In this chapter we'll see exactly how the report went over with the other students.
The Bloody Seje: Gotta love girls who can be petty.
Sonofthetrigod: Well, we'll see if she gets her karma.
Mightymareep98: Well, more or less.
Daozang: Well, can you think of any problems with playing truth or dare with Cynthia?
Martyn: …Sorry, it's too weird.
Duskzilla: Well, she might have… who knows…
Phantom-Jester: Well, she has some redeeming traits, as we'll see eventually.
Regiinator: What type of character is that?
BloodStarGeneral: Really? I'm surprised you think that they're a good match.
Darkmoonrise312: That should have been apparent from the character profile.
DeviouslyNormal: That's just how awesome Sango is.
Darkhammer: I don't know, they seem okay.
Dragon soul45: Well, Dakota always watches.
ShaydeZyro: Dakota is more like a cockroach. Annoying and hard to kill.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 11
"I can't believe this…" Blake shook his head as he and Sango headed back towards the dorm.
"I had no idea that reporter girl would have that much information on you," Sango said, surprised. "Although, now that I think about it, I think I have a pretty good idea who her source might be…"
"Who?" Blake asked, confused.
"You lied to that reporter, Dakota, didn't you?" Sango demanded.
"…No…" Cynthia said, looking away, the guilt apparent on her face. Sango, having realized where the information had come from, rushed back to her room with Blake in tow to confront Cynthia.
"It's obvious that it was you," Sango said, frowning.
"Look, Dakota said she would pay me if I told her something interesting and juicy about Blake to help sell her story," Cynthia said, frowning, "so I told her we were in a relationship. What's the problem?"
"Listen, Cynthia, Blake doesn't want Dakota to go around spreading rumors and lies about the two of you being in a relationship. Can't you see how big of an inconvenience this is for him?"
"Well, I guess…"
"I can't believe you would betray your friend for money. I'm so disappointed in you."
"I didn't do it for money!" Cynthia said, irritated.
"Huh? I thought you said she paid you," Sango said, confused.
"Not in money," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "With this."
Cynthia reached into her desk and withdrew a binder, opening it. Filling the pages were pictures of Serefina in various outfits, including a few in bathing suits.
"…" Sango and Blake stared at her, disappointed but not surprised.
"…L-listen, guys, I'm sorry…" Cynthia said, looking down, frowning. "I was weak…"
"Yeah, you were," Sango said, nodding. "But that's okay. You can make it right."
"H-how?" Cynthia asked weakly.
"We're going to go find Serefina." Sango grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her along.
The three of them headed out to Floette Fields, where Serefina supposedly worked every afternoon. Thankfully, she was in fact working there.
"Hey, Serefina!" Sango called out, the black haired girl turning towards them, buckets of pokemon food in her hands.
"Oh, Sango, Blake, are you guys here to volunteer?" Serefina asked.
"Not right now, sorry," Sango said, shaking her head. "We're here because of your roommate, Dakota."
"…What did she do?" Serefina sighed, placing the buckets on the ground to rub her temples.
"Well, Dakota is planning on publishing a fake story about a relationship between these two, and we're trying to get her to stop."
"Oh boy…" Serefina said, shaking her head. "Listen, if Dakota is planning on publishing something, all you can do is brace for the impact and then get out of the way and let the dust settle. Once she's got the scent, she won't back off until she's gotten her story."
"There, see? It was good what I did, if she kept digging she might have found something real, right?" Cynthia asked, Sango elbowing her in the stomach.
"But it's not a real story. It's all a bunch of lies," Sango explained.
"Yeah, I wish I could say that would make a difference. Half of what she prints are exaggerations or lies anyway."
"So I'm screwed?" Blake asked.
"Yes. Yes you are."
The next day, Blake's nightmare came to pass. As he headed out to class, he noticed several students were reading the paper, and glanced at him as he walked by. Several of the girls also giggled.
He swallowed his pride and walked over to the news machine, sliding his card through the slot and being rewarded with a paper. He flipped it open, looking through it until he found the article.
An inside scoop! Information about the champion!
What was the secret to Blake Harker's surprising victory over Akira Gallain? This reporter has discovered an interesting fact! In his match with Akira, Blake Harker received support from several other freshmen, especially from a certain pretty young cheerleader named Cynthia Fafnir! Sources reveal that this freshman girl is in fact in a torrid love affair with young Blake, and confirmed that the two of them were in fact making out in one of the closets in Eon Stadium! This reporter is moved by such an action, showing the with the support of someone who loves you, even a freshman can defeat a sophomore!
There was more, as well as pictures of the two of them, but Blake stopped reading and tossed the paper in the trash can as he walked to his Myths and Legends class.
Reiner greeted him with a smirk.
"So, you and Cynthia, huh? Didn't see that coming."
"It's all a bunch of lies."
"I figured as much. Considering we were with you the entire time after the match."
"Then why did you even say anything?"
"Because it's REALLY funny."
Thankfully, no one bugged him about it for the rest of the class, though he caught Nikita and Reiner staring at him a few times.
Even so, the next class, Pokemon Caretaking, wasn't much better. As the class was almost always outside, as soon as they moved out to the empty fields behind Kangaskhan Hall a swarm of people were already asking him about his supposed "romance".
"It's all a big lie."
That was Sango, coming to Blake's defense.
"Alright class, today we'll be learning about taking care of Grass Type Pokemon!" Leanne clapped her hands together, everyone turning to her. "Now, when everyone thinks about grass types, they think about how almost every grass type pokemon resemble plants or have plants growing out of their bodies. This is actually a key factor in their care."
Serefina walked up, leading an assortment of basic grass pokemon, consisting mainly of Oddish, Budew, Sunkern, Bellsprout, and Hoppip.
"Grass Pokemon are an intriguing thing," Leanne continued. "Despite being some of the easiest pokemon to care for, they also take a longer time to grow then many other pokemon. The reason for this is due to the fact that many grass types gather their main source of nutrients from the sunlight, as opposed to other sources. For this reason, grass types are the most common starter type among new trainers who likely cannot afford higher quality pokemon food. Many grass type pokemon are capable of going for days without eating, subsisting entirely on energy from the sunlight. However, it is not recommended that such a practice be the norm. While a majority of their energy CAN be absorbed out of the sun, there are still several nutrients that they need to ingest. Unfortunately, many trainers fail to notice this, and while grass type pokemon might only need sunlight to survive, grass types that feed only on sunlight are vastly weaker than members of their species at the same level who consume other foods as well."
After concluding her lecture, Leanne clapped her hands again.
"Now, for class today, I would like each of you to choose one of these grass type pokemon and spend the period studying it. This is fundamental for raising a pokemon, as it lets you study the habits your pokemon have. Jot down anything you observe about your pokemon's habits and actions, and turn in those notes for review at the end of the day."
Everyone went to pick one of the pokemon, Blake settling on a Sunkern since it was a pure grass type like his Snivy.
Sango picked a Hoppip, while Julia and Kitty both chose Oddish. People continued to go up to Blake to ask him questions (causing him to seriously wonder why they were that interested in his social life anyway).
"Why exactly do people care so much about this stupid thing?" Blake asked, frowning.
"Well, what you did was pretty impressive," Sango said. "Not so much the fact that you won, but more like because you won in front of such a large crowd in such a big event. Don't worry, I'm sure the hype will die down soon."
"Okay, good," Blake said, nodding.
"On the other hand, if I beat you, would that make me more popular?" Julia mused, smirking at him.
"Oh, look!" Everyone turned to Kitty, who was pointing at her Oddish. It was currently trying to dig a hole in the ground, using only its feet. Julia's Oddish, on the other hand, was much more lazy, sitting down and letting the sunlight wash over it. Kitty was furiously scribbling down notes, Julia
"Hey, Silver, I just had an idea!" Sango said, looking down at the Castform on her lap.
"Cast?"
"Well, grass types like sunlight, right? So use sunny day!"
Silver's expression brightened and he floated up into the air, glowing with orange energy. The energy shot up into the air, and the sunlight grew more intense, the temperature rising a up to the point where they started sweating.
Silver, meanwhile, began to shift. His torso became a light white billowing sheet, and his head turned a bright orange and red. Spheres grew out from his head, to make him resemble a small sun.
"Wow, what was that?" Kitty asked, her eyes widening.
"It's Silver's ability," Sango said, smiling proudly. "Castform are capable of transforming into one of three different forms depending on the weather. This is his Sunlight Form. He's also transformed into a fire type now."
Blake was surprised. Before, his Sunkern had just been relaxing calmly, but now it was bouncing around haphazardly and shaking.
"Interesting…" Blake said, scratching down on paper the reactions that the Sunkern was making.
"Look at my Hoppip!" Sango said, excited. The grass/flying pokemon was jumping around in the air, a bright smile on its face, dancing around the Castform.
"It must have the ability Chlorophyll," Julia said. "My Oddish has it too. It doubles the speed of a pokemon in strong sunlight."
"Cool," Sango said, writing down the information. "Ability… chlorophyll…"
"My Sunkern looks like it's having a seizure," Blake said.
"Its ability must be Solar Power."
Blake turned to see Serefina looking over his shoulder.
"Solar Power raises Sunkern's special attack in heavy sunlight, but it also causes damage after a while," Serefina explained.
"Oh, that's too bad…" Blake said, frowning.
"Okay, Silver, cut it off," Sango said, frowning. Silver nodded, the sunlight dying down, reverting to her normal form.
"So, what have you guys found out so far?" Serefina asked.
Kitty looked down, completely silent, while Sango was abuzz.
"Oh, man, my Hoppip is so much fun! See, when the sunlight turned on, she was bouncing all over the place and full of energy! So cool!"
"Nice," Serefina said, nodding. "Katherine, what about you?"
Kitty remained silent. She was entranced by something on her feet, looking down at the ground like her life depended on it.
"Well, both our Oddish react in different ways," Julia said. "See, hers dug underground, while mine was just lying on the ground. But when the sun came out, it began running around like it was filled with energy."
"Excellent!" Serefina said, clapping her hands. "Keep on going! Try and find out as much as you can!"
Serefina skipped off, her chest bouncing.
"So, what's with that?" Sango asked, turning to Kitty. "Shy, huh?"
Kitty nodded.
"…We… don't get along…"
"Why not?" Julia asked.
"Her boobs are too big…" Kitty said.
Oh, that makes sense… The three of them thought collectively.
The four of them continued observing their grass types, when Julia noticed something.
"Who's that?" Julia asked, noticing a girl hiding behind a tree a few feet away from them.
"I noticed her before…" Kitty said, frowning. "But I didn't say anything…"
"Urg…" the girl realized they'd noticed her, and stepped out from behind the tree. She had messy brown hair and green eyes, and looked embarrassed.
"What is it?" Juliana asked.
"Um, here…" the girl said, handing Blake an envelope. She ran off, all eyes turning to Blake.
"Ooh…" Sango teased. "Is it a love letter?"
"Maybe she saw your battle against Akira and wanted to confess!" Juliana said.
"Guys, don't be stupid," Blake said, shaking his head. He opened the envelope and took out the letter within it, scented with the fragrance of some flower.
The letter was neatly written in cursive, Blake finding it hard to read.
"Um... let me see…" Blake squinted, trying to remember what the symbols meant.
"'Blake Harker, I am writing you this letter to issue you a request. Please do me the great honor of a battle with you. If you wish to accept my request, please meet me tonight at Roselia Gardens at 8:00. I will be anticipating your reply. Cordialement, Alcea Vermeil.'"
"That's the weirdest love letter I've ever seen," Julia said, frowning.
"It's not a love letter, it's an invitation to battle," Blake said.
"So, someone's intrigued after seeing your battle, huh?" Sango asked. "Maybe it IS a love letter."
"Well, we'll just have to see," Blake said.
That night, Blake was heading out of his room, but Reiner grabbed his arm.
"So, Blake, going to make out with Cynthia for a little?" Reiner asked, smirking.
"Seriously, guys?"
"Fine, tell me, what are you really doing?"
Blake sighed, and handed Reiner the note. He and Nick looked it over, before turning back to Blake.
"Whoa, a challenge for a battle?" Reiner asked.
"That's so cool…" Nick said, surprised.
"Okay, we're coming with you!" Reiner said.
"What? Why?"
"Dude, this'll be cool! No way do we want to miss it!"
"Fine, whatever…" Blake said, shaking his head.
He headed out, Sango and Julia meeting up with him. And Cynthia was with them.
"So everyone's coming, huh?" Blake asked, eyeing Cynthia wearily.
"Come on, what's wrong?" Cynthia asked, smiling.
"Never mind…" Blake said, shaking his head.
"Kitty wanted to come too, so let's stop off and pick her up, 'kay?" Julia asked. "She's in Charmander House."
"Good, that's on the way," Sango said, opening up the map. The group of six headed out, stopping outside of Charmander House for Kitty to meet up with them. They headed into the rose garden near the House, everyone marveling at the beauty of it.
"Wow…" There were large plots of earth with different varieties of flowers planted in them, forming rows leading up to a center plaza. The entirety of the garden was sewn with grass, and the walls of the garden were made up of large rose covered hedges. There were even several large berry trees growing in the garden, and the entire place was illuminated by streetlights.
Blake noticed the girl who had given the note was standing in front of him.
"So, about this battle…"
The girl snorted, shaking her head.
"I'm not the one you'll fight. Our Queen is this way."
The girl turned and walked down the main path towards the clearing, the group following after her. Standing in the center of the clearing was a group of around 20-30 girls, staring at them.
"Anyone else feeling really uncomfortable?" Reiner asked.
"…" Nick didn't say anything, but remained silent. Kitty moved behind Julia.
"Your highness, why did you want to fight a foolish man like him?" the brown haired girl demanded, walking over to the crowd.
"Ne vous inquietez pas, Kate." A soft voice could be heard from behind the crowd of girls. One girl walked forth from within the pack, a warm smile on her face. The girl had rose colored hair that reached down to her shoulders in the back, but two long fringes reached down past her chest on either side, framing her pale face. She had light green eyes that were flickering in the lamp light, and, to Blake's surprise, seemed to be wearing a modified uniform. Instead of the standard uniform of a red skirt and grey vest, she was instead wearing a red coat similar to those worn by the boys, covering a white shirt and a red tie. Her clothes were tight and clung to her frame, and her red skirt was much longer than those of the other girls, reaching down to her knees, and covered black tights. Pinned to the sleeve of her coat was a red armband, signifying that she was both majoring in battles, and at the very least was a junior.
"Bonjour, Blake Harker," the girl said, smiling. "Mon nom est Alcea Vermeil."
"You're from Kalos?" Blake asked, surprised.
"Oui. Mais, I can speak in English if you wish."
"Yeah, that would be better."
"It is a pleasure to meet you." The girl grabbed the hem of her skirt, lifting it as she knelt, curtsying as though accepting a dance. "If you please, would you do me the honor of a battle?"
So, we'll see how Blake manages to do against a junior.