In this chapter, everyone hears the truth about Blake's history and the pain he's endured. What will their reactions be? Also, two characters will have a serious heart-to-heart and confront their feelings. What heartwarming moments will result from this, I wonder?

We've got a decent amount of votes in the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Semi-Finals! We're reaching the end, so get in your votes! The frontrunners right now may surprise you, there's a dark horse in the top 3! Make sure to get those votes in, so we can see who makes it to the final round! All the girls are trying their best, let's see who will pull out the win!

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

Badoobadoop: Well, of course. It's Marion, after all.

Aquahaze675: Yup, Blake's second evolved pokemon.

Mercury – Mercuraneous: I'm not sure how the fillers will go, to be honest. But I know for a fact what the next arc will be. It all depends on whether or not I actually want to do the fishing contest.

Tambry96bj: It'll happen eventually, don't worry!

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 289

Blake had gathered his friends together in his room, along with Ayame. He had even invited Kate, since she was tangentially related to this whole thing and it would be weird to leave her out of it now. Some people, like Cynthia, were less happy with this, but she still agreed.

"Wow, that's just… wow," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "I don't believe it."

"It's the truth," Blake said.

"You got two pokemon to evolve without even trying?" Cynthia exclaimed. "That's so unfair! Rose and I had to train for so long to get her to evolve, and you just luck into it so easily!

…

"That's your takeaway from this?" Blake asked, slapping his forehead in frustration.

"Well yeah, how lame is that?" Cynthia sighed. "Here I am training my butt off all week trying to get stronger, and you go on a vacation to Galar and just get to luck into two of your pokemon evolving, no sweat!"

"Okay, so you just skipped over the whole 'Blake's sister is one of the Children of the Oracles' thing, then?" Julia dryly asked.

"Wow, I knew that she was your sister, but to think something like that happened when you two were growing up…" Reiner sighed, shaking his head. Nikita nodded sympathetically. She wasn't close enough to Blake to feel like she could say anything, so she just sat next to Reiner on his bed, projecting moral support.

Nick looked down. He could understand why Blake had felt so broken-up, it made a lot more sense now.

"Sorry you had to go through that stuff, Blake," Nick replied, glancing back up at him. "I'm just… yeah, sorry."

"Yeah, it sucks," Cynthia admitted. "But don't you just have to beat her and bring her home? I mean, sure, you lost this time, but you were getting through to her at the end, right?"

Blake blinked.

"Uh… I don't think it works that way."

"So you're just giving up, then," Cynthia sighed, rolling her eyes.

"It isn't about 'giving up' it's just-"

"But that's what you're doing, isn't it?"

"I…"

Sango had been silent throughout the entire story, even the parts she had been involved in. She'd been the one who had seen their interaction for herself, the only one, in fact. And her silence on the subject until now had been noticed. Cynthia and Blake had stopped arguing, both turning their attention to her, wondering what she finally had to say on the matter.

"…I have to go," Sango said, standing up from where she'd been sitting on the floor. She turned and ran out the door, to the stunned surprise of everyone else in the room. Cynthia leapt up as well, preparing to go after her.

"Wait."

Ayame, who had reached over Blake to grab Cynthia by the arm, pulled on her insistently. Cynthia turned back to her with a look of confusion.

"Huh? What is it?" Cynthia asked.

"Let me go instead," Ayame said, standing up. "I think I can talk with her better than you can, at least about this."

"What? But Sango's, like, my best friend," Cynthia said. "Well, I mean, besides Blake, of course, but still, shouldn't I-?"

"This is…" Ayame glanced at Blake for a moment, and then stood up to confront Cynthia directly. "This is something between the two of us, okay? I think she'd be more comfortable talking to me about it, you understand?"

That was a little bit of a lie. It wasn't that Sango would be more comfortable with her, in fact she would probably be less comfortable. But Ayame owed it to the girl to have an honest discussion with her, and that was what she was going to do.

"…Sure, go ahead," Cynthia said, Ayame walking around her and heading out the door. She knew that Sango's Castform was still sleeping in her room, so that probably wasn't where she'd gone. That left downstairs. Ayame practically leapt down the stairs after the girl, making sure to keep from going too fast; she didn't want to damage her ribs, she was just starting to get better. But Sango was slightly banged up too, and Ayame managed to catch up with her outside. She wasn't running, like Ayame had assumed. She was just standing at the foot of the stairs, staring up at the night sky. The contemplative look on her face was illuminated by the light of the dormitory porch. Ayame slowed down and walked up beside her.

"Hey, Sango."

Sango didn't look at her. She lowered her head and turned the other way, a tense, anxious look on her face.

"Don't talk to me right now."

Ayame frowned. Sango was clearly pushing her away right now. Well, that was just fine with her. She and Sango were friends, but they weren't close enough for Ayame to worry about losing her over something like this. Right now, Sango needed someone to talk to, she could see the pain on the girl's face. And Ayame was the only one who Sango could be totally open with.

Because she was the only one who knew how Sango felt about Blake. (Or at least as far as she knew, anyway)

"Are you upset about Blake?" Ayame asked quietly.

"Of course it's about Blake," Sango muttered. She crossed her hands in front of her chest and took a few more steps away from Ayame to put some distance between the two of them, walking out onto the path. Her body was still lit up by the streetlights and the porch, casting her shadow in several directions while leaving her in an isolated bubble of light.

Ayame figured that it had to do with the hard stuff that she'd heard about Blake's past. But even while she rationally knew that was probably the case, there was a nagging feeling in her chest that just wouldn't go away. And since she didn't want to risk bottling it up and eventually leading to resentment between the two, she had to air it out now, while they were in private and talking to one another. This was the best for the both of them.

"Is it… about me?" Ayame asked. At lunch today, Sango had said that she was happy for her and Blake. But Ayame still couldn't help but doubt that was really the truth. Sango didn't reply to her clarifying question, making her feel even more insecure about what was going on. The silence hanging in the night air was discomforting, making her feel like she'd done something wrong. But she hadn't.

Sango finally replied, and finally turned back to face Ayame, looking at her directly. Ayame could see the tears in her eyes.

"I had no idea," she said quietly. "I knew that Blake had been through difficult stuff, and because of that, I thought that I could help him. But I had no idea just how much pain he had gone through. I was just crushing on him, without trying to see his side of things."

"…Well I didn't know, either," Ayame said, walking up to Sango. She put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I didn't know anything until he told me last night. But that didn't stop me from feeling the way that I felt. I didn't think that my love for him was wrong just because I didn't know the full story. And I think that you shouldn't, either. So you didn't know everything about him. Does that change how you feel?"

Sango shook her head. Then she realized what she had just admitted, a look of guilt crossing over her face.

"I… I mean, I didn't, er… I didn't mean that…"

Sango shook her head frantically.

"I-I'm totally over Blake, you don't even have to worry about it!" Sango protested. She didn't want Ayame thinking she was some kind of boyfriend-stealer.

But Ayame didn't seem all that perturbed by her statement.

"Liar."

"I-I'm not-"

"Lie. Ar."

Sango's anxious expression returned. She shook free of Ayame's grasp and turned away from her, wiping her face.

"You still like him, it's written all over your face."

"No, I don't! I'm happy for you, I am!" Sango replied. "You make him so happy! The way he smiles at you, the brightness in his eyes, I'm so happy that Blake is with you right now. So don't say that I still like him, because I don't!"

Ayame stepped up to the girl, wrapping her arms around Sango and hugging her, resting her chin down on the crook of Sango's neck.

"Sure you do. And that's okay."

Sango sputtered, biting down on her lip to resist the urge to cry.

"I know full well that it isn't easy to get over having feelings for someone," Ayame said. "You don't have to force yourself to be okay with it. I understand if you're upset with me, if you resent me. I said that I wanted to fight you on an even field, and he chose me before you even had a chance to confess. If you want to be mad, or heartbroken, then it's okay. But I made my choice, and I'm going to be happy with him."

"You're wrong," Sango said, shaking her head, her messy brown hair tickling Ayame's cheek. "This isn't a competition. Blake… Blake wanted to be with you, because you could make him happy. And there's nothing I ever could have done to make him feel that way about me. He likes you. Not me. And I can't be you, so there was no way this ever could have been a competition."

Sango reached up and brushed away the tears from her eyes. She tried to turn, but Ayame's grip was unsurprisingly tight.

"I'm sad that he never got to hear how I felt. But… right now I'd be confessing for my own satisfaction. I know we won't be together."

"Do you want to confess to him?" Ayame asked. Sango hadn't been expecting her to say THAT. She was a little taken aback.

"What do you mean?" Sango asked, confused. Ayame dropped her arms and stepped back, Sango turning to face her.

What she saw in Ayame's eyes was surprising. The girl was serious. In the dim light of the lamps, Sango could see her hazel-gold eyes glowing with determination and compassion.

"I love Blake," Ayame said, reaching up and putting a hand on her breast. "I feel him in my heart. And I know that Blake loves me. So if you want to confess to him, if you want to let him know how you feel, then I'm fine with it. I know you won't 'steal' him from me. Blake's feelings aren't something that I own. All I can do is trust the Blake in my heart, who says that he wants to be with me and make me happy. And as long as I believe in that, then I don't care if you love him too. If telling him the truth about your crush on him will make you feel better, then that's better than bottling it up."

Ayame reached her hand out and clapped it on Sango's shoulder, gently comforting the girl.

"I'm afraid that if you keep your feelings secret, then you'll only feel worse and worse about everything," Ayame said, looking down. "I don't want you looking at Blake and I with venom and resentment, that's one of the things I'm most afraid of. So… if confessing will make you happy, then don't feel like you can't."

Sango reached up and placed her hand over Ayame's, sighing. Everything that the girl said was only with the best intentions, and yet she still thought that Sango was capable of resenting her at this point. It made Sango want to laugh, if she didn't feel like crying.

"Why do you have to be so perfect?" Sango asked, more than a little pissed off in spite of herself. "It's reeeeaaally annoying how okay you are with this."

"You're my friend, Sango," Ayame answered, giving the girl a good-natured smile. "I don't want to see you sad. …That doesn't mean I'm handing Blake over, though."

Ayame stuck her tongue out at Sango and flashed her a teasing grin. Sango chuckled as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You're really sweet," Sango said. "And you understand how to make people feel better, more than I ever have. I can see why you were the one. The one that Blake fell for. I don't think I could be for him what you can. Heck, even I might start falling for you."

Ayame barked out a laugh.

"Ha! Now that might just be the perfect solution to our dilemma, huh?"

"Nah, I'm an only child, I suck at sharing," Sango replied. The two laughed at that, but Sango's laugh still had a tinge of forced uneasiness in it. Ayame didn't seem to notice. Sango's voice trailed off and she went silent, letting out a long sigh.

"I still like him," she admitted. "Even though I know I can't be with him, even though I know full well that he likes you, not me, even though I'm happy for the two of you, and I'm so glad that you can make him happy…"

Sango reached up and placed her hand over her chest, wincing in pain.

"You being with him still makes me hurt a little. I can't help how I feel; I like him, and I don't think I can stop yet."

Sango turned her attention back to Ayame. Both the girls' eyes were wet. She looked at the taller girl with a pleading expression.

"I don't want to confess to him. I don't want things to change between the two of us. If possible, I want my feelings to slowly go away on their own. Even if he never knows how I feel, I think that's what's best for all of us. So… is that okay?"

Ayame was confused.

"Is what okay?"

"Can I… is it…" Sango shook her head, calming down the pounding in her heart. She looked Ayame in the eye, trying to seem like everything was okay. "Is it okay… if I keep liking Blake? At least for now… until I can get over him on my own, do you mind if I keep… having these feelings for him?"

Ayame could see the desperation reflected in the girl's eyes.

"What am I saying?" Sango said, quickly changing the subject. She shook her head frantically, trying to cool down. "I mean, of you wouldn't be okay with that, he's your boyfriend! Sorry, I shouldn't be talking like… I mean…"

Ayame smiled and shook her head.

"I already told you, I know that Blake isn't easy to get over," she reassured Sango. "So if you need to take the time to get over him, and move on from your feelings, then that's fine. You're my friend, Sango, how many times do I need to tell you that? I don't want you to feel like you have to do something that you don't think you can. Trying to force yourself to get over your feelings for someone? That's not fucking fair to you, so no fucking way would I want you to do something that painful. You like him, and that's fine. So handle your feelings however you can, okay? I trust Blake, and I trust you. So can you trust me to be okay with your feelings?"

Sango nodded her head, smiling a little.

"If you're okay with it… then thank you, Ayame."

"Aww, you can just call me Aya!" Ayame chirped, pulling Sango into a hug. Sango sputtered in embarrassment, her face smooshed into Ayame's breasts, which were bigger than she had anticipated. Another annoyance, Ayame seemed to be trumping Sango in every avenue.

"Lemmf gove!" Sango muttered, Ayame letting her go.

"I-I don't know about that," Sango said, pulling back from the girl. "Ayame's fine for now."

Ayame looked a little sad about that, but she shrugged her shoulders anyway.

"Oh, but don't get me wrong," Ayame continued. Her expression turned serious, and her hazel-gold eyes narrowed into a glare that sent a sudden shiver down Sango's spine.

"Um…" Sango wasn't sure what had happened to make Ayame suddenly go on her guard like that. She gave the girl a tentative look filled with worry.

"Just because I want you to be happy and I'm okay with your feelings, don't take that to mean that I'm okay with you putting the moves on Blake, you got that?" Ayame clarified, crossing her arms in front of her chest and standing imposingly in front of the girl. "Blake's still my boyfriend, after all. So I'm cool with you liking him, because that's part of your healing. But I don't want you taking your clothes off and throwing yourself at him, stuff like that and we'll have a real fucking problem."

"M-my clothes off-?!" Sango sputtered, her face turning bright red. "I-I would never-! Even if he was single, I wouldn't-"

"I know, I know, I'm kidding," Ayame laughed. "But seriously. Don't. No seducing. Okay? You're my friend and I want to trust you, so don't go behind my back…?"

"I wouldn't," Sango clarified.

"I know," Ayame nodded back. Even though she trusted Sango, she still felt a little relieved to hear it from her own lips that Sango wouldn't be trying anything. "You're a good girl, and you care about Blake. Heck, you even care about me. The fact that you're the sort of girl who'd tell me how you feel about my boyfriend to my face is what makes me trust you so much in the first place, you know? It shows that you're an honest sort."

"R-really?" Sango was a little surprised. She had thought that revealing that she still had feelings for Blake would make her less trustworthy in Ayame's eyes, not more. Wouldn't Ayame be looking over her shoulder or staring at her suspiciously, worried that she'd steal him away? Of course she wouldn't, but wouldn't Ayame think that she would?

The fact that she was so trusted by someone that, while calling her friend, still didn't know Sango all that well, made Sango feel a little bit guilty, like she should be a better friend to Ayame to merit this level of trust. She let out another sigh.

"Thanks, Ayame."

"Aya."

"We're still not that close," Sango said. She smiled. "But we'll get there…?"

Ayame's eyes widened and a big, dopey smile spread across her face. She hugged Sango again, overjoyed.

"Well now, two girls hugging in the moonlight is quite a sight to see," a girl's voice rang out from the darkness as Sango and Ayame parted, turning their heads in the direction that they could hear the sound of footsteps coming from.

A girl that both of them recognized walked into the light of the street lamps, her curly pigtails bouncing with each step. She had a serious grimace on her face.

"So tell me, what's this I'm hearing about my sweet boy?" Claire asked, raising her eyebrow at the two, curiosity brimming at the corners of her scowl.

Claire returns! What will she have to say about this new revelation?