It's time to see how Kate's dinner with Val goes! Hopefully, she'll be able to get some amount of closure after all that's happened.

Pokemon Academy Best Girl Elimination Round is still going strong! Keep those votes coming, a few girls are pulling ahead, but things aren't done just yet! We've still got a good chance of girls getting into the final 5! The poll is on my profile, so go cast your votes there!

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

Retsuna: Still not working.

ConfusedCradily: Kate is pretty relatable, but at the same time she's also rather bitter and toxic about her hardships.

StarsForTheMoon: :)

DJ Dib Dab: Hopefully it'll go well, Kate really needs a win in her life.

Mercury – Mercuraneous: Rui and Anja? I have no idea what you're talking about, Anja who?

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 257

"So Kate, what have you been up to since middle school?" Val asked as they dug into their food. The three of them were sitting at the table Blake and Kate were at the day before. Blake and Kate, playing the part of a couple, sat together on one side and Val sat facing them.

"Well, I, uh, went to the Pokemon Academy for high school," Kate explained.

"That's right, I heard something about that," Val said, nodding. She turned to Blake. "So that's where you met him?"

"Uh, r-right," Kate said, smiling, remembering that she was still maintaining the façade that Blake was her boyfriend. "Back then, I was still having a rough time, and Blake… he helped me."

"Oho? Sounds like there's a story there," Val smiled. "Care to share?"

"W-well, it's n-nothing special, right?" Kate looked desperately at Blake, who gave her a "what do you want me to do?" look.

Kate sighed.

"After everything that happened in middle school, I had completely lost faith in myself," Kate told her, a solemn expression crossing her face. "I believed everything that everyone was saying, that I didn't belong, that I was a freak for liking poison types. I met a beautiful woman, and I became enamored with her strength and power as a grass type master. I threw away my pride as a poison type lover… and tried to emulate her in every way I could."

Val blinked.

"That's ridiculous," Val scoffed. Kate flinched. The beautiful woman narrowed her golden eyes at Kate. "Why would you ever do something like that?"

"W-well… I just… I wanted to be accepted," Kate explained. "I thought… I thought I could be loved and respected by others like her. But you're right. I… I lost sight of myself."

She turned to Blake and smiled, placing her hand over his.

"Blake was the one who showed me that it was wrong of me to try to be someone I'm not. He sees the real me, and so that's why I…" Kate's voice trailed off as she realized that she was about to confess for real. She shut right up then.

"That's good, I would hate to see you become someone else," Val said, nodding. "The Kate I remember is the kind of girl who would be herself, even if everyone around her was her enemy. If you would conform to suit the needs of others, you wouldn't be the same stubborn girl who was bullied by everyone else in school."

Kate winced at that.

"So that's how Kate fell for you, Blake, and believe me, I can see why," Val laughed. "What about you? What is it about my friend that you just found so irresistible?"

"Well, I guess… I was drawn… to that nature of hers," Blake said, trying to come up with reasons why he would like Kate. "You know, who she is."

"What do you mean?" Val asked, confused.

"Well, just, I mean… she's a really passionate person," Blake explained. "And she doesn't take crap from anyone. A no-nonsense person like that is really cute, you know? Especially when they get flustered. But even when she's easily embarrassed, she doesn't lose that fierceness, she's still tough. And her honesty and bluntness are really refreshing."

Val chuckled.

"Honest? Kate? Are you sure we're talking about the same girl?"

"I-I'm honest!" Kate protested.

"C'mon Kate," Val said, shaking her head. "Remember how you used to just shut down when you were getting bullied? You'd just hang your head and shut down. You wouldn't be honest about how you felt about it until it was just the two of us."

"W-well…" Kate glanced down, a little embarrassed. "I-I'm working on that, I'm changing."

"Still, I liked the old Kate," Val smiled. "I don't think you were as bad as you might remember."

"Oh, I see," Kate said, nodding, smiling back a little. "Th-thanks."

This seemed to be going well, at least by his estimation. Kate was clearly a little tense, probably due to having to maintain this lie, but Valerie seemed to be very relaxed and talkative, moreso than she was yesterday. It seemed like she was trying to connect with Kate, like she could tell that Kate wasn't fully comfortable, and she was trying to get her more acclimated.

"This stuff was so good," Val gushed, putting down her fork. She had really been dominating the flow of the conversation and was having a blast. "So Blake, what else can you tell me about Kate's time in high school?"

"Wh-what?" Kate said, turning red.

"I-I don't think-"

"Oh, come on, you're her boyfriend aren't you?" Val laughed. "So you've got to have some steamy stories to share between the two of you, don't you?"

Blake and Kate glanced at each other.

"I-I guess we have… one or two…" Kate admitted.

"Oh, or maybe a little more about that friend of yours? The one who uses grass types?" Val suggested. "What's she like?"

"Oh, her highness is amazing!" Kate gushed. "She's the most beautiful woman I've ever met! She's cool, and strong, and kind, and just like Blake, she accepts me for who I am…"

Kate's cheeks turned a bright pink, and she pressed the tips of her fingers together.

"She's amazing…" Kate sighed.

Val smirked.

"Sure you shouldn't be dating her, instead of Blake?"

"M-my feelings for her highness are not so impure!" Kate protested.

"Oh, so you have impure feelings for Blake, eh?" Val teased, her golden eyes sparkling. Kate turned bright red.

"N-no, that's not what I-"

"Have you two… done it yet?"

"When you say 'i-it' do you mean…" Kate stammered, her face turning pale.

"Sex."

"N-no! We haven't!" Kate exclaimed. "I-I thought we were talking about her highness?!"

Kate fished her phone out of her purse.

"This is Alcea," Kate said, showing her a picture of her dear friend. "What do you think? Isn't she lovely?"

"Wow," Val blinked, admiring the beautiful student in the picture. "She's your friend?"

"Yup, she's beautiful," Kate said, smiling. "The most amazing girl in the world, sometimes I find it hard to believe that she could ever think of me as my friend."

"…Are you sure?"

Kate paused, looking up from her phone. Val's eyes were serious, and there was a darkness in them that unnerved her.

"W-what do you mean?"

"She's a beautiful woman, yes," Val agreed. "But are you sure that she's your friend? Really, really your friend? And that she isn't just pretending to be your friend, to use you, and make fun of you behind your back? She isn't a bully or anything like that?"

Kate's face turned pale.

"N-no! No, she isn't! She wouldn't! Alcea… her highness isn't like those… those fake girls! She isn't mean or cruel! She cares about me, for real! She's… she's a real friend, who would never hurt me, I'm sure of it!"

Val blinked, and then nodded.

"Well okay then," she agreed. "I'm glad you can defend your friends with such passion, Kate. It's really surprising how much you've changed, and yet at the same time… you're still the same girl as you always are."

"W-well, maybe just a little," Kate smiled.

"I'm really glad you came here tonight," Val smiled. "You know, all day, I was thinking 'what if she changes her mind? What if she doesn't want to come? What if I won't be able to clear the air?' But it looks like I was getting all worried for nothing."

"Yeah, well…"

"But still… to think that you'd lie to me, so blatantly…" Val sighed, shaking her head. "The old you wouldn't have done something like that…"

Kate flinched.

"L-lie?" Kate baulked. "Wh-what lies? I don't…"

Val blinked, turning to look at Blake.

"Come on, we all know that you and Blake aren't really dating," Val said. "I can see it. You're both uncomfortable around each other, you both keep yourself at a distance… brainless bullies like Maya and Bree might not have noticed, but… it's me, Kate. We were best friends for a long time, you slept over at my place so much. I know the kind of person you are, and that's how I know when you're trying to pull a fast one."

Val gave her a kind smile.

"It's okay, I understand. But I want you to feel like you can be honest with me, Kate."

Kate and Blake glanced at each other. The jig was up. Kate sighed, and glumly nodded her head.

"I see," Val said, her lips pursing.

"B-but, we weren't trying to, or I mean… I didn't mean to-"

Val held her hand up, shaking her head.

"It's fine, it's fine," she reassured the girl. "Besides, if I recall correctly, Blake was the one who first stated he was dating you, right?"

"Well, that was just-"

Val cut him off, too.

"Again, you don't need to explain yourself to me," Val reassured him. "I get it. You were trying to stand up for Kate and you came up with the first thing you could think of to chase those girls off. I respect it, standing up for your friends. But still… you didn't need to lie to me."

"Oh… I guess, I wanted… I didn't want you to think I was still the same lying loser," Kate admitted.

"You shouldn't worry so much about what I think," Val told her. "Anyway… oh, look! Dessert's here!"

Three bowls of ice cream were placed in front of them. Kate had gotten strawberry, while Val and Blake both got chocolate.

"Mmm, delicious," Val said, taking a big scoop of it. "I'm glad we ate here, this place is the best!"

"Yeah, it's really great," Kate agreed.

"I guess some good came out of that whole mess, if it means we can eat together like this," Val said.

"Hmm?" Kate glanced at her.

"I really do need to apologize," Val sighed. "I can't say I'm sorry enough. And seeing you, talking to you like this… after the way we parted, it's like I have a second chance."

Kate nodded, eating her ice cream in silence.

"You can't understand just how bad I feel," Val said. "I never thought you would quit school and drop out entirely… those girls, they all went way too far. If I had known that things would have gone down that badly, I wouldn't have put them up to bullying you so badly."

The three continued to eat for a few moments before Val's words sunk in.

"Wh… what?"

Kate looked at Val picking away at her ice cream without a care in the world.

"Hmm?" Val repeated Kate's previous glance of confusion.

"Wh-what… you just said you…?"

"Put Bree, and Maya, and all those other girls up to bully you throughout middle school?" Val clarified. Kate swallowed, and nodded. Her throat felt as dry as ash.

"Well, see, it's not exactly the case," Val explained. "More like… the one responsible for talking behind your back all the time, telling everyone how weird and gross you were for liking poison types and convincing all of them to harass you, throw sewage on your clothes and stuff, yeah, that was all me. Had no idea it would be so painful that you'd actually drop out, though, major miscalculation on my part."

"What did you say?" As Kate sat there with her mouth open in shock, Blake stared at Val with pure fury in his eyes.

"No, no, you're just… that's no true," Kate protested, shaking her head frantically. "You, you wouldn't… you wouldn't do something like that, it… Bree and Maya! They… they're the ones who put you up to this, aren't they? Th-that's right, they, they had you come here, and tell me all this stuff, right? They want to hurt me, so…"

"…So trusting," Val said, smiling warmly at Kate. "You really were just the perfect friend.

"…That's what made it so easy to fool you, of course," she added. All the warmth in her smile was gone. She set her spoon down and stretched, lounging back in her chair. She was like an entirely different woman. "See, even back then, you always saw the good in people. Other girls, they get bullied, and they lash out in anger, or yell, scream, despise their tormentors, but you! You, Kate, you're special."

"Stop…" Kate said, shaking her head slowly. She didn't want to hear Valerie talking to her like this.

"It's honestly unbelievable, you trying to make them out to be not as bad as they were? Shallow, vapid, stupid girls like them? It just made you an even juicier target. See, a nastier person would fight back, but you actually internalized all those things they were saying about you. Because deep down, you understood how inferior you were, right?" Val explained. "So, since people who were 'better' than you were telling you how awful and gross you were, rather than calling them out, you began to think 'well… they're just telling me the truth…' because you couldn't get the idea that people can just be mean and hateful with no reason behind it. You even see the best in someone like me. And that's why you kept getting hurt."

"…Why…" Kate said. Blake could hear her voice. She was quiet and sad, like something in her was broken. To Kate, her ears couldn't even pick up her own words. "Why did you… you were my friend… I don't… why-?!"

Val rolled her eyes.

"Of course I was your friend, that was the whole point. I mean I know you aren't smart, Kate, but do I really have to spell it out for you?"

Kate's shattered expression told Val that she would.

"Well, fine. It's like this, see? One day, I was bored. And there were you, some nobody. You said one thing, just… liking poison types. And then I thought to myself 'hm. How can I entertain myself with this?' So I decided to see how much I could do. I had Bree, Maya, the other girls, all shun and bully you. See, you stood out, so you made it real easy to get them all to see how weird you were, since you weren't born into money and you liked poison types. I wanted to see how much you could take."

Val smirked, her golden eyes glistening with nostalgia as though she were recounting a beautiful story of childhood love instead of explaining her extensive torture of Kate Nomia carried out over several years of school.

"But you see, the thing about real misery? Pain? It's not as easy to break people as you might think, Kate. A lot of people, you just pile pain, pain, pain onto them, and then they break. And, well, when they break, that's it. No more fun. You needed something more… thorough than that. So that's why I took the center role! I made sure not to actually take part in any of the bullying myself, and left that to the other girls. You know, just making myself out to be quiet little Valerie Chiester in the corner, ignored by everyone, until you were properly beaten down. Then, when you were at the end of your tether and you were just a few more buckets of sewage and torn uniforms away from ending things, I held out my hand to you in friendship."

The word "friendship" rolled off of Valerie's tongue like motor oil. She held a hand over her breast, miming sympathy that she was clearly devoid of.

"I became your only friend, Kate. Your light at the end of the tunnel. From then on, no matter what those girls did to you, no matter how much they tormented and abused you, you could take it. Because I was always there, to give you a hug or some words of encouragement. I played the part of best friend so perfectly, giving you the love and support you so desperately needed to keep standing strong through the difficult times. If not for my benevolence, you would have just shattered. And where would the fun be in that?"

"Why… why would you do such a thing?!" Kate demanded, tears streaming down her face. "I-I thought you were my friend, I-"

"Of course you thought I was your friend, aren't you paying attention?" Val rolled her eyes and shrugged, giving Blake a look that said "are you kidding me?"

Blake wasn't amused.

"See, Kate, if all you have is pain, then you can't really see despair," Val explained. "People are just… naturally built tougher than that. We can withstand a lot of pain. But eventually, they either just give in and welcome the pain, or fight back. But that wouldn't be any fun. Anyone can hurt someone. But real despair… that takes work. Despair… that's a flower that must be carefully nourished with the light of hope. To really show you what despair looks like, I had the girls torture you over and over throughout the days, months… almost years. But all that time, there I was. The beacon of hope, telling you everything would be okay, that you weren't alone in the world, and that you can get through this hardship. Because even someone with as much misery and pain as you could have some measure of happiness."

Val's lips turned up into a cruel smile.

"And like a flower, ready to bloom, when your pain had reached its peak, I set up a nice little theater where I could take it all away from you. I let the other girls pick on me a little, get you feeling nice and sorry for me, and of course, blaming yourself for your dear friend's hardships. Then, Bree and Maya gave you that nice little speech about how they were letting me join their circle, if only I joined in on bullying you… you remember that look on my face, don'tcha Kate?" Val smirked. "That look of sorrow and regret, like I didn't want to do such a terrible thing, but I didn't have a choice? My, quite the nice face… but that look you were wearing, the pure fear when I took that book you had loaned me, a sign of our friendship, that book on poison types, and the sheer despair when I threw it into the mud and told you we were over? We weren't friends anymore? That… it was masterful! I became the strength that let you keep going, and I got to tear it away from you with my own two hands… you can't get some much more satisfying than that, let me tell you."

The look of being broken, of abject despair, it was much like the look Kate wore now.

"But of course, turns out I really did break you, and you had to transfer. What a pity, I didn't even get to finish with my plans," Val sighed. "How insensitive could you be, Kate? I had this whole idea to continue your torments up through high school, but it seems like you still had the strength to run away… feh."

Val spat on the ground and continued.

"I really felt bad for what I did," Val explained. "Honest. If I had known I would break you enough so that you'd run away, I probably would have reigned things in a little. You're no fun if I can't be there to see your pain, after all."

Val beamed at the girl.

"That's why it was so great to see you, Kate! Building up this idea that it was all one big misunderstanding? That I wanted things to go back, in some way, for us to be friends again… you were so happy! That smile you wore all throughout dinner? The way you were talking, joking around… it really warmed my heart to see you still had so much faith in me, it means I did a good job," Val said. "And I got to destroy all of that! I didn't just get to completely destroy any hope you had left, but I got to see the look on your face with my own eyes! I got to see the moment your heart was shattered to pieces, when you learned that, no, I was never your friend, from the very beginning! I only ever approached you so that I could hurt you, destroy you, that all the trust you ever placed in me, all the love you ever felt for me, all of that was a lie! I got to see you break all over again, even more delicious the second time around!"

Val placed her hand over breast.

"Thank you, Kate. It's that look of despair that really gives me a feeling of satisfaction. To give me something so sweet, you really are a great friend."

"You…"

Val had been coolly ignoring the seething rage from the boy sitting across from her. She slowly turned her golden eyes to the fake "boyfriend", a casual smile on her face.

"What sort of a monster are you?" Blake demanded, rising from his seat. He looked like he was going to strangle Val, which only made her eyes shine more intensely. "How could you do something so horrible?! You fucking-"

"Evil woman, yes, yes, I've heard it all," Val said, miming a yawn. "And you think you're better than me, Mr. Righteous Indignity? You're doing the very same thing."

"What sort of garbage are you spilling?!"

"Coming around here? Talking about how you love and admire Kate, how you see the 'real her', how you love her for who she is, when really you're just talking out of your ass," Val snorted, rolling her eyes. "You're giving her hope, same as I did. And you're going to take it away. Same as I did."

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Blake growled. Val rolled her eyes again.

"Really? Really Blake? Are you blind, stupid, or lying to me?" Val demanded. "Because it's gotta be one of 'em if you don't understand how much pain you're causing her."

Blake didn't say anything, he just continued to glare at her.

"Oh! He doesn't know!" Val's mouth fell open in shock. She turned to Kate, her eyes wide. She held her hand over her mouth. "Did you hear that, Kate? He doesn't know!"

"Don't…" Kate whispered, shaking her head. But that just made Val want to do it more.

"Do you really not know how she feels about you, Blake?" Val asked. "Or are you just trying to be considerate?"

Blake flinched.

"Stop talking."

"But honesty is important," Val mocked. "We're here to clear the air, aren't we?"

"Stop it!" Kate wailed, clenching her hands over her ears as if not hearing her would make the words go away. "Don't say it!"

"You really didn't know that she's in love with you?" Val asked, her eyes shining in triumph. "…No. You did know, didn't you?"

Kate blinked, stunned. She dropped her hands and turned her head to look at Blake. The guilt on his face said it all.

"How long, I wonder?" Val mused. "Days? Weeks? …Months? Really? Months?!"

"No," Kate said, shaking her head. Her throat stung and she was finding it hard to believe. "You didn't, I mean… back then I didn't… I-I still don't, I mean, I…"

"Kate…"

"You've known she liked you the whole time, didn't you?" Val clarified. "But that would be inconvenient for you, you'd have to confront her about it. So you pretended like you didn't. After all, it's not like you liked her back. How could you? She's Kate."

"Blake…"

"I, that's not why…"

"You and I are exactly the same," Val said, shaking her head. She acted like she was ashamed of him, as though she had any right to hold the moral high ground. "You didn't want to confront the truth, so you lied to her, you gave her hope. Hope that maybe… just maybe… the two of you could be together. And the more hope you gave her… the more delicious her despair would be."

"I just… I didn't want to-"

"Hurt her?" Val snorted. "But you have."

Val turned to Kate, putting a look of sympathy on her face.

"Don't worry, Kate. I won't let him hurt you anymore." The mocking tone in her voice cut into Kate like dagger.

"We aren't the same," Blake spat. "You were trying to… I didn't want to hurt her, but you…"

"So you're better than me because what? Because you pretend to be a decent guy and I'm… evil?" Val snorted. "At least I accept the kind of person I am. Besides, what do you know about me?"

Her eyes narrowed into a glare.

"You have no idea what I've been through, so don't think you can judge me. What do you want to hear, huh? What'll make this make sense to you?" Val demanded. "Because mommy didn't hug me enough? Or maybe because daddy hugged me a bit too much, when mommy wasn't home? Or maybe you want me to tell you about how I forgot my very first pokemon at the park, and when I went back for them I never found that pokeball again?"

Val sat for a minute of silence and burst out laughing.

"Sorry, nothing so… relatable. My past is so… prosaic. I just… enjoy myself, that's all. Evil's quite a fitting word for a gal like me. But you… you hold your head up high, pretend to be right and just and true, but still… is it better to hurt people while pretending to be good? Or to accept yourself as the evil person you are, deep down?" Val smirked, and shrugged her shoulders. "No matter. I'm not a fan of sophistry."

"You think I'm evil?" Blake asked.

Val smirked, her nostrils flaring as she inhaled.

"I can smell the darkness in you, hon," she laughed. "You like thinking that you're doing the best you can. But it's when people are doing their best that they find it acceptable to do their worst. Tell me, Blake. You're a moderately attractive young man. How many more?"

"What?" Blake blinked, confused.

"How many more?" Val repeated, shrugging her shoulders. "How many more girls' hearts have you ripped out by 'not trying to hurt them' for your own convenience?"

Ayame's face flashed through Blake's mind and he tensed, going pale.

"I can see how empty you are…" Val mused. "You can't love anyone, can you? But you're trying so hard to fight it… to be a good person… but why bother? All you'll do it bring more pain onto yourself…"

"STOP IT!" Kate shouted, drawing the attention of both Val and Blake. "Stop… talking about him like that…"

"That's what makes her such a good person," Val smirked, reaching over and patting Kate on the cheek. "All you've done to her, and she's still sticking up for you. What, Kate? Think if you defend him enough, love him enough, that his eyes might turn in your direction someday? Well, hate to break it to you, but as your friend I feel like I should tell you that he won't. He's not the kind of man that can love any woman, and certainly not a broken one like you."

"That's enough," Blake growled, lunging around the table and grabbing Val by the collar, ripping her from her seat. She saw the anger in her eyes and threw her head back, laughing.

"Your first response is to lash out, to try and shut me up, huh?" Val smirked. "Why? Is it because you know my words are the truth, and you're sick of hearing them?"

"Shut. Your. Mouth. Stop talking to her like that."

"I'll talk to her however I wish," Val replied. Suddenly, pain burned across Blake's face, and his grip loosened. Val broke free and he felt something hard strike his throat. Blake fell back, coughing, his throat feeling like it was on fire again. Breathing was coming difficult as his old wound began acting up.

"Blake!" Kate cried. Blake coughed, reaching his fingers up to his cheek. He felt something warm and sticky. He pulled his hand back, and saw it slick with blood.

"Should never be so rough with a lady," Val chastised him, licking her fingers. Her nails were as black as her hair, and were filed into points. They matched the three lines of red that were drawn across Blake's left cheek.

"You're no lady," Blake wheezed.

"Fair enough, but still. Be careful who you pick fights with."

"I'm going to make *cough* you pay for what you just did," Blake snarled. "You… argh… hurting my friend like that… everything you've done to her! All the *hack* pain you've caused her, for years! And you don't even care!"

"Oh, are you?" Val scoffed. "Are you going to 'make me pay' Blake Harker? How? You gonna wheeze on me a little or something?"

Blake blinked.

"Oh, yeah, I know all about you," Val smirked. "I've been following your brother's career quite well. How are you doing, by the way? Making him proud? You are the younger brother of THE Kanone Harker, after all, so you must be at least somewhat of a trainer…"

Blake didn't reply verbally, he just stared back at her with all the hatred he could muster.

"…Fine, tell you what," Val said, clapping her hands together. "Because I had so much fun tonight, and I'm not ready to end things just yet, I'll be the bigger person and make a deal with you. In your present state, I don't think a fight will go well for you, so let's have a pokemon battle, right here, right now. You win, and I will apologize for all the terrible things I've done and said to your precious little Kate Nomia, sound good? It'll be quite a spectacle, too, the whole nine yards, bowing, scraping, groveling, I'll lick her shoes and any other parts she might want, will that… satisfy you, sweetheart?"

"…Fine…" Blake coughed out.

"But if I win…" Val stepped in close to him, kneeling down so she was eye to eye. "You and I… we're going back to my room tonight. All night."

Val's tongue darted between her lips.

"So it's a win-win for you, don't you think?"

"What?" Blake didn't understand in the slightest. "Why would-"

"And," Val continued, grabbing his chin and rising to her feet, her fingers trailing after her. She ran them over Blake's cheek, scooping some blood off. She glanced back at Kate. "She gets to watch."

"Wh-what?" Kate was still feeling a little numb, she wasn't entirely sure what was happening.

"Why?" Blake still didn't get it.

"Oh, no reason, really," Val shrugged. "I just… I'd like to see the look on her face while she's forced to see me doing all the things with you that she wants to do. I wonder just how much that would hurt…"

Val raised her fingers to her lips, licking off some more of Blake's blood.

"What do you say, lover boy? We have a bargain?"

Blake didn't want to touch this girl, he was disgusted by her. But he couldn't let her go unchallenged with all she'd done to drive Kate to despair.

"Fine."

So Blake vs. Val! Will Blake be able to take the bitch down, or will he be forced to do something I won't be able to depict in a story rated T?