Time for the three of them to have a discussion about some things. Hopefully Blake gets out of this okay.
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: Definitely doing poorly right now.
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Hopefully it will be satisfying.
Guest: Love in Blake's heart is something I hope to be able to write someday.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 228
"So, Alcea… you wanted to talk to me about something?" Blake asked, glancing back and forth between Ayame and Alcea. Alcea was the perfect image of composure, an even and elegant small smile on her face. Ayame was slightly more put off, fidgeting in her seat.
I wonder what's up with her? Blake mused, looking at Ayame's flustered expression.
Oh man, I'm so busted… Ayame thought. She's totally gonna chew me out for seeing Blake behind her back… but it's not like I'm doing anything wrong, right? Blake only sees me as a friend, and I know that we aren't going to ever be anything other than friends… even though my heart can't stop pounding whenever I'm with him, I just… I promise I'm not doing anything inappropriate!
"Straight to business, is it?" Alcea asked. "No discussion over your condition?"
"Well…" Blake felt like the thing that she wanted to talk with him about didn't have anything to with his accident.
"It's about my sister," Alcea replied. Blake gulped, and his face went pale.
"Your sister?" Ayame asked, raising her eyebrows. "You mean that kid?" She put the pieces together and her expression turned stern, giving Blake an austere glare.
"Blake… you didn't…"
"I'm innocent!" Blake exclaimed, waving his hands defensively. He broke out into a fit of coughing, having gotten a little too excited.
Alcea frowned.
"Please explain to me what happened," she demanded, her voice cold as ice. Blake gulped, and relayed the events to her as best as he could, without actually touching on the conversation in question. That was something private between him and Holly, and Alcea was the last person he should tell about it.
Alcea considered his words carefully, before nodding her head.
"I see."
"God, that's so like you," Ayame groaned slapping her hand against her face in frustration. "Lookit mister nice guy over here, he has nothing better to do than listen to girls talk about their problems and help them out, making them fall for him. Learn a new trick next time, fucker."
"I think it's sweet," Alcea giggled. "A cute little precocious crush."
The look in her eyes was anything but sweet.
"And we shall make sure it stays that way, is it?" Alcea asked, smiling.
"Yes ma'am," Blake gulped, nodding. "Don't worry, I have no intention of doing anything with her. Holly's still just a child."
"Well of course, she is three years younger than you, almost," Alcea smiled. "Something like that would be unthinkable."
"W-well…" Ayame spoke up.
"Something to say, is it?" Alcea glanced at her, narrowing her eyes. Ayame's face turned slightly red, and she averted her gaze.
"I mean… three years isn't that much of a difference…" Ayame murmured. "I mean, you know… there are some cases where it would be okay, y'know?"
Alcea scowled, Ayame's head drooping in response.
"Don't worry, honestly, I have no intention," Blake clarified once more. "Is… is that all?"
"Non," Alcea said, shaking her head. "Rather, there are other details we must discuss."
Alcea glanced at Ayame. Her face turned into a warm smile.
"You have finally… made your decision, is it?"
Blake blinked.
"Decision?" He asked, glancing at Ayame. Ayame shrugged.
"Our previous conversation, you remember, is it?" Alcea asked. "Coming out from a crucible."
"Uh…" Blake thought back on his conversation in the rose garden with Alcea the night of their engagement meeting.
"But when we are at our lowest… who is it that we wish to stand before us and offer a hand of comfort most of all? When you can't go on… when you feel like everything has collapsed around you, and you have nothing ahead but despair… the one you want to see on the other side, the one you want to hold you and tell you everything is okay, the one you want to have before you, to help you move past those dark times… that person would be the one you love most, is it?"
Blake's eyes widened and his face turned bright red.
"W-wait, you think… Ayame and I-?!"
Alcea blinked.
"Am I wrong?"
"We-we're just friends!" Blake sputtered, coughing. Ayame rose from her seat and reached out, patting him on the back to sooth him and even out his breathing. Alcea glanced at the look of panic on her face, raising her eyebrow quizzically.
"And you both feel that way, is it?"
Blake and Ayame fell silent, a cloud of discomfort hanging over their heads.
Ayame… Alcea mused, studying her. That name… quite familiar. She works with Olivia Himeko… but Ayame…
Alcea remembered her from that night, the first girl to have started the parade of "I'm Blake's girlfriend". The girl with the iris in her hair.
Ayame… the Kantonian iris… A big smile broke out across Alcea's face. So this is the girl he was talking about…
"Well, I shall forgive you for your infidelity, Blake," Alcea smiled.
"Infidelity?!" Ayame cried.
"A joke, is it?" Alcea chuckled. "But it seems you still do not know who it is you love, is it?"
Blake sighed, and shrugged.
"I wouldn't really consider what I went through to be that much of a crucible," Blake replied. "Honestly… in the moment, I wasn't really thinking about anyone or wanting anyone to show up, I was just trying to get out alive. So yeah, no, nothing like that, I guess that wasn't really a 'crucible' for me."
Ayame didn't really get it, she had no idea what the two of them were talking about, about "crucibles", at least, but she did understand they were talking about love.
"So, um… you don't… love Blake, right?" Ayame interrupted, confirming with Alcea whether or not she actually had feelings for Blake after all. Alcea smiled. Even though Ayame was older than her, the flustered look on her face and the way she was nervously fidgeting was completely adorable. Alcea couldn't help but giggle. She shook her head.
"No, I don't have those feelings for Blake in the slightest," Alcea replied. "He and I are just friends."
She couldn't help it. The way Ayame sighed in relief at the revelation was just too adorable. She had to play with her, just a little bit.
"Same as you and Blake, right?" Alcea asked. Ayame flinched.
"O-oh, so… you and Blake are friends… the same way Blake and I are friends…" Ayame went pale as she caught the meaning of what Alcea was telling her. That look of panic was precious. Alcea's suspicions were true. As much as she tried to pretend otherwise, Ayame Toujou was so obviously head over heels for Blake.
This is also a form of love, I suppose… Alcea mused, a wry smile crossing her lips. "Well, at any rate, I'm glad to see you are doing well. It would be a pity to see you broken down over something like this."
"Ah, so now that our business is concluded you can show concern for my wellbeing?" Blake smiled.
"Nonsense. I can see you are fine, is it?" Alcea replied. "But at any rate, it appears our engagement may be postponed."
"Oh?" Blake asked, intrigued.
"Really?!" Ayame gasped, trying to keep the joy out of her voice.
"Oui, it certainly merits further conversation," Alcea said. "I must discuss with my parents how we shall proceed. Oh, and one other thing of importance. This is about the fire."
Alcea's voice turned serious. Blake swallowed reflexively, his throat stinging from the soot.
"Wh-what about it?" Blake asked, coughing.
"Are you certain… an accident, is it?"
Blake blinked.
"What do you mean? If not an accident, then what?"
An uncomfortable look passed over Alcea's face.
"This may not… be my place to say. But… Caelia Auburne. She is an acquaintance of yours, is it?"
"Caelia?" Blake asked. "Yeah, she is. What about her?"
"Have you seen her recently?" Alcea asked.
"Yeah, she was just here a little while ago," Ayame said. "I passed her in the hall."
"She came to see how I was doing," Blake replied. "Seems that she was one of the people on the scene."
"…I see," Alcea said, frowning. Then it might be as I feared…
"Why are you asking about Caelia, anyway?" Blake asked. The look on Alcea's face was troubling.
"A few days ago… I fought against Caelia in a pokemon battle," Alcea quietly replied.
"Oh, yeah, I heard about that," Blake said. "Kate said it was a really tough battle."
Alcea nodded. "My pokemon are still resting. I didn't expect such a tough match. She was quite powerful… quite passionate. A strong will to win, is it?"
Blake nodded in agreement.
"Caelia… that girl… she is quite… a dedicated person," Alcea replied, using her language to be delicate and diplomatic as possible.
"What do you mean?" Blake asked. Ayame was also interested in what Alcea was talking about. She was still a little weirded out by Caelia, even though she didn't know why. It wasn't just because of her… scars. Those made her feel bad, but the unnerving feeling she got was because of something else, something she just couldn't place. At any rate, she wanted to hear more about what Alcea was saying.
"This is not my place to say, Blake, and I understand the weight of the accusation that I am making. I don't say this easily, but… I have reason to suspect that Caelia is responsible for setting your father's boat on fire," Alcea replied.
This elicited gasps from Ayame and Blake.
"Wait, what?" Ayame asked. "Why do you think that?"
"Alcea, just because she uses fire type pokemon-"
Alcea shook her head, disregarding their objections.
"It isn't because of that," Alcea said. "Non, it's… because of how she was acting. She attacked me, challenged me to a battle, all in order to force me to give up on you, and let you stay here."
Blake frowned. That did sound like something Caelia would do. She'd confirmed as much the day before. She really was trying to keep him there, doing as much as she could.
Blake remembered something else he had talked about with Caelia yesterday. He'd mentioned that his foster father was the one pushing for the engagement, and how Blake didn't even want to go through with it in the first place. Blake gulped. No, no, she wouldn't. She absolutely wouldn't do something like that…
But even as he told himself that, it began making more and more sense. If Caelia really was trying to do whatever she could to keep him there, then the idea that she would try to kill Richard, or at least badly injure him, wasn't that far out of the realm of possibility if she thought that it would keep Blake here. No it… it was possible. He didn't want to believe it, but…
I'm pushing a lot of my sister onto Caelia… how well do I really know her, though? Could Alcea be right? Could she really be…?
"Blake…" Ayame looked at the troubled look on Blake's face. It seemed that he was thinking of something troubling. Ayame didn't want to believe that Caelia could do something like that… but at the same time, when she thought about Caelia, her brain always went to a weird place. Ayame was lying in bed, Caelia standing over her, a knife in her hands.
No, no, that was just a bad dream brought on from morphine, it wasn't like it really happened, Ayame reassured herself.
"I don't want to sound like I'm accusing her," Alcea gently tried to reassure him. "I just… I wanted to warn you. That girl, Caelia… she seems to be troubled. So do you think that she could have done something like that? I don't like the idea of accusing one of my fellow students, but…"
But something about Caelia just couldn't be shaken from Alcea's thoughts. The empty, hollow look in her eye, the detached tone of her voice, the air around her like nothing at all mattered… it sent a shiver down her spine.
"I…" Blake quietly began, thinking hard on Caelia and whether or not it was possible.
Blake swallowed.
"I think that… it could be possible that she might have done something," Blake admitted. "Definitely… possible. But even so… I don't think that she would have. I don't think that she did."
Alcea looked into his eyes. Normally, when Blake said something like that, the look in his eyes was more resolute. But this time… Alcea could not see the same look of conviction that he had when he said, say, that he had no intention of doing anything with Holly. It made her feel uneasy. Even though Blake wanted to believe in Caelia… It was clear that a part of him could not say with absolute certainty that she would not have done something like burning his father's boat.
So this is a matter of faith now, is it? Alcea glanced at Ayame, and saw that she was also looking at Blake. Her face was just as easy to read as Blake's was, she was also uneasy and panicked by the doubt in Blake's eyes. Alcea would have to be the one to set them at ease.
"What I said… those were suspicions that I had, and nothing more," Alcea clarified. "I do not wish to believe that Caelia could have done something like that. Although I do not know her at all, it is clear that the both of you know her to some extent, is it?"
"Blake does," Ayame nodded. "Me… not really."
"I agree that she could, and I also don't want to believe it's possible," Blake said, shaking his head. But not wanting to believe was not the same as proof. He probably wouldn't ever be able to find concrete proof. He thought hard on Caelia. While he could definitely envision it, could-
"Wait, wait, so to be clear, you think that Caelia wants Blake to stay here?" Ayame clarified.
Alcea nodded.
"Okay… why?"
"Well, that…" Alcea didn't want to out her suspicions of Caelia's feelings for Blake, but at the same time, it was not something that should just be glossed over.
"I'm Caelia's only friend," Blake explained, bailing Alcea out with his own explanation. "It's hard to explain, but… she and I have a connection that she doesn't think she can find in someone else. So when Alcea said it's dependent… it kind of might be the case, honestly."
Ayame accepted that explanation, but she didn't like it. She didn't like the idea of another girl having a special connection with Blake. She frowned.
"In that case, I really doubt that she'd be the one who would do something like this."
Alcea blinked in surprise, and looked at Blake. He also wasn't sure where Ayame was going with this conversation.
"What do you mean?" Alcea asked.
"Well, I mean, you know, it's basic logic, right?" Ayame asked, confused by their confusion. Blake and Alcea were looking at her, and it made her a little uneasy about explaining. But she pushed through it.
"L-look. So, think about it like this, okay?" Ayame said. "Let's imagine that Caelia, um… likes Blake. Like, 'like' likes him and wants him to stay. So, um… if she wants him to stay here, do you really think she would set his dad's boat on fire?"
Blake nodded, he was understanding where Ayame was going with this. It was making a lot of sense now that he thought about it.
"So, like, I also want Blake to stay," Ayame explained, shooting him a shy glance, blushing slightly. "But I'd never, ever hurt him, even if I thought that it might get him to stay. So, like, if Caelia was trying to kill Blake's dad… then would she set his boat on fire while Blake was inside? What if Blake died too? Or what if they were both badly hurt, and Blake couldn't stay for medical reasons? It just… if her motive is to get Blake to stay here, then it doesn't make sense that she would put him in so much danger. Especially with something like a fire. I mean, it was lucky he got out okay, but if he hadn't…"
Alcea's eyes widened. She hadn't considered that, but now that Ayame was bringing it up, she felt like an idiot. She'd been spending so much time focusing on Caelia's behavior and her attitude up until now, how militant she had been about getting Blake to stay, she had thought that Caelia would do or hurt anyone she could to keep him. But while thinking that way… she hadn't considered her deeper motivation in the first place.
"Perhaps… I was overthinking things…" Alcea admitted, hanging her head in shame.
Blake let out a sigh of relief. He didn't like thinking that Caelia could or would do something like that. And it made sense that Caelia wouldn't try to hurt him. Then, had it all been a coincidence? Talking to Caelia earlier that day, and her appearance at the boat that night? It must have been, right? Because Ayame's words made sense. Caelia wouldn't want to hurt him if she wanted to keep him here.
He couldn't deny that she might have tried to hurt Richard, but if she was obsessed as Alcea was saying she was (and even then, that was questionable) she wouldn't have tried to hurt him. That was a weight off of his shoulders.
"It seems that I will need to look into this further," Alcea said, standing up. "I have wasted enough of your time with these baseless accusations. I owe Caelia an apology. I must be going."
She looked at Blake, then at Ayame, and smiled.
"One last thing, I almost forgot," Alcea reached into her purse and withdrew a small brown bag. It was sealed. She tossed it into Blake's lap.
"What's this?" Blake asked, coughing, picking up the small package. He looked through the plastic film in the center and saw some small brown seeds.
"Kantonian iris seeds," Alcea replied over her shoulder. "You seemed quite fond of them last time we spoke. Come see me if you'd like to know how to rear them. Happy birthday, Blake."
"Uh… thanks…" Blake said, looking down at the seeds in his hand. Ayame was bright red with embarrassment.
"Are-are you trying to say something?" Ayame demanded, waving her hands excitedly.
"Ayame, cool down already," Blake said, rolling his eyes. Ayame's face flushed even brighter.
Alcea ignored the two, and was already on her way out of the infirmary. Something didn't smell right here, and she'd get to the bottom of it. Her family could wait. Caelia couldn't.
I wonder what Alcea's confrontation with Caelia will bring? Last time it didn't go so well. Hopefully this time, things will be a little more peaceful. Is Caelia really unrelated to this? Or is Ayame just being a little too optimistic about Caelia's feelings? We'll have to find out.
