeep" and hopped up in her chair.
"That… that didn't get published! So it never happened!" Marion exclaimed. "A-and even if it did happen, that was back when we were kids! And besides, Rast and Preya are, like, totally different now! They're doing bad things, because they're bad guys! So… I mean…"
Marion looked down.
"It's impossible, anyway…" she murmured, shaking her head.
"I see… in that case, here's another question for you, Marion. From OsananajimiRabu3. 'Marion, you were so cute as a kid! But I have to ask… does it hurt, knowing that your dear friends from childhood are doing such bad things? Did it break your heart seeing Preya act like that? Stay strong, Marion! You can beat anything with that smile of yours!'"
Marion smiled slightly, and nodded her head.
"It was hard," Marion admitted. "Seeing Little Rey… Preya… seeing him the way he was. It was heart-breaking, yeah. I guess… before then, I always imagined that they were still doing well together, somewhere. He wasn't the Little Rey I remember. But even so, I wonder… does he still have that book of mine? Does he still… remember our promise?"
Tears fell from Marion's cheeks.
"I want to believe… that they're still the friends I remember."
Dakota gulped. She hadn't meant to bring Marion to tears. She glanced desperately at the camera.
"W-well, um… new question!" Dakota reached into the stack, desperately digging through it to find another question she could ask. "This one! I know I said no fishing questions but… from FlummoxedReporterD, yes, definitely a guest, and certainly no one here, 'Marion! Tell us what your favorite fish pokemon is!'"
Dakota caught her breath, hoping this would get things back on track. She glanced hopefully at Marion, who had lowered her head, frozen in place.
Marion shot to her feet, practically leaping across the table, her sea-blue eyes shining excitedly, pushing right up into Dakota's face.
Good lord… what have I done…? Dakota asked herself, immediately regretting broaching this horrid subject that she had intentionally made taboo.
2 hours later…
"…And so that's why you can't just narrow it down to one pokemon, you understand," Marion replied. She was standing in front of a giant blackboard, drumming her chalk against the thesis she had written across it. "The answer to the question of which is my favorite is, as I enumerated, that they are all my favorites, in their own unique ways!"
THIS BIIITCH! Dakota wanted to scream. "ENOUGH! WE ARE MOVING ON!"
"Roger-dodger!" Marion chirped, sitting back down.
"Next question!" Dakota snarled. She tried desperately to calm down. "Ah, yes. Now, Marion! Next question, from PlotHoleDigger83. 'Marion, you mentioned in Chapter 110 'I know seniors are supposed to all be, like, those Daeva guys.' But you are, in fact, one of 'those Daeva guys'. Is this sentence not a plothole? Or were you intentionally concealing your role from Sango, or the audience? This is unacceptable! It is completely your fault that I did not predict that you were one of the Daevas, because you hid the truth! It was absolutely not because I didn't see it coming! I'm the genius here! You are the one who is incompetent!'"
Dakota blinked. Prick…
"S-so, I know he said some harsh stuff, but-"
"No worries, hah!" Marion laughed. "Nah, I wasn't trying to hide or anything. It just never came up, you know? I was talking about how people think of seniors, they think of the Daevas, like Alden, and Olivia, and Ricky, intense folks at the top of their class! But not like me, y'know? I've never really cared that much about being a Daeva or anything like that! I just went fishing all the time! But everyone just kinda… gathered around me. Because I would help them when they needed help, and stepped in whenever the other students were bullying."
Marion puffed her cheeks up.
"No bully! No bully!"
Dakota chuckled, nodding her head.
"Now then, here's our next question! This one… oh! This one is about your abilities! HarmoniaFan wants to know 'Hey, you seem to be the most knowledgeable about harmonia out of the main cast, is there anything you can tell us about it that we don't already know?' I'm a little curious about this one, myself!"
"Hm… that's a tricky one," Marion said, holding her hand on her chin. "Well, my harmonia is sort of a 'whish'! With a 'fwoooo!' And sometimes, it's like 'wussshhshasha!' You get it?"
"…Not a bit."
"Well, I can't, like, explain it, you know?" Marion said, shrugging. "What I do know, though, is that some people can use their harmonia to bond with all kinds of pokemon. But some people are like me."
"What do you mean?" Dakota asked. "When you say 'like you'…"
"My harmonia only lets me connect with my fishy friends!" Marion explained. "Water types, and other fish pokemon, I can hear their voices, and connect with them. But when it comes to pokemon like Sango's pal Silver, he's just another pokemon to me, y'know?"
"Wow! I had no idea!" Dakota gasped. "So harmonia has type specialties?"
"Yeah, but not always," Marion said, nodding. "Kitty is a lot different, she connects to every pokemon, which is way, way harder! And then there are other people, like Preya, Rast, and I think that Elaina girl, harmonia users who have an affinity for pokemon of one type over the other, whether it's poison types, or water types, or flying types, their connection letting them interact with any type, but their harmonia itself… it's special, and works the best with pokemon of a certain type."
"So harmonia feels different?"
"Exactly," Marion said. "Although it might not make sense to someone who doesn't have it. Basically, like, everyone's harmonia feels a little different, and interacts with the world differently. Elaina's harmonia is like a tornado raging around her, so every time she fights, it's like she's tearing up the air around her. Preya's harmonia feels like acid, it melts stuff around him when he uses it. It's really icky and scary… Kitty, though, her and Doctor K's harmonia is really soft and pretty! It's like a soft and warm kitty of harmonia."
"I think I get it," Dakota said, nodding. "Is there any sort of harmonia that you don't like?"
Marion shivered, nodding her head.
"There was one girl… I only saw her once, but her harmonia… it was sickening. When I looked at her… it's like my brain was being barraged with cries for help. I really… *urgh!* Can't picture it."
Dakota gulped. That sounded rough.
"Okay, on that topic, I have another question from MILFHunter69. 'Marion, you said that Anja Karzat is the biological mother of Katherine Kuroso. Are you ever going to tell her about her mother?'"
Marion winced, looking down.
"I… I don't know," Marion sighed. "Kitty, she's very sweet, and very innocent. Doctor K… was an important person in my life, and I know just how much she loved and missed her daughter. But right now… right now, she's missing. And with all this suspicion and rumors mounting about her, I don't know… I don't want to tell her the truth until I have something new to bring to her. Something to give her hope, and make her want to meet her mother. And maybe… maybe even find Doctor K herself, and introduce the two together."
"I see," Dakota said, nodding. "Well, Marion, I only have a couple of questions left. The first one is from ThermalPolitics, and he asks 'Marion, I've been real curious about the Daevas and what it is you all do! Can you tell me what sort of responsibilities you have as a Daeva?' So, is there any special you do? Anything that you need to do as part of your job?"
"Hm… well, most of my time is spent fishing," Marion said. "So I guess fishing is a major responsibility for the Daevas!"
"No, it isn't," Dakota dryly remarked.
"Huuuh? But that's all I do? I fish, and sometimes when a student from the Ranger Course, or the Caretaker Course, if someone's causing trouble with them, I step in and sort them all out! And I guess people started calling me 'The Mermaid' after that, and I became super famous!" Marion explained.
"So you don't have any ambitions about being a Daeva?" Dakota clarified.
"Of course I do!" Marion said, shaking her head. "We're you reading the story? I'm going to use the money and influence I've accrued to create a resort hotel and fish habitat museum! A place where I can gather all my fishy friends together and live in harmony!"
Dakota smiled and nodded as Marion continued to outline her dream. But Marion had already taken enough time with her ramblings before.
"One last question," Dakota interrupted. "I'm sure you're eager to get back to fishing."
"Absolutely!" Marion said, nodding.
"Okay, our last question for the day… from DaevaFan4, 'Can you tell us anything about the upcoming Daeva War? We're all on the edge of our seats!' Indeed, the Daeva War is a storyline we've been really invested in for quite some time. What can you tell us about it?"
"Not much, Dakota, sorry," Marion said, shaking her head. "See, I'm not going to be involved with it all that much. My biggest role as a Daeva is keeping my allies out of skirmishes like that. So if I can have my way, we won't join in the war at all! We'll all graduate with smiles on our faces!"
"And you think that's a feasible expectation?" Dakota asked. Marion frowned. Her only response was a shrug.
"What can I say? I'll do the best I can, and I can only hope that peace will be a viable option."
"I see! Well, thank you for your time! Marion Rivers everybody!" Dakota said, shaking Marion's hand. Marion rose from her seat and waved to the applauding audience, flouncing off stage.
Reiner
"Now, our next guest received some character focus during the tournament arc, but it was sadly cut short. Since then, he's managed to get back on the right track, and has even entered into a relationship! Ladies and gentlemen, Reiner Zollern!"
Reiner walked onstage, a little too embarrassed to wave, and sat down in the seat across from Dakota.
"Well, hello there, Reiner, thank you for coming today, I know you're not the biggest fan of the limelight, but it really means a lot to have you here."
"Nice to be here, Dakota," Reiner said, nodding. "I'm not much one for stuff like this, but since there are probably a lot of questions involving my role in the story, I thought I'd answer some of them."
"Okay, well, our first question of the day is certainly about that," Dakota admitted, flipping open the first letter for Reiner. It's from FossilFangirl41, and she asks 'Reiner! I was really looking forward to your performance in the Fall Festival Tournament! It seems like you were being built up to be a big contender, but then you just sort of dropped out in the first round of the finals! What happened?' I agree, that was a bit of a surprise, to have you lose to Cynthia like that. Heck, your record is only as good as mine! So what happened, Reiner?"
Reiner frowned, crossing his legs.
"Well, it's a long story. Mainly, I actually was to have a slightly larger role in the story than I ended up having, due to some changes in the plot."
"Changes? What sort of changes?" Dakota asked, intrigued.
"A lot of it stems from the hiatus. See, prior to the hiatus, I was actually intended to serve the role of a large antagonist than I ended up. In fact, a good portion of the role that was assigned to Elaina Bishop was actually intended for me."
"Wow! You don't say?" Dakota gasped, her mouth falling open.
"Yes. As a matter of fact, Elaina was the byproduct of the hiatus. Prior to that, she didn't even exist as a concept. But the author wanted to explore a lot more of harmonia. What ended up happening, is that her role was written into the story sometime around Chapter 30, in fact, not long before she appeared. That's why in the preliminaries I took on a much more prominent role; Elaina's character hadn't been conceived of at that point. But Espeon of Shadows decided that I didn't have enough weight to emphasize the greater conflict going on, and decided to create a character who could be a representation of harmonia and its danger. So that's how Elaina was conceived, and written into the series."
"Wow, so we can imagine all the stuff that happened with Elaina would have happened with you?"
"No, not exactly," Reiner explained. "I don't think I was meant to go that far in the tournament itself. I think in the initial drafts, Blake was supposed to defeat me in the quarter-finals, and then lose to Cynthia in the semi-finals. Cynthia was actually supposed to make it to the final match, believe it or not."
"Wow, that's amazing!" Dakota said, her eyes wide.
"But the author realized that the tournament arc was going to take a long time, and needed an antagonist with a strong enough characterization to carry it the rest of the way. So my role was minimized, and Elaina was brought in instead."
"And do you feel like you got cheated?" Dakota asked. Reiner paused for a moment to think, and shook his head.
"No, not exactly. While I definitely would have liked a more prominent role, the jerkass role that was planned for me would probably have made it difficult to continue being a member of the main cast. And I certainly doubt I would have gotten together with Nikita after the stuff I was hypothetically supposed to do."
"That's fair. On the topic of Nikita, I have a few questions about that, as well," Dakota smirked, picking up another letter. "HoleShippingSquee~ wants to know 'OMG! I love HoleShipping! Reiner x Nikita is OTP! I just need to know! How did you two get together?! Did you hook up right after your conversation in Chapter 77?!'"
Reiner blushed slightly.
"Well, no, it wasn't right after. See, Nikita and I started as classmates, and then after I fell into that hole she dug-"
"The second time," Dakota interrupted to clarify for the audience. Reiner rolled his eyes.
"Right. Anyway, after that happened, we got started as friends. We studied together for our Pokemon Myths and Legends class, and then it just… sort of happened. There's not really a big story behind it, or anything. We were in the library really late, and then our hands touched when we grabbed for an eraser, and I mean…"
Reiner shrugged his shoulders. It was a very cute origin, to say the least. But not exactly ratings gold, by Dakota's standards.
"How far did you get?" Dakota bluntly asked. Reiner's face turned bright red.
"We-we didn't get anywhere! We've only kissed! It-it's our first relationship, so, I mean…"
Dakota cackled, reaching for the next letter.
"Okay, this next one is about where you're going from here. ArchaeologyBoss is asking 'Reiner, are you gonna give up being a professional battler now? Are you focusing on archaeology for good? Or is there a chance you might go back?' Now this is also something I'm interested in," Dakota agreed. "A big part of your character arc was fulfilling your family's expectations, and you had some drama going on with it. So is that all done with? Are you going into Archaeology for good?"
Reiner frowned.
"It's not that simple. There's not a lot I can tell you, but I can tell you that this is still an ongoing arc for my character, and that the author does have some stuff planned out."
"Okay, so it isn't set in stone yet."
"That's right," Reiner said. "Look. I really want to be an archaeologist. I love battling, sure, but archaeology is something more than a hobby to me. But even so… I still need to convince my family of that. It's going to be a struggle, but right now I'm going to do the best I can. That's all I can really talk about for now."
"Well, I guess that will be good enough," Dakota said, nodding. "Now, I only have one more question left for you, Reiner, and it's from FutureSetter4. He's asking 'Reiner, now that it seems you've gotten things sorted out, you've hooked up with Nikita, is that it? I feel like since that happened, you haven't really been doing a lot. Do you have some larger roles in the story going forward?' So I think we touched on this a little, but is there anything you can tell us?"
"Well, I will say, yes, I do have some plot prominence moving forward. Not to the extent that Sango got, or Kitty is getting, but yes, I do have some storylines in front of me. I'll be going on the Research Trip with Professor Reinhart in November, and I have a small role to play in some other arcs. It seems like my role is rather sparse right now because the author is putting so much emphasis on the seniors, since they'll be graduating this year. I have four years ahead of me in the story, so the author is taking his time with my storylines."
Dakota nodded. "Yeah, that certainly makes sense. Well, Reiner, thank you for answering our questions, I hope the next time you get a leading role in an arc you don't end up getting your progress foisted off onto someone else."
Reiner shook Dakota's hand and walked off stage, Dakota calling for her next guest.
Nikita
"Now, we've heard his side of things, now let's give a listen to hers! Nikita Willow, everybody!"
Nikita's brown cheeks flushed as she walked out onto the stage, far too embarrassed to wave.
"Nikita, I know you can be rather shy, but I'm glad you came here anyway."
"Well, th-thank you," Nikita smiled. "I've been working on coming out of my shell a little bit more, recently."
"With Reiner's help, right?"
"Y-yes," Nikita said, blushing, nodding her head.
"We have a few questions we'd like you to answer to celebrate Pokemon Academy's Five-Year Anniversary, if that's okay with you?"
"It's why I'm here," Nikita said, nodding shyly. Dakota smiled, and pulled a small bundle of letters out of the bag.
"Now, from HoleShippingSquee~ has a question for you, just like Reiner. She asks 'Nikita! I'm so happy you and Reiner are together! But I just gotta know, are you happy that he fell down that hole?! Does being with him make you happy?!' Well that's… bold."
"Um, uh…" Nikita flushed and glanced away from the audience, nodding. "I… I'm glad I'm with him. I mean… I wasn't really interested at first, you know, he was kind of a jerk in the beginning, actually, but… after we spent time together, and after I got to know him a little better, I realized just what a nice guy he really is. I… I've always been kind of shy, so I haven't had any boyfriends or anything before, I usually spend my free time reading or studying… but Reiner has been trying to get me out of my shell a little more, and… he just kind of makes me smile. So… yeah. I'm really glad that we got closer."
Dakota nodded. "A lot of our questions are related to your love life, since that's such a big factor in your role in the story. Is that okay?"
"Yes, it's fine," Nikita nodded. "I mean, I'm more than just a love interest for Reiner, but before I got together with him, I wasn't really getting that much attention in the story. But now… I'm doing a lot more. And the author is working on getting me involved in the plot."
"Well, alright then," Dakota said, nodding. "Our next question is from DiggerGurlDi6. She wants to know 'Nikita, now that you're dating Reiner, are you getting along with his friends, too? I hope you're coming out of your shell!' Well, someone's going to be happy about that, don't you think?"
"I am getting out of my shell, like I said," Nikita said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "And yes, I am getting a little closer with Reiner's friends. Still, though, it isn't anything major. I'm still more like a hangar-on, then an actual friend."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Dakota asked.
"Well, I mean, I hang out with them sometimes, yeah, but it's still like I'm just 'Reiner's Girlfriend' then I am someone they actually want to hang out with by themselves. So I'm really trying the best I can to get to know them better, so that they might see me as a friend soon, you know?"
"I think that's nice," Dakota said, nodding. "Okay, so since you haven't had much role in the story until now, we only had a few questions for you. This is the last one, don't worry! It's from PhantomConspiracy, asking 'Nikita, you're aiming for the Research Course. Does that mean that you're allied with the Phantom and his people? Will you have a role going forward as an antagonist?' Oh, that is an interesting question, I'm a little curious myself. What can you tell us about your association with the Phantom?"
"…I don't really have one," Nikita replied. "I mean, I know he's my senior, and he spends a lot of time in the Research Course classes, so I see him a lot. Beyond that… I don't think that I can talk anymore about the future, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. This is just a tease, then! I can't wait to see what you do in the future going forward! Thanks for answering my questions, Nikita!"
Nikita and Dakota shook hands, Nikita scurrying away to safely.
Nick
"Well, she was a shy one," Dakota laughed. "But our next guest is rather shy, too! Nick Elwood, come on down!"
Nick walked out onstage, a little less shy than Nikita. Even so, he didn't meet the eyes of the audience, and walked over to the seat. It helped that his black hair was hanging over his face, so he didn't look as embarrassed when you couldn't see his blue eyes.
"So, Nick, we've got a lot of questions for you, as well," Dakota purred, "especially since Callie won't answer questions for us today. So you get to tell us all about your relationship."
"Oh, uh…" Nick blushed.
"First question!" Dakota crowed, ignoring Nick's words and reaching for the first letter. "From KarateShipper, he's asking 'Nick, how far have you and Callie gotten in your relationship?' Ohoho, I wonder, what's the answer, Nick? How far have you two gone?"
"We… we've hugged! And kissed!" Nick said, blushing. "That's all, honestly!"
"Feh. Stupid 'T' rating," Dakota sighed. "Anyway, onto the next question. From ProgressionXBlade, he's asking 'Nick, it seems that you don't have much of a role in the story other than being Callie's boyfriend. Is that gonna be the case for the entire series?'"
Nick frowned.
"Well, I mean… I've been training really hard to get stronger! I… I don't know when I'm gonna get a chance to show what I've got, but I've talked with the author, and he says he really wants to focus on my growth from where I started."
"Your growth?"
"Well, yeah," Nick said, nodding. "See, at the beginning of the story, I was so shy, there was no way I could even talk to girls, let alone date one. Then, Cynthia got me out of my shell bit by bit, and I became more comfortable around girls… and now I'm at the point where I'm able to reciprocate Callie's feelings for me. But… I've still got a long ways to go."
"Darn right," Dakota agreed. "You've got a ton more bases to get to, after all."
"That's not what I meant!" Nick exclaimed, blushing. "I… I just… I mean… I want to become stronger. That's why I'm training so hard, you know? I want to help my friends. And… I want to be someone who can be worthy of being Callie's boyfriend."
"Aw, that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard!" Dakota cooed. "And on the topic of training, I have some questions to ask you about training, as well. From GenkiFightingGirlCC, she wants to know 'Nick! I've been dying to know, back when you were training with Bea-Senpai, did you think, um… is her body more… do you find her more attractive than me- er, I mean, Callie? Yeah, do you think Bea-Senpai is more attractive than Callie?!' …Well gee. I can't imagine who sent in THAT question."
Nick's face was bright red.
"Er, well… I… I definitely thought that Bea was in… really good shape… and yeah, she's definitely, um… cute, but… Nick hung his head in embarrassment. "I think Callie is cuter…"
"Awww!" Dakota cackled, holding her sides. "How adorable! Ha! Now then, back to the real questions about your training! From CatchMasterKetchup, 'Nick, your team is pretty basic. You haven't evolved any pokemon or caught any pokemon! When are you going to level your party up?'"
Nick frowned.
"Well, right now, true, I only have four pokemon with me, and I haven't evolved any of them. My Nidorino will only evolve with a moon stone, so nothing I can do there right now, and of course, Abbie doesn't evolve. For my Charmeleon and Mankey… I guess I need to wait for them to get to the right level, that's all."
"I see," Dakota said, nodding. "What about catching some new pokemon?"
"Well, right now, with my training the way it is, I don't really have the room to add new pokemon to our routine. I suppose if the right pokemon comes along I'd let them join, but for now, I'm good with my team as they are."
"Well, Nick, I understand liking your party the way it is, but suppose you did get a new pokemon, would you want it to be a fighting type?" Dakota asked. "Maybe replace Callie as the fighting member of the Eight Leaders when she graduates?"
Nick thought on this for a second, and shrugged.
"I mean, I don't have anything against fighting types, so I'd be fine with it," Nick said. "Still, it's not like I'm trying to be a gym leader, so I'm not entirely interested in type specialization."
"So what is your goal, then?" Dakota asked. "We've gotten a few questions about that, as well."
"Well… right now, my goal is to become a Pokemon Master," Nick told her.
"A Pokemon Master, huh? Those are some lofty ambitions. Hope you can grow enough to meet them, Nick," Dakota said, smiling. "I wonder if that's going to be worked into your character arc? Well? Can you tell us?"
"Well, all I can say is that I'm training the hardest I can to become a strong trainer," Nick replied. "Losing to Naya in the Fall Festival Tournament… it was a rough experience. I don't want my pokemon to go through that again. So I'm training to be as strong as my team needs me to be."
Dakota nodded, eyeing him contemplatively.
"I see. Well, good luck with that," Dakota said, smiling. "We have one more question to ask you, from RibbonRunnerA. She's got a relationship question for you. She wants to know 'Nick, since you're a freshman, you might be able to answer this question for me. Right now, you're dating a junior, right? Doesn't that put a lot of strain on your relationship? Do you think a relationship between students of different years can really work out successfully? I mean… what are you going to do when she graduates? Are you going to keep dating her even after that? Is… is it okay for someone to hope for something like that?'"
Nick paused. That… that was something that hadn't really come up in his relationship yet.
"I… I don't really know. I mean… I like Callie, I really like her. But… she is going to graduate before I do. And if we're still together when that happens… I'm not sure what we're going to do."
"But you'd like to stay with her?" Dakota asked. Nick nodded his head.
"I… I don't know if I love her, like, really love her, but… I really like her. And I want to stay with her. So when she graduates… even though we haven't talked about it, I would like… to keep dating her, if possible."
Dakota smiled. The crowed "awwww"ed in response
"That's a really sweet thought, Nick," Dakota said, shaking his hand. "I'm glad we got to end this on such a positive note! Thanks for coming here today to answer our questions, Nick!"
Dakota waved at Nick as he left, before turning back to the camera.
"Those were some nice students, but things aren't over just yet! We've still got more guests on the way! Our next guest is quite an intriguing figure, a lady of mystery who hides her true face behind a mask. She might be scary, but from what I hear, she's really rather sweet. Don't go away, we'll be right back after these messages!
Commercial Break
Some faces look fine.
A smiling Olivia Himeko in a bright white sundress appeared on the screen, batting her eyelashes at the camera. She was standing in a gorgeous white sundress on a sandy beach, wind blowing behind her, and yet her hair moved in precisely perfect ripples as she spun.
Others look flawless.
A close-up shot of Olivia and her bright red lips took the screen, the alluring look in her bright blue eyes sending a charged message of passion as she smiled, the screen around her bright white.
Even without powder. Is it in their genes?
Olivia once again, lounging in a makeup studio, putting on the barest touches of makeup on her already perfectly styled face, smiling into the mirror at the camera.
Yeah, right.
Olivia, lying back in a bed of flowers with her blonde hair splayed out around her, laughing as she winked seductively at the camera, running her hands up her curvaceous figure until she framed her cheeks.
Finish matte makeup.
Maybe she's born with it.
Olivia stood in the lobby of a grand hotel, her face hot with lights, her sundress replaced with a sparkling sequined black cocktail dress, her blonde hair styled up. An beautifully made up Lila Seelie and Darla Drake stood on either side of her, in dresses of coral pink and royal blue, staring longingly into the air as Olivia crooned, running her finger over the hem of her dress as she gave the camera another smoky look.
Maybe it's Maybelline.
A set of six Pokeballs to catch a brand new team:
1200 Pokedollars.
A Revive, to bring your favorite pokemon back from fainting:
1500 Pokedollars.
A great TM to teach your pokemon a powerful new move:
3500 Pokedollars.
The look on your Gym Challenger's face when you use a hyper potion, bringing your strongest pokemon back from the brink and forcing them to have to wear it down all over again:
Priceless.
There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's Pokemon Mastercard.
Elaina
"We're back!" Dakota said, smiling into the camera. "And with us is our next guest, Elaina Bishop. It's nice to have you here, Elaina."
"I'm sure it is," Elaina dryly replied, her tone conveying the message that she very much doubted Dakota's words. Even for the show tonight, she concealed her face behind her porcelain mask, dressed in her usual dark clothes, unlike the other students that had all come in their uniforms.
"No, honestly," Dakota said. "You're great for ratings, are you kidding me? You're one of the most popular characters in this series!"
"R-really?" Elaina asked, surprised. "You're lying."
"No, honest," Dakota replied. "Don't you read the comments people send about your character? You've received tons of sympathy from the fans, and a lot of people are saying you are by far the most well-developed character in this series!"
"W-well, I find that hard to believe," Elaina said, shaking her head. "…Really?"
"Of course, I wouldn't lie about something like that," Dakota purred. "Especially considering you might blast me into pieces with a tornado…"
"Hm?"
"Nothing! Anyways, before we get to the questions, I wanted to talk with you a bit about your role in the story, if that would be okay with you?"
"Well, I'm still an active character and my arc isn't anywhere close to being resolved, so what I can say is limited," Elaina admitted. "Still I wouldn't mind answering what I can, if you like."
"That's great!" Dakota chirped. "Now, Reiner brought up the fact that you were not initially supposed to be part of this story, that your character was conceived because the author wanted to have someone who could personify a harmonia user who was out of control among the main cast. Can you go into some more detail on that?"
"Yes, I do believe so," Elaina said, nodding. "Now, as you know, I've been struggling to control my abilities. I don't like hurting people after all. But in my battle with Naya, I really felt what it was like to give in for the first time… and I liked it. It was a rush unlike anything I've ever felt. And while I've been able to calm down somewhat in my subsequent matches, that feeling… it's going to be explored a little more."
"So we'll be seeing some more of Darth Elaina?"
"I would expect so, yes," Elaina nodded.
"So what's this about you being introduced so out of nowhere?"
"Well the thing is, Espeon of Shadows really needed a character to play the role of an antagonist in the Fall Festival Tournament," Elaina explained. "And while I'm not villainous, my goals put me at odds with Blake and his friends, especially since I can't control my powers. In fact, I was not intended to appear in this story at all. I was actually created by taking some of Reiner's story arc, and some of Kitty's intended arc, and developing that into a character with my own arc."
"Wait, what do you mean by Kitty's intended arc?" Dakota asked.
"Well, in the original drafts of the story, before the hiatus in Chapter 24, Kitty was actually supposed to be overwhelmed by her harmonia and lose control of her abilities, and go down the path of an addiction to her harmonia. She would essentially become obsessed with getting stronger, and not care who she hurt in the process. Blake would use his knowledge of harmonia to defeat her and calm her down. But because Espeon of Shadows needed a character with harmonia to up the stakes of the Fall Festival Tournament to ensure things wouldn't get boring, he did some editing to that plotline and redesigned the 'harmonia user unable to control their abilities' plot to suit my character and my motivations."
"Wow, I had no idea," Dakota said, surprised. "So what's in store for you now?"
"Well, I can't really touch on that," Elaina admitted. "But I will say, that even though I was conceived to fill a role in the story, and that role has concluded, that doesn't mean I'll just drop off the face of the earth. I still have a lot of progress to make as a character, and I think my role in the story will only increase from here."
"Well, that's good, then," Dakota said, nodding. "I agree that there's a lot of potential for you. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I have a few questions from your fans that I'd like you to answer, if that's okay?"
"Fans? My fans?" Elaina asked, shocked that something like that existed.
"Yup," Dakota smiled, dropping a large stack of letters on the table. "And it's not all hate mail, either. Folks really want to know more about you."
She took the top letter off the pile and opened it.
"This is by far the most common question we've been asked about you. MaskedPhantom wants to know 'Elaina, as much as I like the intrigue behind your mask, I was wondering if you could take it off and show us your face?' So what do you think?"
"Well, the readers have already seen my face before," Elaina explained, "In Chapters 64 and 65. But as for showing anyone else… I would rather not."
"Do you think we'll ever see you take your mask off for good?" Dakota asked.
"I can't answer that," Elaina curtly replied. Dakota shrugged her shoulders, taking a huge stack of the letters off of the pile.
"Well then, our next question probably won't be easy for you to answer, either. ElainaFan1 wants to know 'Elaina! I really love you because of how mysterious you are! You teased a bit of your backstory in Chapter 65, was that the truth? Is there anything else you can tell us about your past?' I think a lot of people are really excited to hear more about your backstory."
"Well, I can't tell you anything more specific," Elaina sighed. "Beyond what you read. It's a spoiler, after all."
"But since it's a spoiler, does that mean that we will eventually get to see it in the story proper?"
"Eventually, yes, my backstory will be revealed to the audience."
"Going off of that, I have another backstory question, this one maybe you can answer, it's from ConspiracyTheorist711WasAPartTimeJob. He asks 'After reading about Marion's backstory in Anja Karzat, I was wondering if you were also involved with them? It seems like the timeline is about right, and it would fit what we know about your character.'"
"Sorry, but no," Elaina said, shaking her head. "I don't have any connection with Anja Karzat. The orphanage I lived in was rather secluded. No one came for me. Perhaps if they had… things would have turned out far differently."
Whether for worse or for better, Dakota wasn't sure, but she decided to drop the question and move on.
"Next is from WindWaker7, he's asking 'Elaina, back in Chapter 64 and 65, you played a flute, and it was very lovely. But since all your appearances since then have been you with a mask, it doesn't seem like we'll be seeing it again. Are you going to keep using it?' A lot of fans of those two chapters, Elaina. So, what's the story? Are we going to hear more of that flute playing of yours?"
Elaina nodded her head to reassure the audience.
"My flute playing has been a hobby from far, far back," Elaina replied. "My flute is a memento of my mother, one of the only things I have left of her. When I play… it's like the pain in my chest goes away completely. I truly love it. So yes, while I do not get shown playing very often, I do play in my spare time, when I'm alone, and no one can see my face."
"Well, that's good, at least," Dakota said, nodding. "The next questions we have for you are about your harmonia, do you mind answering them?"
Elaina shrugged.
"Okay. HarmoniaFan asks 'Elaina, your harmonia seems really difficult to keep under control, and you want to control it more than anything, right? So why did you reject Blake's offer to introduce you to someone who could help you manage it?' I have this question myself, if I'm being honest."
Elaina frowned behind her mask, unseen to the cameras.
"Perhaps it would have been for the best… to accept her help. But if I had done that… then would I have actually gotten better? Kitty's harmonia developed… but hers has always been so gentle. Whereas mine… my heart is already in turmoil. Would that person want to help me? Could they help me? If I went to them for help… and they refused because of who I was, I don't think I could stomach that."
"So you were scared…" Dakota murmured. Elaina nodded her head.
"Gerard has always been with me. He promised he would help me, and I believed him. Once I thought that Blake could have helped me… but no matter who it is, the key is controlling it myself. If someone tried to help me… and then got scared because of who I am, and pushed me away… I don't want that. Not ever. But Gerard… as long as I am useful to him, he won't ever throw me away."
"…I see," Dakota said, nodding. "Can I ask you another question? From ConcernedFan5. She wants to know 'Elaina, can you explain your relationship with Gerard? Are you friends? Or are you lovers? Are you interested in him?'"
Elaina paused.
"I… what?"
"I think she wants to know if your connection with Gerard and your loyalty to him is romantic in nature," Dakota explained.
"Absolutely not," Elaina snarled. "Gerard and I… our relationship is nothing so tawdry! He… he found me when I was just a little girl, alone in the world, and gave me a place to belong! I cherish him, but romance? The love in my heart is far beyond something like that."
"So you haven't slept with him?"
"Absolutely not!" Elaina repeated, this time as a shout.
"And what if he wanted you to?" Dakota asked quietly. "You're so loyal to him, so if he came to you and asked you to sleep with him…"
"He would never," Elaina cried, rising to her feet. The blast of wind around her knocked the remaining letters off the table. "He has no use for me to do… something like that!"
"You have to admit that your body is lovely," Dakota replied. "And your face is gorgeous. Do you honestly think that he wouldn't lay his hands on you if he could? If he wanted to, then what would your answer be?"
"I…" Elaina thought hard on Gerard, her chest throbbing in pain.
"I don't… love him like that. But… he has done so much for me… if… if I could be of use to him like that… then of course I would, without hesitation!"
Dakota winced at this response. It was absolutely NOT what she had wanted to hear.
"Then is there someone else?" Dakota asked, trying to change the subject. "Someone who you would like to be with?"
"What? Of course not. Something like me, I could never hope for-"
Dakota ignored her protestations and picked a letter up off the floor, opening it.
"OrphanShippingCEO asks 'Elaina, I know things are complicated between you and Blake, but for the sake of shippers everywhere, can you give us some hope? Any, even just the slightest bit! Is there a chance for the two of you?' Well? So what's this about Blake?"
Elaina froze, sinking back down into her seat. She suddenly seemed very tired.
"…When I think about Blake…" Elaina began, reaching a gloved hand up to place it over her breast, "my heart… it beats in a way that I just can't control. In a perfect world… in a world of fantasy and dreams… Blake and I could have a future. But here… while I'm still just a monster who can do nothing but hurt others… how can I bring myself to love another person when I can't bring myself to not cause them pain?"
Dakota mulled this over. She remembered another question that would be suited for this.
"Here's a question from ShippingWarriorSeven. 'Elaina, what's your opinion on all the other girls that are interested in Blake? They might steal him away while you're still too insecure to make a move!'"
"If Blake can be happy with them… then that's fine with me," Elaina replied. "I don't want him to feel pain on my account. I'm not fit to be with him. Someone else can have him if she makes him happy."
Dakota frowned. She could hear the pain in Elaina's voice, but there wasn't much she could say about it.
Elaina was clearly not in any state to continue. There were more questions Dakota wanted to ask… but she figured she probably shouldn't. Instead, she reached into her bag, and lifted out another stack of letters.
"Elaina… these letters are all letters of support. From fans that care about you, and want to see you succeed. Can you take them? I want you to have them. To smile."
"…" Elaina paused, holding her hand back, before taking a bound stack of letters from Dakota's hand. "…Thank you."
Without shaking Dakota's hand or waiting to be applauded off, Elaina rose from her seat and stormed off the stage, letters clutched desperately to her breast.
Kitty
"Our next guest is a harmonia user as well, the other harmonia focus of the story!" Dakota said, trying to cheer up some of the mood again. "Here's Katherine 'Kitty' Kuroso!"
Kitty shyly walked onstage at first, wincing at the lights, before catching her short haired appearance on one of the monitors. She took a deep breath and put on a smile, walking the rest of the way to her seat with a little more confidence.
"Glad to have you here, Kitty, can I call you Kitty?" Dakota asked.
"Of course," Kitty nodded, smiling. "And I'm very nervous to be here, but I'm happy to answer any questions I can."
"You seem a lot more confident than you were at the start," Dakota noted. "A lot less jumpy."
"Oh, you think so?" Kitty asked, reflexively reaching up to brush her bangs out of her eyes, before remembering that they were much shorter now. "I-I have been working on my confidence, but… I've still got a long way to go."
"I love your hair, by the way," Dakota said. "It really brings out your cute face. It makes you seem like a whole new person!"
"Oh, th-thanks," Kitty said, blushing shyly, nervously fingering the ends of her chin-length bob. "I wanted a new look… something that said I wasn't the same shy, scared little girl anymore, you know?"
"Well it's certainly working," Dakota agreed. "You look a little shy, still, but your face is a lot brighter."
"One step at a time," Kitty agreed.
"Now, our first question is actually a little something to do with your haircut. SalonMaidenA wants to know 'Kitty, first off, I love the hair! I was curious, things seem a lot closer between you and Blake now that you're spending more time together. Does this have anything to do with the stuff he told you about his past? How much do you know? Can you tell us anything?' I'm also rather curious about that, Blake's backstory is quite the mystery!"
"Um, well, if you want to know how much I know, um… I can't really say," Kitty stuttered. "A lot of it is personal… sorry… but I will say… he told me everything."
"Everything?" Dakota asked, raising her eyebrows. Kitty nodded.
"About his family… his parents, his brother and sister, what he remembers from his childhood… I think he really needed to open up with someone. And he could trust me. And I trust him. He's been through very tough times, and… I'm just glad I can help him as much as I can."
Dakota nodded.
"…So you aren't joining the harem?"
"We're friends!" Kitty wailed, her pale cheeks turning crimson. "That's all! I… I don't even like boys! I like girls! Girls!"
Dakota smirked. Just as planned…
"Oh, I know full well how much you like girls," Dakota purred. "And so does our next question asker. CaptainObvious wants to ask you 'Kitty, you like Julia, right? Not just as a friend. But you have a crush on her.' Don't lie, now, Kitty, the new, confident you should be able to tell us the truth with a bright smile."
"Um, um…" Kitty stuttered, slightly at a loss for words. "I… I do!"
"You do what?" Dakota asked, staring at the hyperventilating young girl.
"I… I like Julia…" Kitty murmured, glancing down. "N-not just… as a friend… I think she's really beautiful and amazing… and, um, sometimes when I'm asleep, I see her in my dreams, and I…"
Dakota smiled a perverse grin, absolutely loving this.
"Wh-what am I saying?!" Kitty wailed, shaking her head. "I like Julia, but in a pure way! I-I would never have those sorts of thoughts about her! Not even after I saw her in the bath!"
"Oh, I'm sure," Dakota smirked, knowing full well she'd never once insinuated any sort of 'thoughts' Kitty might have been having.
"I mean it!" Kitty cried, her confidence apparently a thing of the past as her desperate face looked to be on the verge of tears.
"Well, let's leave the personal stuff aside for now, and focus on the real big question everyone is interested in, your harmonia."
Kitty gulped, and nodded.
"So you've recently been training with Marion. And HarmoniaFan wants to ask you 'Hey, Kitty, since you're training with Marion, does that mean you're getting a better grasp of harmonia? Will you be able to start blasting people away with tornados like Elaina does?'"
Kitty went pale at the thought of hurting people like Elaina, frantically shaking her head with fear.
"I-I wouldn't hurt people, honest!"
"Okay, but how is your training going?"
"It's… Marion is helping a lot," Kitty said, smiling a little. "But I still have a long way to go. I don't know how much stronger I am… but I think maybe… I might be ready to start testing my harmonia in battle soon?"
"Well, that's good," Dakota nodded. "Our next question is from DragonFanLance9. 'Kitty, as a fan of dragon types, I just wanted to ask why you're so afraid of them? You reacted with terror at Blake's Salamence after all.' Do you mind answering that?"
Kitty took a deep breath, and nodded.
"When I was young… my foster parents were raising a Salamence at our day-care. I was little, so I wanted to go play with the big pokemon, and it…" Kitty began trembling. "I… I wasn't hurt, but… ever since then, I've been afraid that large dragon pokemon would go on a rampage and hurt me."
"And then one did," Dakota murmured. Kitty nodded quietly. "That must have been tough."
Kitty nodded again.
"You mentioned your foster parents, and your dad is a breeder, right?"
"He runs a daycare center," Kitty explained. "My Persian, Meomo, found me when I was very little, and took me in."
"…What about your real parents?" Dakota asked. Kitty flinched.
Dakota reached for the last of the letters to Kitty, opening it.
"HappyFam50 wants to ask you 'Kitty, you seem happy with your current family, but… what about your birth parents? You have harmonia, and that means your birth mother had harmonia, right? Do you want to see them again? Talk with them? If you could… would you?' Well? If that's too hard on you, you don't have to answer-"
"No, I will," Kitty said, raising her head, her red eyes glistening with conviction. "I… I love my foster family, really. But… I want to find my real parents, too. And… ask them. I want to know… why was I abandoned? Did… did my mom and dad… not want me? Did they… did I…"
Kitty was on the verge of breaking down.
"Kitty, don't worry," Dakota said, trying to be as comforting as possible. "It wasn't easy."
"No… I'm fine," Kitty lied, standing up, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'll be fine. I was happy to come today, but… I need to go now."
"That's fine," Dakota said, nodding, shaking hands with Kitty.
Julia
"Our next girl is a rather cool customer, unlike our last shy little kitten! She states her mind, and minds her business! Let's give a warm welcome to Julianna 'Julia' Keruz!"
Julia walked onstage, her long black hair bouncing elegantly behind her as she confidently strode over to her seat, waving at the audience as they applauded.
"Well, nice to have you here, Julia, we just finished up with Kitty, and we had a few questions for you, as well."
"Sure," Julia said, nodding. "Ask me anything."
"Well, your role in the story has been a little sparse lately so we won't have a lot of questions for you, but do you mind answering the ones we do have?"
"Be happy to," Julia agreed. "And I know, I haven't been doing much recently. I've been training with Alcea to get stronger, but as far as developing the plot…"
Julia gave a "what can you do" kind of shrug.
"Well, at least it looks like your arm is doing better," Dakota commented, gesturing to Julia's arm, no longer in a sling.
"Yup, finally," Julia agreed. "That cast was a pain. Hopefully this means I can be a little more active."
"Hopefully so," Dakota agreed. "Our first question is from ProtectivePupper, and she's saying 'Julia, I just love the relationship you have with Kitty! You're always so protective of her, I think it's adorable! But don't you worry that's you're being a little too overbearing with your protection?' What do you think, Julia?"
Julia sighed.
"I may have overdone it a little," she admitted. "I want to take care of Kitty, since before, it seemed like she didn't have the confidence to stand up for herself. But recently, I've realized that what I was doing was making it harder for her to grow stronger on her own. She doesn't want to be coddled, she wants to be tough and for me to see her as an equal. As someone who wants to be stronger myself… I'm fine with that."
"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Dakota agreed. "I think the two of you growing and respecting each other as equals is important. Our next questioner, ProteccShippingCaptain, has a question for you as well. 'Julia, what do you think about Kitty?' So? What do you think about her?"
Julia paused for a moment to consider the question.
"I like her a lot, of course," Julia smiled. "She's a very important friend to me!"
"…Hoo boy," Dakota murmured, raising her eyebrows and sliding her eyes to the side. "Long road ahead I guess…"
"Hm?"
"Nothing, nothing, I think that's sweet. But it does bring us to our next question, HarmoniaWorrywart is afraid 'Julia, now that you know Kitty has harmonia, after what Elaina did to you, aren't you afraid of her? Or do you really still see her as your friend?'"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Julia demanded. "Of course Kitty's my friend! Just because Elaina couldn't control herself and ended up hurting me doesn't mean I would think any worse of Kitty! Do you know how scared she is right now? Me? Scared of her? I would never!"
"Okay, okay, that's good," Dakota said, calming Julia down. "Thank you, that really means a lot. Now, the next question we have for you involves your training. Right now, you're training to become stronger, not just to protect Kitty, but because you don't want to lose to her, or Blake, or Cynthia. Or even Reiner. So our next questioner FlowerPupil3 wants to ask 'How is your training with Alcea going? Does the fact that she only raises grass types make it difficult for you? Or are you doing okay?'"
"It was difficult at first," Julia admitted, "but I'm making some decent steps."
"Will you be doing anything significant in the story?" Dakota asked. "Because a lot of people think you sort of fell out of importance since your loss against Elaina."
Julia smiled.
"Well, let's just say that you'll see the results of the buds I've cultivated start to bloom," she cryptically replied. "I can't say when, exactly, I'll get to take the head of anything, but I'll let you know that I am certainly putting my all into things, and my role in the story is just beginning."
Dakota nodded. "That sounds like something to look forward to, then! Julia Keruz, everybody, let's give her a round of applause!"
Julia shrugged, not entirely surprised by the light questions aimed her way considering she hadn't done much in the story recently, and shook Dakota's hand as she walked off.
Alcea
"We spoke to the student, now let's talk to her teacher! Of our previous guests, this one is certainly one of the most prominent figures on campus! With her own fanclub and quite a few fans of her own in the story as well, Alcea Vermeill!"
Alcea stepped out onstage and curtsied, the audience going wild with applause. She strolled over to her seat with the poise of a queen, and gracefully sat, smiling at Dakota.
"Nice to have you with us, Alcea," Dakota replied.
"Oui, good to be here, is it?" Alcea murmured.
"Sorry we didn't have any tea prepared," Dakota awkwardly replied. "But we don't have the time! You've been taking a more active role in things, and a lot of people are saying you'll be a major player in the upcoming Daeva War, what do you have to say about that?"
"Rather than the Daeva War, my greatest concern is with the students, both my dear members of the Gardening Club, and everyone else, of course."
"So you won't be joining the front lines?"
"If it is necessary," Alcea replied. "One must always do what is needed to protect others, is it?"
Dakota nodded in agreement.
"Now, since you're of a rather famous bloodline, there's been a lot of rumors in the tabloids about you," Dakota began.
"Oui, started by you, is it?"
"…No comment," Dakota muttered, unable to meet the redhead's piercing gaze. "Um… here's a question for you! QueenFanXX wants to know 'Your highness! If I ask, will you step on me?'"
Alcea's face turned as red as her hair.
"We-were these questions not screened beforehand?!" She stuttered.
"Sorry!" Dakota grinned, shrugging her shoulders. "Anyway, the next question, from TheRealQueenOlivia, 'Bitch where do you get off calling yourself a queen? This school only has room for one powerful matriarch.' Oh, my, that's quite spicy."
Alcea was not amused.
"Tell the Empress that she can come at me however she wishes," Alcea coldly replied. Dakota gulped. Clearly, Alcea was not enjoying this.
"W-well, let's skip those sorts of questions, then…" Dakota flipped through the letters until she found one she could ask. "What about this one? Gardening Girl is asking 'Your highness, I also love grass pokemon! You're like my idol! But I really wish you could show up more… are you doing anything really cool in the coming chapters?' Well? Are you?"
"Oui," Alcea said, nodding, her cheeks slightly pink. "As you may know, I have an… engagement arranged…"
"Right, to Blake Harker," Dakota joyously informed everyone.
"…Oui, Blake Harker, is it? At any rate, soon that storyline will take place, and I should be taking a major role in it, of course. An official marriage meeting is being set up, is it?"
"Well, that should be a lot of fun," Dakota smiled. "And while we're on the topic, LoveFanHeartHeart says 'I really like your conditions for dating guys, your highness! But isn't it hard to find someone who meets all those criteria? Have you never fallen for a boy who only has some of them?'"
"W-well, I am a lady, so I cannot disclose such matters," Alcea replied. "But I will say, that I do not believe love should be handled so frivolously. Oui, in my eyes, love is something wonderful and pure, is it? That… the nature of love, and what it means to me… those things shall also be touched on soon enough."
"Oh? Does our queen fall in love with a boy?" Dakota purred. But Alcea answered her question with an imperceptible smile.
"That is something we shall have to see, is it?" Alcea murmured.
"Well then, we've got another letter quite interested in your upcoming nuptials," Dakota smirked. "PoisonFanPupilK says 'Don't worry, milady, I promise that I will not allow you to marry Blake! He is absolutely not worthy of you! E-even if I have to, er, d-date him myself, I promise I will stop your engagement! Right! For your sake! I-I would never pursue him for any other sort of reason, definitely not!' Aw, that's such a nice gesture, don't you think?"
Alcea sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingers.
"Well, as a member of the Vermeill family and one of the Eight Leaders, I know your time is very important," Dakota continued. "So we only have one question left! From TrueKalosianPier, he wants to know 'Alcea, although I do not doubt your roots, I must ask why it is that you do not speak with a Kalosian accent, even though the other characters comment on it. From what I see, you only use Kalosian words every once in a while, and end a lot of your sentences with the verbal tick of "is it".' So? What's the scoop, Alcea? Why no accent? I mean, I can hear it just fine, but our readers really can't."
"…I must assume a lazy author, is it?" Alcea sighed.
"Yeah, makes sense," Dakota agreed, as though she had any idea how much difficulty went into writing an authentic French accent. "That's all the questions we have for you today, thank you for come in, your highness."
"Out, a pleasure, is it?" Alcea smiled, shaking Dakota's hand.
"And I must say, I'm really looking forward to that engagement storyline, hopefully it'll be a breath of fresh air after all these heavy arcs."
"Oui," Alcea agreed, standing and brushing herself off. She curtsied to Dakota and the audience one final time, before turning and leaving the studio.
Kate
"Well, there's only one person we could think of to possibly follow a performance such as hers, and who better than the girl who's entire role in the story is to be Alcea Vermeill's lapdog?" Dakota rhetorically asked the audience. "Without further ado, the toxic sophomore herself, Kate Nomia!"
Kate walked on stage, her resting bitch face in full affect. Surprisingly, the applause was at normal levels.
"Well, hey there, Kate!" Dakota smiled. "Now, I must say, before we start, I'm quite impressed with how far you've come. You used to be, well, just a rude bitch. But now you're a rude bitch beloved by all! Or many. Or just a few crazies. Idk. But you've done the impossible, and actually entered the nominations for Pokemon Academy Best Girl, which not even your idol, Alcea, was capable of!"
"Well, it is a little hard to believe," Kate said. "I mean, I don't get all the hate towards me, but that's nothing new. I've been trying my best!"
"Maybe it's all the stuff you did early on, you know, how you were a colossal bitch to the main cast."
Kate tilted her head to the side, trying to remember what she was talking about. It didn't sound familiar.
"Nah, I don't remember any of that."
Dakota rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, we don't have very many questions for you, but the main one is something that a lot of fans want to know. But one fan in particular, ToxicShipping21, who asks 'Kate, so for real, how do you feel about Blake?' How do you feel?"
"Blake?" Kate snorted. "Please! He's just… well, he's Blake!"
"That isn't an answer."
"W-what do you want me to say?" Kate asked, crossing her arms indignantly in front of her. "I mean, do I appreciate how he helped me? Sure! But he's Blake! And do I think he's, well, kind of good looking? Well, you know, a little bit! And he's funny, yeah, and the way he tries to help people is incredibly sweet, don't get me wrong, plus I know that he's the kind of guy who would accept me for who I was, even though I'm the kind of girl who likes poison types."
"And that word soup means…"
"Huh?"
"So how do you feel about him?"
"I'm pretty sure I just said."
"That was a big pile of nothing," Dakota replied. "You just listed a bunch of random crap. How do you feel? Do you like him? Do you want to date him? Have sex with him? Or do you want to strangle him?"
"I-I don't get off to choking!" Kate exclaimed, her face bright red.
"Oh, no, I didn't mean as like a sex thing, I meant because you don't like him."
"I-I wouldn't choke him!" Kate said, shaking her head. "I mean, m-maybe if he asked me to, but even then I'm not entirely sure if…"
Kate's voice trailed off and she held her hands in front of her face.
"TO. BE. CLEAR." Kate shouted, her hands still hiding her embarrassment. "I don't like Blake that way! I mean yeah, if I needed to keep him away from her highness, then I would seduce him, but that doesn't mean I like him! A-and just to make sure that he doesn't eventually hook up with her later, I'll watch over him for as long as it takes! But again, not because I like him! A-and, i-if it comes to it, I-I… I'll even m-m-m-marry him, too! …Just to make sure, don't get me wrong! Not because I like him! And then we… we'll have four kids, …b-because he wants to, n-n-not because I really want to, um… th-those sorts of things, I-I don't think about that at all! This is all j-just to satisfy him so he doesn't go seeking out her highness! A-and then we'll move to a villa somewhere out in the countryside… …to make sure he stays far away from her highness, of course, not because it's been my childhood dream to live a provincial life on the prairies with the man of my dreams, n-not even a little bit! No! It's all for her highness's sake, I don't like him at all! I haven't even once thought about h-holding his hand in bed as we gaze into each other's eyes, the morning sunlight washing over our n-naked bodies, and we both know we need to go and wake up the kids and get breakfast started, but part of us doesn't want to, a-and he leans in, and kisses me, and then we… we… AGAIN! NOT because I like him! Just to keep him from marrying her highness! Because she's too good for someone like him! He should be with someone like me! Er, I mean… well, you know what I mean!"
Dakota wanted to throw up. Everyone could see exactly what Kate meant.
Kate was too embarrassed to keep going, and leapt out of her chair, running off the set with her crimson face in her hands.
Believe it or not, Dakota still had some questions for the poison girl, particularly about her interest in archaeology, her role in future arcs, and what she'd heard about the Oracle stones, but clearly that wasn't happening. She sighed and called in the next guest.
Ayame
"Our next guest started out just as hostile to Blake as our last, but unlike Kate, she's fallen head over heels for the boy, and pursues him with her heart on her sleeve! She's tough and spunky, and isn't going to give up the race until she crosses the finish line in his heart, Ayame Toujou!"
The audience applauded as Ayame jogged onto the stage, a broad grin on her face. Rather than sit down in the chair like a normal person, the tall girl placed her hands on the arms and lifted herself over the back of the chair, plopping down into it in a nice feat of strength.
"I'm happy to be here," Ayame said, her husky voice eliciting a few swoons from the girls in the audience. Even Dakota had to admit her charming smile was quite seat-wetting, and Dakota exclusively liked boys. "So, what is it you wanted to ask me?"
Dakota smiled.
"So, what are you doing here tonight, Ayame?"
"I'm answering questions, right?" Ayame said, a look of confusion crossing her handsome face.
"What sort of questions?"
"…Whatever kind you have to ask," Ayame said, looking suspiciously at the sophomore.
"Well, what did you expect to happen here tonight, Ayame?" Dakota asked.
"I expected to come here, you'd ask questions, and I'd answer them," Ayame said.
"Oh, is that so?" Dakota said, nodding her head like she agreed with Ayame's side of things. She reached into the bag and took out a few sheets of paper, along with some letters. "Let's see if any of this sounds familiar. 'Hey, Blake, want to go get a bite to eat after we finish up with the show tonight? Afterwards, we can come back to my room and you can teach me some more about playing Go.' Do you always proposition 15 year old boys to come back to your room with the promises of food and ancient board games?"
"Oi-"
"And you know that this boy is 15. He's told you. How old are you? You might as well tell me, because I can find out pretty easily."
"Yeah, I'm 18, but-"
"You're 18, and you know you shouldn't be seeing 15 year old boys. What am I supposed to make of that, Ayame?" Dakota asked. "Did you bring condoms with you tonight?"
"No, I didn't, what… I wasn't planning to- What is this?"
"You want to know what this is, Ayame?" Dakota asked, frowning. "Well, I'm Dakota Evans, and this is Dateline NBC."
Ayame was clearly not amused with Dakota's little show. Dakota cracked a smirk.
"Well, whatever," Dakota said, throwing the paper over her shoulder. "If anything, I'm happy. Your scandal is gonna be an amazing story, let me tell you!"
Ayame glared at her.
"Well, onto the questions!" Dakota smiled, reaching into the stack of letters. "Our first question is from ForbiddenLove17. He says 'Ayame, your relationship with Blake is honestly one of the most adorable things I've ever seen! I'm really rooting for you! But just to be sure, you aren't planning to do anything explicit to win him over, right? I mean, he is 15, and you're 18. That doesn't really seem… acceptable.' And I must say I agree."
"We have ONLY kissed!" Ayame exclaimed.
"For now," Dakota added on.
"I'm not going to do anything!" Ayame insisted. "Besides, I mean, he's…"
"He's what?" Dakota asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Well, he's turning 16 in a few weeks, so I mean…"
"Oh, so that makes it okay."
"Well, the standard is half your age + 7 years," Ayame countered. "So 18 and 16 is perfectly acceptable! And my birthday isn't until December, so that means that we have about a month of completely socially acceptable… you know!"
Dakota shook her head, clicking her tongue disapprovingly at the older girl.
"Why are we even talking about this?" Ayame exclaimed.
"Because you and Blake are the talk of the town," Dakota replied. "Believe it or not, you've got a lot of people rooting for you."
Ayame blinked, a dopey smile crossing her face.
"R-really?"
"Yup. You're almost as supported as Sango and Blake, and they've been getting shipped from the start. Speaking of…" Dakota reached for the next letter. "ShippingWarriorSeven wants to know 'Ayame, what's your opinion on Sango's feelings for Blake? Do you think she's a rival for your affections? Are you going to get in her way?'"
Ayame frowned.
"I know Sango likes Blake," Ayame said. "But I'm not going to wait for her to build up her courage. I'm going to make Blake fall in love with me, Sango or no Sango. I'll support her, but I'm not going to hand him over."
Ayame smiled.
"If Blake does love Sango more than me… or some other girl… it will hurt, I know. But Blake made me enjoy the thing I love most again. He was there for me no matter how much I pushed him away, and he still came through in the end. So I want to be there for him. Even if only for a short time, and even if only as a friend. I would like to be more than that… but if he ever tells me he wants to be with someone else to be happy… well I guess I'll smile and give up on him, then."
Her kind expression turned sharp, and she pointed at the camera.
"But just being clear! That's a big 'if'! Blake hasn't said anything like that! He might not be ready for a relationship just yet, but given time, I know I can heal the wounds on his heart and make him fall for me, so don't think I won't!"
Dakota nodded her head.
"So, the shipping war is starting to get heated up. Do you think we'll get some romantic resolution soon? After all, Blake does have a lot of suitors."
"I can't say anything about that just yet," Ayame replied. "But I do know that the author has already decided who he's going to pair Blake up with. Will it be me?"
Ayame turned to the camera and smiled confidently.
"You're damn right."
"Wow, for real?" Dakota asked, licking her lips at this newest taste of gossip.
"Nah, I don't know a damn thing," Ayame laughed, turning back to Dakota and smiling. "What I do know, or at least, what I've heard, is that we've already met all the competitors by this point."
"Oh, really?"
"Yup. All the girls in Blake's 'harem' have shown up, in one way or another. At least as far as the author's planned it. I can't really speculate on what will happen beyond the freshman year, you know? I've only got my scripts set out until I graduate."
"Fair enough," Dakota said, nodding. "So does the fact you're graduating and this is your last year mean that it's unlikely for you to be the winner?"
Ayame scowled at that comment, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I guess we'll see, won't we?"
Dakota shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, judging from your 'let's all compete honestly' response, I have no issues with asking you this question. It's from TheRealQueenOlivia, and she wants to say 'Aya, stop being such a good little fucking virgin. We both know you really want to say 'step off from my man, bitch' to those girls sniffing around him, so stop being the good little girl and get serious about this. Otherwise you'll regret it.' Well, that's… honest."
"…Okay, fine," Ayame sighed. "Yes, a part of me really wants to tell Sango and the rest of them to stay away from him, because he's mine, and I want to be with him. But even so… I care too much about Blake's happiness to try something slimy like that. If Blake is going to choose me, I want it to be because I'm the one he wants to be with. If I scare away the other girls, and he chooses me by default… then how could I ever be satisfied with a fake love like that?"
She looked Dakota in the eye, her sharp hazel-gold eyes shining with honesty and passion.
"I want Blake to want to be with me. A love that he chooses because he has no choice… how could I make him go through something like that? How can I be so cruel to Sango? It's not just 'me playing nice'. I wouldn't want to win a race because the other runners were all injured. If I'm not afraid to be beaten, then where is the pride in the victory?"
Dakota stared at Ayame with a newfound admiration, impressive considering the woman was making advances on a minor.
"…Well, fine. Whatever. Next question! This one is from Run4Fun, and he's asking 'Ayame, I really respect that you're raising your pokemon to compete in the Pokeathlon! Will we ever get to see your team in action?'"
"Oh, yeah, it's a blast!" Ayame crowed, her face growing wide. "Unfortunately, my injuries mean I won't be able to compete alongside my team for a while, but no need to worry! It's not set in stone exactly when, but I am getting some focus on my team and our competitions, starting after the new year!"
"Well, that should be good," Dakota said, nodding. "Now, since you've made your feelings about Blake and his friends abundantly clear, and you're a rather honest sort, we just have one more question for you."
"Shoot."
"Friendshipper88 wants to know 'Ayame, I think that you and Olivia are such great friends! I wish I had a friendship like yours! But you're such polar opposites in almost every way, I gotta ask, how did your relationship start?' Well? Want to fill us in on that?"
"I think… hm…" Ayame mused, before a secretive smile crossed her face. "I think that's something that I'll leave up to the story to show. Until then, I think I'll treasure that memory for a little longer."
Dakota nodded in understanding.
"Well, alright then, thank you for coming, Ayame," Dakota said, shaking Ayame's hand. "And stay away from the little boys."
Ayame muttered something that would have to be bleeped out for broadcast, turned, and flipped Dakota off as she walked out.
Olivia
"Our last guest, before we cut time for the halfway point, is a very special woman, Ayame's friend and confidant, our channel's sponsor, and the Empress of the Daevas, the lovely and magnificent Olivia Himeko!"
To a chorus of cheers, wolf whistles, and applause, Olivia, dressed in a fancy black cocktail dress with white trim on the arms and skirt, walked out into the spotlight like she was born to, smiling and blowing kisses to her adoring fans. She walked to Dakota and held her arms open for a hug, Dakota standing up and returning it. Olivia kissed her on both cheeks, and sat down in her seat alongside the reporter.
"Thank you for taking the time to come out for our show," Dakota said, smiling.
"Thank you for having me," Olivia purred. "I do so enjoy getting to meet my fans." Olivia turned and winked at the camera.
"Well, we have a lot of questions to ask you, but unfortunately your agent said we could only ask a few of them. Is that okay?"
"Why, of course," Olivia said, smiling. "Ask whatever questions you wish. I have nothing to hide."
"…Right," Dakota said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, knowing that Olivia and her team of lawyers had already gone over fan questions with a fine-tooth comb, nixing any potential embarrassments. "So our first question is a little spicy, so if you don't feel comfortable answering, you don't have to."
The audience "ooh"ed and Olivia giggled, waving her hand playfully at Dakota in an "oh, you" sort of motion, nodding her head.
"Well, CuriousHopeful wants to know 'Olivia, you're so amazing and beautiful, I just wanted to ask… is there someone you're interested in?' So, what do you think? Would you mind informing us a little more as to your… preferences? If it wouldn't be too embarrassing."
"Not at all," Olivia said, shaking her head. "As you know, I'm into girls. Sometimes I wish I could be into boys, you know, once in a blue moon, but… nope." She sighed, shaking her head. Another affectation for the camera, Dakota knew bullshit when she smelled it, even from as good an actress as Olivia.
"As for what kind of girl, I really want a girl that makes me sit up and go 'wow' you know? The kind of girl that you see across the room, and maybe it's what she's wearing, or how she does her hair, or that look in her eye, but there's just something about her that makes you want to go up and ask her what she's doing here."
Dakota raised an eyebrow.
"Now, that doesn't I'm overly selective, of course," Olivia smiled. "I've pursued girls of all different flavors. But my favorites? I like a girl that has potential. Someone who I can turn into a sparkling gem. At the same time, though, I want someone who's a little… mm, bold. Someone who makes me want to look more beautiful, just because of how lovely she is, you know?"
Dakota didn't really give that big a damn about her looks, so she didn't "know". But she nodded her head regardless.
"At the end of the day, though, I'm not looking for anything serious," Olivia replied. "I'm still trying to find 'the one' so hey, if you're a single lady interested in meeting a girl like me, hey. Give it a shot."
Olivia turned and winked at the camera, Dakota resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
"Our next question is actually about a girl in particular," Dakota said, moving on. "Ayame."
"Oh, what about Aya? I just adore her!" Olivia smiled.
"EmpressFan15 asks 'Olivia, how do you feel about Ayame? She's into guys, but on your end, since you're attracted to women, have you ever felt something for her, either now, or in the past?'"
Olivia smiled, holding her hand to her mouth.
"Aya is quite a dear friend. And yes, that smile of hers can make even me swoon. But we both love each other so much, I don't think we've ever actually thought about something like that."
"So you aren't interested?"
"Oh, my, it's not even about interest," Olivia smiled, waving her hand dismissively. "I don't think the concept has ever even crossed out minds."
"…K."
Dakota continued to toss out more nothing questions, just wishing it would all be over. When Olivia rose and bid farewell, kissing Dakota's cheeks in goodbye, she couldn't be happier.
"That was the lovely Olivia Himeko! The star of our campus!" Dakota declared. "We're cutting to commercial right now, but don't go anywhere! Our next guest is someone to look forward to, the flirty and flouncy Claire Suzuki!"
Commercial Break
"Has this ever happened to you?" A man in a suit walked onscreen, pointing to a picture of an older man with a frown on his face. The scene jumped to being in the man's living room.
"I was just minding my own business, and then there were these two kids having a pokemon battle outside. I thought it was cute, you know, it reminded me of my days as a trainer."
"But then… disaster struck." The suited man's voiceover guided the scene.
"One of the kids, he had his pokemon use earthquake! And before I knew it, my house was coming down around me, and I was rushing to find my wife and kids, get them to safety!" The man's voice was choked.
"Luckily, no one else was in the house. But Lloids still lost many cherished possessions, including the car they need to for Jake Lloid to go to work every day."
"It was awful!" The man blubbered. "We spent years building a life here, turning this house into a home, and then all of that was taken away with a single earthquake! Just because a couple of kids wanted a pokemon battle."
"The insurance didn't cover him nearly what he needed. So what was Jake Lloid, father of three to do?"
"I didn't know what I could do, I had so many bills coming in. Me and the wife and kids were staying at my brother's, and that's when he told me if I wanted to make things right, I'd better call Saul."
"That's right." The man in the suit returned to the screen, the scene cutting to his office. "Jake called me, Saul Goodman, attorney at law. If you or your loved ones are injured as a result of a pokemon battle? Even if it's just because someone uses sunny day and causes you to get a sunburn! Me and my crack legal team will make sure to get you the settlement you deserve! Because in a world where killer nightmare beasts roam unchecked, I believe that no one should have to live in fear. So next time little Suzie Gumdrop thinks it's a good idea to have her pokemon use flash while fighting beside a crowded highway, we'll file suit so punitive she won't even be able to afford a potion for her ailing granny."
The lawyer smiled.
"No case is too small, and no claim is too large! Those kids are rolling in dough, they won't miss a thing! So when you've got pokemon troubles and need a quick shot of cash to start the healing process, I want you to think 'I'd better call Saul!'"
Claire
"We're back!" Dakota announced. "And with us today is Claire Suzuki!"
Claire sat down in her seat and waved to the audience, smiling.
"Now, Claire, you aren't technically a student at Pokemon Academy, is that right?"
"No I am not," Claire admitted, shaking her head.
"So why the uniform?" Dakota asked, gesturing towards Claire's clothes. Claire smiled, stood up, and did a twirl.
"Because it's cute, obviously," Claire smiled. Dakota shrugged. The pigtailed girl had a point.
"Now, we do have a lot of questions for you, but unfortunately, I don't think you're able to answer any of them."
"Oh? That's too bad!" Claire huffed.
"Yes, they're all questions about your backstory, and your future role in the story, and if I'm right… neither one of those things are really things you can comment on, isn't that so?"
Claire shrugged her shoulders, nodding, her smile wide.
"That's a bunch of spoilers, sorry."
"Well, we didn't want you to think you wasted your time in coming here," Dakota said. "So we did come up with a discussion topic that we thought you might want to participate in. But before we get to that, I was wondering if there was anything you can tell us about your role in the story moving forward."
Claire smiled a conspiratorial smile.
"Only that, sooner or later, this uniform won't exactly be cosplay," Claire purred. Dakota raised an eyebrow.
"So you mean you'll be transferring to the Pokemon Academy soon?"
"At some point, maybe," Claire smiled a cat-like grin.
"Well, that's something to look forward to then," Dakota said. "Now, the point I wanted to discuss is actually about Blake."
"I can't tell you anything about his past," Claire immediately replied.
"No, no, it's not about that," Dakota said, shaking her head. "It's actually about who Blake may end up dating. Since I expect Blake to keep quiet on it, I wanted to get a feel from your side of things before we asked him."
"Well, I am quite the expert on it," Claire giggled, nodding her head. "Why don't you go down the list, then?"
"Well, of the girls currently in the running, we have Sango, aka CheerShipping, Ayame, aka RibbonShipping, Elaina, aka OrphanShipping, Kate, aka ToxicShipping, Caelia, aka ScarShipping, and Cynthia, aka RivalShipping."
"Cynthia? Really?"
"Well, she's still single, and she did score about a fourth of the votes on the poll, so…" Dakota shrugged her shoulders.
"Yeah, but RivalShipping? Not 'UnhealthyAttachmentToMommyShipping'?" Dakota nearly burst out laughing at that, but kept her cool
"So what are your thoughts on those six?"
"Well, you know Sango's my girl," Claire replied. "Like, I'm a CheerShipping girl through and through. But I've gotta say, Ayame definitely does care for him. I think that I'd be happy with either one of them."
"What about OrphanShipping?" Dakota asked.
"Elaina?" Claire snorted. "That's a bad play."
"Oh? But a lot of fans think they look cute together."
"Yeah, but if you support OrphanShipping that's like supporting KnightShipping, and that's a real bad call."
"KnightShipping?"
"Don't worry about it," Claire said. "I mean yeah, he and Elaina are cute together, but if she wants to have my vote, then she really needs to step things up and actually put herself forward. None of this 'Blake as the savior' crap. Thanks, I hate it. Nah, stand on your own two feet, girl. Right now it just reads like going from one toxic, obsessive relationship to another. And sure, Blake's better than Gerard, but… nah. Girlfriend? You grow for yourself. Blake ain't there to be you knight in shining armor to kiss away the booboos."
"Well that's… a thing," Dakota said, shrugging. "Well, what about ScarShipping? That's the newest contender."
"Yeah, but she's crazy."
"She's damaged, sure, but-"
"No. She's crazy." Claire restated. "Trust me. From one stalker to another, that girl? Nope. Plus, she can't feel anything so you know she'd be a cold fish."
"I don't think we should joke about her handicaps…"
"Okay, fair, I'm sorry. But still. She doesn't like Blake. She's crazy and she's obsessed with him. Not a chance in hell."
"And ToxicShipping?"
"I'm sorry, who?" Claire asked, feigning ignorance. "I don't believe I've even heard of such a thing."
"ToxicShipping. Blake and Kate."
"Blake and who?"
"…Not a fan, I guess."
"Tell her to come back when she's actually giving it the good old college try," Claire scoffed. "Until then… who?"
"And finally, RivalShipping?"
"Okay, look, I see a lot of myself in Cynthia," Claire said, sighing. "Well, minus the height. And the boobs. And the attractiveness. Okay, we're both energetic perverts and that's about it, but I'll tell you if she's actually into Blake? She is not showing it. So if she wants to get in the running, she needs to get a realization and damn quick, because right now she's so far in the friend zone it's not even funny. And that is not a fun place to be."
"So right now you see it as a competition between CheerShipping and RibbonShipping?" Dakota confirmed. Claire nodded.
"So who do you think has the edge?"
"Well, Ayame's made her intentions clear and is really pursuing him head-on, which puts her ahead of Sango right now. But at the same time, she's fighting the clock. So what Sango needs to do is give her the old 'Rope-a-Dope'. If she's not gonna get stones to tell him, then as long as she can keep the two of them apart until Ayame graduates then I think it's smooth sailing for her."
"Otherwise you think Ayame is gonna win?"
"I'll say, from where I'm sitting, it comes down to what Sango does," Claire says. "If she's as active as Ayame, we'll be in for a good match. But if she's gonna hang back like she has, then if it's not Ayame, someone else is gonna come along and snatch him."
"Even though Blake said he isn't interested in dating anyone?"
Claire scowled.
"Blake's reasons for not dating? That's a big fat wad of excuse because he's too much of a damn fool to risk a deep connection. Which, I mean, the crap he's been through, sure, I get it, but still. It's not that he's not 'ready' to date, he's just too scared to open up to anyone and chance seeing them get hurt again, that's my take on things. So if Sango wants to go… then she should go forward, just like Ayame. I think that's the best way to solve this."
"Well, thank you for your insights, Claire, it was nice to have you with us today!"
"Always happy to lend my take on things, especially all things shipping related!" Claire giggled, rising to her feet and waving to the audience, prancing off the stage.
Cynthia
"Now, our next guest, the first student besides Blake to be formally introduced, the girl who kicks butt, takes names, and also tries to take butt, a fellow redhead with enough passion to light a city, Cynthia Fafnir!"
Cynthia ran out onto the stage, both hands in the air.
"Your time is up, my time is now!" Cynthia sang. "You can't see me, my time is now!"
Cynthia flexed her lack of muscles energetically, plopping down in her seat. She kicked her feet up onto the table and leaned back, stretching out in her chair.
"Well, that was quite an entrance."
Cynthia shrugged, smiling.
"Now then, considering you're another one of the major cast members, you've got a lot of questions," Dakota placed a big stack of letters on the table to emphasize this. "Think you're ready to handle it?"
"Pft, not a problem!" Cynthia chortled. "What do these lame-o's wanna know?"
Dakota raised an eyebrow at Cynthia's flippant attitude. Well, she knew which question she wanted to start with, then, digging through the stack of letters until she found it.
"Single&Searching wants to know 'Cynthia, with Blake and Sango's romantic ties, Kitty and Julia's… relationship, and the fact that Reiner and Nick both have girlfriends, how does it feel being the only one in your friend group single and with no prospects?'"
Cynthia cracked her jaw.
"Hey, what's up with that?!" Cynthia exclaimed, sitting upright. "That's a low blow! Foul! Foul!"
"So I'm guessing you're not thrilled with it?"
"Nick, fine, some girls are into the shy boy thing! Whatever! But how the hell does that jerk Reiner get a girlfriend before me?! I know Nikita has glasses, but what, is she blind?!"
"Well-"
"I'm bisexual! That means my strike zone is twice as big as everyone else's! I'm cute! I'm loveable! I made it to the semi-finals of the Fall Festival Tournament! I'm the center of attention, so WHY the hell am I the one with no love interest?!"
Dakota quite enjoyed seeing the pompous girl twist in the wind.
"It must be hard for you."
"It's because of my height! I just know it! It's always about that!"
…Okay, maybe she'd gone a little too far.
"Well, have you ever seriously gone after someone before?"
"Yeah, I go after Serefina's boobs every chance I get," Cynthia said, confused.
"Okay, but what about Seri as a dating target?"
"Like I said, every time I ask her boobs out they say no."
"Seri isn't just boobs."
"No, I know, there's also her dumper, but I mean, when you're comparing the two-"
Okay, so she was just hopeless. Dakota felt much less bad now.
"What about guys? You say you're bisexual, but we don't really see you pursue any guys that often, just perv out over the girls."
"Well, yeah, why do I need to go after guys?" Cynthia laughed. "I already have Blake, after all!"
Now that was intriguing.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, we're friends, right?" Cynthia laughed. "But I mean, come on. He's super into me. I've kinda been dodging the topic, you know, because I really appreciate his friendship, and I don't know if I'm really ready to take things seriously before I get my fill of Serefina, but come on."
Wow. That was so not what was going on that it almost made Dakota want to cry.
"Have you been paying attention to the other chapters?" Dakota asked. "The ones without you."
"I skim," Cynthia shrugged. "Why?"
"Well, what if Blake actually hooked up with someone else? What if he got into a relationship with another girl?"
Cynthia froze. She sat in place for a few seconds without blinking, as though she were a video trying to buffer.
"Why would you say something like that?" Cynthia laughed. But her laughter was not joyful. "That's so not the case. Come on, who's he gonna get with? Julia?"
"Well, what about Sango?" Dakota threw that name out as a test.
"Come on, Sango only likes him as a friend!" Cynthia laughed. "You're just talking crazy."
Wow, Cynthia was really blind. Or willfully ignorant.
"What about Ayame?"
"What, they went on one date."
"Actually, he's gone out with her a lot of times."
Cynthia went back into buffering mode.
"Nope, nope, it's just casual friend outings!" She said, after brain finished processing the new information. "Trust me, Blake's just like me. He doesn't have any love interests. That's why I tease him about it so much! We like to joke around, it's how we bond."
"Dude, Blake basically has a harem at this point."
"No, no, it's a misunderstanding."
"It's really not."
"Come on, of course it is, stop kidding around. You make up stuff all the time for your newspaper, I'm not falling for that fake news!"
"Cynthia… did your position as the First Girl lead you to assume that you and Blake would hook up together without you actually having to do anything about it? Just because of the common tropes, and because you were friends with similar interests who were always together?"
Cynthia blinked.
"…Is that not the case?"
"I sincerely doubt it. If you want to go out with Blake, then you need to put in some actual effort."
Cynthia buffered for a little while more.
"Well, that's fine! I wasn't really that interested in going out with him, anyway!" Cynthia said, smiling. "Besides, like I said, there's no way Blake would ever hook up with anyone to begin with, so even if I did want to go out with him I'd have all the time in the world to do something about it!"
Well Cynthia had clearly retreated from reality into magical comfort land, so any further discussion on the topic would be pointless. Dakota placed the RivalShipping questions aside.
"Next question. MasterPlots5 wants to know 'Cynthia, I really like that you've joined up with the Commander! Does this mean you'll be taking a big role in the coming story?'"
"Oh, you bet!" Cynthia nodded. "I won't do a whole lot in the next few major arcs, but when we get to the Daeva War, you'll be seeing a lot more of little old me!"
"Well, you did have quite a big role to play in the Fall Festival Tournament Arc," Dakota agreed. "Speaking of which, our next asker, GenreSmasher, wants to know 'Awesome! I can't believe you beat Blake! I thought for sure he was gonna win, since he's the protagonist! You really subverted my expectations! How do you feel, Cynthia?'"
"Yeah, thanks!" Cynthia bubbled. "I feel like a million bucks! I've been trying my hardest and training like crazy since I lost to him in Chapter 1, and that was my moment of glory! But still, it was really frustrating losing to Akira right after! I would have at least liked to have made the finals."
"Semi-finals for a freshman is pretty good," Dakota agreed. "You really tried your hardest."
"Yup. And thanks to my current training regime, I'm going to be the best of the best!"
"Yeah, working with the Commander really seems to be going well for you," Dakota agreed. "Even if you haven't received much plot focus recently. On that topic, DaevaFan4 wants to know 'Cynthia, are you excited to get in on the ground floor for the Battle Frontier?'"
"Oh, I'm ecstatic!" Cynthia said, nodding. "I can't say much about it yet, but the Battle Frontier? It's gonna be amazing! I just love battling! It's so exciting! And sure, I gotta graduate first, but when I do, I'll be able to do something so grand! I can't wait!"
"We've got another question here about the Commander as well," Dakota said, glancing at the letter. "LadyOfWar wants to say 'If you make a move on the Commander I promise you will wake up underwater, with iron chains tying you to a sinking anchor.' Huh. Doesn't sound like there was a question there."
"Meh. He's not my type anyway," Cynthia dismissed the credible death threat with a wave of her hand.
"Okay, our next question for you, Cynthia, is from EightLeader8. He wants to know 'Cynthia, you were very close to selection for being a member of the Eight Leaders. Are you upset that you didn't get chosen? Is that something you might want to work towards in the future?'"
"Hm… Well, maybe next year, right now I'm with the Commander. And I mean yeah, it was definitely an honor to be chosen! Thing is, I don't really have pokemon of overlapping types, and I don't know which ones I'm gonna catch later, so I don't know if a position there is really gonna be for the best. But like I said, I guess we'll see. I mean, if they offer it to me, I'm not gonna turn 'em down! It seems like it'd be a lot of fun!"
Dakota didn't want to ruin the girl's imagination by disclosing the amount of paperwork, so she decided to just move on to the last question for Cynthia.
"Now, this last question taps into an area that you are uniquely qualified to weigh in on," Dakota said. "FederalBoobieInspector says 'Cynthia, as a fellow breast connoisseur, I respect your keen eye. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to lend your thoughts toward a ranking of the Top 3 Greatest Sets of Breasts at the Pokemon Academy?'"
"Now this is the kind of question I've been waiting for!" Cynthia cheered. "What a finisher! Damn right, I've got some stuff to say! So first off, the number 1 is, of course, Serefina. Because, I mean, damn. Have you seen those things?"
Cynthia wiped the drool from her mouth.
"By my eye, those things have got to be F-cup, at least!"
Dakota nodded. Very experienced with Serefina's bra sizes, Cynthia had a good eye.
"And the best part of all? I'm pretty sure they're still growing! Like damn, girl, what are you eating? It makes me want to just jump on top to her, and…"
Cynthia regained her composure before she moistened her seat too much.
"Anyway! Number 2? Gotta be Elaina's."
"Elaina? Really?"
"Yeah. Not just the boobs, either, but that whole body? Damn. Who needs a face with a body like that? Her rack is almost as big as Serefina's, maybe by just a few cm. Plus with the way it's bound in that top of hers, oooh, major domme vibes, let me tell you. She's number 2 for sure."
"And who's number three?"
"Olivia Himeko, the Empress."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah," Cynthia said, nodding. Her expression was rather serious. "It was a toss-up between her and Alcea. They've both got amazing racks, and by my discerning eye? They're the same size."
Dakota smirked. Olivia certainly wouldn't be happy with THAT declaration, knowing that she was only AS good as Alcea in something, and not superior.
"But the deciding factor between those two phenomenal chests was one thing, and one thing only," Cynthia said, frowning. "Attitude."
"…Attitude?" Dakota asked, confused.
"Olivia's flirty nature!" Cynthia explained. "Alcea and Olivia both have hot bods and great chests, but Olivia's the kind of girl who would let you give 'em a squeeze, you can just tell! Alcea is too much of a prude for something like that! And as anyone will tell you, the boob you can squeeze always beats the boob you can't!"
Cynthia sounded like she said something profound, but it was still just about boobs. Dakota rolled her eyes.
"Well, thank you for that… insightful declaration," Dakota said. "Cynthia Fafnir, everybody!"
Cynthia waved to the crowd as she stood up, shaking Dakota's hand before departing.
Serefina
"Now this next guest is a close personal friend of mine, and by expert assessment, owner of the Number 1 pair of boobs in the Pokemon Academy!" Dakota announced. "Serefina Kagefusa!"
Serefina stomped onstage. She was not happy.
"Dakota!" She hissed. "What the hell was with that intro?!"
"Sorry, Seri, it was a good segue way."
Serefina sat down. She was not amused.
"…I have a good feeling that this is going to involve a lot of questions about my chest, isn't it?"
Dakota looked at the stack of letters in her hand. There was just one or two. Hundred.
"Maybe a few?"
"No."
Dakota sighed, tossing most of the pile to the ground. There were only a handful of letters left.
"That's it?!" Serefina wailed. "You guys are jerks."
"Sorry, Seri, but you don't do a lot in the story," Dakota sighed apologetically. "You're mainly there for fanservice."
"I just had a huge role! In that last arc with Sylvia!" Serefina protested. Dakota shrugged her shoulders in a "what can you do" sign of defeat.
"Fine, whatever," Serefina scoffed, crossing her arms over her large chest as best as she could.
"From PokemonCare, she wants to know 'Serefina, I really like having a caretaker as part of the cast! But I'm afraid it means you won't do anything in major arcs! Are you just a side character?'"
Serefina sighed.
"It's not that I'm a side character," she began.
"But you are."
"Dakota!"
"Sorry."
"I want to help pokemon, and I also want to help my friends. Even if that means I don't do a lot of battling," Serefina explained. "So yeah, maybe I won't show up as often as someone like Akira, or Sylvia, or even Dakota. But I want you to know, that I'm always gonna be there for my friends. To take care of the people and pokemon at Pokemon Academy that I care so dearly for."
"Aw… Seri… that's so sweet…" Dakota said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"And I have more screentime than Eli and Lukas so that's definitely a plus," she added under her breath.
"Hmm?"
"Nothing, nothing," Serefina said, smiling. She looked sadly at the sparse table. There was only one other letter. All the others had been lecherous questions about her boobs.
"Sorry, Seri, there's only one question left," Dakota said glumly, picking up the letter. "GratefulReporterD says here 'Serefina, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to reach the happiness I now have. I appreciate how great of a friend you've always been, even if I wasn't the best friend I could be back. So I wanted to ask you, do you know that you're the best friend a girl could ever have?'"
Serefina held her hand over her mouth, tears falling from her eyes. Dakota glanced shyly up at her.
"You too!" Serefina said, getting out of her seat and hugging Dakota tightly, crying into her shoulder. "You are too!"
"Thanks again," Dakota said, smiling warmly, patting Serefina in the back. The crowd cheered them on and the two parted, Dakota wishing her well. Then she saw the next name on the list, and her positive expression took a sour turn.
Sylvia
"This next person… god, damn it… I don't know why I have to interview this bitch, but…"
"Sylvia Driscoll!" Sylvia called her own name out, walking onstage. Of course, she wasn't wearing her uniform. She was dressed head to toe in black and white lace, this time her dress an approximation of a Gothitelle's dress.
"Hey! Wait for me to call you!" Dakota exclaimed. Sylvia rolled her eyes and took her seat.
"Okay, as for our questions…" Dakota reached for a stack of letters, before she noticed that Sylvia wasn't even paying attention. She was typing away on her phone. "Hey! You're the one who came here in the first place! Are we doing this or not?!"
"Please, that would make for such a boring show," Sylvia scoffed. "How many people have you interviewed now? 15? Please! Any questions you have for me would be hopeless dull and tedious to begin with, I should know. I already read the script."
"Read the script?!" Dakota sputtered.
"Yup! Espeon of Shadows is livetweeting it to me as he's writing it, so, you know, pass."
Sylvia stuck her tongue out playfully.
"Then why are you here?!"
"Why? I'll tell you why!" Sylvia purred. "These boring interviews? Let's give them some pizzazz."
Sylvia reached into her purse and withdrew a microphone, winking at Dakota. Dakota's face turned pale, and then red with frustration. Sylvia stepped out of her seat and whirled to face the audience, winking to the camera.
"I think I'll take over now! Time to announce the next guests! That's right, guests, as in plural! This should be great…!"
Misato and Will
Misato walked out onto the stage with purpose, unfazed in the slightest by the crowd. She sat down where Sylvia had been sitting moments prior. Will was slightly more confused, not expecting to be questioned alongside Misato. He sat down in the chair beside her
"Now then," Sylvia purred, standing over the two. "Dakota, you've got questions for these two?"
"Yes, but-"
"Lose 'em. I'm running things now, and you'd better believe it's gonna be real! Misato! The first question is for you! Tell me, have you ever kissed before? And when I say kiss, I mean the act of pressing lips against lips, a pure act of, oooh, carnal passion!"
"Negative."
"Would you like to?"
"The experience of kissing would be helpful in my ongoing assessment of the nature of human relationships."
"Close enough! Will! Same question to you! Have you ever kissed before?"
"I-"
"Doesn't matter, don't care! Would you like to kiss Misato?"
"What?!" Will was stunned by this question. "Why would I-"
"So you don't want to kiss her."
"We're on live TV!"
"No, we're in a fanfiction, this is all window dressing. Kiss. K-I-S-S. Yes? Or no?"
"No!"
"Because we're on 'live TV'."
"Yes!"
"So if it was just the two of you, alone, in a room, you'd want to kiss her?"
"…What?" Will blinked.
"Well, if not Misato, then what about me?"
Will gaped at her in shock.
"Well? Come on now, don't be bashful," Sylvia purred, leaning in close to him. She stood over him and pressed her knee in between his legs, climbing into his lap. She tilted his head up so she was staring him in the eyes. Her breath was hot against his face. "If Misato isn't good enough… then what about me?"
Will's face was bright red. It was the closest a girl had ever gotten to him like this. Well, except for Misato.
"Come on, Will…" Sylvia whispered. "It's just two lips pressed against one another… and it feels so good… I've done it plenty of times, and her… well, Misato's technique just can't compare."
Sylvia glanced in Misato's direction to see if the robot girl was bothered by this at all. From what she could tell, she wasn't.
"I don't want to kiss anyone," Will mumbled, turning his head away from her.
"You're lying…" Sylvia's hot breath tickled his ear as she leaned closer to him. "You're just embarrassed. But I can read you like a book, sweet William. Your responses are so… mmmm… boring and predictable."
She leaned in closer.
"So. Who's. It. Gonna. Be? Me?" Sylvia twisted his head to force him to look into Misato's blank eyes. "Or…"
"N-neither!" Will cried, pushing her off.
"I see, I see," Sylvia purred. She backed off as he wished. "So that's how it is. That's how it is… Next question! Will, since you didn't answer my last question, here's another one! Do you hate Misato?"
"What? Of course not!"
"Then do you like her?"
"She's kind of a bother, but I mean she's tolerable enough."
"Tolerable enough… no, no, that's just not specific enough," Sylvia said, shaking her head. "How about this? Of the three girls here, if you had to pick, out of us three, which one you liked the most, who would it be?"
"What?!"
"Me? Misato? Poor wittle impotent Dakota over there? If you had to say which one of us was your favorite, which one would you choose?"
"Nobody!"
Sylvia smirked.
"OWW!" Will exclaimed, his hand stinging like it had been slapped dozens of times. He looked down. Around his wrist was a wristband, that he had not been wearing when he walked out. The skin around it was red.
"I put that on when we were doing our little dry hump session," Sylvia purred. "If you lie, it sends a teensy-weensy little electrical shock through your body."
"What?!"
"Don't worry, it's fine, the key is right here," Sylvia purred, twirling the key in her fingers. "And it can be yours. Ever heard of a game called 'Truth or Dare'?"
Will's face went pale.
"I came up with a new way to play, I like to call it 'Truth, Dare, or Electric Shock'. I mean, in normal truth or dare, you never know if the truth is really a truth, you know? Well, I mean, I know, because you're just a predictable ol' edgy teen who doesn't want to admit he's got the hots for a sexy robutt, but the viewers don't! So we're going to enter the lightning round. I'm going to ask you questions, and you answer them 'yes' or 'no'. If you lie, you get a shock, and we know you were lying anyway. So just be honest! No big deal! And any time you want to stop the game, you can just take the dare, and I'll give you the key, and the three of us can leave Dakota to her show. Sound good?"
"What's the dare?" Will sighed, resigned to his fate. He glanced helplessly at Misato, but she didn't make any move to help him. Dakota was no better, rubbing her temples with her fingers.
"You know what I want," Sylvia purred. "I'd like you to help Misato explore the intricacies of human relationships. With as much tongue as you can."
Will sighed.
"Fine, what's your question?"
"Do you want to kiss Misato?"
And they came full circle.
"Remember, yes or no answers only, please! And if you lie… zap!" Sylvia smirked. "Of course, if you don't want to answer… you can always take the dare."
So either he kissed Misato, or said whether or not he wanted to kiss Misato, and depending on the answer, he was gonna be electrocuted. And then she'd just ask him something else.
Sylvia leaned in close, whispering so only he could hear.
"If you want to kiss her... this is the perfect opportunity to save face. No one will know if it's because you wanted to, or because you were scared. So what do you want to do, Will? The choice is yours."
There wasn't really anything he could do. He turned to Misato.
"Let's do it, then."
"Affirmative."
Will sat up in his seat and leaned in, pressing his lips against Misato's for a moment before pulling back.
"There, we-"
"Pft, you call that a kiss?" Sylvia snorted. "I want to see tongue, I want to see passion …well, from you, anyway, and it has to last for at least 90 seconds."
"What?!"
"Misato, I'm correct in assuming you can run your kissing programming while at the same time set your internal timer to monitor the clock?"
"Affirmative."
"There you have it. Or, we can move onto the questioning."
Will glanced at Misato again, taking a deep breath.
"Can… can you close your eyes, at least?"
"Is that relevant?" Misato asked. "I believe I will be able to game more data through monitoring the events visually."
"Nope, he got it right this time," Sylvia said, nodding her head. "Shut those peepers, sweetie."
Misato complied, and Will pressed his lips against hers, opening his mouth. Kissing Misato was… strange. Her mouth was hotter than he'd expected, and her tongue moved with a lot more dexterity than he would have given her credit for. Suddenly, he felt a pressure on the back of his head. She was holding him with her arms?! Her grip was gentle, but with the force of a vice behind it. And the kiss itself… for his first kiss, it was-
Misato let him go, Will falling back into his chair, panting. Kissing for 90 seconds had taken the air out of his lungs.
"Well, I'm satisfied," Sylvia purred. "Don't worry, Will, you still haven't kissed anyone in canon! I didn't take anything precious from you. It's just that you were being so stubborn about not wanting to kiss her when you so obviously did, I had to interfere."
Sylvia unlocked the wristband, Will nursing his tender wrist.
"You two are free to go, now!" Sylvia called, smiling ear to ear. She turned back to the camera and grinned.
"We'll be right back after a few words from our sponsor! Stick around!"
"Hey! That's my job!" Dakota exclaimed.
Commercial Break
The face of a concerned pink-haired woman in a nurse's uniform appeared onscreen.
"Hello. I'm Nurse Joy. And did you know that every year, over 100,000 pokemon are hospitalized as a result of Rare Candy addiction?" The nurse asked.
"It's a critical problem plaguing regions all over. Kids as young as ten years old are counterfeiting Rare Candies to feed to their pokemon. But did you know that Rare Candies are actually doing more harm than they are good?"
"Rare Candy addiction is a serious problem. If a pokemon becomes too dependent on Rare Candies, their abilities and stats naturally atrophy."
The nurse walked over to where a weak and feeble Charizard was laying on a large table, hooked up to a machine.
"This poor Charizard was boosted to Level 100 through the use of Rare Candies, because his trainer didn't know any better. One of his older friends told him that he could get a stash of candy on the cheap through his contacts at Action Replay Incorporated, and the poor boy raised his Level 5 starting pokemon to reach the state you see before you. Not once did the pokemon conduct a battle before reaching this level."
The nurse laid a comforting hand on the Charizard's side.
"Rare Candies deny pokemon the ability to grow naturally, so they are far, far weaker than a properly raised pokemon of the same level. The occasional Rare Candy every dozen levels or so is fine, but it's important to make sure that your pokemon does not become so dependent on them that it is unable to grow normally."
Nurse Joy glanced sadly at the Charizard.
"This poor Charizard's potential for growth has been brought to an end. It can't level up any higher. We've set him on an EV drip of Proteins, Calcium, Carbos, Zinc, and Iron, but supplements can only do so much. It will never reach the full potential it could have had."
The nurse turned to look at the camera.
"Please, parents. If you hear your children talk about having their pokemon go play 'Candy Crush' or how they're starting out on the 'Willy Wonka Grinding Program' it's a sign that they may be using illegal Rare Candies on their pokemon. There is a reason they aren't sold in stores. Awareness is the key. Let's stop this epidemic untrained, artificially inflated pokemon together."
This PSA was paid for by the Pokemon Gym Leaders Association. Please stop raising your pokemon's levels before you begin the challenge. We can't keep losing our badges like this.
The wind blew across an empty field. A lone woman was running across it, the sunset casting her in shadow.
Night.
The same girl, jogging down the street, sweat on her brow. Her expression was toned and serious. It was Ayame Toujou.
Day.
Ayame ran down the track in the center of the stadium, the crowds going wild as she passed everyone else.
On the track,
Ayame jogged up another large hill, stopping at the peak and staring out over the long, winding river, smiling proudly to herself.
Or off of it.
Ayame, Olivia, Celia, Darla, and Lila were shopping together and having a good time, laughing and giggling and saying nothing meaningful.
When you're with your friends,
Ayame and Blake were sharing a candlelit dinner at the Snorlax Commons, Blake glancing at the camera uncomfortably. Ayame stared sharply at him, and he flinched, and turned back to her. She smiled.
Or with that someone special.
Back on a much smaller running track, the one on campus, Ayame ran toward the camera before coming to a stop, reaching for her thermos sitting on a bench. She unscrewed it, taking a big gulp of the contents. She gave a satisfied smile to the camera.
Apricorn Juice.
Not just for Pokemon.
But for anytime.
Oscar
"Great, now that we've fought of Sylvia's hostile takeover for a second time," Dakota grumbled, "here's a guy we don't hear from a lot, but still seems to be somewhat important! What secrets does he have to share with us? Oscar Silph!"
Oscar slowly limped out from backstage, a calm smile on his face. His eyes were concealed by his sunglasses. She sat down in the chair opposite to Dakota, who smiled at him.
"Now, we know you don't like the spotlight very much. So because of that, we've only set up a few questions. Is that okay?"
Oscar nodded.
"So our first question is about your relationship to the Phantom and his organization," Dakota said, "from DaevaFan4. 'Wait, so Oscar is with the Phantom? Does that mean he's a bad guy, now?' Well? What's your opinion on that, Oscar?"
"It's not that simple," Oscar replied, not fazed by the insinuation. "I don't really have any connection to the Phantom at all, as will be made apparent. I work with them, yes, but only in taking care of Misato."
"Misato?"
"Misato was my father's masterpiece," Oscar replied. "So I check in on her every now and then. But that's where my relationship with the Phantom ends."
"I see," Dakota said, nodding. "That actually ties in pretty well to my next question, from HarmoniaFan. 'If Kitty had come to you and sought your advice for her harmonia problem, what would you have done?'"
"You mean would I have turned her over to Richard Valon?" Oscar asked. "Of course not. I care about Kitty quite a lot, actually. Since we're both harmonia users, we have a certain connection. But even if I can't be there for her, I'm glad that she's learning to control her abilities from someone who knows what she's doing."
"Okay, good," Dakota said, nodding. "So ForwardThinker wants to know 'Oscar, what are you going to do in the future arcs of the series? You aren't gone for good, are you?'"
"Oh, no, not at all!" Oscar chuckled. "I actually play a very important role in the Daeva War. But… I can't really talk about that just yet."
"No, I totally get it," Dakota said, nodding. "So I'm assuming that's where we hear a little more about your backstory, right?"
"Exactly," Oscar said, nodding. "I've known Misato for quite some time, after all, and I was instrumental in her association with Richard Valon. I've known him for a while, too."
"But you aren't working together."
"No."
"Is there anything else you can tell us? Any secrets you can share with our hopeful readers?"
Oscar gave a small smile and shrugged, shaking his head.
"Sadly, no, anything else at this point would ruin what's to come. Sorry."
"That's fine, that's fine," Dakota said, nodding. "Now, we have a few more questions, and then you're free to go. CommunicationsMajor is asking 'Why did Oscar go through all the trouble to fight Blake and see if he had harmonia? Couldn't he just have asked him, and wouldn't that save us all a lot of time?' Well, Oscar? What's your opinion on that?"
Oscar frowned.
"Well, in my experience, harmonia users aren't the most forthcoming about their abilities. And I'm not exactly a people person. I didn't think Blake would trust me if I just went and talked with him about it, so I decided to get a feel of things first. And when that didn't work, well…"
"Yeah, totally," Dakota agreed. "One last question, then. From FullForce6, 'Oscar, why'd you only use 5 pokemon against Blake? Why not all 6? It makes his victory seem kind of hollow, did you just give up?'"
Oscar sighed.
"My last pokemon… isn't that obedient. And with my energy what it was, well… I couldn't be sure I could keep him under control. And since I had already learned what I wanted to know, I didn't want to take that risk."
"So are we ever going to see your last pokemon?" Dakota asked.
"At some point, certainly," Oscar said, nodding. "When I can get him under control a little better. But until then, I don't want to take that chance."
"I see. Well, thank you for answering my questions so succinctly, Oscar, it was quite refreshing after that mess with Sylvia."
"Of course, it was my pleasure," Oscar said, shaking her hand. He rose from his seat and left, Dakota turning to the camera. There was a smile on her face.
"And now… the moment you've all been waiting for…"
Blake
"You know him, you kind of tolerate him, he's somewhat mysterious and yet very kind, and that's why he gets all the ladies… Blake Harker!"
Blake walked out to the loudest applause of the evening, even beating out Olivia. He sat down opposite of Dakota and smiled, Dakota shaking his hand.
"Great to have you hear, Blake, as I'm sure you know, we have a lot of questions to get through with you, that's just how it is being the protagonist."
"I'm sure, I'm sure," Blake said, nodding. "Now, you do realize, since I'm so involved in so many plotlines, there's only so much I can answer. I just want to let you know right now, I'm not going to be answering any questions about my past, anything that has not already been established is going to be a spoiler."
"No, I totally understand."
"And since I'm involved in so many of the plots going forward, I can't really comment much on those, either."
"Not gonna be a problem."
"Well, good then. Fire away."
Dakota smirked, tearing into the first letter. She was practically shouting as she read it.
"ShippingWarriorSeven asks! 'Blake! Who's going to win the shipping war? Who are you going to hook up with?!' WELL? We want to know!"
"…No comment," Blake replied.
"Come on, Ayame is totally crushing on you!"
"I've made my position with Ayame very clear."
"Uh, no, you really haven't."
"I think I have."
"Just because you think that doesn't make you right."
"You have my answer."
"What about Sango, then?"
"What about her?"
"She likes you."
"I don't know that."
"But she does."
"Nope, as far as I'm canonically aware, she only thinks of me as a friend."
"This ain't canon, we're providing meta commentary. And the readers want to know who's the closest to your heart, so SPILL IT!"
Blake blinked.
"…My sister."
Dakota scowled.
"That doesn't count! She doesn't even have a name!"
"Sure she does!"
"Then what is it?"
Blake fell silent.
"See? She doesn't even matter! She's a non-factor in the shipping war!"
"I rise above the shipping wars."
"What about Elaina? You told Ayame that there was a certain girl who was completely alone, and until you helped her, you couldn't date anyone. See?! That's totally romance! You're after Elaina, aren't you?! Admit it!"
"I wasn't talking about Elaina."
"You weren't?! Then who were you talking about?!" Dakota exclaimed.
"…My sister."
"Oh, you lying sack of-"
"My mother then, fine, whatever!" Blake shrugged.
"You have gotta be fucking shitting me, we have sat through god knows how many interviews, 25,000 fucking words, and you're telling me we aren't getting some goddamn romantic resolution?! On the Five-Year Anniversary of the story?!"
Blake shrugged.
"Fuck it, we'll do it live! Fuck it!" Dakota cursed. "Motherfucking beta-ass harem-ass motherfucker too scared to get in a relationship, Claire fucking called it you fucking mother of…"
Blake sighed.
"Well, fine then. If it will make you feel better, I can give one hint. Just one. One hint about my love life."
Dakota's eyes widened and she nodded eagerly.
"And mind you, I'm not going to give you a who. But I will tell you this. I, Blake Harker, from the scripts that I have read up until this point, will be dating someone by the end of the calendar year in the story. Which means by the end of December, my character will be dating someone. Is that good enough for you?"
The audience gasped in shock. Dakota's mouth fell open, and she had to manually close it.
"Fuck yeah, that's good enough! Can you tell us anything else?"
"You just said that was good enough."
"There's no such thing as 'good enough' in the reporting business," Dakota chortled.
"As a matter of fact, I'm already in a relationship. With a junior!"
Dakota's jaw dropped again. Then she remembered something crucial.
"Wait. Wait. When you say you'll be 'dating someone' are you… you aren't using your arranged marriage with Alcea Vermeill as a substitute for an actual relationship, are you?!"
Blake shrugged.
"Am I?"
"Motherfucker that doesn't count! All that means is Espeon of Shadows is going to drag the 'arranged marriage' plotline into January before it resolves, and you're trying to pass it off as dating! That isn't a scoop!"
"Maye I am, maybe I'm not," Blake smirked. "I guess you'll have to read to find out. I'm only capable of telling you what I did before."
Dakota fumed, but was ultimately powerless. Might as well move on to the non-relationship questions.
"Fine. This one is from SalamenceFan50, and she's asking 'Blake! How are things going between you and Sarah? Are you getting closer?'"
"I'm making as much progress with her as I can," Blake said, nodding his head. "It's hard to get through with her, you know. But… I'm taking things slowly. And who knows? I think before long, she might be willing to fight by my side like a real partner."
"So you can tell us stuff like that, but when it comes to progress with Ayame you're tight-lipped," Dakota muttered. "On the topic of pokemon teams, EVOKing asks 'Blake, none of your pokemon have evolved yet, even though a bunch of them can. What's taking so long?' I mean, you've caught a few, but they're right, you haven't really evolved any."
Blake sighed.
"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get in as much training as I would like, since I've had to bond with Sarah. So yeah, it's a little frustrating to see my friends all moving forward in raising their pokemon while I'm still stuck here. But don't worry, I have nothing against my pokemon evolving. It'll happen when it happens, and when it happens is up to them."
"You brought up your friends' training," Dakota redirected the conversation, "and on that point, HarmoniaFan asks 'Blake, how do you feel about Kitty having harmonia? Are you worried about her? Is there anything you wish you could do? You've done a lot, but it seems you're still frustrated.'"
Blake nodded his head, a troubled expression on his face.
"I wish there was more I could do to help. Same with Elaina. Kitty and Elaina… they're both struggling, and because I don't have harmonia, I'm powerless to help them. I'm glad that Kitty is willing to work with Marion, but as for Elaina… I wish I was like brother sometimes," Blake sighed. "That I could do what he does. If I had the power that he had… then maybe I could do something more."
Dakota nodded sympathetically.
"Tangentially related, StoneForgeMystic wants to know 'Blake, is there anything about these mysterious Oracles that you can tell us? Something that we don't know already?' You do seem to know something about them, what's up, Blake?"
"I don't know a lot," Blake admitted. "Not much more than what's been revealed already. The only thing I do know… is that Laverre City, where I was found… it was driven to madness. And I was found with an Oracle in my hands, almost dead, by Professor Reinhart and a team of Pokemon Rangers. They helped me recover, and Professor Reinhart took the stone for safekeeping. That's all I know…"
Blake winced, and held a hand over his chest.
"And also, that stone… the black one… whenever I go near it, the scars on my chest burn. And my head…"
Dakota's eyes widened. This was interesting.
"Can you go a little more in-depth about that? Can we see the scar?"
Blake glanced shakily at the camera, nodding. He began to unbutton his shirt.
"We're now switching to pay-per-view," Dakota joked. "Ladies, please get those credit cards ready…"
Blake pulled his collar down, bearing the left side of his chest. Distinctive scars could be seen all over it, but the most striking one was on his chest. It was dark and thick, and raised out of his skin right above where his heart would be. It was almost angular, three distinct protrusions with pointed tips, spread out and connecting at a single space. The one in the center went right towards his throat, and the two that flanked it spread away, the one on the right pointing towards his shoulder blade, and the one on the left was aimed at his other pec. It was like something burning had been pressed into him. Dakota didn't like even looking at it. Blake quickly buttoned his collar back up.
"L-let's just move on," Dakota said, not a fan of Blake's scarred body. "Um… okay, this one is from BurnedAwayHeart, and it says, um…"
Dakota looked at the letter, her face going pale. She handed it to Blake. Rather than a question, scrawled in messy handwriting was just the word 'Blake' over and over again. As Blake looked down the page, his name grew bigger and less precise, until by the end it was practically scribbles.
"Can we PLEASE change the subject to something brighter?" Dakota cried, finding another letter. "Okay, here. RibbonRunnerA asks 'Blake, what do you want to do for your birthday? I've cleared my schedule, so if you want to go out just hit me up!' Uh… so, birthday plans?"
"Well, my birthday's coming up, but yeah, I don't have anything special planned for it," Blake said, shaking his head. That was a conversation that died.
"Okay, another question, then. From FutureDreamer, he wants to know 'Blake, what are your goals after graduating from the Pokemon Academy? You want to be a gym leader? A pokemon master?' So? What do you think?"
"Well… I'm not really sure. I didn't come here pursuing anything in general," Blake sighed. "I mean, at least not in terms of a career. So I can't really say I've put much thought into it… my mom is a Pokemon Master, and my brother, well, it my brother… but as far as my own dreams… that's something I still need to find for myself."
Dakota sighed. All these people with their goals of becoming pokemon masters or whatever, and here was the protagonist, without any dreams of his own.
More and more questions were either tied into the plot, Blake's past, or shipping. Finally, Dakota managed to scan the dregs for one that wasn't.
"Okay, I think this is our last question for you, since you won't answer anything romantic-based with a straight answer."
Blake smiled, Dakota rolling her eyes.
"MusicMaker asks 'Blake, you've been rocking on those headphones since the beginning! But we still don't know what you're listening to. What's on those, dude?'"
Blake glanced at the headphones around his neck.
"So what kind of music do you listen to?" Dakota asked.
"They're connected to this," Blake said, reaching into his shirt and taking a small iPod out of his inner pocket. "My sister sang a bunch of anime songs for me, and I listen to those."
Dakota sighed. Anime music, how boring.
"Okay, actually, this is the last question, and this one is actually rather important. It's from SalonMaidenA. She asks 'Blake, I love your hair styles, you're so talented! What made you get started on cutting hair? Have you ever considered being a stylist?' Yeah, that's a good point. It's a rather strange talent to have," Dakota agreed.
Blake's expression turned cloudy. He sighed, and shrugged his shoulders.
"It started with my mom. She had such long, blonde hair, and because of her hectic schedule she never took care of it. So I asked her if I could brush her hair every now and then, and she said sure."
"So it's because of you mom?" Dakota asked.
"Not just her," Blake said, shaking his head. "My sister too. See, she doesn't… get along very well with other people. And she doesn't take good care of her appearance, either, because she doesn't really see a point. Yet… my mom let me use her hair as practice, since it wasn't as long as hers. And when I got it straight… my sister smiled at me. It was just a small smile, but… I wanted to see it again. So I would brush her hair every day, just to see her smile. And before you know it, well…"
Blake shrugged.
Dakota could feel tears start to well up in her eyes. What a touching story…
"Thank you, Blake. I'm glad we could end your questions with such a happy story."
"Yeah…" Blake nodded, his eyes distant as he thought back on his family, nodding. "This wasn't as bad as I feared."
"I'm glad you were able to come and answer so much," Dakota said, shaking his hand. "Even though you didn't answer everything."
"Hey, like I said," Blake smirked. "Dating by the new year."
Dakota rolled her eyes. "Our protagonist, Blake Harker, everybody!"
Caelia
"Now, our next guest is a little eccentric. In fact, she only agreed to answer our questions if she could be the guest on after Blake," Dakota reported. "Caelia Auburne!"
Caelia quietly walked out, keeping her eye trained carefully on the ground in front of her, since she couldn't feel the steps of her feet. Without sparing a glance at Dakota, she looked at the seat Blake had just vacated, and positioned her body to sink down into it.
Caelia closed her eye, her cheek flushing. She inhaled deeply, Blake's scent filling her nostrils. She opened her eye and rose out of the seat, moving to leave.
"Hey! Where are you going?! I haven't even asked you any questions!" Dakota exclaimed.
"Not interested," Caelie replied, ignoring the sophomore completely.
"Selfish little… fine!"
Ryoko
"Okay, our next guest is a mysterious young lady, a girl who knows far more than she says! Friend to a legendary and wanderer through time, the girl with no last name to speak of, Ryoko!"
Ryoko walked out and smiled, curtsying to the audience. She shook Dakota's hand and sat down, smiling.
"Glad we could catch you at the right time," Dakota said, smiling.
"Why yes, it was a pleasure to come," Ryoko said, taking out her pocket watch and checking it.
"So we have a lot of questions to ask you, and-"
"I am sorry, but I cannot answer any questions you may have," Ryoko replied.
"…Eh?"
"Answering such things may irrevocably damage the balance of space and time. So I apologize, but I cannot oblige your request. I hope you understand."
"What? But… then why did you even come here?!" Dakota sputtered.
Ryoko smiled. And array of light manifested beneath her.
"See you again," Ryoko said, disappearing in a flash of light, leaving nothing but the sweet aroma of lilac, lavender, and mint.
"Again?!" Dakota exclaimed. "Fine. But our last guest isn't going to run out… not if he knows what's good for him."
Akira
"Akira Saroyan! You're our final guest of the night, would you do us all the great honor of coming out and answering a few questions?"
Akira walked out onstage, Dakota smiling at him. He sat down in the seat opposite her, surprisingly pleased by the warm scent of flowers that caught his nose as he did.
"Now then, Akira, you're the last guest of the night, and there are a lot of questions for you," Dakota said, licking her lips in spite of herself. "Are you ready?"
Akira narrowed his eyes. Something told him he didn't have much of a choice.
"This question comes from BeautifulReporterD! She wants to know 'Akira! Who is the best girlfriend you've ever had?' Oh, my!"
"Dakota…" Akira growled.
"What? Me? Why, I-I'm flattered," Dakota said, her cheeks turning bright red. "Next question! This one is from TalentedReportingGal, and she's asking 'Akira, why is it you've been reluctant to go on an actual date with Dakota? Are you embarrassed?' Good question. Akira, are you embarrassed? Is it because you're dating cute little me, and I'm too cute for you to keep cool around?"
Akira didn't reply. His expression was rather sour.
"You have to answer the questions," Dakota prodded him. Akira still didn't answer. He just continued to leer at her.
"Akira…"
"Are you not taking this seriously?"
"I am! These are serious questions, Akira!" Dakota huffed. "You're the one who isn't taking us seriously! We've been going out for two whole weeks, and you're still acting like it's business as usual! You haven't held my hand, you haven't given me any hugs, you haven't even kissed me since… since we got together! Is it…"
Dakota's voice caught in her throat, and she calmed down.
"…I know you miss Satsuki. If this is about her, then tell me. I can wait, Akira. I can. I can wait as long as it takes. You don't have to spare my feelings, okay? I know how much she meant to you. If you need me to give you space… you can let me know."
Akira frowned, shaking his head.
"It isn't about Satsuki."
"Then… what?"
Akira raised his head, glaring at Dakota. The anger in his eyes surprised her, and she jumped in her seat slightly.
"What. The hell. Is the 'Dating Akira Saroyan Journal'?"
Dakota glanced away from Akira, a guilty expression on her face.
"You started a blog about our dating life?!"
"It's just a personal thing!"
"You posted the link to the campus website!"
"But I'm so happy! And I want everyone to see just how happy we are!"
"Well I don't want my relationship with you plastered on every front page tabloid!"
"But then how are people going to cheer us on when we go out on our first date?!"
"P-R-I-V-A-C-Y Dakota, do you know what that means?!"
"I'm not making stuff up! That has to count for something!" Dakota pleaded. Akira crossed his arms, shaking his head.
"Fine, I'll take it down…" Dakota sighed, hanging her head. "I knew doing a ton of interviews like this was a waste of time… I should have skipped the fodder and just done my own version of Jerry Springer…"
"Dakota…"
"I said I'm taking it down, geez!" Dakota snapped. "In… in exchange, um… do you think maybe… we could go see a movie this weekend?"
"When you take it down, sure," Akira said, nodding.
"Well, okay then!" Dakota said, smiling. "That was quite a long chapter! That's all the time we have for tonight! Five years, talk about a long runner! Good night everybody!"
…
...
…
"Dakota, what are you doing?"
"The show's over," Dakota said, smiling. "So I'm ending things."
"You think you just get to end things like that?" Akira asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Y-yes?"
"There's one more person who still hasn't answered any questions."
"Wait, you wouldn't-"
Akira snatched her bag of letters and glared at her, pulling the first letter out of the bag.
Dakota
"I'm not answering!" Dakota protested. "You can't make me!"
"Everyone else had to sit through it," Akira replied. "Now you have to sit through it. First question. RealJournalist asks 'Why is Dakota so annoying? Nothing she does is real journalism, she's just being an annoyance.' Dakota? Thoughts?"
"Shove it, Akira!" Dakota snapped. "I am so a real journalist! I just like to spice things up every once in a while! It's like cooking!"
"That is the definition of sham journalism," Akira replied. "Next question. From ObservantEye1. 'Dakota keeps teasing Akira for being a virgin. But Dakota, have you ever been with anyone before?' Quite a curious question. Well?"
"Th-that's not something you ask a lady."
"That's why I'm asking you."
"Mermmfmr… -eivn't…" she mumbled.
"What was that?"
"I said I haven't!" Dakota exclaimed, her face bright red. "Of course I haven't! You were the first guy I ever… well, I mean, before that I was way more interested in other people's drama than my own!"
"I see," Akira said, nodding. "So you were making fun of me for not being with anybody, when you were a virgin yourself."
"I KNOW."
"Are you saying that it's fine to be a virgin if you're a girl, but being a virgin if you're a guy is something to be mocked?"
"NO! IT WAS JUST SOMETHING TO TEASE YOU WITH!" Dakota exclaimed, covering her face.
Akira smirked.
"There's a very simple answer to both of our problems, you know."
"Shuuuuut UUUUP!" Dakota wailed, the embarrassment too much for her as she flailed around. Akira rolled his eyes. Dakota loved to dish it out, but she really couldn't take it.
"Okay, one final question then," Akira said, taking out the final letter in the bag. His eyes widened as he saw the name on it. "It's from ShipperSatsuki."
"Eh?" Dakota looked up in confusion.
Akira read over the letter.
"She wants to know 'Dakota, are you happy dating my Dear Akira?'" Akira looked up at her. "Well?"
Dakota was too embarrassed to meet his gaze.
"That's… that's…" she stuttered, scrambling her hands in front of her face.
"You have to answer the questions," Akira smirked, throwing her own words back at her.
"That's obvious, isn't it?" Dakota shouted, panting, her crimson face and wet eyes staring into Akira's. "Of… of course I…"
Dakota jumped out of her seat and threw her arms around Akira, pushing him down into her chair. She forced her lips against his in an intense kiss. She pulled away from him, panting, her face flushed with embarrassment and passion.
"Of course I'm happy!" She sobbed "I'm happier than I've been before!"
Akira smiled, and hugged her, cradling her head against his shoulder.
"I'm happy too."
"But not happier than you've been before?"
"I think Satsuki was a little more fun."
"Bastard!"
Dakota playfully punched him in the stomach, getting off of him.
"I think that kiss is probably going to get your show taken off the air."
"Pft, yeah right," Dakota laughed. "There was something way more intense a few guests ago. That was barely fourth grade level in comparison!"
Akira raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Dakota turned to the camera one final time, and smiled.
"I know it was a long journey, but thanks for sticking with us until the end! It's been a great five years, and we're gonna keep going! Just you watch!"
Well, that was an ordeal. Way, way too long. If you've made it this far, congratulations. You're a real trooper. Tomorrow, we'll be back to our main story. Unless I'm too drained of energy to go on.
