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The Finals have begun! The Pokemon Academy Best Girl Finals have only gotten a few votes in, I can't wait to see how it goes. All the girls there are pretty good, but as you may have guessed I'm personally polling for Ayame in light of the story direction. How will it go? We'll have to see! Be sure to get your votes in! Only one girl can win, who will that one girl be? Who will be the Pokemon Academy Best Girl?

Finalists: Sango, Ayame, Marion

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 298

Sango stepped outside onto the balcony, and much to her surprise, there was already someone standing there. It was a girl, her dark hair and dark clothes making her almost invisible against the night sky. It was only her pale skin that stood out to her, a broad contrast. As Sango got closer, the choice of clothing the girl wore was notable as well. She wore a shiny leather jacket and dark, tight black pants, instead of a dress or even a suit. More striking was the studded collar she wore around her throat, and the studded ankle boots that matched it. It was a punk wardrobe, not usual for a fancy party. Her long hair flowed down her back. As the girl turned to Sango, Sango could see that her hair was brushed over the left side of her face, covering her eye, her other eye a bright red that glittered in the darkness. She stared silently at Sango, making no attempt to greet her.

"May I join you?" Sango asked.

"Ungh," the girl shrugged. It wasn't a rejection, so Sango stepped up beside her, smiling good-naturedly, looking out over the railing.

"It's really beautiful," Sango sighed, looking out into the starry sky. Winter was upon the campus, and soon those stars would be clouded and snow would be falling. But for now, the crisp, cool air was a relief, Sango taking a deep breath and inhaling the cleanliness.

Sango turned to the dark, brooding girl.

"I'm Sango. Sango Akana."

There was a strange flicker in the brunette's eye, almost… recognition? No, Sango was sure she hadn't met her before. She must be seeing things.

"…Maddison Whitmore," the girl replied.

"Well, hello Maddison," Sango said, holding her hand out to the girl. The girl shook it, begrudgingly. "I came here to escape from the party, so I didn't expect to see someone else out here as well. Do you enjoy the outdoors as well?"

"Not particularly," Maddi said, shaking her head. If she was right, this blonde girl was a friend of Cynthia's? Well, Maddi could at least be courteous to her, there was nothing to gain by being antisocial. And besides, it was rather apparent that this girl, at the very least, was not as pushy as Cynthia was, so she could tolerate her a little better.

Maddi glanced back over her shoulder at the bustle of people inside the ballroom. And let out an exhausted sigh.

"More like… I'm not one for big parties like this in the first place," she explained.

"Oh, really?" Sango asked, surprised.

"I didn't even want to come, but I had to," Maddi bitterly noted. "If it was up to me, I'd be listening to music right now, or maybe brushing up on my pokemon reading."

"I suppose I'm not used to these sorts of things either," Sango admitted, looking down at herself. "The number of times I've worn dresses like this can be counted on one hand. Still… I can't say I didn't enjoy it, you know."

"Hrmm…" Maddi noncommittally responded, clearly disagreeing but not in the mood to turn it into some large discussion.

"If it's not for you, though, then it's not for you," Sango meekly followed up, trying to extend an olive branch to the suddenly colder girl.

"So if you're such a big fan, why are you out here?" Maddi asked.

Sango sighed, leaning further over the railing and looking out at the dark ocean ahead. Her shawl was blowing slightly in the wind, and she could feel the winter chill already seeping into her. She smiled a sad smile.

"The party is nice… I love spending time with my friends so much. But at the same time, I've started to realize… there's a wall between us."

Maddi raised her eyebrow. It was surprising to think that someone as overly friendly as Cynthia or sweet like that girl Katherine (Kitty?) would ever have a barrier in connecting with others. Even if the white-haired girl or Nikita were shier than most.

"My friends… they're pokemon battlers, and I'm not," Sango said. "Recently I've started to feel like there's something between them all that I won't have."

"…I don't understand," Maddi admitted. "I'm a pokemon battler myself, after all."

"Figures," Sango laughed, her voice devoid of spite. "Sometimes I feel like everyone here is."

"You don't have any friends in your year who aren't battlers?" Maddi asked.

"No, no, I do," Sango said, shaking her head. "There's my friend Aidan, of course, he's studying to be a ranger like me, and Nikita's aiming for the Research Course, so it's not like she's exactly a battler, but… even she's joining up with this whole tag tournament thing."

Sango sighed, tilting her head and looking up towards the sky.

"I guess that's just a life that I won't be able to experience. There's always going to be a connection between them all, a world that I don't have the chance to set foot in. I don't want to hurt my Silver, but…" Sango shook her head, looking back towards the party, turning around and placing her elbows on the railing and lounging back. "I first started feeling this way a few weeks ago… my friends… and one of my upperclassmates… got involved in a serious battle with some dangerous trainers… and a dear friend of mine went through hard times. And when it was done, all I was thinking… couldn't I have done something? Wasn't there something I could do? Some way I could have helped them, I don't know, maybe fought back? …But no. Of course I couldn't. Because I'm not a battler. I don't have any way to fight. I could only watch helplessly as other people struggled. Ever since then, I've been thinking… I've been so opposed to battling, but…"

She let out another sigh.

"Is it such a bad thing? I don't want to force Silver to fight if he doesn't want to, but… I don't know. Maybe I should try it out even once? I don't know. I guess, seeing stuff like this… it makes me feel a little weird, you know? …No, I guess you don't." Sango turned back to Maddi, who had listened to her entire speech without saying a word, only watching Sango vigilantly. "Sorry for pestering you with all this stuff, you must think I'm being a bother."

"Nah," Maddi shrugged, shaking her head. "Trust me, there are girls way more annoying than you, don't even worry about it."

"O-Oh, thank you?" Sango replied, not entirely sure if that was a good thing or not.

Maddi had been taking the time that Sango had spent recounting her issues to think deeper on what exactly Sango was going through at the moment, and the kind of person that she seemed to be. Hearing the other girls (and Blake) talk about Sango, she'd expected someone cheery and energetic, much like Cynthia. But it seemed she had a relatively tolerable pensive side, actually being thoughtful about her position and even considerate of Maddi herself.

Point was, Maddi didn't mind talking a little more with her, it helped to pass the time anyway. Maddi drained the last of the drink she carried in her hand, and pulled back away from the railing.

"…I'll be back," she murmured, heading inside. She filled her drink back up, just with some more lemonade, and then took a second plastic cup for Sango. She walked out onto the balcony, slightly happy that the blonde had stayed put. Talking with Sango had been one of the few bright points of the day. She was like Cynthia in a lot of ways. But while Cynthia was an annoyance in large doses, Sango had yet to wear out her welcome.

"Thanks," Sango smiled, taking the drink from her. She took a sip and then made a face, pursing her lips and sticking her tongue out. "…Blegh! It's so sour!"

"I don't mind," Maddi said, smiling slightly. Sango's eyes widened, that was the first time Maddi had smiled.

"So I guess tonight's not going as bad as you thought it might?" Sango asked.

"Nah, I'd rather hang out with someone bitching about their own problems than go pretend to be social," Maddi replied. "You're the best of a bad situation."

"…Thanks," Sango dryly replied, rolling her eyes.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the outdoor atmosphere.

"So you're not a very social person, huh?" Sango asked. It was a stupid question, and Maddi was going to point out that it was a stupid question, but she also understood that Sango was probably at the end of the rope in terms of staying quiet, so she didn't have that big an issue. Not everyone had Maddi's tolerance for awkward silences.

"Nah, I prefer just hanging out with normal people," Maddi replied. "I'm not antisocial, it's just… I don't hang out with strangers a lot. But this is pretty cool, you know? I'm always fine to chill. Just don't force me into social situations I'm not comfortable with and…"

Maddi trailed off, glancing away.

"Why am I telling you this?" She muttered, shaking her head.

"Balcony magic?" Sango offered, Maddi letting out a harsh laugh.

Sango thought of something else to ask.

"So since you don't like spending time around people a lot, does that mean that you aren't planning on joining the tag team tournament?" She wondered.

"…Nah," Maddi said, shaking her head. "See, it seems like a hassle… someone asked me, and I knew right away that was NOT going to be good. though… I guess if I was with someone who wouldn't be annoying, that'd be nice. Sadly there isn't anyone offering, you know?"

"Yeah, it's a pity," Sango agreed. She chuckled.

"Something funny?" Maddi asked, raising her eyebrow and glancing at the blonde, who had apparently begun giggling at nothing.

"No, well, yes, but not what you think," Sango replied. "I'm not laughing at you, I swear, it's just… I just thought of something really good."

"What is it then?"

"Well, if only we could team up, you know?" Sango laughed.

"I see…" Maddi said, nodding.

"Like, could you imagine?" Sango kept laughing. "Me? Entering into a tag tournament? Silver ain't a battler, I've never had a real battle before to save my life! So I was just laughing at something stupid like that, you know?"

"…Well, why not?" Maddi asked, turning to face her directly.

Sango blinked, not sure what she was hearing.

"Uh… what?"

"You and me, let's team up," Maddi shrugged. "…Could be fun. You're a pretty tolerable person, you know, I wouldn't mind that much. What? You don't want to?"

"Uh, sure, on a personal level it's fine, but that's not exactly the issue here," Sango said, still not believing what she was hearing.

"You said you wanted to try battling for yourself, right?" Maddi asked. "Seems like this is the perfect opportunity, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but there's still the slight problem of me not having any pokemon to fight with," Sango reminded her. "So even if I did want to, it's not like I actually could, you know? I don't have any pokemon who are capable of battling."

Maddi shrugged.

"Not a problem."

"Huh? What do you mean not a problem?" Sango asked. Nothing that Maddi was saying made sense. She needed pokemon to battle, right?

Maddi sighed. She might as well tell her the full story, then. Right now, she was just pretending to be another girl who attended the school. But there was a little more about her that Sango didn't know. She hadn't been keeping it secret, not intentionally, anyway, so there wasn't really any point in not telling her. Besides, Sango seemed like a decent enough girl, and she clearly wanted to try battling with pokemon. That was what the Commander was always telling all of them to do, right? Show people the joy of battling?

"Look, see, the thing is… I'm actually part of this group on campus," Maddi explained. "It's… we're kind of well known."

"…What kind of group?" Sango asked suspiciously.

"…Do you know about the Daevas?" Maddi asked.

Images of Marion's stupid smiling face flashed through Sango's head. She nodded. Oh yes. She knew ALL about them.

"I'm allied with the Commander," Maddi explained.

"The Commander?" Sango asked, her eyes widening. "You're from the Commander's group? Wait, my friend is working with them!"

"Cynthia Fafnir, right?" Maddi clarified. Sango was stunned once more.

"Yeah, that's her. Wait, how the heck do you know who I'm talking about? I just met you tonight, didn't I?" Sango was terribly confused.

Maddi sighed.

"I've actually hung out with your friends before," Maddi explained. "During the Pokemon Day Festival, I was dragged there by Cynthia even though I didn't want to go. Plus, recently I've been hanging out with Cynthia, Kitty, Nikita, and Blake, taking care of our pokemon eggs. We meet up a few times a week and talk. So even though we haven't met, I've heard a lot about you, actually. Your friends have a bunch of good things to say, and you seem like a decent enough person."

"So you're that Maddi?!" Sango gasped. "Yeah, Cynthia talks about you all the time! I had no idea that was you!"

"Cynthia talks about me?"

"Yeah, but you aren't anything like she made you out to be," Sango said.

"Oh? What does she say about me?" Maddi asked, having a sinking suspicion that the positive-oriented Cynthia wouldn't have made out their relationship to be an entirely accurate estimation of what they actually were.

"I think the term she used was 'totes besties'?" Sango said.

Maddi ground her teeth together. That girl was the definition of annoying sometimes. Maddi would consider her an ancillary friend. AT BEST. And what the hell was "totes besties"? That was not a language spoken by humans.

"That girl…"

"Yeah, you're certainly different," Sango said.

"Remember when I was telling you about how someone asked me to team up with them?" Maddi asked. "Remember how I said that it was someone really annoying?"

"Ah. I understand."

"Like, she's not a bad person, but honestly… I can only put with so much from her, you know?" Maddi asked.

"I like her fine, but I'm a pretty energetic person myself," Sango replied. "But now that we're on the topic… do you mind if I call you Maddi?"

"Sure, why not?" Maddi shrugged. "Everyone else does."

That wasn't enough for Sango.

"Yeah, but are you okay with it?" Sango asked.

"Yeah, like I said, I'm cool with it," Maddi said, nodding. "I don't mind, honestly."

"Okay, got it. Maddi it is!" Sango smiled.

Maddi nodded in agreement. She even smiled a little bit.

"But back to what you were saying about working with the Commander, can you explain to me a little more what you mean about that?" Sango asked. "I still don't fully understand. What that has to do with anything."

"Well, there's this thing, that the boss has planned," Maddi replied. It was still private information, so she couldn't reveal everything just yet. So she didn't give any specifics, she just explained what she could to Sango. "See, long story short, we enjoy the concept of trainers battling in order to enjoy the battles, see?"

"I mean I understand what that means, but so?"

"I don't just have my own pokemon to use in battles," Maddi explained. "I've also been training up multiple teams of pokemon that trainers without pokemon of their own can rent to use in pokemon battles. If you want, I can loan you one of them. That way, you can use some of them in the tag tournament, and we can compete together."

Sango was shocked. She couldn't believe that Maddi was offering something like that. Certainly, the school offered rental pokemon, but that was for things like the Fall Festival Tournament or for classes, Sango hadn't even considered filing for a rental application. But now that she thought about it… it was possible, right? There wasn't a problem with her borrowing Maddi's pokemon?

"I…"

"If you don't want to, that's fine too," Maddi shrugged. "It was a nice idea anyway, you know? But I don't really care either way-"

"I'll do it," Sango said. Maddi blinked in surprise.

"Really?"

"I… I don't have any experience with pokemon battles," Sango admitted. "But… everyone else, it looks like they're really having fun doing it. I just kind of decided that it wasn't for me, because I don't like seeing pokemon get hurt. I knew the theory behind it from games, but coming here, and seeing it first-hand, it… it was something else. Maybe I was too quick to judge, you know?"

"So you're giving up on your ranger dreams and switching to the battling course?" Maddi asked, smirking.

"NO!" Sango said, shaking her head vigorously. "I'm just saying I'd like to give it a try. And if you're willing to help, then… I'm okay with it. I'd like to try teaming up with you, okay?"

Maddi cracked a small smile.

"Sounds like it could be interesting," she agreed. "Certainly better than teaming up with Cynthia, that's for sure."

"She's not that bad," Sango insisted. "She just… takes some time to get used to, that's all. But she's really a great girl!"

"Maybe when she's minding her own business," Maddi said. "But that's pretty much never, you know. She needs some serious respect for boundaries."

Sango opened her mouth to defend her best friend.

Then she shut it.

She wasn't one to speak out against the truth, after all.

And thus, Sango's career as a battler begins here! How will it turn out? What will she discover about herself? The party is over, but what will be in store for our protagonists during the morning after, I wonder?