So I was going to cover this in one chapter, but that was going to be really long time. So I'm breaking it up. I'm going to try and have only a few chapters, but who knows. This is important to cover, so that we can understand where Blake came from. Hopefully after that, we can get back to the Ayame x Blake tension!

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

ConfusedCradily: We can only hope. He deserves to be happy.

Aakareo Kokokuhikari: Yeah, this arc took a long time to build up to. And don't worry, I'm going to treat these relationships right.

Guest: More than that. A lot more.

Tambry96bj: Yeah, but it will be worth it.

Aquahaze675: Really? What did you find out that was different?

Mercury – mercuraneous: Yes. It is important. And it's okay that Ayame is older. She isn't that much older.

KedharS: Damn right finally.

Rosealine gold: Glad you like it, I always try my hardest to make it enjoyable!

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 279

At a certain location…

"I can't believe this," Preya growled, slamming his hand against a table. He was standing across from Valerie, who was leaning back in her chair, only paying him half her attention. Rui was seated between the two of them.

"You didn't get the Oracle?!"

Val glanced up from her phone and raised her eyebrow.

"Couldn't be helped," she shrugged. "Blame Guinevere. Apparently, she just handed it right over because her dear brother asked."

"I'm surprised you're so calm about this, Val," Rui said. "I mean, you had to out yourself and everything, right? Now your name is on their list, just like ours."

Val shrugged.

"I only helped this time because my class happened to be having their field trip," Val explained. "It works out fine. Now, I don't have to spend any more time at that stupid school with all those chittering bitches."

"Yeah, but now your family's ruined, right? The Chiester's prized daughter and heir is a wanted terrorist."

Val smirked.

"Not a big deal. I happened to invest quite nicely in several companies with rival interests against my father's businesses," Val replied. "I shorted the stocks quite well."

"Whoa, dude, you profited off of your family's collapse?" Rui's jaw dropped in shock. "That is cold-blooded, and I should know. That's, like… whoa. So totally like you."

Val's eyes shined. She was quite proud of herself, indeed.

"Will you two pay attention?" Preya snapped, the girls glancing back to him, their disinterest plain on their faces. "One of you needs to talk some sense into that girl! She needs to understand just how badly she messed up."

"You can if you want," Rui shrugged, stretching her arms over her head. "But right now, she's in her room, sleeping. She worked really hard, and she needs to recover. You know what that's like, right Mr. Harmonia?"

Indeed, Gwen was sleeping peacefully in the other room. But it wasn't a good dream she was having, rather a memory of the past.

"We're home, Blake!"

Blake looked up at the massive estate, utterly blown away. The mansion in front of him was like nothing he'd ever seen before. Well, as far as he knew, anyway. His memory was spotty, which was just another in the long list of issues he was dealing with. He had been in the hospital for over a year, recovering from an extensive amount of damage to his body. Damage from what, he did not know, as he had no concrete memories from before waking up in the hospital room. Later he would be told by the doctors that his condition was likely a result of trauma from the torture-like conditions his body had been put through, but right now, he had no idea.

He didn't even know why he was here, to be honest. The blonde woman who was pushing his wheelchair, he knew her name was Cynthia. But what she wanted from him, he didn't know. The large multi-story mansion towering over his head told him she must have been super-rich, but he… he was just some kid. Why was he here? Did she know him? From before? She said she didn't, but he didn't know why she was being so nice to him, either.

"Do I, um…"

"Hmm? You say something, sweetie?" Cynthia asked, smiling down at the boy sitting in front of her.

"Do I really… belong here?" Blake asked quietly. He didn't look at her. He stared numbly forward. He was afraid that if he said or did anything, that she would get mad at him. The thought of that… it sent a shiver down his spine, but he didn't know why.

"Don't be ridiculous," Cynthia said, her sweet voice causing his cheeks to flush. "You're family now, Blake. Of course you belong here."

Family.

That was a word that didn't seem to resonate with him, no matter how many times she said it. As she pushed him up the ramp (newly installed, it seemed) and into the large, white double doors filled with stained glass, he didn't FEEL like he belonged here.

"Sorry, we didn't have time to install any ramps or anything inside, Richard said that would require ripping the house apart," Cynthia apologized. "But it's fine! We had a nice elevator installed, instead! Now you can go to whatever floor of the house you wish! The bedrooms are on the second floor, shall we take a look?"

"…Sure," Blake replied. If that was what she wanted, then that was what he wanted, as well.

"Lovely!" Cynthia pushed him through the long and wide hallways of the elegant mansion. Everything made Blake feel so small. The white walls and the tiled floor were practically shining, and it seemed that there was a massive chandelier every couple of feet. Large paintings lined the walls, beautiful landscapes and portraits, and abstract shapes he couldn't make anything out of at all. Not that he had an eye for art, or anything like that.

Cynthia guided him into a small elevator, and soon he was on the second floor. It was just as imposing as the first. He kept his head down, ignoring his surroundings. He felt like everything… it was too good for him to even look at.

Cynthia opened the door, and let him inside. His room was nice. Far nicer than the hospital had been, anyway. The white carpet beneath him was as pure as snow, and the walls were just as bright. A large window and glass door faced out into a beautiful garden beneath the balcony. It was big, far too big for someone like him. But it was so empty. The only things in the room were a large, carved antique wooden dresser and a four-poster kind-sized bed with a white silk canopy. It looked so soft and comfy. Totally unsuited for someone like him.

"What do you think?" Cynthia asked. "I know you didn't have anything like clothes already, so we bought you a bunch of new outfits! Would you like to see them?"

Blake glanced at the closet and shook his head.

"I see. Well, what about going for a tour?" Cynthia asked. "Would you like to see everything here?"

Blake didn't want to be rude. But at the same time…

"I'm… I'm tired," Blake said quietly. "Is it okay… if I rest for a little?"

Cynthia blinked. Indeed, it was starting to get dark outside, and a growing boy needed his sleep. She'd lost track of time taking him through the house earlier.

"Of course," she nodded. She turned to the door. "Sephiria? Could you come in?"

A tall blonde woman in her late teens walked into the room, a stern look on her face. She was dressed in a fancy suit with black gloves, the image of composure and decorum. Completing the look were a set of glasses with dark tinted lenses, hiding shining gold eyes behind them.

"Blake, this is Sephiria," Cynthia introduced them. "She'll be here as your personal attendant, while we get you into physical therapy. Don't worry, we'll have you walking before you know it. If you need anything at all, just ask her. Think of her like your special helping friend!"

Cynthia's slate eyes glittered cheerfully as she stepped out the door. She looked behind it one last time, smiling kindly at Blake.

"Take care, Blake. We really want this place to seem like a home to you."

Blake nodded his head, but didn't respond. She smiled one last time, closing the door behind her. Blake was left alone with Sephiria then.

"Um…"

"How may I be of assistance?" The woman asked immediately, as though she had just been waiting for him to say or do something. Which she kind of had.

"Oh, just, um…"

Blake glanced at the bed for a moment, before looking back to her.

"As you wish," Sephiria nodded. She stepped forward and assisted Blake's wheelchair to the bed, lifting him up out of it. Blake could feel how solid her arms were, pure muscle.

As she set him down on the bed, Blake found himself a little… off. The bed was big and fluffy, and so, so soft. It felt like he was sinking down into it. Something as nice as this… he couldn't remember ever experiencing it.

Blake pulled the covers over him and nestled down into the pillows (of which there were far more than he assumed were necessary) before realizing that Sephiria was still there, looking down at him.

"Um… you… you can go…" Blake said, still not sure how this whole "having servants" thing was supposed to work.

"Understood," Sephiria said, nodding. She put her hand over her heart and lowered her head into a bow. She placed a small black object with a single button on the bed beside his head. "This is my buzzer. Call me if you need anything. I will be here in a heartbeat."

The determination with which she said that almost convinced Blake that she really could.

"Uh… yeah," he said, nodding his head. "I will."

"Have a nice rest, young master," Sephiria wished him well, bowing her head once more and stepping aside, flicking off the light and closing the door behind her.

Blake was left alone in the darkness. He shivered. He didn't know why; he was only 8 or so (at least, that was what his records said) but for some reason the darkness made him feel so…

Scared.

Like there was something there, something peeling away at the edge of his thoughts. Or maybe, like there was something that should be in that darkness, something that he knew was there, or should be there, but right now wasn't.

He wasn't sure if it scared him or not. All he knew was that the bed was too comfortable for him, and he wasn't used to it, it made his body feel a little too light and fluffy, like he was sinking. And with the darkness…

Blake didn't get much sleep that night, and what sleep he did get was plagued with nightmares of black flames.

Blake woke up groggy and lifeless, still a little weary. For a moment he didn't know where he was or what was going on. The painkillers made everything seem a little… weird. He was in a brand new… "home".

It didn't really feel like home. But then, Blake didn't know what home was supposed to feel like. Apparently, he had been raised in an orphanage, at least that's what that woman, Cynthia Harker, had told him. She said… she was trying to be his mother. She had spent time with her, and he did like her. She was so kind, so sweet… but Blake was scared. He didn't… he didn't want to make her upset. She was so kind to him. And if she didn't want him…

Blake pressed the call button to call that woman, Sephiria, his personal attendant. A few minutes later, he heard a knock on the door.

"C-come in," Blake called out to her softly.

Sephiria stepped inside, standing at attention.

"You called, young master?" She asked.

"Yeah, um… my-my painkillers…" Blake said.

"Right away." Sephiria reached into her pocket and swiftly withdrew a small bottle of pills, handing one over to him. "Young master, may I suggest something?"

"Uh… sure?" Blake replied, confused.

"I would suggest getting a night table for your bedside, young master," Sephiria suggested. "You can put your pills beside it before you go to sleep, so that you will not need me when you feel pain. You can also place the buzzer on it, as well."

"…Yeah, I guess," Blake said, swallowing the pill. Sephiria pocketed the bottle. "Um… what should I do?"

"What would you like to do?" Sephiria asked, tilting her head to the side. Blake wasn't sure what she meant by that.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"You are the young master of this house," Sephiria explained to him. "You can do whatever you like. Anything you like. This is your house, after all."

Blake blinked. It still hadn't set in. He felt a pit well up in his stomach.

"I'm… I'm a little hungry?" Blake mentioned.

"Indeed. I will have the chefs prepare you a lovely breakfast," Sephiria said. She reached into her jacket and withdrew a note pad and pen, much to Blake's surprise. Was there anything she didn't have hidden in that jacket, he wondered?

"Um…"

Blake was used to hospital food.

"…Pancakes?" He asked. "Do you guys have pancakes?"

"Of course," Sephiria nodded. "Would you like anything with them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Would you like your pancakes made with something inside of them, like blueberries, or chocolate chips, or banana slices?"

"Banana slices?" Blake asked, surprised. He'd never even heard of that.

"Indeed. The young miss Guinevere quite enjoys them. Would you like to try? There are other choices as well. We have quite a selection if you would so choose…"

"Uh, no, um, actually, that sounds nice," Blake admitted. "Although, I'd also like to try some with chocolate chips and blueberries, too…"

"A little of each then," Sephiria said, jotting it down. "And would you like any combinations? Blueberries and chocolate chips, perhaps? Chocolate chips and banana? All three?"

Blake felt himself start to drool. He nodded his head eagerly. It all sounded so delicious. He couldn't wait to eat it.

"Yes, please," Blake said.

"As you wish, young master," Sephiria said, nodding her head. "And what sauce would you like with it? Syrup? Chocolate? Strawberry jam?"

She kept listing them off, Blake's head spinning. He wasn't sure what he agreed to, but she turned around and walked out the door. A half-hour later, Sephiria walked back in pushing a rolling table, and behind her came three more servants, holding trays of pancakes stacked up towards the ceiling. They set the towers of pancakes down on the table, and left.

Blake looked at the feast before his eyes and baulked. He swallowed. He was hungry, but… but not that hungry.

"Your breakfast, young master," Sephiria said, bowing her head to him. Blake tilted himself to dangle his legs over the edge of the bed, and pulled the table up to him, picking up his fork and digging in.

It was the most delicious food he'd ever had.

He didn't finish it, but it was still a great meal. When he was done, he thought about what he wanted to do next. Right now, he was still a little wary about this big place. Apparently, Cynthia Harker had left for the day. He had a brother, Kanone Harker, that's what he knew. He hadn't met him before, though. He also hadn't met his father, Richard Harker, either.

So he decided to do something a little more private today.

"Sephiria… is there a library here?"

Blake had heard stories about libraries before. He didn't know exactly where, but he knew that he knew about them, he had heard of them somewhere. For a long time he'd wanted to be a reader… but he didn't know how to read. He'd never learned, or if he had, he'd forgotten everything he'd ever learned about words and stuff.

But he was looking forward to trying.

"Of course, young master."

"I…" Blake looked down, a little embarrassed.

"I… I don't know how to read," he quietly admitted. "I want to learn, but…"

"You were in an orphanage, they didn't teach you how to read?" Sephiria asked, cocking her eyebrow up.

"If they did, I don't remember it," Blake admitted. "Can… can you teach me? I mean, it's not like I have anything else I could be doing, you know? It's not like I could go to school or anything… since I can't read, y'know?"

"As you wish, young master," Sephiria said, nodding.

"Well then, the library it is," Sephiria said. She pushed the table away from the bed, and wheeled Blake's chair over, helping him in. "We have quite a wonderful library, three stories tall. It accesses from the second story, we won't even need to use the elevator until we get there, would you like to see it? Shall we go?"

"Yes, please," Blake said, nodding.

Sephiria pushed the wheelchair into the library, and Blake's breath stopped in his chest. In front of him was a veritable tower of books. The Harker Family Library was arranged as a circular wall of books stacked from floor to ceiling, around a spiral staircase. There were offshoot rooms built onto the walkway, presumably connecting to other hallways and reading rooms. Blake couldn't go up or down the stairs, but he was interested in checking out what was around.

"Shall we start with picture books, young master?" Sephiria asked. "I do not know if we have any adapted for children, but we do have a section for manga."

"Manga?"

"Indeed. Japanese comic books with pictures and words. The young miss is a fan of them. Shall we look for a few? They are right this way."

Sephiria led him around the circular floor, moving with the spiral of the staircase before arriving at one of the doors. She led him inside.

The room was small, but the shelves in it were packed with colorful books and titles that were intended to draw his eye. But they had failed. What caught his eye instead was something else entirely. There was an alcove carved into the library wall, with a window at the end of the alcove. It was big enough for someone to use it as a seat, and indeed, it was occupied by someone. There was a young girl with light blonde hair in a small white dress curled up in the alcove, reading silently, occasionally glancing out the window with her slate-colored eyes.

Blake stared at her, stunned. She was beautiful, and perched like she was, she looked just like an angel.

That was the first time Blake set his eyes upon Guinevere Harker.

So how will things go? Blake has met Guinevere for the first time… how will we get to where we are now?