This chapter handles some rather interesting stuff. We're really getting into some meat with this one, guys.

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

KyubiMaster9: Trust that feeling.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 226


Blake wasn't sure how or why, but what he knew was that he was a little boy once again. His face was hot and he was shaking in fear as he looked up at the figure standing before him.

Flames the color of midnight burned around him, casting the female in shadows. Whoever or whatever she was, she was slowly approaching him, and he was scurrying back in fear as he looked up at her, trembling. He was just a kid. He could do anything about… whatever this was.

He squinted his eyes and looked at the woman as closely as he could. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make out any details about her face. All he could see about her were the golden eyes that were piercing through his soul. Just meeting her gaze seemed to hurt. The faceless woman's lips curled back in a smile, revealing a row of sharp teeth. She was almost on top of him now, her breath feeling like it was burning him.

"Please!" He cried out. "Who are you?!"

"Don't worry, Blake," a raspy voice rang in his ear. "I'm-"

Blake couldn't hear the rest of what she'd said, the black flames consuming her body and everything else in sight. He could only see the flames and feel the heat. He looked around desperately but he couldn't see anything but fire.

Blake snapped awake, panting.

Just a dream. It was just a dream…

But if it was just a dream, then why did he still feel like he was on fire?

The smell of burning wood filled his nostrils and he sat up in a panic. It wasn't just a dream! His room really WAS on fire!

The flames weren't black, but they were still burning. Blake coughed, smoke filling his lungs. His eyes shot to the door as he threw himself out of bed, stumbling over to his dresser. He grabbed his belt of pokeballs with one hand, holding the other over his mouth. He grabbed his headphones as well, and the makeshift vase.

Fire and smoke filled the room. This was bad. This was really bad. This wasn't a dream, it was far too real. He looked towards the door and pushed against it, forcing the wooden door open only to see that there wasn't anywhere to run. Flames filled the hallway and more smoke flooded into the room, his eyes stinging and his throat burning.

Nowhere to go… Blake choked, removing the iris from the glass and throwing the water onto the flames. He might as well have tried spitting for all the good it had done.

"Cory, we need to get out of here!" Blake sent out his water pokemon. Cory took one look at the flames and gasped in surprise, pinching his claws frantically. "Use bubblebeam!"

"Cor!" Cory shouted, firing a blast of bubbles at the flames. The bubbles popped, dousing the flames, making enough of a gap for them to move through. Unfortunately, the yacht was very small, and the hallway was tight, making it hard for them to get to the exit.

There are they? Blake looked around at the boat burning around him frantically. The yacht was big enough to have a few bedrooms, but was still very economic with its spacing.

"Father! Sephiria!" Blake coughed out, trying to find them through the smoke.

"Blake!" Blake whirled around to see a flash of blonde hair, a pair of strong hands wrapping around his waist. Before he knew what happened, he'd been picked up by his father's tall bodyguard, and slung over his shoulder.

"Sephiria?!" Blake cried out.

"We're getting out of here," the woman snapped, running down the hallway. The flames were burning closer and closer to the center of the hallway, Blake feeling the heat lick against his flesh.

"Cor!" Cory followed after the two, his claws snapping frantically. Sephiria kicked the door open, leaping onto the stairwell leading outside. She strode up the steps two or three at a time, and the two emerged onto the burning wooden deck.

"Where's my dad?" Blake demanded. Sephiria ignored him, scanning the sea of flames ahead of her. She ran to the edge and hoisted Blake up over her head, flinging him into the water. Blake clenched his belongings tightly to him as he hit the ocean, the salty sea stinging his eyes almost as badly as the smoke had, and he clenched them shut. He kicked frantically, trying to remain afloat.

"Corphish!" Blake heard a cry and splash beside him, forcing his eyes open. Cory grabbed onto him with his pinchers and pulled him up, Blake draping over the small crustacean to keep afloat.

"Sephiria!" Blake cried out. "My dad…"

Sephiria glanced over her shoulder. The boat was fully ablaze now, it wouldn't be long before it would be consumed entirely and sink into the ocean. There was absolutely no way anyone could go back.

"Richard told me to make sure you were safe!" Sephiria called down to him. "I'm sorry!"

She placed her hands on the railing, which was white-hot. She winced, throwing herself into the sea with a loud splash.

"Dad!" Blake shouted frantically, looking up at the burning boat.


Richard, meanwhile, found his path to escape blocked by a sea of fire. He had stalled his escape, because he had to get something first. He clenched the photos of his wife and his other family members protectively in front of him, as if they would somehow shield him from the fire. But as the flames and smoke filled the room, he could tell that it wouldn't be much help. A resigned smile crossed his face as he slowly felt the weight of his situation settle in on him.

"Looks like there's no getting out of this one…" he told himself. The smoke was stinging so much he had to close his eyes. He kept coughing, falling to his knees. Breathing hurt, and he couldn't bring himself to stay upright. It was essential to stay low in a fire, but even then it would only buy him a few precious seconds. There wasn't anything left to do.

"Oh? Giving up so easily are you? That will not do at all, my dear."

The teasing lilt of an all-too-familiar voice caught Richard's ear and his eyes snapped open, his head raising to look at the doorway. But the owner of that voice could not be seen. What did catch his eye, however, was the sight of the flames and the smoke. They were receding, as if being pulled back by an unseen hand. The scorched wood repaired itself as the burning carpet was restored to its original coloring. Richard stumbled toward the door, clutching the memories of his once-intact family to his chest with one hand, coughing into the other. Though the smoke had vanished with the flames, breathing was still agony, and he could feel the soot and ash settling in his lungs with each gasping breath.

As he stepped into the hall, the flames pulled away from him as he went, only to fill in behind him as he passed. His room was engulfed as he left it, and in the hallway the fire parted before his very eyes, opening up to permit him exit. He ran out into the deck as his yacht burned around him. His eyes shot to the dock, which had fortunately been spared from the fire. Now that his path to exit was assured, the fire was returning to its initial task of consuming the boat. If Richard was going to leave, now was the time.

Is Blake okay? Did Sephiria get him out in time? She had to. He wouldn't accept otherwise. Ryoko was watching over him. She would have saved Blake, as well. She had to have. He leapt off the boat, landing on the dock. He landed badly, and pain shot through his ankle. He cried out in pain, losing his balance and landing hard on the wood and stone, his family pictures scattering beneath him. The heat of the burning boat was on his back, and for a moment he worried that he had not been able to get away in time; the fire would spread from the yacht to the dock, and he would be burned alive.

Then, like a gift from god, the sky opened up and rain fell upon the bay, drenching the shore of the island in a deluge more refreshing than any he'd experienced. Richard coughed in pain as the water slowly extinguished the flames of his wrecked boat, soaking him through and warping the pictures around him. But at least they were intact. Richard didn't have any strength left to move; the smoke had filled his lungs and he was finding it harder and harder to breathe.

Were those voices he was hearing? Before, all he could hear were his own coughs and the crackle of flames. But now, he could hear voices swirling around him, from the shore, from the water…

It's good that there are Pokemon Rangers at this school… they'll be able to do something about this mess… Richard told himself, smiling. Blake… you'll be…

"Father!"

Ah… there it is. Blake's voice. That's good.

He could see Blake's face, covered in soot and salt water, kneeling over him. He was shouting something, but Richard couldn't hear his words anymore, not over the sounds of his own choked breathing. But at least… at least he was okay… darkness creeped up into the corners of Richard's eyes, and he was finding it far too difficult to remain conscious, succumbing to the dark hand the beckoned him.


When Sango got the news, she couldn't believe it at first. It was 2 in the morning and she'd been half-asleep, but when she got the call she'd sprung out of bed, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Cynthia! Julia! Wake up!" Sango shouted, her voice also pulling Silver from his sleep. She climbed the ladder up to the bunk above hers, frantically shaking Cynthia.

"Ugh… Sango it's still dark out, lemme sleep…" Cynthia yawned.

"Blake!" Sango cried, the desperation in her voice rousing Cynthia far more than her shaking had. "It's Blake! He… he got in an accident, he…"

Cynthia sprung out of bed, grabbing Sango by the shoulders with enough strength that she nearly knocked her off of the bed.

"What about Blake?! What's going on, Sango?!" Cynthia demanded.

"He… his dad's boat, it…" Sango was crying, but still trying to put on a strong face. "There was a fire, and Blake was on it…"

"No…" Cynthia's face went pale. "Is… is he…"

"He's alive," Sango confirmed, the girls sighing in relief. "He's alive… but he's in the infirmary."

Cynthia was all business. She grabbed her pillow and hurled it down at Julia's bed, hitting her in the face.

"Ow! Hey, the fuck are you-"

"Blake's in hospital," Cynthia explained, ignoring the ladder and leaping over the frame of the bed itself, landing on the ground. "It's bad, there was a fire! C'mon, Julia! We're going."

"Are you serious?!" Julia exclaimed, getting out of bed. "Shit, what the hell fucking happened?"

"We don't know," Sango said, climbing down. "Marion spotted it. She's there now. I'm going to go see him."

"Count me in," Cynthia said, nodding. "You too, right?"

Julia nodded in agreement. The three girls and Sango's Castform rushed out of their bedroom, Cynthia knocking loudly on the boys' door.

"Nick! Reiner! Bright eyed and bushy tailed you bastards!" Cynthia shouted in a voice that was NOT appropriate for a communal dormitory at 2 in the morning. It wasn't just their friends they had woken up, but the entire floor was getting roused by her loud and panicked voice. Cynthia didn't really give a damn, though.

"You two go ahead, I'll get them up," Cynthia said, glancing at Sango and Julia. The two girls nodded and ran downstairs, Cynthia resuming her pounding. A few seconds later, Reiner opened up with a not-too-pleased look on his face.

"Cynthia? What do you want?" Reiner asked, scowling angrily at the girl who had woken him up from a particularly nice dream.

"Blake was caught in a fire," Cynthia explained. "We're going to the infirmary, you coming?"

Reiner glanced over his shoulder to look at Nick, who was sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes.

"Give us a minute to get changed," Reiner said.

"No time, we're going," Cynthia said, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him out.

"I'm in a t-shirt and boxers!"

"You'll live!" Cynthia snapped.

"I don't even have shoes on!"

"This is important!"

Nick got out of bed an took the time to at least put on pants and a shirt, slipping on his shoes and following after the two.

Sango and Julia arrived at the infirmary first, nearly out of breath. It was so early in the morning, and yet the infirmary was bustling with activity. Doctors and aids were rushing in and out of the back room, and off in one of the corners two members of campus safety were interviewing several students who had apparently witnessed the incident itself. Marion was nowhere to be seen, however. Sango wanted to ask them what was going on, but they were busy. Besides, they wouldn't be able to answer the question that was really burning in her chest right now, which was an inquiry about Blake's condition.

"Blake Harker!" Sango cried, running to the front desk. "Where is he?! Is he…? Can I…?"

The tired-looking nurse glanced up warily at Sango.

"Please take a seat," she requested, gesturing to the chairs lining the walls of the waiting room. "If you're here to see someone, I'll let you know when you can. Until then, you have to wait."

"But…"

"Sango."

Julia's sharp voice drew Sango's attention. She looked over her shoulder timidly at the serious girl, her head drooping. She trudged over to her friend, and the two sat down in the seats and waited. Waiting was all they really could do, at this point.

"I'm going to call Kitty," Julia said, taking out her phone. "Though I don't know if she'll pick up right now."

Sango nodded. That was a good idea.

I should also… probably call Ayame… Sango reasoned, fishing her phone out of her pajama pocket. She pressed on Ayame's name in her phone, holding it up to her ear. It rang several times.

"Yo, Ayame Toujou here. You know what to do, drop a line and I'll getcha back!"

Damn, voicemail now of all times? Sango scowled. "Ayame, it's Sango. Call be back when you get this. Or get over to the infirmary. Blake got in an accident!"

She hung up, sinking down into her seat, exhausted. I had been less than 20 minutes since she'd gotten the call that roused her, but already it felt like she'd been waiting for hours.

"Cast…"

Sango raised her head to see the look of concern on Silver's face, and she flashed him a smile that tried its best to be reassuring. But right now she felt completely powerless.

Did he get burned? Sango asked herself, her face going pale. The vivid image of Caelia Auburne and the scars on her body flashed through her mind at that thought, remembering their brief interaction on the trip last month. Was Blake… was he in even worse shape? She also had to consider smoke inhalation. That could be really bad. Depending on the criticality of the injuries to his lungs, he could end up badly impaired for the rest of his life. Would he… if he had inhaled enough toxins, then even if he was alive now… could it be that he might succumb at any point? He could be in there dying right now, a slow and tortuous death.

Julia took a good look at the turmoil clouding Sango's features, and she scowled.

"Hey," Julia's harsh voice wasn't enough to shake Sango out of her fugue, so a well-placed slap to the back of the head was just what the doctor ordered.

"Ow! Hey, what the hell do you think you're-"

"Calm down," Julia said. "I've seen that look on your face before. Right now you're running through worst-case scenarios and panicking like hell, right?"

Sango gulped, and nodded.

"Well, cut it out. This isn't the time or place for that shit. All your worrying is gonna do is bring you pain. Until we hear otherwise, we need to assume that everything is okay."

"But…" Sango didn't want to buy what Julia was selling. What did she know, anyway? While Sango hadn't taken any classes on field treatments (those were reserved for juniors in the Ranger Course or higher) she'd studied up quite extensively, and that's how she knew the dangers that prolonged exposure to fire and smoke could cause on the bodies of humans and pokemon. Julia didn't get how serious this was.

"No, no buts," Julia ignored her. "What does worrying do for you right now?"

"Well, if I think of the worst-case scenario, then I can be prepared for-"

"You won't be prepared for shit," Julia snapped. "The doctors are the ones treating him, and they know exactly what's going on. Getting worried over something like this, you'll just run yourself ragged. Because whatever the diagnosis is gonna be, you're gonna be stunned and not thinking clearly anyway. So don't pretend like you're preparing yourself for the worse. Because when the worst happens, all that's gonna be out the window. So stay calm, okay? Let's stay calm and hope for the best."

Sango glanced down and saw Julia's hands were clasping her knees tightly. They were trembling. Sango winced.

She's just trying to be tough, but she's probably as worried as me, Sango understood.

"Castform…" Silver floated into her lap, staring up at his partner. Sango sighed, reaching out and patting him on the head.

Yeah… it can't just be Julia trying to be strong, she told herself. If I fall apart right now, then she's going to have to comfort me, and that's not fair to her.

Sango forced the worries down, and clasped her hands together. She prayed that Blake would make it out okay.

"Blake Harker!" Cynthia shouted, bursting into the waiting room, her volume breaking Sango's concentration. Sango glanced up to see red hair running past her, Cynthia making a break for the front desk.

"Where is he?! Is he…? Can I…?"

Once again distracted by someone looking for information on Blake, the tired receptionist looked up at Cynthia, and sighed.

"I told your friends, take a seat," she replied. "When I hear more, I'll let you girls know."

Cynthia sighed in relief, though not feeling all that relieved, and walked over to where Sango and Julia were sitting. Reiner and Nick entered the waiting room as well, all five gathering together.

"No news?" Reiner asked.

Cynthia shook her head.

"They wouldn't tell us nothing!"

"You said Marion called you?" Julia asked, glancing to Sango.

"Yeah, she did," Sango said, nodding. "She said that she was going night fishing when she saw the boat on fire. She put out the flames with one of her partner pokemon, then administered first aid while she called campus safety. That's all I know, last I heard was that Blake and the others were being taken to the infirmary."

She sighed, and shook her head.

"I don't know anything other than that.

"This really isn't good," Cynthia growled. "Blake better be okay, if he's not, then I'll… I'll… well, I don't know what, but it sure won't be nice."

The door opened once again, Kitty running inside. Her normally pale skin was flushed bright red with exhaustion from running all the way to the infirmary, and the large shirt she wore in lieu of pajamas was sticking with sweat. She ignored her friends, not even seeing them as she made a beeline straight for the front desk.

"Blake Harker!" Kitty wailed. "Where is he?! Is he…? Can I…?"

The receptionist rolled her eyes. Sango and Cynthia glanced at each other. That was quite the familiar line.

"Listen, you're the fourth girl I've told today, you have to wait," the receptionist tried very, very hard not to sound to snappish, but it was too late in the evening (or too early in the morning) and her patience was wearing thin. "When you can see him, the doctor will come and let me know, understood?"

Kitty nodded her head warily. She turned and finally saw the other girls, her eyes opening wide in surprise.

"Wait, wait," Sango said, getting out of her seat and walking over to the receptionist's desk. "Fourth?"

"Right, right," the receptionist scowled. "You three, of course, and then before you lot came in here shouting, another girl came here asking after that kid's condition. Real early, too, he'd barely arrived before she came in."

The older woman raised an eyebrow, looking at the pack of students.

"Is she one of your lot too?"

The nurse pointed a tired finger at the far corner of the room. Sitting down in a chair, her one blue eye staring away into nothing, was Caelia Auburne, her face an unreadable mask.


Oh, no! Blake and Richard might be in pretty bad condition! Will they be able to pull through okay?