What other business is occurring on the island in the wake of the announcement of Blake's engagement to Alcea, and coming departure? 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, Serefina, Madison

KedharS: She gets better for sure.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: A young redhead girl with a flower name who wants a grass type, and clearly comes from an upper-class family? And you think she's Alcea's sister? Pft, why would you think that?

Pokemonking0924: Well, uh… no, no, definitely not.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 209


"Milady!" Holly raised her head to look up from the pokeball in her hands. She'd been absentmindedly following after Blake and Sango, and hadn't really been paying attention to where they'd been going, so before she realized it, they were no longer surrounded by trees and brush, nor were they walking through grass. Rather, they were surrounded by buildings and walking on pavement, having gotten back onto the main campus, much to the surprise of Holly. She turned to look at where the voice was coming from, as did Sango and Blake.

An older man in a suit was rushing towards the trio. He looked the part of a distinguished gentleman, with black hair streaked gray brushed back neatly, and a well-trimmed goatee, his dark eyes glimmering with relief behind thick-rimmed glasses.

"Sebastian!" Holly said, surprised. Blake resisted the urge to burst out laughing. There were butlers who had the name "Sebastian" that existed in the world. Could things be anymore stereotypical?

"Milady," the butler, Sebastian, lowered his head in greeting to the young lady, before standing upright and glancing at the two students. "Are you well, milady? Have these rough children, brought harm to you?! What have they done to your dress? Your parents will be-"

"It's fine, Sebastian," Holly chirped, flashing a big smile through her mud-caked face. "They were really nice! Look!"

She held up her pokeball for him to see.

"They helped me catch my first pokemon!" Holly explained. "I got a little icky, but… it was so much fun! I have my own pokemon now, Sebastian! One of my very own, just like big sister!"

"I see," Sebastian said, nodding, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Very well then. Let's return to our residence, milady. We'll get you cleaned up, and then discuss this matter further with your parents."

"Okay," Holly nodded. She turned to Blake and Sango.

"Farewell, commoners! Thank you for your assistance!"

Holly bowed her head, turned, and followed after Sebastian. As soon as she left, Blake and Sango let out mutual sighs of relief, deflating. They were worn out from having to babysit the girl, and now that she was gone they could finally be themselves.

"That girl…" Sango said, shaking her head, "what exactly is she doing here? She's too young to be a student, especially since she didn't have any pokemon of her own."

"That guy, the butler, that must mean she's from a well-off family," Blake noted. "Maybe she's visiting. She might be planning to attend the school in the future."

"I see," Sango said, nodding her head. "But still, she shouldn't just be walking around like that, you know?"

"Well, hopefully she won't need to now," Blake sighed.

"So, uh, what now?" Sango asked, sidling up a little closer to him. "Are… are you busy? I-I didn't really get to help much, so I could treat you to lunch, maybe? We haven't eaten yet, so…"

"Sorry, I can't," Blake said, shaking his head and giving her a sad smile. "I have someone else I have to see, so I was going to go meet up with them before I went to my meeting with Alcea."

"Oh…" Sango frowned, feeling a little disappointed that her time with Blake was coming to an end.

I… I really do want to spend time with him, Sango admitted, if only to herself. I really like him, and every moment I'm with him I just feel like smiling. But when I think… that those times are going away, then I…

"Sango, you okay?"

"Wha?" Sango gasped, suddenly realizing her face was wet. So focused on the ache in her chest, she missed the tears falling down her cheeks. "I-I'm crying? S-sorry, sorry!"

Sango hastily wiped her face, blinking her eyes a few times.

"Sango… it's fine," Blake said, placing a hand on her shoulders. Sango stared at him, the pain on his face causing her lip to quiver. She burst into tears again and threw herself into Blake's chest, wetting his shirt with her tears.

"I don't… I don't want you to go!" Sango sobbed. "You're… you're my like my best friend, Blake, we just started to get to know each other, and I…"

I love you! She wanted to scream, but she knew that telling him something like that now would only cause him more pain. So she cried wordlessly on him, clutching his shoulders tightly.

"You mean a lot to me, too," Blake agreed, holding the back of her head comfortingly. "I'm glad you feel that way, Sango. I don't want to go either… but I have to."

"When?" Sango whispered. "When are you going?"

"…I don't know," Blake admitted. "But almost certainly by the end of the week."

No. No, that's way too soon. Way, way too soon. Sango wouldn't accept it. She pushed herself off of him and stumbled back, taking a few deep breaths. Silver floated up to her. The anguish on his face from seeing her pain was clear.

"Blake…" Sango sniffled, wiping her eyes in what felt like a fruitless effort, since they just watered up again. "That's so soon… why…"

"I know," Blake agreed, shaking his head. "I wanted to do a lot more… go on that research trip with Professor Reinhart, help Elaina and Kitty, just… there's still so much more I want to do here, I don't want to go either."

"Then don't," Sango pleaded, even though she knew it was fruitless. Blake shook his head sadly, confirming her fears.

"…Yeah, yeah, I know," Sango sighed. "But Blake, at least, promise me something, okay?"

Blake blinked.

"Promise you what?" Blake asked.

"Don't disappear, okay?" Sango asked. "Please. When you find out when you're going to leave… let us know. At the very least… I want to say farewell, with a smile on my face. We all do, so don't… don't just disappear, okay?"

Blake gave her a sad smile, and nodded his head.

"Don't worry," he promised. "I'll let you know when I'm going to leave, and until then, I'll spend as much time with you guys as possible. At least then… we'll be able to make some good memories. Is that okay?"

He was lying. That's what Sango felt. He was only saying what he though she wanted to hear.

But…

That was as good as she could hope for. So she would believe the lie. She would pray that it would be true. She knew that it would lead her to pain when she was betrayed down the road, but even so…

She forced a smile to her face, and nodded her head. Blake might be lying to her… but she loved him so much that she'd still believe his lies, no matter how much they were going to hurt her.

"Then I guess I'll see you later," Sango said goodbye to him, waving awkwardly. "You have fun with your… plans."

"Yeah," Blake said, nodding. "Thanks for today, Sango. You really helped a lot."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Sango said, kneeling down and unzipping her backpack, pulling out a pink, heart-shaped berry. "Give this to Tara, okay?"

Blake nodded, taking the pecha berry from her hand. She rose to her feet, wiping her red eyes one final time, and wished Blake well.

The two parted ways, Silver floating beside Sango. He felt like crying himself. Sango really had been holding herself back as best as she could when talking to Blake, but right now… she was letting her emotions stream freely down her face. She picked up her pace, putting as much distance between Blake and herself as possible as she ran back to her dorm.

When Sango entered her room, she looked completely broken. Her roommates saw the state that she was in, noting the crestfallen look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Julia asked, sitting up in bed. Cynthia hopped down off of her bunk and walked over to Sango, reaching up to cradle her cheek. Sango trembled, resisting the urge to break down, lest her roommates realize how she felt.

She resisted for all of two seconds, before bursting out into a new wave of tears.

"Blake's going…" she sobbed. "I don't want him to leave…"

Cynthia took Sango by the hand and led her back to the bunkbed, sitting her down and then sitting beside her. Julia got off of her bed as well, and walked over to the two.

"I don't want him to leave either," Cynthia said. "I know how you feel."

Unless Cynthia liked Blake the same way Sango did, Sango didn't think that was true. But she accepted the warmth of her friend's comfort.

"There's nothing we can do, though," Julia said, frowning. "It's not like we can just make him stay here, you know?"

"Why can't we, huh?!" Cynthia snapped, standing up and punching her fist into her hand. "I say, we don't take this shit lying down!"

"What do you mean?" Sango asked, blowing her nose into a kleenex.

Cynthia smiled, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.

"I say… we should mess up this little engagement ceremony."

Julia narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if there's no wedding, then Blake won't have to leave, right?" Cynthia asked. "So if we ruin the engagement… then he'll have to stay!"

Julia and Sango looked at each other. Neither one of them were entirely sure what Cynthia's plan was. Even though they both wanted to keep Blake here… whatever Cynthia might have had planned probably wouldn't be something they would be entirely on board with.

"I'm in," Sango replied, much to Julia's surprise. It seemed she was more resolved than Julia thought. She shrugged, and nodded her head as well.

"I guess that means I'll be in, too," Julia agreed. "So what's the plan, Cynthia?"

Cynthia's lips curled up in a wicked grin, her eyes shining. She began to explain her plan in detail. The girls were right. They weren't going to like it.

Well, Sango would kind of like it. Okay, a lot like it. But there was no way she was going to admit that.


In the meantime, someone else was developing a plan of her own.

"Milady, why aren't you fighting this?!" Kate demanded. She was pacing back and forth in the clubroom of the Gardening Club, where Alcea was calmly sipping tea as though she did not have an important marriage meeting coming up that evening. Kate was much less calm. She was practically ripping the scraggly hair out of her scalp.

"There is a point in fighting this, is it?" Alcea asked, taking another sip of tea. "Pardon, Kate, but it appears you are far more resistant to the idea of my wedding than I, is it?"

"Wha? Buh…" Kate sputtered, her face turning bright red. "I-I'm only concerned for you, milady! I certainly have no stake in this whatsoever!"

"I see…" Alcea said, nodding. The look in her eyes was distant. "There is no need to be concerned on my behalf, Kate. As the eldest daughter of a prominent household… I was always prepared for this turn of events. If my family insists that I am to marry Blake… then I have made my peace with that decision."

"B-but…" Kate's voice had a tone of desperation. "E-even if you're fine with it, why does it have to be Blake?!"

Alcea raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kate quizzically. Kate took a moment to process what she'd said, her face growing more and more red.

"W-w-w-wait! I didn't mean anything by that! I-I-It's just because I don't think that Blake is worthy of someone as majestic as you, your highness! I swear!" Kate hastily defended herself.

Alcea giggled airily, seemingly put at ease by Kate's flustered expression.

"I'm serious, milady!" Kate exclaimed. "This is important! How can you take it so lightheartedly?!"

"Hush now, Kate," Alcea lightly chastised her. "My family will be paying a visit soon. Until then, we-"

A knock on the door interrupted Alcea's gentle reprimand. Kate turned to the door.

"A visitor, is it?" Alcea asked. It was too early for her parents, so who could that be?

Kate walked over to the door and opened it, her face freezing when she saw who was on the other side. Her expression morphed into a look of outrage.

"What are you doing here?" Kate spat, glaring at Gerard Alkwest. The older student stood in the doorway, his glasses shining. His cold blue eyes peered out from behind his dark brown bangs, and he towered over Kate with an air of triumph, a wicked smile on his face.

"Gerard," Alcea said icily.

"Not going to invite me in?" Gerard smirked, looking past Kate entirely. "Your assistant is quite rude, Alcea. You should take care to instruct her better."

Kate glanced at Alcea, who nodded with more than a hint of reluctance.

"Welcome," Kate scowled, stepping out of the way to allow Gerard entry.

"Nice to see your misandrist ways are behind you, Kate," Gerard smiled. She shot him a harsh glare that he ignored.

"No misandry, just hate folks like you," Kate spat back at him. Gerard sat opposite to Alcea, a playful smile on his face in contrast to her harsh scowl.

"No tea?" Gerard asked.

"Staying long, is it?" Alcea replied.

"Fair enough," Gerard admitted. "I'm only here to extend my well wishes to the bride-to-be."

Alcea forced her lips up into a polite smile.

"Why, thank you."

"It's such a pity," Gerard sighed. "I was looking forward to our senior year together, Alcea, but it seems you will have to be dropping out early."

"Indeed, a pity, is it?" Alcea smiled. "But you need not worry. Only Blake will be leaving. I have permission from my parents to continue my education until graduation, even with a wedding on the horizon. So we shall be spending quite a lot of time together in the future after all, Gerard."

The two exchanged smiles without a hint of sincerity, the chilling air in the room sending a shiver down Kate's spine. So put off was she, she didn't even care about hearing that her beloved Alcea would be remaining on campus and she'd get to spend more time with her. It also didn't help that Blake… Blake would almost certainly be leaving. Now that she knew Alcea would stay… her regrets and disdain for the situation were aimed solely at this new target.

Ugh, this is so not good… Kate fretted.

"Extend my congratulations to your fiancé as well, if you would," Gerard said. If he was put off by the fact that the rose thorn in his side that was Alcea would remain, it didn't show at all. Apparently, Blake's departure was enough to put a smile on his face. "It's a pity that he won't be able to spend any more time here, we were just starting to get to know each other better."

Alcea looked down into her tea, considering things for a moment.

"I'm certain Elaina Bishop will quite regret Blake's absence as well, wouldn't you agree?" Alcea asked. "I hear she's quite fond of Blake, is it?"

Gerard's eye twitched slightly.

"She's moved on from him," Gerard smiled. "No need to concern yourself with her. She's doing quite well, ever since she woke up."

"Indeed, I never sent my well-wishes to her," Alcea said. "Forgive me for that. Tell her I'm gladdened by her recovery, and that I hope she is doing well."

"I'll do that," Gerard said, nodding. "And once again, congratulations on your upcoming nuptials, Alcea. I'll be sure to send you a gift."

"Why, thank you," Alcea said, her voice oozing with a false hint of sweetness. "Is there anything else you might need from me, Gerard? Or is your business concluded?"

"That was all," Gerard said, rising from his seat. "And again, please extend my regrets to your fiancé that we must part at this point."

"I'll do that," Alcea nodded. "See you soon, Gerard."

Gerard turned and walked past Kate, smiling at her. Kate felt her breath hitch in her throat as he passed her, exiting the room. When he left, she let out her breath in a sigh of relief, the massive pressure weighing on her finally extinguished.

"Milady… are you okay?" Kate asked. Alcea's sour expression said it all.

"Blake is leaving," Alcea frowned. She'd been counting on Blake to be a useful tool in fighting Gerard, particularly due to the connection that he had with Elaina. With this action, that connection had been severed. Yet another reason why she didn't really want to go through with the marriage. Without an ace in the hole, Elaina would be a problem. And somehow she doubted Elaina would have the same attachment to Blake while he was serving a role as her husband.

"It's not fair," Kate agreed, shaking her head. "Why can't he stay, huh?! …Er, I mean, because you still have a use for him here, of course, milady. If Blake wants to go and leave after you're done with him, I'll be more than happy to see him go… ha ha…"

The sunken expression on her face said different, but Alcea pretended not to notice. She would have to prepare for the meeting with her parents and Blake that was only a few short hours away. And quite a meeting it was shaping up to be, unfortunately. She would have to do her best. If there was only some way they could convince their respective families to call this off… it would be in everyone's best interests, after all.

Alcea looked out the window at the gardens behind the building, a wistful expression on her face.

This will be difficult, indeed.


In the meantime, Blake was going to his meet-up. Well, he called it a meet-up, but the other party hadn't exactly been informed of it.

He took a deep breath, standing in front of the door, and exhaled. He knocked loudly on the door.

"Yeah, what the fuck do you-"

Ayame swung the door open, her handsome face twisted into a scowl. The minute she laid eyes on Blake, however, it vanished completely, replaced with a look of surprise and joy.

"Blake!" Ayame gasped, slamming the door shut and running over to her bathroom mirror to ensure she looked her best. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, but at least her hair was brushed, and tied up with a ribbon as always, and her face showed no traces of the redness from earlier that morning.

Ayame rushed back to the door and opened it, giving him a smile. She batted her eyes cheerily.

"W-what is it?" She asked, trying to sound as cool as possible.


Well, what could it be that he wants? We'll have to find out!