Due to Corona-chan's sweet embrace, I've been able to get two chapters out in one day! Talk about fast! Maybe I'll take a break tomorrow... Well, anyway, in this one, some more pieces get moved on the board… how will the troubles be resolved? Particularly the truth of Alcea's engagement… and how will Gabrielle's bid for power turn out? Review! Vote!

KedharS: Yup, quite interesting… they're quite a pair.

Hellraiserphoenix: I wonder how Ayame and Sango will react to this new challenger… and Kate, the "dark horse" of the competition (yeah, right). And I'm glad Ayame and Blake get some more cute casual dates, even if they're just friends. For now…

Aakareo Kokokuhikari: Kate's skinny with big, curly brown hair cut to ear length. The kind of hair where brushing just makes it worse.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Don't forget Claire, she's also in the running. And I'm pretty sure Cynthia is the "bro that remains single" for Blake. At least, until she inevitably joins the harem…

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 130

"Y-you… what do you mean by that?!" Kate exclaimed. "You think that you are worthy of marrying her highness?!"

"That isn't really the point…"

"Then why do you think you, of all people, would be chosen as her fiancé?!" She demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"My dad… has been trying to set up negotiations with the Vermeil family for a few years now…" Blake sighed. "My family has access to a large amount of money… but socially, we're still only in the middle levels of family reputation. The old man has been trying to leverage our capital in order to arrange business a partnership, something that would get us a lot of would help us climb the social hierarchy to the very top… I assumed it would stop at the business level, though, I never would have dreamed he'd arrange a partnership like this…"

"Th-then… it's not confirmed, right?" Kate asked, her voice brimming with hopefulness. "This is all speculation?"

"No… knowing him, he'd set this all up without even talking to me about it…" Blake muttered, taking out his phone. "I'm going to call him and find out for sure, though…"

As Blake began dialing, Kate's thoughts were lost in a maelstrom of confusion and anxiety about this entire mess.

If… if Blake and her highness… if they do get married, then… Kate's mind immediately jumped to picturing the wedding. Blake looked so handsome in a suit… and in a wedding gown, Alcea was the most gorgeous woman in the world… She imagined speaking with them after the wedding, and... oh...

"Kate… you are by far the most loyal and kind of all my friends," Alcea told her, smiling warmly. "With you by my side, I can face anything… in fact, I could not imagine otherwise. So if you would like, I was wondering if you wish to accompany my husband and I on our honeymoon?

A-aand then we'd get there… Kate's brain skipped ahead once more, and now the three of them were on a beach in Alola. Alcea's bikini cut a lovely figure, one that made Kate so jealous, and yet so happy to just to gaze upon it… Alcea left to go swimming, leaving Kate and Blake alone on the beach for some reason.

Huh? Where did her highness go off to? Kate wondered.

"Kate…" Blake reached his hand out and touched her cheek, Kate jumping up in shock.

"Wh-what?! Wh-what are you doing?!" Kate exclaimed, turning to face him.

"I'm sorry… but in truth…" Blake's expression looked pained. "I… I can't hide how I feel any longer."

Blake pushed Kate down so she was lying upon her towel, his hands at the sides of her head.

"N-no, wait!" Kate gasped, her face turning bright red. "We can't! Y-you're married to her highness, and I-"

"My marriage with Alcea is only for the sake of our families," Blake explained, kissing the nape of her neck. Kate let out a moan in spite of herself, tilting her head to the side to given him better access. His hot breath ruffled the edges of her mussy brown hair, and she let out a gasp as she felt his tongue tickle against her ear.

"B-but… but I…"

"She understands how I feel… and how you feel…" Blake whispered. "She understands that it's you who my heart truly belongs to."

"Liar…" Kate whispered back to him, her face red and her eyes teary. "You wouldn't choose plain old me… when you could have someone beautiful like her…"

"I don't think you're plain…" Blake replied. "And even if you are… the plain you… is by far the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. Ever since you gave me that letter… you were the one who's always been on my mind, not Alcea…"

A soft moan escaped Kate's lips as she leaned up into him, wrapping her arms around his back.

"You… do you really love me?"

"Of course I do," Blake smiled. "So please, I'm asking you… stay by my side… as my real wife, Kate…"

TH-THAT COULD TOTALLY HAPPEN! (AN: No it couldn't) Kate snapped back to reality, her face bright red and steam coming out of her ears. No, no, I could never betray her highness and steal her husband like that, what am I imagining?! That… that… but if she was okay with it, then maybe…

"Dude, are you okay?" Blake asked, hanging up his phone and giving her a confused look. "You look a little…"

"I'm fine!" Kate exclaimed. "I'm totally, super, 100% fine!"

"…Okay then."

"S-so… what happened?" Kate asked, trying to downplay how hot under the collar she'd just gotten. "Is it… a misunderstanding?"

The pale, uncomfortable look on Blake's face said it all.

"So it turns out I have a marriage meeting at the end of the month…"

Kate's mouth fell open in shock as she floundered for an answer. Unable to believe this turn of events, she shouted the first thing she could think of.

"I-I WON'T BE YOUR MISTRESS, YOU DEGENERATE! I'M NOT SOME KEPT WOMAN!" She held her hands in front of her face in embarrassment and pushed past Blake, running off as fast as she could.

"…What was that about?" Blake asked, completely in the dark about whatever the heck was going on right now. He shrugged, and then walked back inside to continue his lunch date with Ayame.

Sango swallowed, looking up at the large building in front of her, right on the coast of the island. A large dome that she'd noticed many times, but never bothered entering until now.

"CAMPUS AQUARIUM" The sign on the front of the building read. She walked inside, taking in the sight. Floor to ceiling fish tanks wrapped around the walls and formed a small maze, filled to the brim with fish type pokemon of all sorts, many of which Sango had never seen before. On the ground were more free-open spaces, where pokemon who lived both in water and on land could play around, miniature beaches where pokemon like Squirtle and Mudkip were playing.

Apparently, Marion spends all her non-fishing time maintaining this place… Sango thought. But who would have thought that Marion was one of the Four Daevas… it just doesn't make any sense… was she fooling me the whole time?

Sango remembered Marion's tears, and her beaming smile of gratitude.

Don't be ridiculous. Those tears… that smile… none of that was a lie!

"Well, we don't get many freshmen around here," a girl's voice drew Sango's attention. An older girl with a green armband from the Caretaker Course stepped out from behind a fish tank. She was slightly pudgy and had dark brown hair arranged into two plaits, and bright brown eyes. The dim light from her fish tanks glistened against her pale skin, giving her an otherworldly quality. She had a relaxed smile on her face, giving her an air of calm that was well-suited for such a peaceful place. She walked up to Sango, her plaits bouncing.

"I'm Sango," Sango introduced herself.

"Jessie," the senior introduced herself. "How can I help you, Sango? You don't seem like the type to go fish watching. Are you here to rent a poll to do some fishing yourself?"

"…Nah, I'll pass," Sango said, shaking her head. "Actually… I'm looking for someone. Do you know Marion Rivers? I heard she hangs out around here a lot…"

"Oh, Marion?" Jessie said, her eyes widening. "No, she's too busy… she's not here right now."

"Busy?" Sango asked. "Or fishing?"

"Ah, you really do know her," Jessie laughed. "That's a relief. I was worried you were working with one of the other daevas!"

Sango raised her eyebrow.

"…I still could be, you know. I feel like Marion's fishing isn't exactly the biggest secret in the world."

"Ah! You're right!" Jessie gasped, holding her hand in front of her mouth. "What a blunder!"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh well, no helping it."

Sango giggled. Seems like Marion's associates acted a lot like her.

"This may be a dumb question, but any plans for her to drop by?" Sango asked. "I wanted to talk with her about some stuff, and I was wondering if she would be coming around."

"Well, she doesn't usually have any plans to drop by," Jessie said. "But if she catches something notable, she might show up-"

"Jessie! You won't believe what I just caught!" Marion shouted, bursting into the aquarium, fishing poll in one hand and squirming net in the other. "You never find 'em around these parts!"

She pushed past Sango and ran to a small empty tank in the back, tilting the net over and dumping its contents into it.

"Lookie, lookie!" Marion gleefully gushed, rubbing her cheek against the tank. "It's a Mareanie! I'm so glad we caught this little cutie~ If we'd just left her alone out there, all the wittle Corsola might've been all eaten to bits, and that's no good! Aw, isn't she just the cutest little thing, too?"

Sango rolled her eyes. It'd only been a day, but apparently Marion was still the same. She didn't know if she'd expected a change with the revelation that she was a daeva, but clearly she was mistaken.

"Marion," Jessie coughed, "you've got a visitor."

"A visitor?" Marion asked, glancing up from the tank for the first time, turning to look at the actual humans. Her eyes widened.

"Sango!" She pulled Sango into a big hug, glomping her over, the two landing on the tiled floor.

"Well, at least I was right and you do know each other," Jessie giggled, giving them their privacy.

Marion leapt to her feet, and helped Sango up. Her eyes were shining gleefully, and she was brimming with an energy Sango knew all too well. Marion was almost certainly going to ask her to go fishing right about…

"Hey, want me to show you around?" Marion asked.

Well, this was new.

"Uh, before that… I wanted to talk with you…"

"Hmm? What about?" Marion asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Um… I heard that you were one of the Four Daevas… From the Empress, Olivia Himeko…"

"Oh, Olivia? Yeah, she's just the tops! You guys are friends?"

"Well, I wouldn't say we're friends, but… I mean, is it true? About the daeva thing?"

"Yup, that sounds about right!" Marion said, nodding, scratching the back of her head and flashing her a big smile devoid of guile or awareness.

Sango felt some intense personal damage, losing a lot of respect for this hallowed institution.

"Wh-why didn't you say anything before?" Sango asked.

"You never asked," Marion shrugged. "Now! Back to the fishies! Come on, Sango! I've got so much stuff I want to show you! Did you see the new Mareanie I just found?"

Sango nodded, but Marion ignored her, beginning her rant anyway.

"See, Mareanie are very notable for their dumb ol' habit of eaten' more Corsola than they can handle. When their numbers get too big, they overeat, and the Corsola population drop off! When that happens, they migrate to other places! See, we can't have that, so I caught this little missy. There might be more going around. They're an invasive species, so I've got to take some precautions, you see! Otherwise, we might have a huge drop-off in the local Corsola population."

Marion leaned back, and observed the tank.

"Hm, maybe a full-water enclosure isn't the best," she mused. "Perhaps she'd be a good fit for a sandy shore as well. I'll observe her behavior a little before I make my decision…"

Sango didn't really want to interrupt, so she just stood there and said nothing.

"Okay, yeah, I'll do that!" Marion cheered, whirling around to Sango and grabbing her by the wrist. "Okay, next up! Want to see our Gorebyss? She's really beautiful! And we've even got a couple of Lumineon!"

"Sure," Sango said, smiling, nodding her head and letting Marion drag her off into the labyrinth of fish tanks.

"So you've got club activities today?" Nikita asked. She and Reiner were walking side by side through the campus mall, having just come back from getting lunch. Her cheeks were a slight pink color, and she had a shy smile, her gleaming eyes showing what a good time she was having.

"Y-yeah, but it's not a big deal," Reiner shrugged. He was trying to play things a lot more cool, but he was still clearly enjoying Nikita's presence.

"So, uh… when do you think you'll be done with you club activities?" Nikita asked. "Maybe… we could get some dinner? Or go see a late-night movie?"

"Not sure," Reiner said. "I'll send you a text?"

"Sounds good," Nikita smiled. "I'll keep my schedule free, so take your time."

She winked at him.

"Well… don't wait too long… I still need to get back to my dorm by 9, so we can't stay out too late," she giggled.

"Yeah, yeah…" Reiner said, averting his gaze, his cheeks reddening. He coughed. "So, did you imagine… when I fell into your hole all those weeks ago… that here's what would happen?"

"No, not a bit," Nikita giggled, shaking her head. "Actually, I thought that you were kinda rude and abrasive, you know?"

"Hey!"

"But now I know better," she reassured him. "You're not only rude and abrasive, you've also got an introspective and sweet side. Somewhere deep down there."

"Hey!" Reiner repeated, the two giggling.

"We've only got a little bit of time before you have to go, right?" Nikita asked.

"Y-yeah, I should probably head over there now, actually."

"Well, can… I walk you part of the way?" Nikita asked. Reiner blushed, and nodded his assent.

The two left the mall and headed across campus, their arms brushing against one another. Reiner intertwined his fingers with hers, much to her surprise and embarrassment, but she didn't let go, the two holding hands.

After they separated and Nikita went back to her dorm, Reiner went off to the battle arena in Charizard Hall. Gabrielle, the vice-president, had called the club to meet there, for reasons that he wasn't entirely sure of. When he entered the small stadium, something seemed wrong. There was a tension in the air that was almost electric. He glanced at the stands. There were about a dozen students there, the entire club, small as it was, Will and Austin among them. Also in the stands was the girl Reiner had seen Will with before, the blue haired one who seemed to be everywhere he went these days. She sat calm and composed, her posture perfect.

Will silently took his seat, wondering what was going on. Gabrielle and Gerard were both absent, conspicuously so. Then, the lights on the stadium dimmed, and the stadium doors creaked open.

Gabrielle walked out onto the battlefield, a calm, controlled smile on her face. She held a microphone in her hands, taking up a serious expression. The speakers in the stadium turned on, and her voice came out, even and soothing.

"Listen, all of you… this is something important that I have to talk about," Gabrielle began, taking advantage of her natural stoicism to seem truly solemn about this. "Now, as a lot of you have probably noticed, there's been a lot of tension going on. A lot of talking about our president, Gerard Alkwest. Now, I've known Gerard since I was a first year. I've always respected his strength. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to hold true for the rest of the student body after his loss to Kanone Harker."

There were some murmurs of agreement.

"Gerard, unfortunately, has shown to be unable to cope with his loss," Gabrielle said, shaking her head. "Where is he? He's been absent for weeks, because he's too ashamed of having lost. We need leader, someone to keep us composed in these dangerous times, when the student body is practically eating itself, and our president is nowhere to be found."

Gabrielle theatrically held a hand out, and placed it over her breast.

"I say, we hold a vote. All those in favor of removing Gerard Alkwest from his position of President, and putting me in charge?"

"Now, don't you think that's a bit too premature?"

Gabrielle flinched, whirling around. Gerard himself was standing in the doorway, a calm smirk on his face.

"Well now, I didn't know you were so ambitious, Elle," Gerard grinned, walking up onto the stage, staring her down. Gabrielle's composure was all but shattered. This… this was not what she'd expected. What was he doing here? Now? Of all the times he could have shown up, why…

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Elle. Now, I'm wondering, when you voted against me… when you forced me to fight Kanone… was this your plan from the very start? To set me up like this? To make me look weak, so you could seize control of my club?"

Gabrielle said nothing, she just glowered at him. His smirk grew wider.

"I figured as much."

"Even if you're back, nothing changes the fact that you've shown just how weak you are," Gabrielle said. "We don't need you in this club anymore, Gerard. Not someone… like you."

"Well, why don't we solve this the old fashioned way," Gerard grinned, holding up a pink colored pokeball. "If you beat me, then I'll resign unopposed. But I think… if I win, it should prove more than enough that I'm still able to lead this club. So, what do you think? You aren't afraid, are you?"

A bead of sweat rolled down Gabrielle's forehead.

"It's not so fun when it's you, is it?" Gerard smiled. "Well? What do you think? Are you willing to take a risk? Or do you just want to tuck your tail and run?"

If she ran, that was it. She'd cede power to Gerard by showing she was afraid she'd lose.

It's fine… I can defeat him… even with the type disadvantage… I'll have to win… however I can!

"Fine, Gerard," Gabrielle said, shaking her head. "Let's fight!"

Well, Gerard vs. Gabrielle! Will Gerard hold onto his power? Or will Gabrielle be able to defeat him, once again knocking him another rung down the ladder?