We finally make it to Galar! What awaits them in the region, and the Hotel Ionia? Remember to review! And don't forget, today's the last day you can submit nominations for the Best Girl contest! Any additions?

So, any last-minute suggestions?

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

KedharS: Sure.

Rosealine gold: It'll be expanded on, don't worry.

Tambry96bj: She seems like someone with potential for sure.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Don't worry, I have no intention of having Lana join the harem. Then again, I thought the same about Kate. So just like Kate, she won't be joining the harem.

Badoobadoop: The profile seems incomplete, can't accept your OC yet until stuff is expanded on.

ConfusedCradily: Well, they're in Galar now, that's for sure.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 240

The sun was just beginning to rise when the airplane touched down in Circhester and the students departed. Some of them were well-rested, having gotten a wonderful night's sleep on the comfortable private plane.

Some were like Blake and Kate.

"Why did we watch the fourth one?" Kate demanded, more of herself than of Blake. She rubbed her eyes, and yawned. "It wasn't even that good, and we needed the sleep…"

"I'll agree with you on that one," Blake muttered.

"Ah, that mattress was soooo comfortable!" Sango purred, stretching her arms, Silver chirping happily. They were both in top form, unlike the two students that had foregone sleep. Nikita and Reiner had gotten a good night's sleep as well, leaving Kate and Blake to be the only ones in their group to be completely depleted.

As the students gathered together in front of the professor, Lana took along look at Blake and his group.

I see… Blake and Kate are both feeling exhausted… Lana observed that the two had seemingly not gotten a lot of sleep. And yet, the other students in their group seem to have slept perfectly fine.

Lana considered what that might mean. She could only draw one conclusion.

They were totally doing it all night! Lana gasped, her face filled with horror. In front of the rest of his group and everything! I knew that Blake was a womanizer, but to think that he was the sort of uncaring beast who would have sex with a girl without giving a single thought about those around him! What sort of man would do something like that, while others are trying to sleep!

Lana's face went pale, and she shuddered in spite of herself.

Indeed… Blake Harker is truly a terrifying freshman. If he were to make his move on me… n-no! I would certainly be able to resist him!

Professor Reinhart glanced at Lana. She was clearly lost in a fugue of some sort, her face flushed with confusion. He raised his eyebrow. He had been apprehensive about allowing her to be the student coordinator on this trip, especially considering what he knew of her relationship with the Phantom and his organization. At the same time, he was well-aware of how smart and observant she was. Someone with the attention to detail that she possessed would certainly be a valuable asset in keeping track of students in a foreign region like this.

If only she could keep her focus, things would be perfect.

"Okay, everyone. We'll be taking a bus to the Hotel Ionia and checking in. Once you're settled in your rooms, we will meet up in the lobby to go over the day's itinerary," Professor Reinhart announced.

The students walked to the large tour bus idling a short distance away from the private terminal. The groups filed in and sat down two at a time. Professor Reinhart took up his own seat, alongside his luggage, while the student chaperones along with Lana sat in the front row, Lana seated beside Kate. Reiner and Nikita sat next to each other, of course, as did Blake and Sango.

Blake yawned, slumping over in his seat. Sango turned a concerned eye towards him.

"You good?" Sango asked.

"Castform?" Silver mirrored his trainer's concern, blinking.

"Yeah, uh…" Blake yawned, coughing slightly. "Sorry, just… really tired…"

Sango frowned.

"W-well, uh…" Sango turned away from him, her face feeling hot. "I-If you're really that tired, then you can… I guess, uh… sleep on my shoulder, if you like? Use me as a-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Blake had slumped over, his head resting on her shoulder as he went to sleep.

"Uh…" Sango's face turned bright red, and stammered in embarrassment. A big, shaky smile spread across her face, as she resisted pumping her fist in victory.

This really is nice… Sango told herself, smiling. She was more sure than ever about her plan.

I missed my chance before… but I won't this time, Sango asserted. On this trip… I'm going to tell Blake how I feel, no matter what.

Kate looked over her shoulder, envying Sango's position in spite of herself. Not that she wanted to have Blake sleeping against her, of course! But as the chaperone, it was her duty to take on uncomfortable roles like that, that was all!

"Jealous?" Lana asked, Kate jumping up in her seat and whirling around to look at her, stunned.

"Wh-what?!" Kate stammered, her face turning red. "Jealous of what?!"

"That he's spending time with other girls, of course," Lana smugly replied.

"Hah!" Kate scoffed, turning her nose up at the idea, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Jealous? Me? I'm not jealous in the slightest! I don't care what Blake chooses to do at all!"

As she said that, her eyes slid to glance at Blake and Sango once again, wincing at the sight before her eyes. Lana wasn't an idiot. Anyone with a brain could tell.

I see… Blake is such a player that he'll even make a move on a girl who he's seated beside… Lana recorded her observation in her journal. Blake was currently making quite a bit of an aggressive play towards that girl Sango. First Kate, next Sango. I know that Nikita is dating Reiner… and he wouldn't do something like make a move on his friend's girlfriend, right? And since he won't have much proximity with girls in other groups… then that means the only girl left to make a move on…

She gasped, her face turning chalk-white.

"…Would be me!"

"Would be you what?" Kate asked, looking at her in confusion.

"Never mind that!" Lana snapped, furiously scribbling something into her notebook.

Blake = Dangerous! Do not be alone with him, lest he try his powers of seduction on you!

Lana smiled confidently, in spite of her warning to herself.

But I won't be seduced by such a child. Hehe…

Lana looked behind her, watching Blake pretend to sleep, when he was clearly copping a feel. He thought he was so smooth. But Lana was a master of observation, she would never allow something like that to fool her.

The bus pulled to a stop in front of the Ionia Hotel, and the students' mouths fell open. It was a large building, and while it wasn't super fancy as one would expect from the well-known 5-star hotel that it was, it could be seen from a glance that it was a building with both history and money put into it. It looked much like a large wooden in, going with the very quaint feeling the rest of the large city possessed. It stood three stories high, cutting an almost imposing figure as it leered down at the students as they got off the bus. The overhead sun cast its shadows down over them.

The building itself was the largest building in the square, which made it seem even grander. There were a few smaller buildings circling the large spring in the center of town, and not a one could compare to the mighty Hotel Ionia. Kate felt a shiver run down her spine, and it wasn't due to Circhester's cold climate.

"I feel like this is a hotel where a murder happened," Nikita whispered, her voice shaky. Reiner nodded in agreement, it looked like this place had come right out of a horror movie.

"Group 3, what's the hold-up?" Lana called. The five students realized they had been left behind, the rest of the party already heading into the ominous building.

Kate glanced at the others, and forced a confident smile onto her face. She was their chaperone, after all, it wouldn't do if she looked scared to the kids that she was supposed to be looking after.

"Come on, guys!" Kate said. "I know it looks awfu-awesome, but we can't just stand here forever! Let's head inside!"

Nikita wrapped her arms around herself, nodding.

"I-I'm feeling pretty chilly out here," she admitted. She looked meaningfully at Reiner, silently asking him to put his arms around her to help warm her up.

Reiner wasn't the most perceptive dude in the world so he didn't get it, causing her to flash him a dirty look.

Blake was the last one to enter the building. As he did, he looked up at the two large windows above the entryway, and felt a chill. Like there was something bad that was going to happen soon, and that he should get as far away as he could.

He took as deep a breath as he could with his sore throat, and stepped through the large double doors.

If the exterior of the hotel was awesome, the interior was beyond belief. The colors were muted, but it had a nice, tranquil feel, a blend of coziness with regal eminence, filled with beautiful artwork and large chandeliers that did nothing to take away from the feeling of staying in a nice, quaint little inn. Blake was surprised. This place really was worth 5-stars, at least in his opinion, and he'd grown up in the Harker household, where wealth was something he was familiar with.

The others were less used to the fancy décor of the marvelous hotel, and were taken in by how magnificent everything looked.

"Whoa! Look at this!" Kate said, pointing at a fancy picture, and then to a fancy chandelier. "And this! This place is awesome!"

Blake rolled his eyes.

"I thought you came from a wealthy family?" Blake asked. Kate scowled back at him.

"We weren't born rich, though," Kate said. "My dad made a lot of money in cosmetics and perfume, but before that, we were pretty poor. So I guess having money is still a little new to me, ha ha ha…"

Kate laughed, scratching her brown hair sheepishly. The professor checked them all in at the ornate front desk, and handed out the room keys to the students. They all headed to the elevators, going up to the next floor where there rooms would be. Professor Reinhart had one of the private suites, close to the elevators so he would be easy to reach.

"Remember, once you've dropped off your luggage, meet back up in the lobby. You have 10 minutes to unwind, understood?"

The kids headed down the hall, splitting off into their rooms. Fortunately, there was an even number of boys and girls, so they could divide the rooms up evenly, with each person getting a roommate.

"Isn't this great?" Kate boasted to her group. "Since I'm the chaperone, I get to have my own private room, while you guys split your rooms between each other."

Sango scowled at her, hoping she'd get her own private room where she could relax on another one of those fancy beds, even better than the one on the airplane.

Kate went into her single room, while the rest of her group continued down the hall. Blake and Reiner were walking ahead with Sango following behind them, and Nikita trailing in the back. Suddenly, Sango felt a tug on her sleeve. She turned and looked over her shoulder at Nikita, who was staring timidly up at her, her face red in embarrassment. She was fidgeting, like she had something to say, but was embarrassed to say it.

"Yeah? What's up?" Sango asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Um, uh…" Nikita gulped, peeking over Sango's shoulder to see if anyone was watching them, then looked back herself, making completely sure they couldn't be overheard.

"Um… this may sound really weird, but, um… could you do me a big favor?"

"Yeah, what?" Sango asked.

"I… Reiner and I were talking on the plane, and we were wondering, um, since we're going to be sharing a room together, you and I… do you mind if, um… Reiner stays in my room instead? Of you, I mean."

Sango's eyes widened and her mouth fell open, shocked at what Nikita was suggesting.

"N-n-n-n-noooo!" Nikita wailed, her face bright red. She shook her head frantically, clamping her hands over Sango's mouth before she could speak up. "It-it's not like we were planning to do anything like you're thinking! We just, we… I wanted to spend more time with him, so I… I mean, we… we wanted to watch some movies tonight, but, like, if we did that then it would be a bother, so we were suggesting a trade?"

"What?!" Sango exclaimed, breaking free of Nikita. "Look, even if I believe you about not trying anything we aren't supposed to…"

Sango glanced over her shoulder to confirm that the hallway was empty before she continued. Blake and Reiner had already gone into their room, meaning there was no one in the hallway but the two of them. Sango turned back to Nikita.

"Look, we aren't allowed to have boys sleep over in our rooms," Sango said, crossing her arms over her chest. "And besides, if I let Reiner sleep in your room, then where am I supposed to sleep, huh?"

"W-well, that was my idea," Nikita said. "I… I would sleep in the same room as Reiner, and… you would sleep in the same room as Blake."

Sango's brain short-circuited at this suggestion, and she stared dumbly at Nikita for a moment, not quite sure what she was suggesting. She shook her head to clear her thoughts before addressing the girl a second time.

"Wait, wait, what?" Sango asked, holding up her hand. "What do you mean?! Y-you're seriously saying that you think that I should sleep in the same room as Blake?! Like, what, just him and I? Together? By ourselves? All night?"

"Castform," Silver reminded her.

"R-right, and you, too, Silver," Sango said, nodding. "B-but still, Nikita, you can't actually be suggesting that I… that we…"

"But, I mean…" Nikita fidgeted with a lock of her hair, leaning in close to Sango.

"Don't you like Blake?" Nikita whispered.

"Wh-what?!" Sango exclaimed, nearly throwing herself backwards in shock, completely taken aback by Nikita's question. "Wh-why would you think something like that?!"

"So you don't?" Nikita asked. "But the way you acted around him, I just sort of assumed… I mean, you aren't dating, but… you do like him, right?"

She looked at Sango, her eyes shining with curiosity. They were so pure, Sango couldn't find it in her heart to lie. Besides… Nikita was rather shy, and a very withdrawn person. She'd certainly come out of her shell since they'd met, and now when she was around them she was capable of joking and playing around with the best of them, but she was still more than capable of keeping a secret, Sango was sure. So it isn't the worst thing… she could keep it quiet if Sango told her, right?

Sango swallowed, and looked Nikita in the eye. Her face was red.

"I… I do like him," she admitted. It was the first time she'd admitted her feelings to someone in their friend group, even if it was someone on the fringes, like Nikita. It felt like a weight was lifted off of her shoulders just saying it.

Nikita's eyes widened in surprise and a smile broke out across her face.

"Really?" Nikita asked. "You really do like him?"

"…Mhm," Sango said, nodding.

"I knew it, I just knew it!" Nikita crowed, grabbing Sango's hands in hers. "Sango, that's so cute! You and Blake, me and Reiner, it's like we're on a double date in Galar!"

"Shhhh!" Sango hissed, holding her finger in front of her mouth. "Shhh, shhh, shhhhhh! He doesn't know yet! No one knows yet! Don't go shouting that stuff down the hallway!"

Her voice was just over a whisper, desperate to keep Nikita's mouth shut.

"Right, sorry," Nikita said, lowering her head. "I guess I was just a little bit psyched up after hearing that you liked Blake, sorry…"

"No, no, it's fine," Sango sighed, shaking her head.

"Are you going to tell him?" Nikita asked. "That you like him?"

"I… I was going to tell him on this trip," Sango admitted. "That wasn't the reason I came, but now that I'm here, I think this is the right time to come clean about how I feel."

"Then isn't this perfect?" Nikita asked. "I can spend the night having fun with Reiner, and in the meantime you can talk about your feelings with Blake!"

Sango gulped. It was going to be a long trip. She didn't want to mess things up by revealing her feelings this early in the game. That would probably make things uncomfortable. And was this really the right time? There would certainly be a better time later on in the trip, and then she could…

No… No, that's just an excuse. I'm trying to tell myself that there will be a next time, that I don't want to make things awkward. But really…

Sango looked down at her shoes.

It's going to be a little awkward no matter what, if he rejects me…

Sango was putting this off to spare herself the pain from what was, in her eyes, an inevitable rejection. Even if she knew that she should confess to him for both of their sakes, the fear that brought out that ache in her chest made her afraid to do so.

"Sango?" Nikita asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Is everything okay? You seem a little…"

"I'm fine," Sango said, smiling. "Don't worry about me, Nikita. But I… I'll think about it, okay? In the meantime, let's just head to our room, okay?"

"…Yeah, okay," Nikita said, seeing that this was causing Sango some apprehension. She didn't want to make her friend feel uncomfortable, or pressured into spending the night alone with the guy she had a crush on. Honestly, Nikita wasn't sure what that would end up happening. In fact, given Sango's positive and energetic nature, they might even end up…

Nikita's face turned bright red and she shook her head, following after the taller girl.

No, no, that's impossible, Nikita reassured herself. Sango isn't the type.

Sango stormed down the hall, the key to their room hot in her hand. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

Me and Blake… sleeping in the same room together… Even if I wasn't planning on confessing, that would have been so great… why oh why don't I just say yes and end things there?! She demanded of herself, regretting putting the conversation off until later. She slid the key into the lock, opening the door.

Well… it's going to be a long expedition, Sango reassured herself. There will be time to confess to him later, after all. No need to worry.

Hopefully, Sango's planned confession will go well. In the meantime, our characters find themselves in a (possibly) haunted hotel!