With this wrap-up chapter, so ends the freshman field trip! We'll begin the next arc soon! Until then, let's see what's up with Ayame's injuries! Is she going to be okay?! What about Blake and Caelia? Will they be okay, or are they also in bad shape from their wounds? We'll have to see. Review!
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Yup. Blake now has his own yandere. Hopefully she'll be on the more regular side of the equation.
Jay Hayden: Unfortunately, Blake was way too careless with how he talked to Caelia.
KedharS: Well it's not like Blake could magically make her heal her traumas. She was a broken, traumatized person with nothing to live for. Now she's a broken, traumatized person for whom Blake is the only thing worth living for. You can't heal a decade of trauma and lack of sensation overnight with one conversation.
Hellraiserphoenix: What's going to happen now will hopefully be an enjoyment to see, I'll tell you that.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 152
When Ayame opened her eyes, she found herself engulfed in darkness, with only the dull glow of machinery as company.
Wh-where… Ayame glanced around weakly, confused. Her memory was hazy, the last thing she remembered was being in severe pain after taking an attack to protect Sango and Aidan on Mt. Chimney. There were some vague flashes of other events, she remembered seeing Blake's face before passing out, and she could also remember some angry woman with brown hair and twintails, and a distinct memory of her and Blake having a steamy make-out session in a hot spring (that one was probably a dream).
"Hello?" Ayame meant it to sound more like a cry, but it came out more like a dry whisper. Her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and she could tell that she was in a hospital of some sort. It also didn't appear to be night, as there was a thin sliver of light coming out from beneath the curtains.
Ayame took a deep breath, and realized it hurt.
"Hello?" She called once again, a little louder this time. "I'm awake…"
In the meantime, she flexed what she could move. Her arms and legs all seemed to be in working order, and nothing was really hurting. At the same time, her stomach and chest felt uncomfortably numb, and from what she could remember…
She reached under the covers of the hospital bed, looking at the green gown she was wearing. There was a tube trailing out from the sleeve, but it didn't seem to be attached to her arm. Instead, it was attached to a machine that seemed to be pumping air through a strange chamber of some sort. What…
"Ah, I see you're awake." Ayame turned her head to see a figure standing in the doorway. He flicked on the light, Ayame blinking repeatedly as her senses were assaulted by a bizarre strobe of images.
"Wh-where am I?" Ayame asked the man, her eyes adjusting to the light quickly enough. The bearded doctor walked up beside her, staring down at her with a critical eye.
"Mauville City Emergency Medical," the doctor reported.
"H-hospital?" Ayame muttered, piecing her blurry memories together. "That's right, I… I got hit by a pokemon attack… and then…"
Her eyes widened, and her expression grew frantic. What about…
"Is there anyone else here? What… what happened? Where are the others?!"
"There were a few other students admitted here," the doctor replied. "A girl with a broken leg, and a boy with some serious bruises and some old scarring… But your injuries were by far the most severe."
"Oh," Ayame sighed in relief, flopping back onto her pillow. "That's good."
"…No, that's not good," the doctor frowned. "You had three broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and your internal organs-"
Ayame went pale, and tuned out the rest of it.
"…Required you to be sedated for two days. Suffice to say, we'll be keeping you here for the next two weeks."
"Two weeks?!" Ayame cried. "I can't be here two weeks! We were supposed to head back to the Pokemon Academy… well, I guess, yesterday!"
"Young lady, you just got out of surgery," the doctor calmly informed her. "With the extent of the trauma, you're frankly lucky to be out of here in two weeks."
Ayame groaned, shaking her head.
"And if I were you, I would thank your benefactor, Mr. Richard Harker," the doctor added. "It's his money we're putting you up on. Otherwise I'd be handing you a big fat bill right about now.
…Harker? Ayame thought, confused.
"Oh, that reminds me, you have some visitors," the doctor said. "They've been sleeping in the lobby snuggled-up together for the last two days. I'll send them your way."
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Ayame said. The door opened, Blake and Sango walking inside. Their clothes were rumpled, as though they had not been changed in a few days. Thankfully (or not) Blake was wearing a new shirt. Floating behind Sango was her Castform, Silver.
"Blake… Sango…" Ayame murmured, smiling. "The operation was a success… they managed to get the stick removed from my ass…"
She gave a hacking laugh, Sango running over to her with a look of concern on her face.
"Ayame, don't laugh," Blake warned her. "A machine is currently inflating your lung right now."
"Don't want me to laugh, then don't come in here with that funny face of yours," Ayame smirked. "Besides, I'm breathing aren't I? So how bad of shape can I really be in?"
"Like I said, you're just barely breathing," Blake replied.
"It's good to see you, too," Ayame smiled.
"Ayame…" Ayame glanced to Sango. The girl was standing at her bedside, her eyes red and flecked with tears.
"Sango, what's up?" Ayame asked, concern in her voice.
"You got hurt… trying to protect me," Sango sniffled. "Thank you… I'm so sorry…"
"I already told you, didn't I?" Ayame smiled. "Taking care of you kids is my job. Let's consider us even for that little smack in the face you gave me before, eh? I really needed that."
"…Mhm," Sango nodded, wiping her eyes. She leaned over and hugged Ayame the best she could.
"Ow, watch the ribs," Ayame warned her. "I'm still on the mend!"
"Oh no, oh no, I'm so sorry!" Sango gasped, pulling away from Ayame. "I, I completely forgot! Ayame, are you-"
"She's kidding," Blake replied, Sango's mouth dropping open in shock. Ayame smirked, pointing a finger at Blake.
"They've got me so drugged up, you could cop a feel and I wouldn't even notice," Ayame said. She glanced at Blake. "…If you'd like to be so daring, of course."
"I'll pass," Blake said, smiling. "I'm happy enough just seeing you in one piece."
"So that's not a cellphone in your pocket, then."
Sango was too relieved that Ayame was alright to even bother feeling disheartened by their flirting. It was all she could do to keep from bursting into tears at the sight of Ayame no longer looking like a bloody corpse.
"Well, joking aside…" Blake said, sitting down in one of the chairs next to the bed.
"Joking?" Ayame raised an eyebrow. "I was completely serious. Nothing like a near-death experience to get one's priorities straight."
"…Anyway, as I was saying," Blake replied, "from what I hear, you're going to be here for another two weeks?"
"Yup," Ayame said, nodding glumly. "Stupid doctors. Though I suppose I have you to thank?"
"Blake?" Sango asked, surprised.
"I, uh… put the bill on my family card," Blake said. "My dad is paying her hospital fees."
"Thankfully so, otherwise I might have to bow my head to the boss and get her to put me up," Ayame said. "And I hate owing her favors."
"I thought I'd have to get married first before I started spending family money on mistress," Blake teased, Ayame sticking her tongue out in response. The two giggled.
"I'm just glad you're okay," Sango said. "Ayame…"
"What about the other students?" Ayame asked, remembering her earlier worries. "Is everyone else okay? I heard that there were a ton of quakes and eruptions going on around Mt. Chimney, did everyone make it out okay?! What about Caelia?! Is she-"
"Everyone's fine," Blake reassured her. "According to the Pokemon Rangers, everyone who was on the mountain is accounted for. As for Caelia, she flew to the hospital herself. Her leg was broken, but other than that, she seems to be fine. Knowing her, I don't think it even bothered her."
Ayame didn't understand what he meant, but she still felt relieved that everyone was okay.
"Everyone else, except for Caelia, is already traveling back to the academy," Blake said. "Sorry, but your little accident brought a swift end to our little field trip."
"Really?" Ayame asked, surprised, glancing at Sango and Blake. "But what about you guys? Why are you still here in Hoenn?"
"Well, my wounds weren't as severe," Blake said, smiling. "Just a few bumps and bruises. Still, I decided that I might as well stay here and get a checkup anyway, even if only to see you when you woke up."
Ayame smiled bashfully, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"Your wounds weren't severe…" Sango said quietly, glancing at Blake. "You mean… not as severe as the ones before, right Blake?"
Blake frowned, not meeting her gaze. Sango narrowed her eyes and pinched her lips into a tight frown, whirling towards him.
"I saw the scars," she told him, nearly in tears once again. "And Ayame did, too."
"So that wasn't a dream, then…"Ayame frowned, glancing at Sango and Blake. "Those scars… they were real."
"…" Blake didn't say anything, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but…"
"It's okay, it's okay," Ayame said quickly, sitting fully upright, glancing worriedly between Sango and Blake. "Blake… I'm sorry, but… seeing those wounds of yours… I'm sorry. I know that it must not be something you wanted to show us."
Sango nodded, looking ashamed of herself. She shook her head, giving Blake a compassionate glance. She placed a hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him, and was relieved when he didn't shake her off.
"You don't have to tell us anything," she reassured him. "Nothing you don't want to. I just… I wanted to tell you that we knew. That even with everything that happened… we saw, and we didn't forget. So there wouldn't be anything uncomfortable between us. Whatever scars you might have… you're still important to me, Blake."
Ayame glanced at Sango, and then back to Blake. She frowned.
"And me too," she interjected in a snappish, insistent tone. "Don't forget me. You're important to me, too, Blake."
Ayame gave Blake a flirtatious wink.
"Although that shall go without saying."
Sango rolled her eyes, and Blake gave Ayame a smile.
"Sango, what about you?" Ayame asked, glancing at Sango.
"H-how do I feel?" Sango asked, flustered. "I mean, he's my friend, so like I said, of course he's important-"
"No, not that," Ayame said, shaking her head. "I just wanted to know why you were still here, and not heading back to the Pokemon Academy."
Sango scowled.
"What, you don't want me here? That's real nice. And here I was, worried about you," she shook her head and rolled her eyes, a coy smile on her face. "Let me guess, you wanted more kissing time with Blake?"
Ayame raised her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes, smiling.
"No, no, I wasn't trying to say that," Ayame laughed. "I'm happy you're here, honestly. But still, I wanted to know why. It isn't because you're hurt, right? You didn't need to be hospitalized or anything, right, Sango?"
Sango averted her eyes and sighed, her face looking a little complex. Ayame's playful, hopeful expression turned worrisome, and Blake looked away, already knowing what was going on.
"…It's complicated," Sango rubbed her temples in frustration. "Apparently… I won't be going back to the academy for some time."
"What?! Why?" Ayame asked, confused.
Sango inhaled, and let out a long, weary sigh.
"It's a long story," she explained, and began to tell Ayame about what had happened nights prior, when the other students were preparing to head out.
"Sango, are you okay?" Aidan asked, Sango sighing and shaking her head. She had just finished packing up her clothes, and the four were seated in the lobby of the inn, waiting for the next bus to come. Group 11 had been drastically cut in size, since Ayame, Blake, and Caelia were all at the hospital.
"You're concerned about Ayame, right?" Reiner asked.
Sango nodded glumly.
"Sango Akana!" Sango raised her head to see Professor Kellyn Lunark walking up to the group.
"Y-yes, what is it, professor?" Sango asked.
"Can you come with me for a moment?"
"Uh, sure, I guess… but we were going to catch the next bus…" Sango said, glancing at the other members of her group.
Professor Lunark smiled.
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that," he laughed, shaking his head. Sango nodded, standing up and following him into the next room. Seated at one of the tables in a nice, comfy armchair was Top Ranger Petal Green, eating a donut. A half-empty box of donuts sat in front of her on the table, Ritsu chowing down on a donut herself on the ground.
"Oh, um, Top Ranger Green!" Sango said, smiling at her. "Nice to see you again! Th-thank you for all your help on Mt. Chimney!"
"Please, just call me Petal," Petal said, smiling up at Sango, gesturing for the girl to sit down. "Hello, Sango. And Silver. Nice to see you two again."
"Castform!" Silver said, smiling bashfully as Sango took a seat across the table from Petal.
"Would you like a donut?"
"Yes, please," Sango politely said, Petal shooting her a look.
"Too bad then, you should have brought your own box. I'm still hungry." To emphasize her point, Petal finished off the donut in her hands and then grabbed two more.
Sango rolled her eyes.
"I should be thanking you," Petal continued, finishing off one of her donuts and then moving onto the other. "If not for you, I wouldn't have known where to go. I wouldn't have gotten there in time."
"Oh, no, it was nothing, really-"
"Nothing?" Petal said, raising her eyebrow. "How modest of you. From what I hear, you performed your job exceptionally well. You kept your group together when two of you went missing, determining the correct standard operating procedure in an emergency when even your chaperone didn't, and then made all the correct judgment calls. You'd make an excellent pokemon ranger. But then… I already expected that, from our previous encounter."
"Thank you, ma'am," Sango said, her cheeks flushing bright red. "Er, I mean, Petal. Your words of praise mean so much to me!"
"I'm happy to hear it," Petal said, smiling. "Now, as for the reason I called you here… I'm sure you know about the Pokemon Ranger Field Experience Practicum?"
"You mean the two weeks of field experience with Pokemon Rangers?" Sango asked, her eyes widening.
"You're a Probationary Ranger, so I'm sure you submitted an application, right?"
"Well, yes, but I haven't heard back," Sango said, shaking her head. "I mean, the practicum work is in November, or December, and I wasn't sure-"
"Nope," Petal said, smiling. "What about in three days?"
"Wh-what?" Sango asked, her face turning pale. "You mean…"
"I had my eye on you since you made that heroic sacrifice for your friend, Marion," Petal said. "Honestly, I wanted the both of you, but it seemed she didn't file a practicum form…"
"Huh, yeah," Sango whistled, laughing awkwardly. "I wonder… how strange…"
"But anyway, seeing what you did yesterday… that made my mind up for me," Petal smiled. "I want you to join me on my next post. Not in November. Or December. Now."
"Now?" Sango asked, her mouth falling open. She had expected to be heading back to the Pokemon Academy today, but now it seemed that her trip would be delayed.
"It'll only take two weeks," Petal replied. "We'll have you back by mid-November. I believe your midterms are already over, yeah?"
"Yes, but my studies-"
"You'll live," Petal said. "If you accept, your school will make the arrangements."
"Wh-where is it?" Sango asked.
"The Galar Region," Petal replied. "A small posting in some farm town. They don't have much trouble there, there isn't even a top ranger in the region. But recently, some suspicious activity has been reported, and so I'm being assigned there for now. And I'd like it if you would come with me. In your role as a Probationary Ranger, of course."
Petal gave her a smile. Sango blinked. Traveling to Galar with a top ranger… to complete her practicum work? This was unreal. She hadn't even had her probationary license for a full month, and now she was already going to be doing field work?
"I know what you're thinking, Sango," Petal said, smiling. "You're thinking 'already'? But let me tell you, little missy, this is how careers are made. By doing the right things in the right places at the right times."
Sango swallowed. It sounded almost too good to be true.
"Wh-what would I have to do?" Sango asked.
"Oh, a little of this, a little of that, nothing too major," Petal reassured her. "But we can go over the details later."
Petal finished off the last of the donuts with a smile on her face, and rose from her seat, picking up her sword and strapping it to her waist.
"I'm leaving in three days," she replied. "If you decide you want to come with me, then come find me in Slateport City by then. Dock 15. If not, then you can just go right back out there and join your little friends on their trip back to the academy. Take your time. Think it over. But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Sango, and I think you know what the right choice is gonna be."
"I don't need to think it over," Sango said, shaking her head. "I'll do it."
Petal turned around and smiled at her.
"That's the initiative I like to see," she said, nodding her head. "See you in three days, Probationary Ranger Sango."
So, it seems that Sango is going to Galar Region, while the others go home! But what will await her there? And what awaits the other students back home at the Pokemon Academy? We've got some new arcs ahead, and they're sure to be good ones, I hope!