Well, finally, here's another chapter. Slight delays due to difficulty figuring out how best to incorporate information. The tournament will resume next chapter. But this is a long one. So brace yourselves.
Tambry96bj: Sadly now that Elaina's returned to wearing her mask, that may be a long time coming.
Advanceshipping rocks: Hilariously I also agree with that ship. But this is not the place to discuss that. Don't foist your ships on other people's stories. Leave bitch.
Superblal: The depth of Elaina's knowledge about the feelings of those around her and how they feel about her is dependent on her state of denial. This will receive more focus moving forward. Unfortunately, I don't plan on anyone figuring out her identity for a while yet; after all, it wouldn't do for her to have her expose her true nature to the people she wants to see her like a friend.
Duskzilla: Happy birthday!
Darkhammer: Yup, and there will be more surprises to come yet!
Hellraiserphoenix: The typings of the Eight Leaders are:
1st: Callie, Fighting
2nd: Miran, Normal
3rd: Dokukage, Bug
4th: Elle, Ice
5th: Raizer, Electric
6th: Alcea, Grass
7th: Rafe, Psychic
8th: Gerard, Rock
Number13teen: Yep, Blake's backstory is pretty convoluted, and will slowly be revealed as the story goes on.
ReallyRaichu: Welcome back.
Jay Hayden: Sorry to hear about your hardships, welcome back.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 66
"Dakota, are you still stalking Akira's facebook profile?" Serefina asked. The two were preparing for bed the night before the day off, Dakota staring intently at her phone.
"Sh-shut up!" Dakota said, frowning. "I'm not facebook stalking him! I'm looking at the footage of the cameras I installed in his room, geez!"
"…Are you kidding?" Serefina demanded, her expression turning serious. Dakota ignored her and kept growling at the screen, fuming with anger.
"What is up with that guy, saying stuff like that…" she grumbled, dropping her phone onto the pillow, rolling over and staring up at the ceiling in frustration.
"It's not like we could just go back to how things were before… or anything…" She mumbled, turning over and burying her face in her pillow to hide her flushed complexion. A knock on the door drew the attention of both girls, who were surprised that someone would be calling on them this late.
Serefina got out of bed to go answer the door, when her phone beeped. She reached over to her nightstand and picked it up, turning on her bedside light and reading the text through bleary eyes.
"Oh come on…" she muttered, standing up. "It's too late for these kind of games…"
She stormed over to the door and flung it open, Akira flinching in panic.
"Akira?" Dakota said, surprised. "Come for a late-night rendezvous with Serefina, hm?"
"Serefina…" Akira hissed. "Didn't you read my text?"
"No!" Serefina snapped. "I'm done! It's 11:00 at night, and I don't have the energy to put up with this stupid military escalation between you and Dakota!"
"What's the text say?" Dakota demanded, narrowing her eyes. She leapt out of bed and snatched Serefina's phone.
"'Serefina, it's me. Don't open the door. Just come out. I don't want to see Dakota.'" Dakota read. "Oh, you piece of-"
"Bring it," Akira growled.
"ENOUGH!" Serefina cried, shocking the two. "I told you, I'm through! Now, you two are going to make up and be friends again, or… or, I'm too tired to think of what! But it's gonna be bad, got it?!"
The two glanced at each other, and then looked away.
"There, that's better. If you can't be civil, be quiet," Serefina said. "Now. Akira. What is so important that you had to come here this late at night?"
"Well, um… I wanted to talk to you in private, but-"
"It's too late for private," Serefina snapped.
"Well, um, I wanted to go see Satsuki tomorrow," Akira explained. "So I was wondering…"
"Oh!" Serefina's expression softened. "Okay, sure. No problem. I can set that up."
"Satsuki?" Dakota asked, frowning. "Who, exactly, is Satsuki?"
"None of your business," Akira snapped.
"Friends."
Akira muttered something, then forced a smile to his face. "Don't worry about it, Dakota."
"Hah, that's a great expression!" Dakota chuckled, picking up her camera. "Come on, let's see that contrite 'smile' of yours, Akira!" She danced around him, taking multiple pictures while cackling. "We're 'friends' after all, right?"
"…" Akira bit his lip, and his smile slipped off his face as he knocked the camera out of Dakota's hand in frustration. "That's enough, cut it out!"
"Ah!" Dakota cried, running over to her camera. It was smashed to pieces. "Noooo! How could you! You broke it!"
Dakota sobbed, Serefina looking sadly after her and even Akira was feeling a little guilty.
"Hey, it was an accident, I'm sorry," Akira said, Dakota looking up at him angrily.
"It was just a joke!" She shouted. "But you always, always… urgh! Stupid! Just go away! Go hang out with this 'Satsuki' or whatever, jerk!" She ran over to her bed and buried her head in the sheets, muffling her sobbing of (maybe) real tears.
"Akira, I think you should go," Serefina suggested. "I'll contact you tomorrow, okay?" Akira nodded.
That morning, it was Akira's turn to be greeted with a knock on the door. He yawned and walked over to the door, opening it. Dakota's smiling face greeted him, and his expression twisted into a frown. He swung the door shut, but Dakota jammed her foot in the entryway and pushed past him, flouncing into his room.
"What are you doing here?" Akira demanded. "Just leave me alone."
"Come on now," Dakota sighed. "After what you did last night? You really gonna ask for something like that?"
"What I did?" Akira said, frowning.
"You broke my camera!" Dakota cried, whirling around to confront him. "It was my absolute favorite camera, and you smashed it to pieces! You didn't even apologize!"
Akira was pretty sure he had apologized, but it was so late that he couldn't really remember. He didn't want to belabor the point anyway, he just wanted the girl gone.
"So for now, I'm going to have you pay me back!" Dakota demanded. "You're coming with me to buy a new camera!"
"No, I won't." Akira objected.
"What's going on?" Akira turned to his roommate, Daryl, who had woken up in the commotion.
"Oh, hey Daryl," Dakota waved. "I'm just playing with Akira a little."
"Oh, cool," Daryl nodded, going back to sleep. Dakota turned back to Akira. "So, it's kinda weird that you're living with the guy you're fighting tomorrow, yeah?"
"Just leave," Akira insisted.
"…No, I don't think I will," Dakota said, shaking her head. "I've set my mind on it. I'm gonna bug you until you agree, got it? And you won't be able to do a thing about it." She reached into her skirt pocket and withdrew a tape recorder. "If you try to throw me out using force, well…"
"This is Dakota Evans, recording this conversation for use in-"
Akira grabbed the recorder out of her hand. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, huffing, a flop of hair blowing out of her eyes.
…And then she pulled out another tape recorder. Akira rolled his eyes and Dakota smirked.
"Break this one too, if you want," Dakota chortled. "I'm running a tab."
"It was all fake, wasn't it?" Akira asked. "Those crocodile tears last night?"
"Yup~" Dakota giggled, nodding triumphantly. "And if it makes you feel better, I've got this whole thing recorded somewhere you won't be able to find it. So just give it up."
Akira said nothing.
"Stubborn," Dakota huffed. "Fine then." She pranced around his room, pulling open drawers and checking in between his shelves.
"Hey, stop messing with my stuff," Akira insisted.
"Make me," Dakota smirked, leaping up onto his desk, sitting down on a pile of papers as she kicked her legs out, smirking. "I'm having a blast. Tell you what, Akira, agree with my demand, and I'll get down right now!"
"Just get off," Akira said, reaching for her, trying to pull her off. The two struggled for a moment before Dakota fell off in a clutter of papers and desk-crap. When the dust settled, Akira was on top of Dakota and had her pinned to the ground. Their faces were inches away from each other. Dakota gulped and began to breathe faster, and she leaned upwards toward him… and suddenly another stack of papers fell off the desk, covering the two of them.
"…Phew, that was… um… something… I guess it's quite a mess!" Dakota babbled, her face bright red. Akira got off of her and she stood up, swiping papers off of her face, when one caught her eye.
"Huh? This is…" Dakota glanced at the small item, a photograph. It seemed rather old. It was a picture of two children. One of them was a boy with brown hair and brown eyes that looked eerily like Akira, and the other one was a girl. Before she could get a good look at her, however, Akira snatched the photo from her.
"Don't look at that," Akira said, frowning.
"That was you, wasn't it?" Dakota asked. Akira didn't say anything, but he nodded. He shoved the photo into his pocket.
"I see…" Dakota said, frowning. "That girl…"
"Don't talk about her," Akira said, clutching the curved pendent around his neck. His voice was shockingly cold.
"I… I won't," Dakota said quietly.
"You wanted me to buy you a new camera or whatever, right?" Akira sighed. "Fine, you got it."
Dakota nodded silently, trailing after him.
"Awesome!" As they walked out of the mall, Dakota's mood had markedly improved from before. She cradled her brand new camera to her cheek, practically skipping out the door. "Aw, it's even got better specs than my old one!"
"Yeah," Akira frowned. "Now, if you don't mind, I have an appointment to get to."
"With Satsuki, right?" Dakota asked, Akira flinching. "…Is that her name? …The picture girl?"
She reached out and grabbed his arm. "Can I come? I know I'm the last person you want to hang out with, but… I mean…"
"Yeah, I get it. You're after the story, right?" Akira said. "Fine. Since you'd tag along after me anyway, you might as well come now."
No… that's not… Dakota thought for a moment, but didn't say anything. Once again, she followed after him.
"Geez, why is this place so far away, huh?" Dakota complained. She and Akira were busy walking through the wilderness out behind a school, in the direction of what Serefina claimed to be one of the habitats of student-owned pokemon that were harder to manage and therefore not often exposed to the less experienced students in caretaking courses. Unlike the more properly maintained Floette Fields and other, controlled habitats, the current terrain was like a wilderness trek, something Dakota was not at all prepared for.
"Quit whining, we're here," Akira shouted back sharply, Dakota scowling in the direction his voice had come from. When she finally caught up to him, he was sitting down at the side of a large lake, far larger than the ones normally seen on campus.
"So, you're having your rendezvous here, huh?" Dakota sniggered. "Well, I'll hide back, I guess, I'd hate to ruin your 'game'." Clutching her new camera in preparation, Dakota walked back toward the bushes. Akira rolled his eyes.
"What are you doing?" He sighed.
"Oh, just think of me as a fly on the wall~" Dakota hummed.
"Not hard with all your pestering buzzing around," Akira muttered. "There's no need to hide. You won't find much of a scoop." Dakota sighed in frustration, walking out from her hiding place to come up beside Akira.
"Satsuki! I'm back!" He called out across the lake. A shadowy figure began moving within the depths of the water just outside of Dakota's view. The shadow drew closer and grew larger with frightening speed as whatever dwelt beneath charged towards them.
The water broke and a massive red serpent erupted from below, lunging toward the shore with a roar.
"G-Gyarados!" Dakota shouted. "Get down!" She whirled around and pushed Akira, who stumbled back in surprise. Dakota landed on top of him, her eyes shut in fear as she held her arms out across his chest.
"…What are you doing?" Akira asked.
Dakota's eyes snapped open and she realized she hadn't been eaten.
"…What indeed." Dakota practically flew off of Akira after understanding what she'd just done, embarrassed with herself.
Akira sat up, looking at the red Gyarados in front of them as Dakota backed away worriedly. The large pokemon was a bright red, an odd color for a Gyarados, but that wasn't the only odd thing about it. Across the left side of its face, over the crest on its head, was a long, jagged scar that traveled down across its eye, separating into two paths beneath the pokemon's eye like a branching river. But the strangest thing about it was the expression on its face. Though the Gyarados had greeted them with a roar, its face was… calm. Tranquil, even. It simply loomed in front of them, sticking out of the river, its massive jaws curled up into what was… a smile? Dakota wasn't sure if something like that was even possible.
"Hey there, Satsuki." Akira stood up, walking over to the Gyarados, reaching a hand out. The red Gyarados lowered its head own to him and nuzzled lovingly against his hand as he gently stroked its crest.
"Uwaah…" Dakota gasped, reaching for her camera. A… a loving and gentle Gyarados?! And it's red! What a story!
Seconds from the shutter Dakota's finger froze as she saw Akira's face.
If I take a picture of him right now… Akira's gonna get really mad… and he'll break my new camera… Ooh, this is tough…
Dakota sighed and returned the camera to its bag, shrugging in defeat.
"Sorry I haven't been by to see you recently," Akira said. "Are you doing okay? There's a lot of room out here, you know? I thought you might like it. It wasn't easy getting this space reserved, I owe Serefina more favors than I can count…"
"I…" Akira glanced back at Dakota, whose expression was a mixture of confusion and anxiety, quite an uncommon sight. "I didn't know you had a Gyarados. Why don't you use her in battles?"
"I have, a few times," Akira said, returning his gaze to his Gyarados. "Before I came here. But I guess… I don't like having to rely on her."
"Huh? What? 'Rely'? Isn't she your pokemon?" Dakota asked, frowning.
"…" Akira remained silent for a while, stroking Satsuki with an even expression.
"Satsuki… why don't you go back for now?" Akira asked. "I'll call you back soon, okay?"
"…" Satsuki stared into his eyes, and bowed her head in a nod, before diving back into the water.
Akira turned to the lake and sat down at the edge, leaving a spot open beside him that Dakota took as an invitation. She kicked her shoes and socks off and sat down next to him, dipping her feet in the water.
Akira reached into his pocket and withdrew the picture from before, glancing at it solemnly. It was driving Dakota insane. A picture of Akira's past, and she barely got a glance! She couldn't see it very clearly now, either! Her curiosity eventually got the best of her, and she strained her neck to look over Akira's shoulder in an effort to get a better view.
"…You could have asked," Akira said, pushing the picture towards her.
"I thought you'd say no," Dakota said, taking the old picture from his fingers and giving it another look over. She could clearly make out the girl standing next to Akira, she was about the same age as him. Maybe around 10, maybe slightly older. Definitely a few inches taller, at least. She wore a children's yukata, so it might have been for a festival of some kind. (The festival in the background didn't hurt that estimation either) The yukata was a deep red with yellow-gold flowers, but it was old. Even in the old picture, Dakota could see that it was slightly worn, and too short to fit properly. It must have been worn many years in a row. Dakota's eyes slid up the page to look at the girl's face, the pale skin standing out in the evening light of the festival. The girl had a mischievous grin not out of place on a young girl, and her hair was black and cut in a short bob. Her shining golden eyes drew attention to her face, and it was there when Dakota saw something that made her blood run cold. Although the girl's bangs covered up her forehead, a jagged scar ran down from behind them and over her left eye. It broke into two sections and stopped about halfway down her cheek, like a winding river.
"This is…" Dakota's eyes immediately shot to the lake. This couldn't be a coincidence… could it? Dakota was never the sort to believe in coincidences. It was always more reasonable (and fun) to assume that there was something going on behind the scenes, some untold secret shared by one or more parties. But this… an identical scar… Dakota didn't really believe a lot of the craziness she espoused, but even she was having a hard time finding an explanation for this photo.
Dakota's considerations were suddenly interrupted when Akira began talking.
"My hometown… is a small village in the mountains of Johto," he began. "When I say small, I mean really small. There were only about 150 people living there or so… and many of the were old people who'd lived their whole lives in the village… there weren't many families… and the only friend around my age… was Satsuki…"
6 Years Earlier
The town I'm from is known as Ascension Town. It's called that because even though it is sparsely populated, it's still well-known as the place with the highest lake in the region, Ascension Lake. At the top of a mountain, Ascension Lake cascades down into many smaller lakes, which separated into their own tributaries. Every year, in the spring and summer months, Magikarp from all across the region return home to spawn, struggling to climb the massive waterfalls that connect the lakes of the mountain. And one of those lakes is right beside my town. Because of that, every day on Children's Day, we celebrate by hanging streamers of Magikarp and Gyarados and hold a festival in celebration of the children of the village. As few as there might be.
"Satsuki…" Akira panted, breaking through the forest to the lake edge. It was their special place, and the one place he could always find her when she was missing. "The fireworks are going to start soon… I need to find my parents, so… Gimme back… my necklace…!"
"Pfft. You should stop wearing that girly thing," Satsuki laughed, glancing back at him. She sat at the edge of the water with her sandals at her side, kicking at the surface carefreely. "Although I guess it's suitable for a wimp like you, eh?"
"It's a gift from my mom!" Akira cried. "You… you have to give it back!"
"Fine, fine," she shrugged. "If you want it so badly, go get it then." She pointed her finger out toward a large tree a few feet away, whose branches stretched out over the lake. On the furthest branch, dangling over the water, was a small silver pendant shaped like two intercrossed curved moons.
"Come on, come on, you better get it!" Satsuki called out to him. Akira held on to the branch with one hand as he stretched his other hand out toward the pendant, standing on his toes on a rock on the shore.
"Almost… got…" Akira's fingers brushed against the pendant as he lost his balance, falling into the lake.
"Bwahaha!" Satsuki burst out laughing as Akira surfaced, the lake water obscuring the tears in his eyes. She hopped to her feet and began climbing the tree, gracefully crawling across the branch until she reached the necklace, slipping it free. She sat down, hanging her legs over the water and staring down at Akira, twirling the necklace on her finger.
"Pretty pathetic, Akira, you couldn't even manage to get it back, hunh?"
"Satsuki!" Akira cried again, wiping his face as continued to cry.
Satsuki used to bully me a lot… But she also took care of me. She'd show me all sorts of cool hiding places and secret spots she would go… and whenever I felt like crying, she'd always say or do something that could make me smile… so I didn't mind so much… we were each other's best and only friends… and it seemed like we were always together doing something. There were only a few other kids in town, and they were all a lot younger than we were… so it was like all we had were each other.
But Satsuki… she needed me a lot more than I needed her.
"Hah! You're still such a child, Akira! Adults don't cry over something like this!" Satsuki and Akira had both returned to the shore. Akira's yukata was still soaked through, and Satsuki was wearing his necklace like a badge of victory.
"I'm not crying!" Akira lied. "My face is just wet from the lake!"
"Oh really?" Satsuki smirked, leaning in closely to him. "Let's take a good look then."
"N-no, get back!" Akira said, pushing her backwards.
"Ah! AAAAH!" Satsuki cried out, stumbling back and falling into the water.
"Satsuki!" Akira shouted. Satsuki emerged from the water, thrashing, Akira helping her out.
"No! No!" Satsuki said, clutching her body and shivering. She curled into a ball in the grass. "I got my yukata wet! If… dad sees this, then…"
She began trembling and tearing up.
"It-it's okay, we'll go find my mom, okay?" Satsuki nodded, looking up at him. He helped her to her feet and took her by the hand, and the two of them returned to the festival grounds to look for Akira's parents.
"My word! Look at the two of you! You're soaked from your heads to your toes!" Akira's mother scolded, frowning. "Come on now, we'll go back to our house, and get the two of you into some dry things! What were you doing, playing in the lake, anyway? In your festival clothes, too! I know summer may be coming soon, but it's still springtime! You'll catch colds, you know!"
"Sorry, mom/auntie…" the two apologized, looking down contritely.
Back at Akira's house, his mother ushered them both upstairs.
"Now, into the bath with the both of you while I clean your clothes, got it?"
"Bath?!" Akira gasped. "With Satsuki?! But she's-"
"Akira, the two of you have taken baths since you were in diapers! We don't want to waste any of the hot water! So up! Up!"
"Yes, mom," Akira nodded.
The two kids sat in the tub, back to back, knees pressed against their chests.
"So Akira, why were you so nervous to take a bath with me, hm?" Satsuki asked. Akira's face flushed and he sunk lower into the water, mumbling.
"W-well, I mean, because I'm… a boy… and you're… a…"
"A what?" Satsuki asked, tilting her head back and poking him in the shoulder, smirking. "A what? A what? A what?"
"A… a girl…" Akira mumbled, Satsuki throwing back her head and cackling.
"Come on, Akira, only little kids still worry about stuff like that!"
"Stop calling me a kid!" Akira cried. "You're only a few months older than me! So if I'm a kid so are you!"
"Fine, fine," Satsuki waved him off. "What's the big deal, anyway? It's just bathing. Like auntie said, we've done it a whole bunch."
"Yeah, but…"
"I get it, you know?" Satsuki said, her voice turning serious. "I… I don't like looking at them, either." She raised her hand to cup her left cheek, feeling the uneven scar running across it. Both of them knew it was far from the only mark left on her body.
Satsuki's home life was a nightmare. Her mother died when she was just a baby, and her father never recovered from it. He drank and gambled away his meager earnings, and treated Satsuki like trash. Whenever he got angry at his life he would drink, and whenever he drank too much he would only get angrier, and more violent. And when it got to be too much, Satsuki would bear the brunt of his frustration on her body. Cigarette burns, bruises, broken bones, they had plagued the poor girl for as long as she could remember. Once, when she tried to fight back, her father had smashed a bottle across her face. It required 120 stitches to put her face back together, and it was only by a miracle that she hadn't lost sight in her eye. The scar had never gone away.
"It's not like that, really!" Akira said, turning around to face her. "I don't… I don't hate looking at you, honest! I just… you're a girl, and I mean…"
Satsuki looked back at him, stunned and touched by his words. This expression of awe lasted for all of half a second before her lips curled up in a teasing and playful smirk.
"Oh? So Akira likes looking at me, hm?" She asked, leaning in close to him. "You're nervous? A pervert? A pervert? Akira's a perveeert?"
"No, I'm not, stop it!" Akira said. "It's just, it's just I…"
"That's enough teasing for now, I think," Satsuki interrupted, getting out of the bathtub. "I'm going to go change."
Satsuki coming over to Akira's house was an all too common occurrence. Because of that, she kept a lot of her clothes at his house. Akira never left any of his clothes at Satsuki's place, though. He didn't really want to go over there, and she never invited him over, either.
Akira got out of bath and changed into a shirt and shorts, and walked downstairs to where Satsuki and his mother were working to prepare dinner.
"Oh, there he is now," Akira's mother said, Satsuki looking up at Akira. "I'm just showing Satsuki how to prepare Magikarp. You know, most people say that it's just scales and bone, but that's not true, you know. You just have to look carefully at what's below the surface and you can find the real meat beneath!"
"Thanks for the lessons, auntie," Satsuki said, smiling gratefully up at her.
"Oh, don't mention it, Satsuki," Akira's mother giggled. "I love having a daughter around the house to teach all my cooking skills to."
Akira rolled his eyes.
"I'm not your daughter yet, though," Satsuki reminded her. "Akira and I still have to get married, after all. But he keeps being so stubborn!"
"Yes, that's the problem," Akira's mother sighed, taking the plates of food to the dining room table. "Why, his father would never come out about how he felt, so eventually I was the one who had to propose."
"Boys really are stupid," Satsuki smirked, glancing meaningfully at Akira.
"Now he goes out late fishing just to put food on the table…" Akira's mother sighed. "Oh well…"
The three began eating in silence.
"I'm sorry…" Satsuki whispered.
"Hm?" Akira said, glancing over to her.
"I'm sorry we had to miss the fireworks because of me…" She repeated.
"Oh, are you worried about that?" Akira's mother laughed. "Don't be! We have it every year, after all! It's not like it's some big thing, anyway. The two of you can go next year. Wouldn't that be nice?"
"Yeah, I'd really like that," Satsuki said, reaching out to hold Akira's hand under the table.
"…Whatever," Akira said, glancing away from her, his cheeks turning red.
"So, Satsuki, are you going to be staying over tonight?" Akira's mother asked.
"…Can I?" Satsuki asked. "It's a festival…"
"Whatever you'd like," Akira's mother reassured her.
"My dad… is going to be out drinking all night… since it's a festival… so if I could… can I stay?"
"Of course," Akira's mother said, smiling warmly, Satsuki's face brightening.
That night, Akira and Satsuki were tucked in warmly in Akira's bed.
"Hey, Akira… are you asleep?"
"No…"
"Can we… talk for a little, then?"
"I guess so…"
"You're going soon, right?" Satsuki asked. "You're going to be a pokemon trainer…"
"When I turn ten…" Akira confirmed.
"I see… Then I guess that means you'll be leaving town…"
"…"
"I… I wanted to do that too… when I turned ten…" Satsuki admitted. "I dreamt about it a lot… I would go on a journey far from Ascension Town… and catch a whole bunch of pokemon… and see a whole bunch of stuff… but my dad… he said 'pokemon? What a useless thing. If you leave here, who's gonna clean the damn house, brat?!' and then he…"
Akira could hear the soft sniffling sounds of Satsuki's tears.
"You know… if you stayed here… you and me… we would grow older…" Akira must have missed Satsuki turning over in the bed, because now her voice was right next to his ear, and her breath was tickling his neck. "We'd get taller… and spend more time together… and we'd grow old… and get married… right?"
Her hand found his in the dark, squeezing onto it tightly.
"Auntie would be my mom… Uncle would be my dad… and we'd be together… right…?"
Akira remained silent, feeling the warmth coming off of Satsuki's hand.
"I guess the time when we're together like this… will be coming to an end soon…" As Akira began dozing off to sleep, Satsuki's murmurs drifted into his ears, so soft and distant he questioned if they were real.
That morning, Satsuki was gone. This wasn't unusual, as she would often stay the night and be gone first thing in the morning, so Akira didn't question it. He knew where she would be, anyway. He got dressed and ate breakfast, and then headed off to their special place.
The lake glistened calmly and serenely in the morning light when Akira arrived. It was a stark contrast to the night before, when the lights from the festival drifted out over the water, causing the surface to look like it was dancing and teeming with life. Now, it was so… tranquil.
"So calm…" Satsuki's spoke in agreement, not turning her gaze from the water's edge. She was still dressed in her red yukata, even though the festival was long over. "I came out so early, but it's the same as every other day. It's like there wasn't even a festival last night…"
"And yet it isn't really, is it?" Satsuki continued, Akira unsure whether she was speaking to him, or just to herself. She reached down to pick up a smooth, round stone at her side, turning it over in her fingers. She rose to her feet, and with a snap of her wrist sent it hopping skip-skip-skip over the water. Halfway across the lake it sank with a plunk, not one of Satsuki's better throws. Satsuki calmly stared at the ripples echoing out across the surface, the water slowly returning to silence.
"Akira." She turned to him finally, giving him the imperceptible smile she wore when she was thinking something. She raised a hand and beckoned him over, and he complied. When he stepped up to her side she sank back into a crouch, reaching down and stirring the water with her finger.
"Do you know why this lake is so special?" Satsuki asked. Akira rolled his eyes. Even babies knew that.
"This lake and the Children's Day festival… they're both important to the village," Satsuki continued. "But do you know why?"
Akira paused. The Children's Day festival last night was the same as it always was, right? It had never seemed particularly important to Akira before, what was the big deal. He thought for a moment.
"…Because… of the koinobori?" Akira asked. "They're Magikarp and Gyarados, right?"
Satsuki nodded.
"We talked about it in class. Weren't you paying attention?" She giggled. "Children's Day is very special to this village… because this is the place where the legend of Magikarp and Gyarados originate."
"Huh? Legend? You mean how they come here from all across the region to spawn?"
"Yes," Satsuki said, looking out over the lake. "Look. Right now, this lake is teeming with Magikarp, desperately mating with each other. But there's more." She turned her head to the large waterfall on the other side of the lake, its roar reaching them all the way on the far end.
"Legend states that the reason Magikarp are so pathetic is because they spend their entire lives saving up their energy for one important day. Until that day comes, all they can do is flop, splash, and jump around."
Satsuki's tone was oddly serious, so Akira didn't have the heart to interrupt her to tell her that he'd heard this story already from his parents.
"Every year, before spring turns to summer, the Magikarp gather at the base of this great waterfall to mate. And then, to test themselves, they threw their bodies upon the waterfall in a desperate hope to swim up its currents. And when they made it to the peak successfully, the stored energy in their body is released. They cast aside their feeble and worthless bodies and ascend to become Gyarados."
Satsuki looked at the waterfall with a gaze mixed of whimsy and slight envy.
"That's why we fly the streamers on Children's Day," Akira recalled, "because Magikarp and Gyarados symbolize overcoming adversity and achieving success."
"Exactly," Satsuki murmured. "You're lucky, Akira. Free of this town, you'll be able to swim in the open sky, while I remain a helpless like Magikarp, floundering uselessly below the surface, never to taste it for myself."
"Satsuki…" the bitterness in her voice cut Akira deeply.
"I'm worried, Akira," she said, standing up and turning to him. She reached out and placed her finger on his cheek. Akira flinched. It was still wet from the water. She traced it from his eye down toward his chin, drawing a tear.
"You're such a scaredy-cat, I'm afraid you may never be able to become a Gyarados. You just aren't brave enough…" Her finger reached his lips.
"But I am."
"I won't be an unlucky Magikarp. If dad won't let me leave, then I'll be free on my own. Just like the Magikarp, I'll cast off the disgusting body of mine and soar into the heavens and become a Gyarados."
Akira didn't say anything, in part because of Satsuki's finger insistently pressing against his lips and in part because he wasn't sure what to say. This atmosphere around the two was a strange one. What did she mean by becoming a Gyarados? It didn't make any sense.
She removed her finger and stared at him, as though expecting him to say something. But what could he say? She searched him silently with her eyes and then smiled, turning back to look over the water.
"Yes… and then, we can be free together. Even if you're scared, you can be brave because I'll be with you. I'll be your strength."
The day, Akira and Satsuki played by the lake until the sun began to set.
"Are you going home?" Akira asked. Satsuki nodded.
"Dad will expecting me to make dinner soon, so…" she let it hang there. They both knew what her father expected.
"I'm going to talk to my parents," Akira said. "It's not fair that I get to go on a pokemon journey and you don't. Maybe they can do something to convince your dad to let you come with me…"
Satsuki chuckled, smiling sadly. They both knew that was a slim chance. Akira didn't even know why he said it. Maybe he wanted to give her some hope. It was stupid. Satsuki was always smarter than him, she knew better than he did.
"Here… take this." Satsuki held out her hand, and dropped something into Akira's. It was a small, rounded stone. In the evening light, it seemed to shine, clear oranges, reds, and blues. "It's my treasure. Can… you hold onto it for me? Just for a little while…"
"Uh… yeah, sure," Akira said, nodding. Satsuki smiled in relief.
"See you tomorrow," Akira waved, and Satsuki waved back at him, nodding.
The next morning, there was an uncomfortable atmosphere around the house when Akira woke up.
"Akira… were you playing with Satsuki last night?" His mother asked. Her expression looked serious.
"Is something wrong?" Akira asked, confused.
"That… was Satsuki's father on the phone just now," Akira's mother said, frowning. "He called here because sometimes Satsuki would sleep over at our house… it seems… that Satsuki didn't return home last night."
Akira's blood went cold. He could feel Satsuki's treasure, the polished orange stone, burn intensely in his pocket with a throb.
The town was quickly whipped into an uproar. In such a small town, something like a disappearance, especially that of a young child, was something to draw attention. They looked everywhere they could think of, and commissioned help of the local Pokemon Rangers to scour the mountainside looking for runaways, but no one could find hide nor hair of the girl. By the time the search was concluded, it was a full-blown missing person's case, and the real authorities were called in. Two police vans pulled up to the town, and the search re-resumed.
Satsuki's remains were found two days later.
There was no body to be recovered, however. All they could find was a once-fine, if cheap, red yukata. The police found it while scouring the lake, having been caught on some rocks at the bottom. It had been thoroughly ruined from the water, soaked to the core and coming apart at the seams. Traces tied it back to Satsuki, but as for what happened to the girl herself, they couldn't even find a finger. The case stopped being treated a runaway after that, considering the amount of witnesses having seen her wearing the same yukata at the festival the night before. Using the lake as a center, they began searching the connecting rivers and the banks all along the mountainside, but still no trace. However, buried the base of a large tree on the shore of the lake, a small box was found. Inside was Satsuki's confession. It wasn't a suicide note, though. In fact, it seemed it had been some time since the box had been opened. All that was contained within was a worn diary, detailing in Satsuki's own hand the hell she'd endured for all those years.
The investigation concluded pretty quickly after that. Although there was no direct evidence to tie anything to him, Satsuki's father was taken into custody. Satsuki's recounting of her abuse, combined with the testimony of other residents of the town drew a particularly horrid picture. Akira's parents also gave testimony. Although several members of the village believed she had drowned herself in the lake on purpose, the lack of any suicide note made this questionable. The official police report concluded that in a particularly harsh outburst, Satsuki's father had killed her in a fit of rage, and dumped her body in the lake. Then, he called around to make it out as though she'd gone missing. The lack of a body to be recovered was attributed to the water currents washing her body downstream, although this was a more polite way of stating that it was believed that he had been devoured whole by the seasonally abundant Magikarp populating the lake. Most of the town believed one of those two stories.
Akira was the only one who suspected something else.
Did she… did she do it? Did she really do what she promised… and transform into a Gyarados to finally be free? No… that's insane… even if she did jump into the lake… she wouldn't have turned into anything. She'd just be…
Akira spent a good many nights crying himself to sleep in the month of May. With no other relatives, Akira's family decided to hold a memorial service for Satsuki. But her yukata was still being used as evidence in the court proceedings, and with no body to be recovered they ended up burning a box filled with clothes she'd left over at their house. Everyone understood why Akira was the only one not to go.
Before Satsuki's death, Akira hadn't really wanted to leave. While he wanted to see the world, he had always thought of Ascension Town as his home. But without Satsuki, the town seemed so empty and lonely. How he couldn't wait to be gone, and put the memories of his lost friend behind him.
And so, summer came, and Akira prepared to set out on his journey.
Ascension Town was small, and so it didn't have anything like a Pokemon Center or a residing Pokemon Professor. So all Akira was given to start out his journey was a couple of pokeballs and as much traveling money as his parents could scrape together. With that, he set out on his journey. But before he could leave town, he knew that there was somewhere he had to visit first.
Akira inhaled, trying to steady his nerves. He didn't want to cry. Without Satsuki around, he couldn't go on crying like he always did. He had to be stronger. If he had been strong enough for her to rely on him, then she wouldn't have… things wouldn't have gone the way they had. So he pulled together what strength he could manage, and went to the one place he had been avoiding in the months since Satsuki's disappearance.
Ascension Lake seemed so much smaller now. Satsuki had always made the world look so big to him, but now that he was just seeing it by himself, it really wasn't anything so grand. Just another lake on the mountainside.
Akira stepped forward, out of the trees and onto the bank.
"Hah! Akira, what took you so long, huh? I've been waiting all day for you to show up here!"
Until now, he couldn't bring himself to come back here. This had always been their special place. Whenever Satsuki needed to escape from her house, she would come here. When school let out, he would come and see her play in the dirt or splashing around in the water. It was somewhere that, before, he could always come find her if she wasn't somewhere else.
But now, Satsuki wasn't anywhere to be found at all.
If she was, she would be here. She would have greeted him like always.
But she didn't. So she wasn't.
She was just gone.
"So I guess… this is goodbye." Akira murmured. He couldn't cry now. He wouldn't. If he cried, then he was just proving that he couldn't get anywhere without Satsuki. So even though he felt like his heart was being ripped out all over again, he wouldn't let himself cry. Not here. Not in their special place. He wouldn't-
A loud howl shook the lake's stilled waters. Akira's head snapped up, and he looked at the large crash of water before him, listening to the roar echoing over it. A flash of red came from above, and down from the waterfall descended a long, shimmering form. It hit the water with massive splash and surged toward the shore, erupting from the surface in front of him.
"A… Gyarados!" Akira gaped in shock, as the mis-colored pokemon loomed overhead. It raised its long neck and then lunged down at him, and Akira lifted his arms to futilely try to defend himself. But it was a wasted effort. Rather than attack, the pokemon whose species was known for its aggression sidled up and rubbed against him as affectionately as a puppy.
"Wh-what?" Akira gasped, his hands running against the scaly pokemon's face. His fingers brushed against the rough surface of a scar etched across the pokemon's eye.
"No…" It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. And yet… those words… her promise… could it…
"Just like the Magikarp, I'll cast off the disgusting body of mine and soar into the heavens and become a Gyarados."
"I see… so you really were here… all along…" The tears he had fought to keep inside were coming out now, all the strength he'd built up completely exhausted.
"I'm sorry… it took me so long to come back here… you must have been waiting for a while, huh…?"
It had been a long story. Akira paused after completing it, staring at the water.
"That's the saddest story… I've ever h-heard…" Dakota sobbed, wiping her eyes. "She loved you so much… she became a Gyarados just to see you again."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Wh-what?"
"A human, becoming a Gyarados? Something like that doesn't happen," Akira calmly explained. "There's no way."
"Don't say that!" Dakota said, frowning. "Stuff like that… it may not be easy to believe, but… you can't just…"
She fumbled for words for a few seconds before calming down and wiping her face.
"There are things in this world that simply defy logic and reason, you know!" Dakota said, her face brimming with conviction. "UFOs! Ghosts! Serefina's bra size! The fact that we live in a world like this, you can't just dismiss the idea!"
"All those things have logical explanations though."
"E-even so… Even so! I still choose to believe in stuff like that!" Dakota objected. "As long as there are still strange things, I'm going to keep finding them! That's why, I believe that Satsuki really did become a Gyarados! And what's more, she did it for your sake, as much as her own! From that story, I'm sure of it! Because-" She clamped a hand over her mouth.
"…Because?"
"Because nothing! It's none of your business!" Dakota wailed. "Like I'll tell you something like that!"
"…I see." Akira looked out over the lake again, turning away from Dakota. "Thanks."
"…What?" He asked, turning back to her and looking at the creeped-out expression on her face.
"D-did you just thank me? That's really creepy." Dakota shivered. "I feel like I might be cursed now…"
"Shut it. If wishes were enough to curse you you'd be dead by now."
"Well that's probably true," Dakota laughed. "Agh, but damn it! It's so frustrating! But I guess I'll give up."
Dakota glanced at Satsuki and sighed.
"There's no way I can compete with a girl like that…" she muttered under her breath.
"I mean it though, thanks. To tell you the truth, I also believe that Satsuki, somehow… whether she turned into one, or reincarnated somehow… I know that she's still the same Satsuki I knew. I guess… just hearing it from someone else is nice. I guess that's why I told you, of all people."
"Well, it's nice to be appreciated."
"You are the only idiot gullible to believe something like that was possible, after all."
"Oi! And just when we had a nice mood going, too!?"
"In the end… I guess I didn't really get any better than I was back then, huh?" Akira asked. "I mean… up until I came here… I was just relying on her strength, after all."
"Is that why I've never seen you use her in battle before?" Dakota asked. Akira nodded.
"Back then… when I was starting out, I used to rely on her all the time. But then I realized… that if all I was doing was using Satsuki's power, then it would be like I was still just a weak little kid. So I left her here, and began training my other pokemon, so I could stand with my own strength and show her that she doesn't have to worry about me anymore."
"But then why are you coming here now?"
"The next few battles are going to be getting harder and harder…" Akira sighed. "And without her… I don't think I'll have the strength to pull it off. So in order to win… I need to rely on her power again. It's kind of sad, right? All that dedication, and I just run right back to her when things are starting to look tough."
"…I don't think that's so bad at all," Dakota said, frowning. "What does it matter if you're relying on her strength or your own? Winning is winning, it doesn't matter how."
"This what I mean by your personality being shit."
"Well, excuse me! If you're just gonna whine about it, maybe you should just go lose, huh? Don't worry, I'll be sure to detail just how pathetic you are to not use your best pokemon just because you're too scared to rely on your old girlfriend!"
"I didn't say I was scared!"
"Then just do it, what's the big deal? I'm sure that Satsuki just wants to see you trying your best, right? So it's okay to rely on her, after all!"
"…"
"But man, you really are a loser. How many battles have you thrown away at this school just because you were too proud to use your best pokemon, huh? It's pretty pathetic!"
"Shove it! This is important, you know! I can't just lose these battles!" Akira looked down. "Especially not now…"
"Oh?"
"That girl… Elaina… I need to win against her. I can feel it… she's in pain, battling the way she is. Without Satsuki's help, I won't have a chance at getting through to her, and getting her to stop."
Akira turned to look at Dakota.
"And I'm going to need your help, too."
"…What?! Me?!" Dakota asked, shocked. "Wow, I didn't think you'd have the nerve to actually ask me for a favor! So what is it you want, huh? Candid photos? Who're you after now?"
"I don't care about that tawdry crap," Akira snapped. "I need you to find out as much about that girl Elaina as you can."
"…Really?" Dakota said, holding her chin in contemplation. "She is pretty mysterious… and with that mask, tracking down a likeness would be hard… and the information the school has on her will be restricted… getting ahold of anything tangible by the time you have to fight against her…"
"…"
"Ah, no good! There's no way I can do something like that!"
"Oh, really?" Akira said, smirking. "I didn't ask about whether you can or not. I asked you to do it. I'm surprised that you can doubt yourself this much, and yet still be able to hold your head so high up your ass."
"…" Dakota's eyes flashed at the challenge, and she returned his smirk with one of her own.
"Think I can't get anything on her? I'm the greatest reporter this school has ever seen, you know. The fact that you've asked me personally means it's as good as done, just you watch!"
Akira nodded. "Good. Then I'll rely on your strength a little as well."
"Yup, just you watch me," Dakota grinned. Then she paused and realized what she'd been thinking about.
Wait. I'm seriously competing with a fish right now?
Even when getting praise, there's just no respect for Dakota to be found anywhere.