So now that we're in a new arc, I've decided we've reached the end of the nomination period for Best Girl! But I'm going to put in a reprieve. So if there are any last-minute nominations, add them now! Otherwise, the poll will go up on the 7th.

So, any last-minute suggestions?

Currently Nominated: Sango, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Dakota, Ayame, Marion, Kitty, Serefina, Madison

KedharS: Well, it won't be that basic.

Rosealine gold: Maddi won't be in this coming arc, but she's going to be in the one after that, don't worry.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: It's not so simple. It's going to have its own story in the present. But it should do well to answer some major questions about Blake's backstory, I promise.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 236

Louis and Julianna Vermeil were standing on the dock, where a large cruise ship would be taking them back to the Kalos region. They had not made the same mistake as Richard Harker had made in taking his own personal yacht. Holly was there was well, but she was standing next to Alcea, tightly squeezing her hand. She didn't want to leave just yet.

Also there was Blake Harker, and his family. Richard Harker had been released from the infirmary that morning after all testing was concluded, and it was proposed that he enjoy the luxury cruise and take the time to heal. Although he was purportedly in acceptable health, the doctors had insisted that he not strain his body any further, for too much physical exertion might cause another coughing fit. Sephiria had agreed, and against his will Richard found himself in a wheelchair with a blanket in his lap like an old man, hooked up to a tank of oxygen. Sephiria was pushing the wheelchair, her face reflecting no emotion.

"So I guess we'll be going now," Louis said, smiling to Alcea. He laughed, slapping the back of Richard's wheelchair. His hand was large enough it made the entire thing shake, much to Richard's annoyance. "Don't worry though, even if we won't be getting a son out of this, we can spend our time on the cruise discussing our merger anyhow! In a few years, those kids of ours are gonna be running things for us after all, and I think we'd do well to become the best of friends like they have! Don't you think, Richard?"

"Certainly," Richard wheezed, nodding.

The ship's horn let out a loud honk, signaling it was time to go. The families prepared to say their goodbyes.

"Allie, are you going to be okay?" Julianna asked, cupping her daughter's cheeks. Alcea placed her hands over her mother's, and smiled.

"Oui, don't worry mother, I shall be fine," Alcea reassured her. She leaned in and kissed her mother on both cheeks, then turned to her father to do the same.

"Big sis…" Holly squeezed Alcea's hand tighter, staring up at her. "I-I'm not going to… cry… because I'm a big girl, and big girls don't cry, w-wiight?"

She sniffled, trying to put on a haughty face. Alcea smiled, and let go of her sister's hand, reaching up to pat her on the head.

"A very important person once told me something, Holly," Alcea reassured her. "So I want to tell you the same. You've become a lady, Holly. A fine young lady. Compared to that, being a powerful trainer should be no trouble at all."

"Y-you mean it?" Holly asked, he voice filled with hope as she looked up at her elder sister. Alcea nodded.

"If that's what you want, then I believe that you'll get there," Alcea said. "Perhaps one day even becoming a trainer stronger than myself."

"I will!" Holly said, nodding frantically. She ran over to her parents, and hugged them.

"Blake," Richard said, removing the oxygen mask from his face. The look in his eyes was resigned.

"Yes, sir?" Blake asked, looking at his foster father.

"I've said many things that I wish I hadn't. Done many things that I've regretted. I have no more words to say about the path you've chosen. All I ask is that you trust in your friends, and keep them near you."

Blake nodded his head.

"Yes, sir."

"And one other thing," Richard added. "This experience… has taught me the true meaning of family. What it is that I don't want to lose, what I regret having lost already. If you continue this way, then… however much it means… I want you to know that when I think of the future that brings me happiness, it is the thought of the five of us together, around the dinner table. Cynthia and I… and all of our children."

Blake's eyes widened. He bowed his head to Richard.

"Thank you, sir."

Richard nodded back to him.

"Take care. I can only pray for your success."

With that, Sephiria escorted Richard Harker up the ramp leading onto the cruise ship. The Vermeils moved after him, but Holly paused, turning back to the dock.

"By, sis!" Holly called, waving frantically to Alcea. "Come by the house some time!"

She turned to Blake, and flashed him a winning smile.

"By, Blake!" She shouted, louder than her goodbye to Alcea. "I'm gonna be coming to the Pokemon Academy as soon as I'm old enough! So wait for me, okay? I'll be looking forward to it!"

Holly scurried up the ramp, her face bright red. Blake's face, in contrast, was pale. Alcea slowly turned her head to look at him, smiling.

"Well, we can only hope that her childish crush will dissipate by then, right?" Alcea asked. "You'll be in your senior year when she returns, just so you know."

"I know," Blake said.

Alcea chuckled, taking a deep breath of the salty sea air. She turned to Blake, and smiled.

"Well, we're free now. But it was fun while it lasted, wouldn't you agree?" Alcea laughed. "Having a fiancé."

"Not even a little," Blake replied, the two sharing a laugh. Alcea walked up to him, and linked her arm with his.

"Well do you mind?" She asked, batting her eyes at him. "I wouldn't mind enjoying having a fiancé for just a little longer."

Blake shrugged, and nodded. The two walked back to campus arm in arm.

After Blake parted with Alcea, he looked up at the sky. Big mistake. Tilting his head up put some pressure on his throat, Blake coughing painfully. But even so… for the first time in a long time he felt a weight off of his shoulders. He had Richard Harker's approval to move forward with his life, and he looked forward to taking advantage of that. But there was someone else he needed to see, first.

Blake walked toward the Bulbasaur House, where he met up with Sango on the steps.

"When you mentioned last night that you wanted to go see Sarah again, I was surprised," Sango admitted. "Are you sure?"

"After Alcea's match yesterday, I want to get to see her again," Blake said. "Besides, if I had been forced to leave, I would have been taking her with me, anyway. It's time."

Sango still looked concerned.

"Are you sure you can make it there, though?" She worried over him. It was quite a trek up to the Dragon Valley, and that was just under normal circumstances. She wasn't entirely certain if Blake would be able to do it, considering the shape his lungs were in at the moment. The doctors had warned him to avoid strenuous activity, and this would certainly count.

"It's fine, really," Blake laughed. "I asked for a favor."

Sango tilted her head to the side. A favor?

A shadow flew over their heads, and a caw like bird squawked out from the sky. Sango and Silver both looked up, to see a large avian pokemon flying above them.

The wind kicked up and the grass flickered beneath their feet as the large blue pokemon descended. Its wings were light and fluffy, like clouds, and its slim blue neck raised up as it touched down, preening the stray wisps of cotton free.

"Altaria!" The bird pokemon cooed, glancing between the two trainers.

"Come on! We ain't got all day!" Astride the cute and elegant bird pokemon was a girl just as lovely, but as cool as her Altaria was cute. Darla Drake always had a keen eye for fashion, and today was no different. Her outfit of choice seemed like a blend between a Pokemon Ranger uniform and an aviator's outfit, with a stylish dark blue vest over a sleek black bodysuit. Matching shorts clung to her hips like skin, torn halfway down her calf, and the sleeves on her vest had been torn as well. She wrapped a long scarf around her neck, the same dark color as her hair, but sleek and shiny like silk. It seemed more for decoration than to serve any sort of function, clearly designed to billow behind her as she flew. A specially made cap covered her head, again, more aesthetic than functional, seemingly serving no job other than to serve as a connector for her goggles, which were made with lenses that didn't obscure her piercing red eyes at all.

"Darla Drake?" Sango asked, confused. Blake shrugged his shoulders.

"She agreed to fly me there, since I told her that my body probably wouldn't get there myself.

"Well, how are you going to get back?" Sango asked. Blake flashed a rueful grin.

"Well, I guess we have to hope that my meet-up with Sarah is productive."

"Oh you have got to be kidding me."

"Come on!" Darla called again. "My schedule is tighter than these shorts, if you're going, then let's get going!"

Darla's Altaria lowered herself towards the ground and folded her cloud-like wings in to let Blake get easier access getting on. He put his hands on the pokemon's fluffy side, but Darla held up her hand to stop him. She turned it over so her palm was facing him and coughed, folding her fingers in and out several times in a "gimme" motion.

"I believe you have something for me?"

Sango rolled her eyes.

"You're charging him?"

"My services ain't free," Darla replied. "Already got stiffed once this week. Shoulda known something was fishy when that damn Alcea said she would pay us proportioned to our time…"

"It's fine," Blake laughed. He set down his backpack and reached inside, pulling out a thick autograph board, signed by his brother. Darla took it from him and held it against her chest, squealing joyfully. Sango rolled her eyes for a second time.

"And you don't tell Lila, got it?" Darla insisted. The two nodded. She slipped the board into her bag, which was hanging from her Altaria's neck, and scooted up so that Blake could climb on behind her.

"Hands held low, soldier," Darla informed him, brushing her tanned forehead to clear away her bangs. "This is premium merchandise, a feel will cost a whole lot more than an autograph."

Sango was not amused. Blake wrapped his arms around Darla's waist, and the girl set her hands down on the sides of her pokemon's neck, where her wings connected to her blue torso. Darla turned to Sango.

"Blondie, you coming too?"

Sango glanced at Blake's hands, a lot closer to Darla's hips than she would have liked, and nodded. She glanced at Silver.

"What about Silver?"

"Don't think you can hold onto him and Blake, not much room," Darla informed her. "Well, see-"

"No, no, I'm coming," Sango said, shaking her head. She texted Cynthia to come pick up Silver, patting the pokemon on the head. "You be good, okay? I'll be back by dinner."

"Cast!" Silver said, nodding his body up and down in agreement. Sango turned and got on the back of the Altaria, holding tightly to Blake's waist.

"You kids get a good grip now!" Darla called over her shoulder. "Don't blame me if you slip and fall!"

She turned and looked forward, patting her pokemon on the back.

"Okay, Melody! Let's goooooo!" Darla cried.

"Altaria!" The large bird-dragon trilled, her voice a sharp soprano chirp. She beat her wings, bits of cottony fluff scattering through the air, and took to the sky.

"WHAAA!" Blake shouted, air filling his lungs painfully. He wasn't used to flying on pokemon. Melody was faster than he'd expected, dancing through the sky and flying towards the mountainous region enclosed by the forests. The air was thinner up here, and his lungs were stinging.

"Whooaa!" Sango was a little more used to flying, having gotten a few rides on her father's Skarmory. But it was still quite the rush.

"Yahooo!" Darla's deep voice blended with Melody's high one. As her scarf slapped Blake in the face, her cheers of ecstasy slapped him in the ears, overpowering even the high-pressure wind whipping around them.

Melody hummed a sweet, soulful tune that comforted Sango and Blake, the terrifying thought that they might hurtle to their deaths completely blocked out. It was so soothing. It reminded Sango of those dreams where she could fly, where everything around her was nice and peaceful, nothing to concern herself with at all.

Blake felt similarly. This was his first real experience flying on a pokemon's back. It wasn't really that bad.

"Melody! Let's give 'em a show!" Darla's voice broke through the wind, her Altaria humming in agreement. Suddenly, the ground beneath them began shifting, and suddenly the sky was no longer blue, but a mixture of greens and browns, with a sea of clouds below them. It righted itself in less than a second, only to switch back once again.

Well, so much for a nice, peaceful dream. Blake and Sango's eyes were squeezed shut, and the two were holding on for dear life as Darla called for more barrel rolls from her pokemon, the normally calming bird complying with her life-threatening requests.

This was horrific. Sango was screaming, Blake's throat was burning, and both students felt like they were about to throw up. Suddenly, an even more drastic change was enacted. Blake and Sango felt it about an instant before it came, the plunging feeling in your chest just as the rollercoaster drops. Darla and Melody were plummeting towards the ground, still spinning, Blake and Sango feeling like the air was slamming into them like a fist. Blake forced his eyes open slightly, catching a glimpse of the approaching rocks that lined the valley floor, coming at them far too quickly to imagine stopping in time.

This is where I die, Blake realized. I'm about to die here. I managed to escape my engagement and choose my own path, and this is where it got me. I die within a day of finally being free.

But no, they didn't die. Melody twisted her slender frame and slid across the valley, skimming over the rocks. Her cloudy wings were stretched out, serving as a brake, gliding elegantly over the rough terrain as she adjusted course into a parallel drift, coming to a nice, gentle stop.

Melody stretched her legs and gripped the rock floor, settling her wings down around her body to make a nice, neat little clouded cushion.

"Nice flying, Melody!" Darla complimented her pokemon, Melody turning her head back and humming cheerfully at the acknowledgement.

"We're here!" Darla called, turning to look over her shoulder. Blake and Sango were both breathing hard, and in Blake's case he was having trouble breathing. He coughing and wheezing, and Darla couldn't have that. Melody reached her wing up over her back, the slender and fluffy cloud-like appendages far more flexible than a normal wing would be. She wrapped Blake up in a blanket of fluff and lifted him gently off of her back, her wing glowing white. Blake found himself lying on a blanket that was as soft as a cloud. His breathing was slowly improving.

"Don't worry, don't worry, Melody's refresh will get you right as rain," Darla assured him. "What'd you think? It was a blast, right? Gotta say, there's nothing more exciting than flying on the back of a cool and fast dragon pokemon! It really makes you feel just like the wind, like you're the queen of the skies! Dragons are the best around, after all! There's just nothing like them!"

"That… was crazy!" Sango snapped, panting. Her heart must have stopped like four times in the last minute alone. "Are you insane?!"

Darla laughed.

"I don't get a chance to do much flying with passengers," She said, getting off of Melody's back and helping Sango off, since the girl clearly needed some help.

"Can't imagine why…" Sango coughed, shooting a bitter glance at the smiling upperclassmate.

"Lila refuses to fly with me," Darla shrugged. "The little princess doesn't want to mess up her hair."

Her snort showed that Darla, cool-girl personage that she was, did not share the concerns of her partner.

"So yeah, I got a little bit excited, couldn't help it," Darla laughed. "Just wanted to show off a little, that's all! You know how it is with us Appeals Course types!"

Sango felt like a lot more could have gotten messed up on that flight than just hair, but decided not to say anything. It wouldn't have been polite. But at the very least, she was glad that she had decided to leave Silver in Cynthia's care. THAT would not have been fun. She'd probably be wiping Castform vomit off of her-

Damn it. Why did I think about-

Sango fell to her knees and began barfing, the large breakfast she'd gorged on only a few hours earlier beating a hasty retreat out of her stomach.

"Eww…" Darla scowled, stepping away from the doubled-over girl. "Melody, we got another one."

Melody used her refresh a second time to ease the turmoil in Sango's inner ear, letting her stomach settle. Sango coughed and heaved for another few seconds, stumbling back as she tried to stand up. There was a little bit of vomit still on her lips, but luckily she'd brought her supplies, and a few wetwipes from her backpack took care of that.

The pool of filth on the ground was another matter. It would probably be for the best if she and Blake moved to a different place.

Blake's cough had finally settled down and he sat up from his fluffy bed, climbing to his feet. Darla stepped past him as he landed down on the rocky terrain. His breathing was better, but he was still feeling incredibly dizzy. If he hadn't been focused on the burning in his throat, he might be vomiting as badly as Sango was.

"We… should have walked…" Blake hacked out, Darla rolling her eyes as she climbed onto Melody's back.

"Yeah… think… that would have been better…" Sango agreed. Both trainers decided to not try flying with people they didn't know from then on.

"So long you two," Darla called. "Thanks for the autograph, Blake!"

"Altaria!" Melody called, taking to the sky, her trilling hum echoing across the walls of the valley.

Blake and Sango paused for a few moments to right themselves, leaning against each other for balance as they grew accustomed to solid ground. It took them a few moments, everything still felt like it was spinning.

"Ready… to go?" Sango asked, glancing at Blake. Blake nodded as gently as he could, afraid if he moved his head too much another wave of nausea would come, and this time he wouldn't be able to stop it. The two walked deeper into the valley, trying as hard as they could to walk in a straight line. It was no easy feat, that was for sure.

So Blake is going to reconnect with Sarah! What will the result of that be, I wonder? Onto the next arc!