We arrive in Stow-on-Side! What awaits our main characters in this desert town? Hopefully they'll be able to get a nice, peaceful break before things get really uncomfortable and problematic. A day off isn't too much to ask for, right?

Pokemon Academy Best Girl Elimination Round is in the final leg. Some girls are probably out of the running, but nothing's set in stone just yet! Vote for your 5 favorites, the poll is in my profile, right at the top. Time's running out, make sure you get your votes in!

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

ConfusedCradily: I think deep down, Blake really wants to choose Door 4. But if there's a chance to get what he hopes is behind Door 5, he'll make that decision. Whether or not it's the right choice remains to be seen.

DJ Dib Dab: Thanks for your compliments!

The status quo is what he's been dealing with. But as he knows, keeping things as-is will only bring pain to people, like with Ayame.

This is definitely a problematic choice to make. Blake wants people. Isolation is the worst for him.

Sylvia is a perfect representation of Blake's temptation. To become a person who doesn't care… I don't think that's the choice for him. He's still a good person. For now.

It's not just giving her what she wants, but part of it is what he wants. He wants the happiness that comes from being with someone, and truly be happy (even if that isn't necessarily with Ayame). It's a future he wants… but at the cost of the other future he wants.

Probably the most likely choice he'll make now. Whether it is the correct one or not remains to be seen.

There's only one key to his past. But what will unlock it? Only time will tell…

Aquahaze675: Who can say? This is certainly an arc where Blake determines a path for his future, I can say that much.

Retsuna: Yes, I did, go ahead.

Mercury – Mercuraneous: Thanks for your character. Don't worry, we'll see the full extent of Blake's connection to the Children of the Oracles in this arc, for better or worse.

Badoobadoop: Well, this arc is only gonna get sadder, I'll warn you right now.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 263

It was early in the morning when the train pulled into Stow-on-Side, so early that many of the students hadn't fully woken up. Sango was quickly realizing the inherent problem in a midnight train where the goal was sleep: when you were awake, you were essentially locked in a box with nothing to do. Jail cells were more spacious than this; she'd BEEN in one and had more mobility than right now.

For the first time in a while, Sango cursed the fact that she always woke up so early in the mornings. She sat in her little coffin, staring up at the ceiling that was uncomfortably close to her face, as Silver yawned and turned over, blinking numbly. He floated up into the air and let out another yawn, his body shifting in a bit of a stretch.

The train's not moving, Sango noted. She scooted forward and slid the curtain open, and was met with a burst of sunlight in her face. The skylight overhead was beaming down on them. She checked her phone; it wasn't as early as she thought. It was 8:43! Wow, how deep of a sleep had she been in? That mattress must have been more comfortable than she'd thought.

For a moment, she thought about Blake? How was he doing? He looked like he was in rough condition last night. She hadn't wanted to leave him alone, but if that's what he wanted, then she would. She didn't want to be nosy, or risk causing him more stress by thoughtlessly pestering him with every little thing. But still… she could at least worry about him, right? That was okay… right?

Sango slapped her cheeks in encouragement. She put on a big smile.

If Blake sees me looking all gloomy, that will make him feel even worse. He's going through a tough time right now, and he wants to go through it alone. So what I need to do… is make sure he always sees a kind face when I'm around! Sango channeled her inner Marion and put a big dopey grin on her face, already feeling better.

A rattling sound drew her attention. Someone was knocking on glass. She opened the door and poked her head out to see Professor Reinhart knocking on one of the small compartments. Why the heck was he…

"Time to wake up," Professor Reinhart called out, leaning down and knocking on the door beneath it. This was a bizarre form of wakeup call, but Sango supposed it made sense. There was some grumbling, but altogether it seemed most of the other students were like her, awake and unsure of what to do in their little cabinets. So when given the green light to come out, they were happy to. Sango opened her door before the professor even got to her, swinging her legs over the edge and hopping down, stretching. She made sure to step out of the way of Blake's door, glancing back. He still hadn't come out, even as Kate, who had been next to him, rolled her way out of her room.

"Kate, you… get a good night's sleep?"

Even as she asked that question, it was clear that no, the girl most certainly had not. There were dark bags under her eyes and she was a sloppy as she ever was, with an extra layer of mess on top of it. She looked half-awake, her face locked in a perpetual scowl.

"Bleeeeh…" Kate muttered, glaring at the blonde. She stood up, slumping against the side of the train, clearly not in the best condition.

"Okay, students," the professor clapped, students in various levels of waking turning to him. "Exit, single-file. We'll have the luggage unloaded afterwards."

The others began to file out. Sango looked down at Blake's compartment, which was still closed, even after the professor had knocked on it. Going… opening it and letting him out wouldn't be too intrusive, would it?

Luckily, before she had to make that decision, Blake's compartment slowly opened and he crawled out. And if Kate looked worn down… well, no, he wasn't quite in THAT bad of condition. But it was clear that he hadn't had a good night's sleep, either.

Blake walked right past her, apparently still in a bit of a daze. Sango bit her lip. She swallowed, and stepped up behind him.

"Blake!" She called cheerily, placing a hand on his shoulder as he headed towards the exit, shaking him free of his fugue state.

"…Sango?" Blake glanced back her.

"How'd you sleep?" Sango asked, smiling from ear to ear. "Quite a trip, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, sure was," Blake said, nodding, notably not answering her question. That was fine with her. She wasn't going to pry.

"Awesome, let's get going! From what I hear, Stow-on-Side is a pretty cool place, can't wait to check it out!" Sango wasn't in the mood to bother him. She was just going to be her perky, happy self. She was excited, energized. She felt like her old self. The most she could do for Blake at the moment was be his best friend Sango, and that was all she felt like doing.

Sango slid the door of the train open, and was hit in the face with a blast of hot wind. Having gotten used to the cold air of Circhester, waking up to a hot and humid desert was a bit of a surprise. She took a deep breath of the dry, arid air, and smiled, hopping down onto the station platform. It was a little hot, but no big deal at all.

Blake followed behind her, wiping his brow. It really was hot, sweat was already starting to build on his forehead. It didn't help either that the cheap air-conditioning in those compartments wasn't as good as it could have been, and he hadn't been able to change his clothes. So they were already in day-old clothes drenched in sweat. He felt a little disgusting, and probably smelled.

Sango was used to being a little sweaty, so it didn't both her much. Still, as they walked out of the station and into the town, she felt the sand clinging to her skin.

The party picked up their bags in the station, Sango looked around and realizing that her father and Elizabeth weren't there. Perhaps they had gone ahead?

"Wow! This place is cool!" Nikita gasped, looking around the large town. "It's so much… I can't even describe it, but it's better than the pictures!"

"It is pretty cool," Reiner agreed, looking around at the wooden buildings. Stow-on-Side was built upon a layer of raised and rocky mountains, a large layer of flatland in the center, and they were standing at the station facing out. It was interesting, like they'd discovered a secret camp or something. What was interesting to note was that like Circhester, the buildings seemed to be a testament to a time in the past. But where Circhester was brick and tile, Stow-on-Side looked like it had come from a western. There were wood and brick houses and shuttered windows, with flags hanging between the buildings to give off a festive atmosphere. As the group walked through town, they noted that while Circhester had boutiques and stores and such, Stow-on-Side had a far more… rustic economy. Street stalls were piled up and down the main avenue, and the streets were bustling with activity as folks bartered with vendors and merchants at the quaint little bazaar.

"Stick together everyone," the professor reminded them. "We don't want anyone getting lost. There will be time to look around town later, for now, we need to get to the excavation site."

Sango let out a sigh of disappointment. She wanted to check out some of the shops in the market, it seemed like there were all sorts of cool souvenirs she could buy for everyone. But there would be time for that later.

"Cast!" Silver floated behind her, and she smiled at him. Part of her wanted him to do a little something. Maybe create some cool cloud cover, so she wouldn't have to deal with the blazing sun overhead, frying her into a crisp. But that would probably not be good for the infrastructure, so she decided against it. She wasn't going to let the weather get her down, she'd just smile and enjoy the trip as it was. She tried to put Blake out of her mind, and just enjoy herself with Nikita and Reiner. She'd be there for him when he needed her.

The professor led them through the streets, Blake getting a passing look at the large gym built on a raised section of ground. For a brief moment he considered coming back to check it out, but he changed his mind. No sense in worrying about that right now.

Kate was clearly pissed that, unlike with Circhester, there was no chartered bus, or van, or heck, even a bunch of bicycles to take them to the ruins. They'd been walking for what felt like hours, and they were reaching close to the outskirts of town. Just as Kate felt like she couldn't walk anymore, she saw what she was looking for: somewhere to stop.

"Wow…" Sango breathed, staring up at the large mountain towering over them like a massive wall of stone. It made her feel small. She could see, a ways up the side of the mountain, a large mural of color stood out against the ruddy, reddish-brown surface. Crudely depicted on the mural was a large sword and a large shield, laying in a field of colorful flowers. And in the center of that mural, a massive hole was carved, though Sango couldn't see far enough into it. The mountain was still a long ways off, of course, and the mural was accessible by a small, brick-tiled pedestal built out of the mountain, a walkway to travel up the side. A long path of stairs led down from the cliffside, coming to a stop at where the excavation team had set up camp.

"We… we don't have to climb up all those stairs, right?" Kate gulped. She'd read up on the mural and the ruins within, but somehow none of the articles had mentioned the huge and imposing uphill walk required to access them. Her feet were already sore, and just imagining the hike made them feel like they would fall off.

Professor Reinhart walked forward, into the cluster of trailers and tents where the archaeologists had set up their camp at the base of the mountain. The mini-tent city was fairly large, considering they could only see a few people walking around.

"Professor! You've arrived!"

A young redheaded woman skipped up to the group, a smile on her face. Her orange hair was tied in a large ponytail on the side of her head, and her cyan-colored eyes were shining eagerly from behind thick-rimmed glasses. She wore tight jeans and a teal top that revealed her midriff, and over this stylish ensemble a long white lab coat that didn't just give her a dignified air, but served a double purpose in keeping her nice and cool in the heat. Not that she needed it, apparently. In spite of the fact that they were practically smack-dab in the center of a desert, she looked immaculate, not a hair out of place, or a single trace of sweat on that pale skin. Sango and Kate looked enviously at her, both feeling dirty and tired.

"So these are your students?" The young woman asked, looking at the assortment of kids thoughtfully. "Nice to meet you, kids! My name's Sonia! Well, technically that's 'Professor' but I've only been a professor for a little bit, and I'm still getting used to it… hehe…"

She scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"Anyway, I'm still a little young, so for you guys, you can call me Sonia," she replied.

Kate's eye twitched in frustration. Elizabeth Skye, and now this lady… was there just some special thing about female professors that turned them into total knockouts? For the first time, she considered taking her passion for archaeology beyond just a minor interest.

"Sonia-"

Sonia cut off Professor Reinhart with a sharp look.

"You still call me Professor," she demanded. Professor Reinhart rolled his eyes.

"Now then!" Sonia turned back to the students, her smile returning. "I've already heard about you from Professor Skye and Uboss Akana! They came by early this morning to let us know about your arrival!"

Sango wondered how long that train they were on had been at the station. Her dad and… Elizabeth must have woken up pretty damn early.

"We've got your living conditions all sorted out, so if you'll follow me, I'll show you to your tents!"

Sonia led the group of kids through the forest of canvas, stopping in front of a row of large boxy tents. She peeled back the dusty flap of one of them to reveal four cots packed in together.

"They hold four," she explained. "Whoever wants this one, go ahead. We've set four of them aside, so you can take your pick."

A nice, even 16, how convenient, Sango noted. They really had been prepared to greet them.

Still, it was quite a lot less than the 5-star hotel they had stayed in previously. They'd gone from the top of the top to slumming it in a pup tent, huh?

"The first tent will be occupied by me, and three members, one from of each group," Lana said. "Each of the chaperones will stay in their own tent with the other three members of their group."

For a moment, Blake considered isolating himself from the rest of his group, but he realized that, if he did, he might find it a little difficult to sneak out when the time arose. It would be easier if he had Kate backing him up.

Sango glanced at Blake, and then raised her hand.

"I'll stay in this one!" Sango chirped.

"You sure?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, not a problem!" Sango said, glancing at the other volunteers from the other groups. "I've been hanging out with you guys the whole trip, but this way I get to spend time meeting new friends as well. It should be pretty fun to get to know them."

"Awe, that's cool!" Sonia smiled. "Anyway, you kids get your luggage dropped off in your tents, and then let's meet by the trailers."

She pinched her nose.

"I didn't want to say anything, but you guys kinda stink."

Sango was shocked that there were showers. Sure, they were affixed to the side of a large trailer, and there wasn't any hot water, but hey. A shower was a shower, and right now Sango was at the very peak of grunge that she could tolerate. Soaked in sweat and grime, her day-old shirt clinging to her chest, giving off a rank odor, feeling it all come washing off… it was paradise.

"Ah, this is great…" Kate hummed, a smile of pure joy breaking out over her face for the first time in what felt like forever. The girls from Group 3 were occupying the 3-person shower, scrubbing themselves clean.

"Did you see that Professor Sonia?" Nikita asked, running a sponge over her ebony skin. "She's already a professor, and so young, I wonder what that must be like."

"She must be some sort of super-genius," Kate grumbled. "Me, I'm starting to wonder if being a professor would be worth having to stay in a wasteland like this."

"Well, I was thinking more of the 'hot lab scientist' thing," Nikita admitted with a chuckle. "I don't think I could bring myself to rough it like this."

Sango, the only one of the three with actual prolonged experience camping out in the wilderness had no comment, listening to the two girls chatter away. She scrubbed the sand off her skin and ran her short hair under the water, scratching at the dried, fraying locks until they felt silky-smooth.

"Man, you guys think we'll have to climb up all those stairs today?" Kate groaned, washing her dirty hair as well. Yet she still wasn't getting the tangles out. "That's going to be a freaking pain. It's barely noon and I already want to go to bed, I'm so exhausted."

"It's not that bad," Sango scoffed. "It should only take a half-hour or so."

Nikita and Kate both groaned. Athletes these two were not.

"I'm with Kate on this one," Nikita agreed. "I'm not exactly built to walk up the side of a mountain. Like I said. I want to work in a lab, not be some grand temple explorer."

Sango smirked at what sounded like a fairly apt description of her dad's career. She didn't want to do that either, but she could certainly see the appeal.

"I just want a chance to check out that bazaar," Sango said. "That town seemed pretty peaceful, if a little small compared to Circhester."

"Oh, don't remind me of Circhester," Kate groaned again, scowling as she washed her face clean of the dirt with one hand, running soap over her back with the other, relishing in the feeling of cold water and cleanliness. "Going from a hotel suite to those tents…"

"Come on, it could be fun," Nikita said. "You know, like camping!"

"Trust me, compared to sleeping on a bed of leaves and moss, those cots are going to feel like feather beds," Sango informed the two.

"Well as long as we're aiming high," Kate muttered, rolling her eyes. They finished up with their shower and wiped themselves down, moving to the adjoining changing room and getting dressed. Fresh clothes had never felt so good on Sango's skin before.

The girls exited the shower, parting the curtain to let the next group head inside. The sun didn't feel so bad anymore, and the desert heat was almost…

No, it still sucked. But what were they gonna do?

"I'm so getting burned," Kate griped. "I wish they'd let us put on sunblock."

"Sucks to be you guys," Nikita laughed. "I don't get sunburned."

Kate stuck her tongue out at the girl. Sango was about to laugh, when-

"Sango!" Sango turned to see Elizabeth running up to her, waving excitedly. Silver floated beside the woman, a big smile on his face.

"Oh, hey," Sango said, catching Silver in a hug. "Where's dad?"

"He's, you know, going up to the mural, you know how he is," Elizabeth laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "Work, work, work."

Sango snorted, laughing.

"So did the professor tell you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Tell me… what?" Sango asked.

"Well, tell you guys, you know, the game plan for today?" Elizabeth glanced at the girls, and the rest of the students. She sighed. "…Guess not."

Kate gulped. She had a bad idea what was about to happen.

"We… we aren't going to…"

"In about half an hour, I'll be taking you guys up to get a good look at the mural!" Elizabeth giggled. "Isn't that great?!"

Kate felt like her legs were about to give out from under her. Even the overjoyed expression on one of her idol's face wasn't making her feel any more prepared for what was upon her.

"Oh no…" She groaned, Nikita patting her on the back sympathetically.

That's rough, Kate. Next chapter, we'll get a chance to explore the ruins! What secrets lie within?