Here's another chapter! We're on a roll! Let's catch up on what Elaina's been doing recently! Remember to review!

KedharS: Not just yet, sadly.

Aakareo Kokokuhikari: Romance can get real serious. It all depends on who you're rooting for.

Hellraiserphoenix: Olivia is a character I really wanted to explore. There are not enough depictions of 100% lesbian characters that are so directly feminine and vain about their appearance. A major facet of Olivia's character is her value in her appearance, her clothes, her makeup, her hair, her accessories, her career as a model and coordinator, traditionally feminine down to her core… and she just happens to also be attracted to women. I've always wanted to write a character like her. Kitty is close, but she isn't mine, and her sexuality isn't very emphasized (though Olivia's romantic focus has been basically zero so far, and I'm not sure whether or not that will change…) Comparatively, the very handsome and boyish Ayame is 100% straight. It makes them very good foils to each other… or maybe that's just me.

TREBOR.E: Uh… no, not recently. Why?

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 126

"Elly. Hey, Elly. Elly, you need to wake up!"

Elaina blinked, a kind voice piercing through the delirium of sleep she found herself lost within. She sat up, her vision hazy, shaking her head.

"Wha…"

"Oh, finally, I thought you were never going to wake up."

Elaina rubbed the sleep out of her eyes to see Sango standing in front of her.

"S-Sango?!" Elaina gasped, scooting back in bed. Her eyes widened and she shot her hand to her face. "My mask!"

"Mask?" Sango asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Huh?"

"Come on, get up. We're gonna be late for class!" Sango's tone was insistent, and she grabbed Elaina by the hand.

Late…but I take my classes online… what's going on?

Elaina struggled to figure out what was going on. Everything seemed wrong. What on earth was she doing? She hadn't spoken with Sango since that one perfect day… so why was Sango here, in her room? Wait, no, this wasn't her room…

"…Elly, what's up?" Sango asked, glancing back at her in confusion. "You look a little… weird."

"Sorry, I… I don't really know," Elaina admitted, frowning. "It's just… this isn't seeming real."

"…You were moaning a lot in your sleep," Sango said, frowning. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Elaina nodded.

"A horrible dream. I dreamt… that I was in a tournament… fighting with my pokemon… and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't control myself… I kept hurting others, I…"

"Elly, Elly, it's okay," Sango said, pulling the crying girl into a hug. "I'm here, don't worry."

"But… but it was so real…" Elaina insisted. "It, it wasn't a dream, I'm sure of it."

"Well, I say it was," Sango said, frowning. "You should trust your friends."

"Friends…?"

"Especially an anti-social wallflower like you," Sango huffed. "Just because we're roommates doesn't mean I like having you all cooped up by yourself. You'll never meet people like that!"

"I can't make friends!" Elaina insisted. "If I do, then I might hurt them, and I-"

"Hurt them?" Sango asked. "Hurt them how?"

Elaina swallowed. She might as well tell her. It wasn't like she had anything left to lose at this point. Her memories didn't include any real friendship with this girl to begin with.

"With my harmonia…" She admitted.

"Harmonia?" Sango asked. "What's that?"

"It's my power…" Elaina said. "You know… it lets me hear the voices of pokemon."

"Really?" Sango asked, her eyes wide. "You can do that?!"

Elaina shyly nodded.

"Then what about Silver?" Sango asked, gesturing to her Castform excitedly. "What's he thinking right now? Tell me?"

"…Okay…" She said. Easy… just a light connection, just…

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"I can't… I can't hear anything…" Elaina gasped, looking down at her hands. She couldn't feel her harmonia at all.

"…" Sango looked disappointed, and then she burst out laughing.

"That's a good one, Elly. 'Hearing the voices of pokemon' where'd you read something like that?! Ha!"

"I-I was being serious!" Elaina insisted, blushing.

"That must have been some dream, to confuse you that much!" After getting changed into their uniforms, Sango and Elaina left their room, and headed to class. Sango was as energetic as she remembered, but Elaina was still conflicted.

A dream… could it really have all been a dream? No… then why don't I remember-

And just as she thought about it, memories flooded into her mind, memories that told a far different story than what her dream had said. She remembered a helpful father, a loving mother. Friends growing up. Playdates, going out to the mall, staying up late and watching movies, gossiping about boys. And training pokemon! Pokemon battles with her fellow students, everyone looking up to her for her talents. Not because she could talk to pokemon, but because she was such a good trainer… so good, she'd been recommended to the Pokemon Academy. Where she'd met Sango. Where she'd met…

"Yo, Blake, what's up!" Sango waved at Blake as the two caught up to him. Elaina's eyes widened in recognition.

"Sango! And Elly!" Blake said, smiling. "You guys are cutting it real close, huh?"

"Look who's talking!" Sango laughed.

Elaina's face was bright red as she stared demurely at Blake. Without her mask… it was so much harder to look him in the eye.

Wait, why am I thinking about that? Elaina asked herself, shaking her head. That… that was all just a dream, so…

"Um, Blake," Elaina said, still not able to make eye contact with him.

"Yeah, Elly? What's up?"

"Um… I-I was wondering… after class… could we maybe… train our pokemon together?"

"Sure, sounds like a plan!" Blake smiled. "I can talk with Cynthia and the others, and-"

"No!" She said, a little more forcefully than she'd wanted. "No, I meant, um… just the two of us."

Sango's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh…" Blake's cheeks pinkened as well, and he looked away from Elaina in embarrassment. "Just… the two of us, huh…"

"Is… is that not…"

"No, actually…" Blake glanced back at her, smiling shyly. "I think… I'd really like that."

Elaina's heart soared and her face brightened. She nodded her head eagerly in agreement.

"Okay, see you after class!" She said, suddenly far too energized to keep up their slow pace. She ran ahead, her heart giddy. I did it! I seriously did it! I asked him out!

Elaina had been crushing on him since the beginning of the term, that was probably why she'd built him up so much in her dreams. But whether it was dream Blake or real Blake, just thinking about him was enough to give her heart a warm and fuzzy feeling.

"Running away already?" The far more athletic Sango had already caught up with her, Elaina glancing at her roommate in embarrassment.

"But… but it was too embarrassing!" She admitted. "I… I couldn't imagine just walking to class after that in awkward silence, I'd just make a fool of myself!"

"Come on, you've been waiting weeks, months, to ask him out," Sango said, frowning. "Take some initiative and seize the day! He already said yes to hanging out with you this afternoon, that's practically 90% of the way there!"

"I… I guess…" Elaina nodded.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Blake is head over heels for you," Sango said, giving Elaina an encouraging thumbs up. "And I'll be right here to support you every step of the way!"

Elaina smiled at her friend, nodding.

"Thanks, Sango…"

Elaina's heart was beating as she stepped into the classroom. She'd gone to class many times, but thanks to the memories from her dream cluttering her thoughts, it still felt like the first time.

She walked to her seat on instinct, glancing at the other students. No one was looking at her twice, or thinking she was a freak. It was really just another normal day in class.

That dream really is getting to me… Elaina thought to herself, willing herself to calm down and remain focused. She just felt a little off because of how vivid and scary that nightmare had been. Before long, everything would go back to normal. She just hoped that it wouldn't interfere with her date with Blake. She'd used her confusion with her dream-self to work up the confidence to ask him out, and now that he'd said yes…

…Well, maybe she could get her hopes up a little.

She glanced up at Blake as he took the seat next to her. He waved at her as he sat downand she smiled bashfully up at him.

The lecture was a long one, and Elaina hadn't had the best night's sleep, so she could already feel herself dozing off, when something lightly bopped her on the nose. She looked around in confusion before her eyes fell to her notepad, which had a small, folded piece of paper on it. She unfolded it, her eyes moving over the note written down.

"Where do you want to meet up?"

Elaina glanced at Blake, but he was looking away from her, focused entirely on the board. Clearly, he didn't want to get caught passing notes.

Hmm… Elaina mused on what to write down.

"Maybe we could get something to eat first?" She wrote, glancing around to make sure the teacher wasn't looking their way before she passed the note back.

"Snorlax Commons okay with you?" He replied back. She smiled, and caught his eye, nodding. No need to verbalize it. He smiled back, and the two silently agreed to go get lunch after class let out.

"Man, Professor Kashita's lectures are so long," Blake sighed. He and Elaina were walking side by side on their way to the Commons. Well, Blake was walking, anyway. Elaina felt more like she was floating.

"Oh, he's not so bad," Elaina giggled. "He's just so serious, is all. But you kind of want someone that professional in your teachers, don't you?"

"Oh, so cool guys are more your type, huh?" Blake laughed. "I should have figured someone so shy would be into cool, professional older men."

"How rude," Elaina huffed. "I might not be a talkative girl like Sango, but I'm not that shy!"

"Oh? You always seem so easily flustered, though," Blake noted. Elaina turned bright red.

"Th-that's… that's just around you," she muttered.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"N-nevermind!" Elaina said, shaking her head. "And anyway, you're wrong, I don't like cool guys."

"Is that so?" Blake laughed. She joined him the laugh, skipping ahead and turning to face him. She leaned down and clasped her hands behind her back to emphasize her chest, tilting her head to the side in a coy smile.

"I much prefer the kind yet bold type of guy, if I do say so myself," she giggled. "And I'm currently looking. Know where I might find someone like that?"

"Well if I had to guess, I'd say the first step would be spending a little more time out of your room," Blake suggested.

Elaina turned around and let out a huff of irritation. He was just so dense sometimes! But even so… this was fun. She wanted every day to be like this. Even if something still didn't quite feel right. It all just felt… off, somehow. It was like there was a haze floating at the edge of her eye, some shadow or blip on her radar that she just couldn't put her finger on. Like she was forgetting something crucial.

No, no, that's just the dream talking. Elaina glanced back at Blake. He caught her eye and smiled, and she returned it. Just focus on being happy with how things are going…

The two got their food and went out onto the veranda, Elaina loving the feeling of the wind blowing in her hair.

"Oh, hey, is that Blake?" Elaina and Blake glanced up from their food. The person who spoke was a short girl with red hair. Elaina vaguely remembered her name being Cynthia, one of Sango and Blake's friends. Sango was there too, as well as a few other of their friends. A short girl with white hair, a pretty girl with long, dark hair whose name she remembered to be Julia, and two guys she vaguely recognized, Reiner and… Nick? The white-haired girl looked familiar as well, but she couldn't quite place her.

"Who's that with him?" Cynthia asked. She smiled. "Is it a date?"

"N-no!" Elaina gasped, flustered. If only…

"This is Elaina, my roommate," Sango explained, stepping in for her. "Elly? This is Cynthia. She's in your Pokemon Battling class, remember? And that's Julia, and Kitty, and Reiner, and Nick."

"O-o-o-h yeah…" Cynthia nodded. "You're that quiet girl who sits in the back… Yeah, Sango's told us a lot about you!"

"R-really?"

"Sorry, I try not to gossip, but, you know…" Sango apologized. "I just… thought you might get along well with my friends, is all. More like… I want you to get along with them."

Get along… friends…

"Uh, um… I'm not sure if I'll be the best friend you have, but… if you wanted to be friends with me, I-I'd be okay with that," Elaina stuttered, looking down at her lap, her face bright red.

Cynthia blinked for a few seconds, and then burst out laughing.

"Oh, man! That's great! Come on now, don't be so formal!"

She slapped Elaina on the back and sat down beside her, Elaina scooting over, now moved closer to Blake.

"Oh, er… Um, nice to make you acquaintance, then!"

"Nope. Still no good. Just say 'sure' you get it?"

"S-sure!" Elaina said, nodding.

"That's more like it!" The others all crowded around the table, and soon all of eight of them were packed in a little too close for comfort. No one was really eating, either. They were just laughing, and joking around.

I see… yeah, this is what it feels like… Elaina smiled. Joking around with friends…

Wait… but I've joked around like this with my friends before, right? She knew she had. She remembered doing it, so she knew she had to at one point. But every time she tried to remember anything specific about her days in middle school, there was a vague buzz that drew her attention, like her memories were specifically jumping away every time she got close.

Oh, I know. I'll check my phone. I've got to have their contacts stored there. She pulled out her phone, and went to her contacts list. Strange… only Sango and Blake's names were there. None of her friends from middle school. But what… what about…

Elaina winced, her head throbbing. No, she couldn't remember even the name of one of her friends. She couldn't picture their faces, and yet… she knew it had happened, right? Then why was it…

"Elly, is everything okay?" Sango asked.

"Y-yeah, just… just a little headache…" Elaina explained.

"Is it because you had trouble sleeping last night?"

"Yes, that must be it," Elaina said, nodding. "Just… some trouble sleeping."

"…Do you want to hold off for today?" Blake asked her.

"Hold off? On our training?" Elaina asked.

"Yeah. I was really looking forward to it, but if you don't want to, then-"

"No, please, I want to," Elaina insisted. "I'm fine."

"You guys are gonna train your pokemon?" Cynthia asked. "Sweet! Can I come?"

No! Elaina liked Cynthia, and greatly appreciated having her as her newest friend, but this was between her and Blake. She didn't want Cynthia butting in on her not-date-but-maybe-date.

"Sorry, I sort of promised that it would be just the two of us," Blake said, smiling. "That's okay, right?"

"Of course!" Cynthia said, nodding. "Whatever she wants is totally fine with me!"

"Thank you," Elaina said, smiling. Her throbbing headache had dulled, and they went back to talking and eating, finishing their meals in a comfortable atmosphere. Elaina couldn't resist the smiles that kept breaking across her face. Eating a meal had never been this much fun before.

She and Blake finished first, having started before the others, and bid their friends a good afternoon as they went to go put their trays away.

"Good luck, Elly!" Cynthia called. "As talented as you are, I'm sure you'll kick his ass!"

"Your friends are quite fun," Elaina laughed, the two heading to Floette Fields to train their pokemon.

"Hey, they're your friends now, too," Blake said, smiling. "I guess you can't just spend your days cooped up in your room."

"I guess not," Elaina said, shaking her head. "Sango was persistent enough as it is, but her and Cynthia, I don't think even I could resist."

"Take it from me, I know you can't," Blake said, shaking his head. "It's basically impossible."

"…You seem to like them quite a bit," Elaina probed.

"Yeah, they're good friends," Blake said. "But they're just friends. Nothing to worry about."

"O-oh? And what would I have to worry about?" Elaina asked.

"I wonder…" Blake said, smirking. "Well, either way, you're still the one I like best."

How could he say something like that with a straight face?! Elaina turned bright red, shaking her head. That would take her a solid year of confidence to build up!

"Okay, we're here," Blake said, smiling. "So, how do you think we should start?"

"Let's have a battle," Elaina said, holding up a pokeball. "One pokemon each, sound good?"

"Whatever you want," Blake said, nodding.

Elaina frowned. The battle had been far from satisfying. Noctre had completely destroyed Blake's Scizor, Weiss. She had memories of being good, thanks to her harmonia… but this good? It felt… off.

"Wow, that was amazing!" Blake looked at her with admiration, Elaina blushing.

"Y-you really think so?" Elaina asked, surprised.

"Of course!" Blake laughed. "I could never beat you in a million years! You're a great trainer, Elly!"

Elaina frowned. She wasn't that good.

"You're just flattering me," Elaina said, trying to play it off as a joke. "You're really strong, too, Blake!"

That was a lie. Blake's performance was honestly disappointing. Compared to what she remembered… no, wait. Those memories weren't real, that was all part of her dream. When was the last time she'd seen Blake fight for real? She couldn't remember…

Elaina clenched her head, and winced.

"Elly! Are you okay?" Blake asked, running over to her. "Is there anything I can do for you? Just let me know what you need!"

"N-no, I'm fine," Elaina said, shaking her head. "More importantly, Blake, why aren't you giving it your all?"

"Huh? I'm doing the best I can," Blake said, his face showing a confused expression. Elaina frowned.

"Really?"

"Are you not happy with how I'm battling?" Blake asked. "What would you like me to do instead?"

"I… what?"

"Look, Elly… I… I'm just trying to make you happy, that's all. I just want you to be happy."

"So… you threw the match?" Now she was mad. Who did he think he was, acting so condescending to her?!

"No!" Blake shook his head. "I really did the best I could! But if you say you want me to do better, then I'm sure I can! I'll do whatever you want!"

"…Why?" Elaina asked.

"Why what?"

"Why are you saying you'd do whatever I want?" She asked. It didn't make sense. Did he not care about how good of a trainer he actually was? His pokemon training shouldn't just be about making her happy.

"Because I love you, of course," Blake answered her. Elaina's anger dissipated and was quickly replaced with a mixture of joy and embarrassment.

"Y-you what?!" Elaina exclaimed, holding her hands in front of her face. "Y-you love me?"

"Of course!" Blake said, smiling. "That's why I want to make you happy! So just tell me what you'd like me to do for you to be happy, and I'll do it!"

Elaina dropped her hands, her frown returning. But it wasn't an expression of anger this time. It was a frown of suspicion. She'd been waiting for what felt like forever to hear Blake tell her he loved her. She'd held off on confessing herself, and hearing those words for even the tiniest moment had made her happier than she'd ever been before. But she was calming down fast, and growing increasingly confused and angry at this whole thing.

"…Why do you love me?" Elaina asked quietly.

"Because you're the great, obviously," Blake "explained". "You're amazing!"

"What about me is so great and amazing?!" Elaina demanded.

"Everything!"

"That isn't an answer!" Elaina was nearly in tears now, and she couldn't hazard a guess if they were from anger, or sadness, or even joy. The buzzing was getting worse, and that dark spot in the corner of her eye was growing darker and more ominous. She felt like she'd found a thread on her sleeve, and by pulling on it, her shirt was starting to unravel. "Just… tell me why!

"I told you why," Blake said. "I love everything about you, and I want you to be happy because of how amazing you are!"

No. No. This was all wrong. Elaina now knew that this was very much not the way things were supposed to go. Blake… he was definitely hiding something from her. But what? And why? And how could she possibly get the truth out of him?

Well… he said he wanted to make her happy.

So maybe she could just ask.

"Blake." Her voice was serious, and Blake matched it with a serious expression. She had a sinking suspicion she knew what was going on. She didn't want to be right… but it was the only thing that made sense. And if she was right…

"Y-yes?" Blake asked.

"What's your sister's name?"

"My sister's name?"

Elaina knew that Blake had a younger sister. She'd remembered that much from her dreams, and knew that was still the case now.

But she'd never heard her name before.

"Just tell me," Elaina said. "I love you too, Blake. And if you really love me… then don't lie to me. If you tell me her name, I won't say another word. I'll believe everything you have to say. So… just tell me."

"…" Blake's mouth was open, moving soundless words like he was trying to say something but couldn't.

"…You can't tell me, can you?" Elaina said, shaking her head. "Because I don't know, either. The only family member I know of Blake's is his brother, Kanone. The real Blake would be able to answer my question. But you can't. So you're not really him, are you?"

Blake closed his mouth, looking evenly at Elaina.

"Who are you?" Elaina demanded. "What's going on here? This isn't the real world, is it? No, my real world is what I saw before. What Sango so easily convinced me was just a dream. But this is the dream, isn't it?"

Blake said nothing to refute her accusations. Instead, he raised his hand to his face, and slowly began to peel it away, the skin sloughing off between his fingers. Underneath it… was a mask Elaina knew all too well.

The rest of what was once Blake withered away, revealing a woman dressed in a short black dress with a high collar, fit to her figure with a shiny corset. She wore a black shawl over her brown hair, and long black socks and fingerless gloves that covered the majority of her arms and legs.

Elaina stared at herself silently, feeling an imposing pressure emanating off of her faceless double.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"You know who I am," her double replied in a voice that matched her own. "I'm you. I'm the real you. Or… the you that you fear is the real you."

"I was right. This is just a dream."

The mask bobbed up and down with the woman's nodding head.

"Right now, we're asleep in a hospital bed, we've been sleeping for the last three weeks. Ever since our victory."

"How do I wake up, then?" Elaina demanded.

"…Why would you want that?" The other Elaina asked quietly.

"Wh-what?" Elaina asked, confused.

"I'm you, remember. I know what it is you really want. That's why I created this world for you."

"Y-you… created this… for me?" Elaina looked around at the empty field.

"A world where you didn't have to be Elaina, the Witch. The monster. The freak who hurts everyone she gets close to," her double explained. "Here… there is no harmonia. You can just live a normal life. Be a normal girl. Think about it, Elaina. Wasn't today… more fun than you've had in your entire life?"

Elaina winced at that, looking down.

Being Sango's roommate. Meeting Sango and Blake's friends, and growing closer to them. Blake… having feelings for her. Wanting to be with her.

"In this world, you can have anything you want. Do anything you want. You'll never have to worry about hurting anyone ever again. You won't have to worry about being lonely ever again."

"But… but this isn't real! It's all a dream!"

"And that's worse than what awaits you in the real world?" The masked Elaina demanded. "Out there, you have nothing. You're feared and hated by nearly everyone, and refuse to be yourself! You won't even approach the boy you like, because you're afraid of what you'll do to him! Is that the ideal world you want?! A world where the only person close to you is a man who thinks of you as nothing more than a disposable tool?!"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Elaina clamped her hands over her ears, but her double's harsh words continued to ring loud and clear.

The other Elaina raised her hand and snapped her fingers, and strong arms wrapped around Elaina, hugging her from behind.

"Elly…" Blake's voice rang in her ear, soft and warm and tender. "I love you. I want to be with you. I want to make you happy."

"You could never be with him in the real world. But here… there's nothing standing in your way. You can live the perfect life you've always wanted. Isn't that what you've always wanted? To be a normal girl?"

Yes… but… but I… Elaina trembled, tears welling up in her eyes. If I can't find happiness out there, then I…

"No, I… I promised. You know that," Elaina shouted, shaking Blake off of her and rising to her feet, a fire lit up in her eyes. "That day! When I was ready to give up on everything, putting my only life at risk… I promised that I would change my life! That I would find a place to belong! I… I want to move forward… in the real world! A world like this… there's nothing for me here but false dreams and a false hope!"

"That may be what you've resolved to do," the other Elaina agreed, "but the fact remains… this is the world created from your heart's desire. Because you know full well… how impossible something like that truly is."

The other Elaina's body turned black, and began sinking down into the ground, melting into a puddle of black sludge. Her voice grew more and more warped.

"You don't need to make your decision now… you can decide… at any time… you choose…"

The mask sunk to the ground, sliding up to Elaina, glistening with a ghostly light in the center of a pool of darkness. Elaina knelt down and withdrew the mask, staring into its porcelain eyes.

I… I don't know… what should I do… She just wanted it all to be over with.

So will Elaina choose the perfect dream where she can have everything her heart desires? Or the pain and agony of the real world?