In this chapter, Blake is given a helping hand when he needs it the most. Will he be able to get lifted up from the despair he's been mired in? We can only hope that he'll be able to make it through this and recover. This chapter is very important. You don't want to miss it, it's the culmination of one of the longest plotlines of the series so far.

We've got a decent amount of votes in the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Semi-Finals! The current lead runners in the polls may surprise you! The shakeup really makes me realize how a girl may be in many people's top 5, but not necessarily in their top 3. So I'm certainly feeling more than a little surprised Looks like the girl I'm pulling for isn't going to win, but that's fine. They're all wonderful girls! There have still only been a few votes, I'm sure there are more of you that want to vote! If you want your best girls to make it to the final round and beyond, then make sure to get your votes in! You have 3 votes, make them count!

Semi-Finalists: Cynthia, Ayame, Sango, Kate, Marion, Alcea

Mercury – mercuraneous: Sometimes we can still feel empty inside even when we know we want to keep going intellectually.

ConfusedCradily: He certainly needs a kind hand to help him in his current state, that's for sure.

EESDESESESRDT6: Good, I'm glad.

Aquahaze675: Well, we'll just have to see.

Tambry96bj: Hopefully the person who's come across him will be able to help him, lifting him up from the darkness that is swallowing him.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 278

When Blake had awoken from his two-day rest, his mind had been surprisingly clear. He had spent so many years chasing after his sister, he hadn't been able to understand his feelings for such a long time. But when faced with the loss of his goal, when he was confronted with the notion that he no longer had anything that he needed to do, the murkiness and confusion in his heart had managed to clear up. He wasn't sure if it was because he knew he could no longer pursue his sister, or if it was because the despair of that night's revelations had shaken something loose, but Alcea's words had resounded in his mind in the time that followed.

"When we are at our lowest… who is it that we wish to stand before us and offer a hand of comfort most of all? When you can't go on… when you feel like everything has collapsed around you, and you have nothing ahead but despair… the one you want to see on the other side, the one you want to hold you and tell you everything is okay, the one you want to have before you, to help you move past those dark times… that would be the one you love most, is it?"

He hadn't understood at the time. He had been through crucibles before, but they hadn't compared to the despair he felt seeing his sister with his own eyes. He had fallen so low, that he understood what she meant by "nothing ahead but despair."

And now, he had understood himself better than before, seeing the truth of his heart. There was someone who he wanted to see, more than anyone else. The only person he wanted to see, the one person he wanted the help of, to tell him everything was going to be okay. But he had convinced himself that there was no longer a chance of that occurring. After what he had done for her, did he have any right to want her comfort? Of course he didn't.

So why was she standing there?

"Blake, are you okay? If you just keep lying in the mud, I'm going to step on you…" Ayame Toujou's voice issued a warning, but the concern in her tone was obvious. She held her umbrella over him to shield him from the rain, a futile gesture at this point, considering how soaked he already was, but an appreciated gesture all the same.

Blake didn't answer her. He wasn't really sure how he was supposed to. He was still stunned. It was like providence. Was Ayame even really there? Or was this just a mirage, seeing who he wanted to see before the end? It was beyond belief. When he was at his lowest, when he had lost everything, the one person he wanted to see more than anyone had found him.

"Okay, let's go." Ayame's strong hands grabbed him by the arms and hoisted him to his feet, lifting him up and draping his arm over her shoulders to keep him upright.

"Ayame… wh-what…"

"Let's get you somewhere you can clean up," Ayame murmured, squeezing down on his shoulder and walking down the path.

Blake glanced down, and saw that his muddy clothes were staining Ayame's blouse.

"Your clothes-"

"It's fine," she interrupted him. She tilted her umbrella to shield him from the weather, staring at him with sharp, adamant eyes. "They're just clothes."

"If Olivia heard that…" Blake was too tired to finish that joke.

"Maybe so," Ayame said, smiling ruefully. The hint was enough to get the general idea of where he was going with it. "Let's go."

What's going on here?

Blake was still confused. Hot water was currently pouring down on him, washing over his body and tracing across the welts and scars that lined his skin. He had been so cold out in that rain, that feeling the hot shower warming him to his core was something that he couldn't replace. It was like he was in a dream.

Blake looked at his hands. The muddy bandages had been discarded, and he could see the cuts and scrapes on his palms, the torn flesh turning the water slightly red as it ran down them. The soap stung his wounds as he cleaned the grime off of him. It was almost reassuring that he could still acknowledge that something like this hurt. It meant that he wasn't as empty as he had thought he was, after all. And not only that…

Ayame came to me… She didn't have to, but she did. Even after how I hurt her so badly… how can she still be so kind to someone like me?

Blake, cleaned up, turned the water off and reached out of the shower, pulling one of the towels in to dry himself off. As he wiped himself down, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Blake? It's me."

"Yeah?" Blake asked, glancing at the door.

"Um… your clothes are probably ruined," Ayame said, her voice apologetic. "Um, and mine… well… a-anyway, you can use my bathrobe if you want. It's a little late to go get some spare clothes, after all, I don't think the boss will appreciate us waking her up right now, y'know… so, um, just go ahead, okay? It's totally cool, since I don't think any of my stuff will fit you. Oh! And also, your belt is on the night stand with your pokeballs, so don't worry."

"Okay then," Blake said, hearing Ayame sigh from the other side of the door. Blake stepped out of the shower, the last traces of water he missed dripping to the floor as he searched for Ayame's robe, which was hanging on the wall.

Why did it have to be pink?

Blake wrapped the soft, fluffy robe around his body, tying it tightly around his waist. Thankfully, Ayame was tall, so he robe fit him well, even if it was a bit tight in certain places due to her more slender figure. It still fit nicely though.

Blake walked to the door and opened it, glancing up slightly to meet eyes with Ayame, who was standing on the other side. They stared at each other for a few seconds of awkward silence, their faces turning pink.

The two stepped around each other, Ayame closing the bathroom door behind him. He stepped out into the main living area, standing around awkwardly. The shower began running again a few seconds later, signaling something else to him.

Blake was still a little exhausted. He sat down and flopped on the bed, resting his head against the pillows as he stared up at the ceiling.

What the hell is going on?! Blake wanted to shout in embarrassment. He was sitting on the bed of his friend, a girl, having just freshened up with a shower. And now she was doing the same. What… what was going to happen next?

Ayame was having similar worries.

She was silently screaming, hunched over in the shower and scrubbing her head frantically, her face hot with embarrassment. Right now, the boy she loved was outside, sitting on her bed, practically naked, with only a thin robe covering his body. And here she was, cleaning herself up… to make herself presentable to him?

Calm down. Calm down. Calm down, you fucker!

She regained her concentration, taking several deep breaths. She raised her head and closed her eyes, hot water washing over her face. She began to shampoo her short hair.

She had imagined this scenario many times. Blake. Alone. In her room. Freshly showered, and waiting for her. Ripe for the-

Ayame punched herself in the face.

What are you fucking thinking?!

This wasn't the time for fantasizing. Blake… what was he going through? When she had come across him, she nearly had a heart attack because she thought he was dead. He practically looked dead. That bright face of his, the light that always made her smile, that made her feel so warm inside just being around him, that face she saw in her happiest dreams… she couldn't see it anymore. Not even a trace of it. Something had happened. He had gone through something, something that had stretched his bright face with pain.

Her chest ached, and it wasn't just her healing wounds. Seeing the pain and emptiness in his eyes had made her want to just die. She held her breast and winced, tears mixing with the water on her face as she cried over him. He wasn't here to fulfill her sleazy fantasies. She had brought him here because he needed her. Because he looked like he would die if he had been left on his own, and she wasn't about to let that happen. She didn't know what he was going through, but she wasn't going to let him go through it alone. Even if that meant she'd have to stay by his side and comfort him all night.

A bunch of images flashed through her mind as she made that decision, and she punched the shower wall.

NOT comfort him like THAT! She reasserted, panting.

Ayame stepped out of shower and dried herself off. She paused, glancing at her naked figure in the mirror. The bruises on her side were starting to fade, as was the stitched laceration. She hadn't needed bandages for a week now. She wrapped her towel around herself and then began to preen, turning her body around into various poses. She hadn't run since her injuries, so she was worried that she might have put on some weight. But no, her waist was still trim, her ass was still tight, and-

Ayame clapped her cheeks, her face turning bright red.

Why are you still thinking about iiiit?!

She turned her head to glance at her hair dryer, considering for a moment to give herself a more fluffy look in order to seem more appealing to him. She shook her head. This was NOT the time to make decisions like that. She rubbed her hair down and ran a brush through it, that was good enough. She pulled her change of clothes on and took a deep breath. She stared at her face in the mirror, narrowing her eyes and putting on a serious expression.

…For all of 2 seconds, before her face twisted into a lovestruck grin.

Blake was here! In her room! She couldn't believe it! Her face was hot with excitement, but she had to reign it in. She shook her head frantically, clearing her thoughts. Blake wasn't here for her sake. She was here for his. All she was doing was getting herself worked up over nothing. She took another deep breath and whirled for the door, storming out before she got her mind even more wrapped up into knots.

Blake was on her bed. Blake was lying down on her bed.

Ayame's brain short-circuited for a second.

Blake glanced up to see Ayame walking out of the bathroom, staring down at him. She was dressed down, the most underdressed he'd ever seen her. She was wearing short hotpants and a loose white t-shirt. She wasn't even wearing her ribbon in her hair. She walked over and sat down on the bed, glancing over to him. Suddenly, Blake found himself on the defensive. He sat up to put them both on more even ground.

Blake looked into Ayame's hazel-gold eyes, which seemed to be brimming with concern. It was a look he was used to seeing in the last few days. Sango, Kate, Reiner, Nikita, their eyes all looked at him the same way. But with Ayame… there was something different. Seeing it from his friends had hurt. But seeing it from Ayame… he wanted to be happy just to make that pain in her eyes go away.

"Blake…" Ayame whispered, her husky voice causing the hair on his neck to stand up.

His breath hitched in his throat, before he let out a squeak of "y-yeah?"

"Are you okay?" She asked, her eyes watering.

Blake opened his mouth to respond, but found that he couldn't. He couldn't lie to those pure eyes. But he also couldn't bring himself to inflict her more pain, either. So he said nothing, lowering his head in shame. He couldn't bear to look at those eyes anymore right now.

But that was answer enough. The pain, the guilt, it was all Ayame needed to see. Her body moved before she could think, and she lunged at him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"A-Ayame-?!" Blake sputtered, his face red. "Wh-what…?"

"It's okay," she whispered, squeezing him tightly, burying her chin in the crook of his shoulder. Blake could feel something wet run down his ear. "It's okay…"

Blake stared at the wall, his body feeling numb. Ayame had no idea what was going on, she didn't know what had happened, and yet she was hugging him tightly, reassuring him that it would be okay. How could she think to do something like that? It was just an act of meaningless kindness, with no knowledge of the situation. Saying something as half-hearted as "it's okay" when she had no idea if it would be okay was something unbelievably careless of her.

And yet somehow those words reassured him. Before he even knew it, he had his arms wrapped around her and was hugging her back. He could feel the emptiness inside of him beginning to fill up. All his previous thoughts about not caring, about not seeing any steps forward… Ayame's hug was telling him no, that it wasn't the end. She said that it would be okay, and Blake actually felt like it would be. The emptiness that he had was now replaced with the reality of the events. He couldn't keep his sadness and pain in any longer. He cried into her shoulder, as she reassuringly patted him on the back of the head and assuring him that everything would be okay.

Blake wasn't sure how long he cried. But soon enough, he was all cried out.

"It's okay," he murmured. "I'm feeling better. You can let go now."

"Maybe I'm not just hugging you for your sake," Ayame replied. It was a lie, of course, but then Blake was lying, too. He took the excuse she offered him, and allowed the hug to continue.

They sat there for a moment, just hugging one another. Blake could feel the pounding of Ayame's heart as her chest pressed against his own, but he could hear his own heart beating even louder. This was not something that he was necessarily ready for. Yes, he wanted to see Ayame, and he wanted to be comforted by her. She was the only one who could have made him feel better, he understood that now. She was the one who made him feel that it was okay for him to let out his tears, and assure him that he could go forward from here, that it wasn't the end of the world. He had known that even back in Galar, that he had wanted to see her, and no one else.

That was how he knew that what Alcea had said was the truth. He had been through a crucible, fallen into despair by the revelation of his sister. And on the other side of it, the person he had wanted to see the most had been Ayame.

Because he was in love with her.

The warmth of her hug, the filling void in his chest, and the pounding of his heart, they were all telling him what he hadn't realized until now, but in hindsight had made far, far too much sense. He was in love with her. He had been for months. How could he have been so stupid not to realize it?

He knew how, of course. He had been so lost in chasing after his sister, he hadn't been able to see the truth of his heart. His obsession with finding her had eclipsed everything else, even the slowly growing feelings that he had denied and made excuses to dismiss, when really the truth had been obvious since long before.

She had kissed him. And he had kissed her back. Not thinking about his sister or any of the other countless problems that had plagued his waking thoughts, he had kissed her back. Because part of him wanted to. He had dismissed her confession by telling her about a "certain girl" that he had to look after, because she was alone and she needed him. He couldn't go around dating while also trying to find her. He had used his sister's circumstances as a crutch, but he couldn't deny it now. Without that excuse, without his brain trying to tell him that he couldn't love, shouldn't love, that he didn't have any right to it… he had kissed her back. Because part of him was so desperate for her that he couldn't help himself.

He was glad they were hugging. Because his red face would have given him away completely. He buried his face in her shoulder, flushed with embarrassment. She was so much softer than he could have imagined. Holding her like this, she was so warm and gentle. He didn't want to let go. He took a breath, the scent of her shampoo tickling his nose. It wasn't even perfume, but it was still so relaxing. A comforting scent that was just… part of Ayame. A freshly showered Ayame, devoid of her usual sweat, just here, hugging him, comforting him in spite of all he had done. It made him blush even more, just being around her.

You're seriously thinking about her scent now?! He felt as bad as Cynthia. Even worse. Fantasizing over a girl's shampoo? That was just creepy. Almost as creepy as being in her bathrobe. Ayame's bathrobe. Clothes that she wore out of the bath every night. God. Why was his brain thinking like this? He wasn't supposed to be fantasizing. Somehow, after crying like he had, the numbness he had felt had all washed away. He was where he was supposed to be now, in the arms of someone he loved. And now that he had been healed, he felt himself growing more and more self-conscious about the fact that the two of them were now alone together. But how could he help it? Everything about Ayame was just so… perfect and adorable.

Everything about her brightened his day, put a smile on his face, made him want to see her again, to tell her jokes to tease her, just to see her smirk, or her smile, anything to let him know that she enjoyed his presence.

It wasn't wrong to feel this way. It was okay for him to be with her.

Just not anymore.

That was the painful truth of it, wasn't it? A realization that had come too late to do any good. It didn't matter what he felt now. He had already hurt her. He had rejected her completely, ripped her heart out and crushed it before her very eyes.

He was lucky she still cared about him enough to hold him like this. In his dream, he had imagined a future where he and Ayame were together. He hadn't realized it at the time, but that had been the path he wanted. That was the future he wanted more than any other. But that door was closed to him now. He couldn't be so cruel and selfish to tell her how he felt. Not now, when she had finally been freed of him playing around with her, yanking her back and forth by giving her false hope.

Blake wanted to punch his past self in the jaw. If only he had thought as clearly back then as he did now. If only he hadn't been so focused on the path he thought he wanted, on finding his sister and being a family with her again, he might not have overlooked the fact that the girl who he wanted to be with was right in front of him. He might not have broken the heart of the girl he wanted to see smile more than anyone else.

He broke free of Ayame's grip. She looked up at him with those sparkling hazel-gold eyes that made his heart skip a beat. He turned away from her, because he was afraid that his feelings were plain to see on his face. But to his chagrin (joy?) Ayame wasn't the kind of girl who would just let something like that slide.

"Blake? Is something the matter?" Ayame reached up and touched his far cheek, tilting his face to meet hers again, once again staring at him with those beautiful eyes.

"N-no, nothing," he said, squirming from her grasp while waving her hands frantically at the same time. Ayame's eyes widened.

"Your hands!" She gasped, grabbing his hands and turning his palms up so she could look at the scrapes. They were no longer bleeding after the shower, but they were still open wounds that needed treatment. Ayame's brain leaped from "comfort Blake spiritually" to "comfort Blake's wounds" and she similarly leapt out of bed and ran over to her dresser.

"It's okay," she reassured him. "I've got some disinfectant, I've also got some bandages left over."

"O-oh, no, it's-"

"It's not fine, do you want to get an infection?" She snapped, whirling around to face him. She was holding a small spray bottle in one hand, and a roll of bandages in the other. "Hands."

"Uh…"

"Hands!" She repeated, more insistent. Blake nodded his head meekly and held his hands out to her. She knelt at her bedside and began spraying down the cuts. The disinfectant stung against the cuts, Blake wincing in pain. He bit his lip.

"Sorry, it's gonna sting," she apologized, glancing sympathetically up at him.

"It's fine, I've had worse," Blake reassured her. She nodded, and began wrapping the bandages over his hands.

"…Are you ready to talk now?" She asked quietly, focusing on her work.

"What?" Blake glanced down at her. She looked back up at him, gazing into his eyes. She didn't say anything else. But her eyes were pleading with him to tell her everything. After all, she still didn't know what was going on. She didn't know why he had cried. She didn't know why he had seemed so lost. She didn't know anything.

Blake swallowed. The only person who he had told the full story to until now was Kitty. He had trusted her with his painful past, because it was something she needed to know, so she could be vigilant in her practice and not lose control. But he hadn't trusted anyone else with it. Not Cynthia, not Sango, and not even Ayame.

But now… he wanted to tell her. He wanted to bring her into this, to share a part of himself with her. Maybe he just wanted her to comfort her again. Maybe he couldn't bear to think about keeping it a secret from her any longer.

Or maybe he just wanted her to see him for who he really was, in his entirety. To see if she would accept him when she heard his life's story.

"I'll tell you," Blake replied, his voice so soft Ayame barely heard it over the sounds of the rain pelting her window, and the boom of thunder echoing in the distance. She smiled reassuringly up at him and wrapped her fingers around his, encouraging him to open up to her. A smile free of judgment, willing to accept whatever it was he wanted to share with her. She rose to her feet and sat down beside him, wrapping her other hand around his as well. She stared into his eyes, and he began to share his past with her.

Next chapter, we finally get our look at Blake's backstory. Many questions will be answered, so you won't want to miss it!