We'll leave Blake aside for now, and instead return our focus to some of the other characters!

Hellraiserphoenix: I can only hope that the future Ryoko alluded to will someday come true. Or perhaps the future of Blake and Ayame's date. Or maybe a threesome. And throw Sango into the mix. I don't know, whatever works.

Pokemonking0924: Yup. Idols are humans too. And don't worry, I don't think Darla's as bad about guys like Erik as she seems.

Tambry96bj: Ryoko's backstory is a little convoluted. Because we'll be demonstrating it in real time. But on the plus side, I can retcon it however the heck I want because time travel, woo.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 106

Misato had long since worn out her welcome in Will's life. Having barged into his room and declared her intentions to his roommates in such matter-of-fact terms, Will's roommates now looked at him warily and had drawn a curtain between his side of the room and theirs. No matter how much he asserted that no, this wasn't a sex thing, they didn't seem to believe him. It didn't help that Misato had somehow gotten permission from the dorm manager of Charmander Dorm, either.

Even now, he was still dragged out of his nice warm bed by her insistence, and was walking to the library early in the morning so she could return the books she'd checked out and get some more. As glad as he would normally be that she had stopped badmouthing books, he didn't want to spend the rest of his school year in the damn library, and if Misato got his way that would be precisely what he was going to do; unless she managed to finish reading every book there, first.

"Will. I have need of your expertise in human behavior," Misato mentioned to him as they were walking to the library. This certainly wouldn't be good.

"What is it?" Will asked.

"What criteria do humans use to determine their partners for sexual intercourse?" Misato questioned.

Fucking damn it.

"…I… I guess that stuff depends on the person…" Will stuttered, really not interested in discussing human reproduction with an android.

"The data I have at my disposal suggests that humans choose the mates who are most genetically compatible with one another," Misato explained. "However that does not appear to always be the case."

"I… I don't know what you want me to say," Will said, shaking his head.

"There is an error in the book I read last night," Misato continued. "The protagonist made the decision to marry the woman he had saved from the alien, but the logical decision would have been for him to marry the woman he knew since his childhood who saved his life at several points in the story. The reasoning behind this decision was not logical. I would like for you to explain to me the thought process behind it."

"Look, Misato, I don't know, maybe he just thought she was hot," Will grumbled.

"Both characters were described as physically attractive."

"Well, maybe she was more his type! I don't know!"

"Elaborate."

"What? Maybe one was blonde and the other was brunette, I don't know."

"I see. It appears that I need further analysis of the nature of human preferences." Misato and Will walked in silence for a short while, Misato doing some internal calculations.

"It will benefit my processes if you provide me feedback on your preferences." Misato asked the question that Will saw coming from a mile away. "If necessary I am capable of extrapolating that information from your internet activity. However it would be beneficial to have your insight on the topic. I am aware that you like girls that are strange. What further elaboration can you provide on that?"

"I'm not answering that," Will said, his face hot. "We're at the library anyway."

Dodging the question, Will entered the library with Misato following after him. Misato returned her books and Will stood to the side, feeling awkward and uncomfortable, when he spotted someone familiar.

Wonder what Reiner is doing here? Will mused, watching Reiner walking into the stacks of bookshelves. Might as well go say hi.

Misato noted Will walking off, and followed after him.

Reiner turned a corner in the maze of bookshelves.

"Hey, Reiner!"

"Hey."

That's Nikita's voice, Will noted. So… she and Reiner were meeting up to study again today?

Will glanced around the bookshelf, his mouth falling open in shock. Nikita and Reiner were at one of the tables, but they weren't studying. Reiner was leaning down over the table, still standing, and Nikita's head was turned up… and the two were kissing. Heck, not just kissing, they were straight-up making out.

Whoa… Nikita and Reiner? Since when? Will suddenly felt incredibly awkward to be hanging around these two anymore, even if they were his friends. He turned to walk away, only to come face to face with Misato.

Misato opened her mouth, and Will realized that someone like her who absolutely could not read the mood was going to say something at her normal speaking voice, so he shot forward, cramming his hand over her mouth.

"Whaf iffs idh?" Misato vaguely muffled out something similar to "what is it?"

"Quiet," Will hissed in a whisper. "Reduce your volume or something, I don't know?"

Misato's muffled voice lowered, and Will removed his hand.

"Let's go somewhere else," Will whispered.

"Why?"

"It's complicated."

"I will observe the situation for myself before making a decision," Misato declared quietly. She pushed past him and looked around the corner to see what was going on. She stared at the two of them for several long seconds and then stepped forward, Will grabbing her on the shoulder and dragging her back.

"What are you doing?!" Will whispered, though he already had a sinking suspicion he knew exactly what she was intending to do.

"I was going to ask them about what about their partner they each decided was most desirable for them to choose the other as a partner."

Yup, it was exactly as stupid as he expected.

"Let's just go."

"Negative. It is imperative that I record data on kissing. In the books that I read this action was described a non-insignificant number of times in extensive detail. However, all my data on the topic is second-hand. This is my first opportunity to observe the action directly."

"You can't just go out there and watch! This is private!" Right. Like private meant anything to someone like her.

Misato stood silently and stared Will in the eyes. He searched for any trace of life or light, but all he could see was the glassy, dead stare of a girl he now knew was entirely mechanical, down to her very core.

"If it is your desire that I give the two of them privacy then I will do as you request," Misato acquiesced, stepping closer to him. Pressed against the bookshelves, they were so close he could feel her breath on his cheek, which was a fascinating observation. He couldn't understand why a robot would need to breathe, simulated or otherwise.

"In exchange I request that you provide me with further insight into this act."

Wait. She couldn't seriously mean…

Flustered, Will stumbled back, only to realize that "back" was into a bookshelf. He stumbled over his own feet and pulled Misato on top of him, his elbow knocking some books down on top of them. Unfortunately, this made just enough noise to snap Reiner and Nikita out of their make-out session, drawing their attention. Reiner and Nikita separated, their faces bright red, and went to go see what was going on.

Will looked helplessly up at his two friends, Misato straddling him in a rather suggestive pose with her usual stoic face on display. Reiner and Nikita just stared.

"Will?" Nikita gasped, growing redder.

"Well, that's…" Reiner said, scratching the side of his head in embarrassment.

Will seriously wanted to die. No way these two would believe him when he said it was an accident, especially when they had just been doing something rather similar themselves.

"Uh, this is…" What could he even say? He had no idea what-

"Kyaaaaaa!" Misato exclaimed, her face going bright red as she crossed her arms in front of her defensively, leaping to her feet with mechanical fluidity. "You peeping toms!"

"Wh-what?!" Nikita gasped.

"Peeping, w-we…!"

Misato ran away wailing, leaving a stunned and confused Will totally beside himself with the outburst of undeniably human emotions she'd just displayed.

What's going on?!

Will stood up, his face bright red.

"Uh… let's all just say we never saw each other here, yeah?" Will asked. "You don't mention this, I don't mention you guys were… you know."

It was now time for Reiner and Nikita's faces to go red at this revelation, the apparent couple nodding eagerly. Will turned and headed off in the direction Misato had run off toward. As he was looking around for her, though, it quickly became clear that he did not need to look far. Misato approached him straight away, her composure completely regained.

"I have selected the books I would like to check out." Misato declared. That was fast. "It is now acceptable to leave."

"What was that?!" Will hissed.

"Elaborate."

"That… that scream, for starters!" Will said. "You… and your red face, what…?!"

"Oh. That. It was a simple deception that I implemented in order to quickly and efficiently defuse the situation."

"Wait, so that was all just an act?"

"Affirmative. I adjusted my standard operating behavior to reflect that of a character in a book I read yesterday who performed the same actions in a similar circumstance."

"So, wait, are you telling me that you can actually completely display human emotions?"

"Affirmative. Given the appropriate base to start from, any human action, including the replication and enactment of emotions, can be performed as a series of steps to follow. Therefore it is a simple matter to act accordingly to what my data suggests is most optimal to alter a situation in a way that has the greatest positive likelihood."

Wow. Misato was a whole lot more shrewd and calculating than Will had ever given the android credit for. It was actually impressive. Still, there was one glaring problem that Will just couldn't seem to wrap his brain around.

"Then… if you can do that… then why do you always… act like this?"

Misato stared blankly into his eyes.

"Elaborate. In what way am I acting?"

Will pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a long and painful conversation to have with the girl.

Meanwhile, Cynthia and Sango were on their way to the Snorlax Commons to go pick up breakfast to go. Julia and Kitty had remained back in the room, the girls understanding that going outside was way, way too dangerous for Kitty right now, because of all the seniors who were targeting her for some strange reason. Julia had waited behind as well to guard her if the situation came to it.

"Ugh, this is so frustrating," Cynthia grumbled. "Why would anyone want to hurt someone as cute as Kitty? I just don't get it…"

"I reported everything Julia told me to the higher ups on campus security," Sango added. "So hopefully they'll do something about it." Sango wasn't really certain anything would happen, though, she was mostly saying that to come off as comforting.

"Yeah, we should probably be careful too," Cynthia said. "Whoever those guys are, they might come targeting one of us next. Have you heard from Blake? Is he okay? He hasn't been responding to any of my texts. You don't think one of those guys went after him, do you?"

Sango shook her head. "If what Kitty said this morning was true, then he's probably safe…"

"Besides," she muttered under her breath, "he's got Ayame to protect him, so what does he need us for?"

"You know, Sango, you've been pretty irritated for the last few days, everything okay?" Cynthia asked. "Your cycle flaring up, is that it?"

"No, I'm not on my- that!" Sango exclaimed, flustered. "It's just…"

"That test, right? Stressing you out?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sango muttered, nodding. "Something like that."

"Well, I've never worried about tests before," Cynthia said, stretching. "Just go in knowing it isn't a big deal, and then it doesn't matter how you do, right?"

Sango was searching for the precise string of words she could fling in Cynthia's face about how no, actually, this test was very important, but before she could figure out what to say, a sharp voice called the two of them to attention.

"Cynthia Fafnir."

Cynthia and Sango turned around to see a girl with a red armband standing behind them, glaring at the two. She had black hair cut in a sharp bowl cut that framed her face, her angular bangs calling attention to her intense golden eyes.

"Who's she?" Sango whispered.

"Dunno, never seen her before," Cynthia shrugged. "But she's cute. Hey, sweetheart, what's your name?"

"Victoria Carver," the girl said. "And don't call me 'sweetheart'."

"Well, I guess if we're not gonna be exchanging pleasantries, why don't you tell me what business you have with me?" Cynthia asked. "Because I doubt this is one of those 'oh, hey, I just saw you walking by and thought I'd call out to you' sort of things. You've probably either been following us or had us staked out. So what do you want? Because I really doubt it's an autograph."

"You placed in the semi-finals of the Fall Festival Tournament," Victoria stated, keeping her tone of voice even, although with a note of sharpness to it.

"Yeah, I really tried my hardest in it, too," Cynthia said. "So, what, you really are here for an autograph? You one of my fans or something?"

"In honesty I think you are an eyesore," Victoria coldly shot at her. "So much so that if it were up to me, I would not prefer to be speaking to you at all."

"Cool, then let's head our separate ways, huh?"

"Unfortunately, that isn't an option," Victoria rejected Cynthia's request to leave in peace. "I came here because my Commander has taken an interest in you."

This set off a red flag in Sango's mind, and she pulled on Cynthia's sleeve.

"Yeah?" Cynthia asked, glancing up at Sango.

"Careful, Cynthia," Sango hissed. "This Commander guy is one of the Four Daevas, the Four Holy Swords! From what Julia said, he's the one who sent those guys after Kitty!"

Cynthia's eyes narrowed into a glare and she turned back to Victoria.

"So it was you guys who tried to hurt my friends, huh?" Cynthia demanded.

"I don't know anything about that," Victoria replied in a tone that said she also didn't really care. "I'm only here for one reason. And I think we both know what that reason is."

"…" Cynthia didn't say anything, but the body language between the two girls was speaking volumes. Both were sizing the other up, trying to put on an intimidating visage to weaken the other, and begin from an advantageous start, psychologically speaking. To Sango it just looked like a couple of angry girls exchanging glares.

"So this Commander of yours, I've heard a decent bit about him," Cynthia said, opting for a different tactic. "The way I hear it, he's got his win in the bag. All he has to do is be patient and he'll end this school year as the strongest student on campus."

"Of course he will," Victoria agreed.

"So if that's the case, I still can't help but wonder what he would want with little old me?" Cynthia voiced her thoughts out loud in the hopes of quite possibly enticing the older student to take the bait. Sadly, Victoria just watched Cynthia with the same restrained yet fierce expression that she'd worn the entire time. There wasn't even the slightest chink in her assumed warrior façade.

"It appears that the Commander was impressed with your performance in the tournament," Victoria calmly replied. "Though I cannot imagine why he would be impressed by such a meager showing. Nevertheless, as reluctant as I may be, he still sent me here to scout you."

"So he wants me to join him, eh?" Cynthia said. Her smile grew wider. "Well, it's about time someone around here saw me for the talented battler that I am! You go tell your boss that I'm quite flattered, and that he can pay for my services with tasteful nudes of the highest quality."

Ignoring Cynthia's jab, Victoria just continued to glare.

"Cynthia, what are you doing?!" Sango hissed. "These guys are the same guys who attacked Julia and Kitty! Are you seriously going to join up with them? After what they did to our friends?!"

"Stop being so dramatic, Sango," Cynthia said, glaring back at her. "They're both fine. And if I'm able to join their ranks, then maybe I'll be able to pull something where I can keep it that way!"

Sango stepped back, her expression still uneasy. She really hoped Cynthia knew what she was getting into.

"So you are willing to join," Victoria said. "How regrettable. And quite arrogant of you, as well."

"Talk about rude," Cynthia chortled. "Is that how you talk to someone when you're scouting them?"

"I've never been good at hiding my disappointment," Victoria replied. "I was hoping that my limited perception of you would be improved upon our meeting in person. Unfortunately it seems that will not be the case."

"If your heart's not in it, you can always forfeit," Cynthia said, her mocking grin evident.

"There's no need for anything so foolish," Victoria said her lips turned upwards into the first smile the girls had seen on her. It was not a happy smile. "And believe me when I tell you that I do not need any extra motivation to put a little upstart fly like you in her place. There is no need for someone like you to stand at the Commander's side. So before you begin pestering him with your incessant buzzing, I'll make sure to swat you."

"Ooooh," Cynthia smirked. "So that's what this is. You're jealous, aren't you?"

"Jealous?" Victoria said, her eyes widening in shock.

"Yup. Jealous that your beloved Commander is so enamored with me, he's trying to turn you in for a younger model." Cynthia made a mock gravure pose. "Quite the pity, I must say, but sadly it's one of the curses of great beauty."

"Are you done?" Victoria demanded. The civility was gone, it was clear to everyone around that she meant business. Silver began shivering, ducking behind Sango for cover.

"Now, I know you didn't say it out loud, but I'm fairly certain that this entrance test of yours is going to be a battle, isn't it?" Cynthia asked.

"How can such a master of the obvious like you hope to stand at the Commander's side, I don't understand," Victoria said, shaking her head. "But I will knock that arrogant smile away, and make sure you know your place, freshman."

"I'm trembling," Cynthia said. "Now then, send our your first pokemon!"

"So you really haven't heard a thing about me, then," Victoria said, her predatory smile returning. "Let's make this easy to understand then."

Victoria reached to the belt of her skirt, holding two pokeballs in her hands.

"As I am the one issuing the challenge, we shall fight this battle my way," Victoria declared. "Valkyrie! Shimmer!"

Victoria threw both pokeballs into the air. From the pokeball on the right, a pokemon covered in sharp blades, a Bisharp, emerged. From the pokeball on the left, a large blue Lanturn came out, slightly floating above the ground with electrical impulses.

"Two pokemon?!" Sango gasped. Cynthia smiled.

"Well, now who's the one underestimating whom?" Cynthia asked. "A double battle, huh? I'm super up for that! Let's do this!"

Cynthia finally has her strength recognized, and it seems that people have come to make her some offers. But unlike Kitty and Julia, she certainly seems receptive to it. Will she be able to prove herself worthy to join the Commander's ranks? What would that mean for her friendship with the others? We can only begin to guess.