Let's continue with our quest to find Nick a pokemon! Things seem to be looking up… but will catching a pokemon really be so simple?

The Finals have begun! The Pokemon Academy Best Girl Finals is heating up, I can't wait to see how it goes. The race is really close, and it's still anyone's game, showing just how great these girls really are. Any one of them deserves the title of Pokemon Academy Best Girl, but only one of them will be able to win! If you haven't voted for your best girl yet, better get those votes in quick! This contest is gonna be a close one it looks like, a single vote makes all the difference! It's almost done! Only 9 days remaining! Who will be the Pokemon Academy Best Girl?

Finalists: Sango, Ayame, Marion

Aquahaze675: Hit 'em where it hurts.

Aurastar Warrior: I'll send you a PM soon.

Hellraiserphoenix: We'll get some more bonding time… of a sort.

Thunder Fire: Interesting.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 318

"Are my pokemon going to be okay?" Nick asked the nurse. He and Will had taken their pokemon to be healed up at one of the pokemon centers on the main campus. There were a lot of people getting their parties looked after. "I pushed them pretty hard today…"

The nurse looked over his pokemon with an appraising eye.

"Your team is rather run down," the nurse agreed. "But nothing that a good rest for the night won't fix. We're a little crowded due to a lot of trainers coming in today for similar reasons, but it's nothing to concern yourselves with."

"Really?" Nick asked, surprised. "But aren't you guys, like, taxed over the clock?"

"Nonsense!" The nurse laughed, holding up her arm and revealing the green armband wrapped around it. "This is part of the final assessments for us juniors and seniors. Believe me, the actual pokemon center I interned at last year was a lot more packed than this. Compared to that, looking after some teams that just need standard care and a lot of rest is nothing at all. So don't worry you two, your pokemon are in good hands."

"That's good," Will nodded. "My team is doing okay, too?"

"Your teams both have injuries, but compared to your partner, your pokemon are a lot less worn out. As a caretaker, I would advise your partner that it would be a good idea to get a new pokemon or two onto his team in order to lessen the load on his others… usually, we advise trainers to not take part in this tournament without a full party at least, but every year there are exceptions, of course…"

"Don't worry about any of that," Callie assured her with a laugh. "We're heading out to catch some pokemon right after this!"

"Oh, that's good," the nurse said, nodding. "Oh, but that might be difficult this time of year…"

"Huh?" Nick raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Right now, Professor Green has sequestered off large portions of the island," the nurse explained. "She's going to be using the wild pokemon in the area for the practical application portion of the final for her Pokemon Capturing Classes. Also, the professors in the Ranger Course are using other sections of the wildnerness for their practical experience finals. Right now, I can't think of anywhere that you might be able to catch new pokemon, I'm sorry."

"…Oh," Nick said, deflating.

"That's no fair," Callie protested, shaking her head. "Didn't you just say that Nick's pokemon are overworked?"

"Indeed, I can't recommend you continuing on in the tournament with only these pokemon," the nurse agreed. "Unfortunately, rental pokemon are no longer available for student use at this time of year either, to keep them rested for trainers taking finals in battle classes without a full party… at this point, I would suggest withdrawing, but…"

"Oh…" Nick looked down. That wasn't fair.

The pink-haired nurse tapped a nail against her chin as she thought up an idea that might be able to help Nick with his problem. Realization flashed across her face and she turned back to Nick with a reassuring smile.

"I just thought of something," the nurse said. "I know someone who might be able to help you catch a new pokemon!"

"Catching pokemon?" Nick, Will, and Callie turned to see Reiner and Julia had followed them into the pokemon center. "You guys about to head out?"

"Yeah," Nick nodded.

"Cool! We'll just heal up our pokemon and join you," Julia said, stepping up to the counter. After seeing their little spat, Nick was less eager to have them come along, but in the end they were still his friends and he was okay with it.

"Well, we were going to head out, but it turns out we have to wait for someone," Callie sighed. "Apparently the nurse knows someone who can help us find wild pokemon to catch."

"Why not go outside?" Reiner asked. "Aren't there a lot of wild pokemon out in the wilderness?"

Nick and Callie glanced at each other, and shared a long sigh.

"It's complicated," Callie replied.

"We're waiting for someone to show up," Nick tossed in.

"Indeed," the nurse said, flashing a professional smile. "You see, the faculty is currently postponing student permission for exploring the areas of campus where wild pokemon can be captured. But as a member of the Caretaker Course, I have an associate who doesn't need to go to the sanctioned, off-campus areas to catch her pokemon. She can catch them wherever she likes. She's slightly peculiar, but she certainly has the talent."

As if on cue, the door to the pokemon center swung open, and stepping into the building with the light of the setting sun on her back was a girl that everyone there recognized.

"Yahoo!" Marion Rivers chirped, waving her hand. As usual, she had a fishing rod draped over her shoulder. "So what's this I hear about some students being interested in fishing?"

"Ah, Marion!" The nurse said, her face brightening. "Yes, these first years were looking for somewhere to catch some new pokemon. But since all the areas on the island are currently inaccessible, I thought that they might be able to catch pokemon in the water, instead?"

"Wait, but Marion's a little-"

Nick tried to interrupt, but Marion was having none of it. She rushed forward, her eyes bright, and slapped her hand onto Nick's shoulder.

"I know you guys!" Marion cheered. "We've met before, right? Somewhere… maybe?"

She laughed sheepishly.

"My memory of non-fish faces is a little spotty…" she admitted. "But since you're first years, I think… maybe you're all Sango and Kitty's friends?"

"Yeah, Kitty and Sango are our friends," Julia agreed.

"Well, that's just perfect!" Marion laughed, draping an arm over Nick's shoulder and her other arm over Julia's. "Come on, guys! Let's go find an awesome spot to fish! The sun's almost down and you know what that means?! We can do some NIGHT FISHING! It's, like, just the best!"

"Uh, actually, we were going to go get some dinner," Reiner said, glancing at Julia. "But Will and Nick, they'll be…"

Reiner's voice trailed off as he turned to Will. The first year seemed to have slipped away when no one was looking.

"…Guess not."

"R-Reiner's right," Julia agreed. Without Will, there wasn't any reason for her to tag along any longer. "Not that it doesn't sound like a blast, but we have to eat, you know?"

"What, you guys don't just nourish yourself by fishing?" Marion asked, tilting her head to the side. "It makes me feel all warm and full inside, you know?"

"…We're normal," Julia dryly commented.

"Great! Anyway, let's all go get dinner! I've got a bunch of fish we can cook up!" Marion agreed, nodding her head. So much for finding a way out.

Julia and Reiner looked helplessly at each other. Marion was clearly not taking "no" for an answer here, it looked like they would be fishing.

"You all have a good time!" The nurse said, smiling professionally at them, with a hint of pity in her eyes. She sympathized with them, but there were no other options that they could take. "We'll take care of your pokemon. You can come pick them up first thing in the morning!"

So with Nick on one arm and Julia on the other, Marion headed out the door, Callie and Reiner following after the two of them. Reiner was contemplating just booking it like Will did, but he knew that Julia would chew him out like crazy for abandoning her to Marion's whims. And he was not in the mood to spend all of tomorrow with a Julia that was pissed off.

He was certain that Julia wouldn't be in a good mood either way, of course, but as long as she was just generally pissed off and not pissed off at him. So he would stick it out with her, that would probably be for the best.

Callie was also put out, but for a slightly different reason.

I know that Marion Rivers is a friend of Sango… Callie bit her thumbnail as she stared at the tanned girl's back. But she's still one of the Four Holy Swords… I should keep on my guard. Does she really just want us to go fishing? Considering what Sango's said about her, maybe… She might look like an idiot, but as one of the Eight Leaders, I need to keep an eye out for her.

Callie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Nick's other arm, pulling him free of Marion's grip and clinging tightly to him.

And who does she think she is, sticking to Nick like that, huh?!

Marion didn't seem to mind Callie's interference in the slightest, laughing it off with a cheerful smile. "So, since we're soon-to-be fishing buddies, let's be friends! You're already Sango's friends, and all of Sango's friends are my friends, since they're all just the best! So what are your guys' names? I'm Marion Rivers, in case ya didn't know, ya know?"

Callie raised her eyebrow suspiciously. Was Marion pretending not to know who she was, or was she just that dumb?

"…Nick," Nick was the first to speak, quite a rarity. It helped that he was the only one who didn't seem to mind Marion all that much, since Reiner and Julia had just kind of been swept away with things and Callie was so suspicious.

"Hiya, Nick!" Marion reached over and clapped him on the shoulder. "I heard you were looking for a new pokemon? Don't you worry, I can't wait to help you make a new fishy friend! Then, we can all be friends with fish pokemon!"

"I'm Callie," Callie replied quickly, once again feeling protective of Nick from the overly-touchy-feely Marion. "I'm a member of the Eight Leaders, and I'm Nick's girlfriend."

"Oh, hey Callie!" Marion said, turning to the shorter girl. "…Wait… Eight Leaders? You're that Callie? Wow, I had no idea! It's an honor, like, really!"

Ah. So she was just that dumb.

"So you two are dating?" Marion asked. "Wow, that's so cute!"

"I'm tough, not cute!" Callie snapped.

"So what about you two, then?" Marion asked, turning her head to look at Julia. "You two are dating too, right?"

Julia's mouth hung open and she stared at Marion in disbelief.

"No way!" Julia and Reiner protested at the same time.

"With that-?!" Reiner exclaimed. "Absolutely not!"

"That would be disgusting!" Julia agreed, shaking free of Marion's grip and rounding towards Reiner, pointing an angry finger at him as she looked back at Marion with a look of outrage on her face. "Dating a guy like him?"

"Oh please, like you're such a catch!"

"I'm just not interested in dating right now!"

"…So, no then?" Marion asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion. She looked to Callie and Nick for confirmation. The two sighed.

"They're just friends, don't worry about it," Nick sighed.

"They're 'just' annoying," Callie corrected him.

"Whatever," Julia rolled her eyes. "I'm Julianna Keruz, you can call me Julia."

"I'm Reiner," Reiner added.

"Oh, wow!" Marion said, her eyes widening. "I remember you guys now! You're Julia? Julia, like, Kitty's best bud?"

"Yeah, same," Julia said, nodding. "Kitty's my friend. I'm glad you've been looking out for her, is she doing okay? How's her harmonia doing? She's not, like, getting hurt, right? I want to make sure she's okay, but…"

Marion took Julia's rambling in stride, the smile never leaving her face. But internally, she knew there was some serious stuff going on. Kitty's issues with Julia were… tumultuous, to say the least. There was a lot of anxiety tied up with this girl.

But that wasn't Marion's concern. She didn't want to pry into Kitty's business, and she wasn't about to drag Julia into it. Kitty deserved her privacy and she wouldn't insult the poor girl by discussing her issues, even with her friend.

"We're almost there!" Marion said instead, the scent of the ocean already wafting towards her.

"…And of course we're fishing," Julia griped.

"Don't see me complaining," Reiner replied, laughing. "After that delicious fish dinner, I don't mind some relaxing fishing."

The five of them were sitting on the pier outside the aquarium, rods cast out over the water every which way. Marion hummed, staring out over the water's surface, enjoying herself. Callie and Nick were sidled up to each other, Callie focusing more on resting her head on her boyfriend's shoulder than the fishing pole in her hands. Much different from Reiner and Julia, who were sitting on opposite ends of the pier, poles facing away from each other as they sat without even looking at their partner. Reiner was mellowed out after eating, but Julia was just as irritated as she had been.

They atmosphere was eerie and strange. The pier was lit by tall torches, bathing the dark water and night sky in a shimmering halo, a low bubble of light emanating around them and drowning everything past the reach in darkness.

"So what now?" Nick asked, turning to Marion. Marion was sitting beside him, and she turned his way, eager to help.

"Oh, simple!" Marion replied. "We just wait for a line on the hook! Isn't just the best? Sitting here in the dark, unaware of anything around us? No clues about what new friend we're going to meet, until we hoist 'em out of the water and haul 'em in? It's the best!"

Nick was kind of bored, honestly.

Marion stretched and hopped up, setting her pole down in a little notch to keep it cast out into the water. Time to look in to the others!

She sat down next to Julia, the grumbling girl not paying her any mind.

"So Julia, how's it going?" Marion asked.

"How's it look?" Julia dryly replied.

"You don't like fishing much, do you?" Marion asked, her voice sad.

"I don't hate it," Julia admitted. "It's just that I don't particularly care one way or the other, so what's even the point?"

"Kitty does it all the time," Marion replied. "She has a blast! Maybe the two of you should go fishing sometime, huh? Wouldn't that be fun?"

Julia didn't reply. It did seem fun, but… she and Kitty were still a little weird right now. Kitty had snapped at her a few times, and now the two girls barely talked. Julia didn't like it. At the start of the year, they had been close. And then she picks Nikita over her? Nikita? There was nothing wrong with Nikita, of course, but…

Weren't they friends?

"What are you thinking right now?" Marion suddenly asked, leaning back on her palms and kicking her legs out over the water.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Julia asked, glancing at her.

"I mean, 'what are you thinking right now'," Marion repeated. "It's not a hard question, is it?"

"Don't worry about it," Julia replied.

Marion sighed.

"This is why fish are so much easier," she said. "My fishy friends are all honest with me. I know how they feel, they know how I feel. Regular folks are so much harder, 'cause they always say stuff like 'none of your business' or 'sure, whatever' instead of talking about how they feel, don't you think?"

"Sure, whatever," Julia answered sarcastically.

"But we still keep trying to speak with folks, y'know?" Marion shrugged. "At least, folks like you. Even though we don't know how other humans feel… we still try and connect with them, because we care about them."

"That's why I mind my own business," Julia replied, focusing her attention back on the water, clearly signaling that Marion should be leaving her alone. "If someone wants to get to know me, then they can try. If they don't, know big deal."

"Mm, yeah, I get that," Marion nodded, but her eyes were staring far out into the distance, not towards Julia. "But you still want to know, right? What's going on in Kitty's mind?"

"Wh-what?" Julia blinked, turning back to Marion in surprise. "That's…"

"You're her friend, right? And she's going through some difficult stuff," Marion said, explaining what she knew of the short girl. "And I think you've probably noticed that she's changed a lot as a person, so she isn't the same girl she was."

It's okay to tell her this, right? Marion asked herself.

"What are you, my therapist?" Julia replied, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that the others weren't listening in.

"Nah, nothing like that," Marion laughed, smiling back at her and waving her hand dismissively. "I'm just talking with ya, don't worry."

Julia sighed.

"Kitty and I were really close," Julia said. "Honestly, I'm closer to her than I am to my roommates. That's why I know that she's such a sweet girl who always tries her hardest, even when she might not be able to do something."

"She's a lovely girl," Marion agreed. "Sweet, caring, someone who wants to protect her friends. She's shy, but deep down I think she's a strong girl."

"…We used to be close," Julia said. "And now, I don't know what we are. It's this whole harmonia thing, it's… she's…"

"Different?" Marion volunteered.

"Well, I mean, yes, but…"

"So you feel awkward because she's different? Special?" Marion asked.

"NO!" Julia protested, loud enough to draw the attention of the other three. She looked frantically behind her and shut up, nestling down in order to make herself seem smaller.

"Listen, I don't care about Kitty's harmonia," Julia hissed at Marion. "She's my friend, I just want to help her! There are a bunch of people who are trying to use her for their own ends, and I don't want her experiencing horrible things like that! So I have to protect her! But now… it's like we aren't even friends anymore. And I… I don't know what to do…"

Julia ignored the urge to cry and pushed through it, shaking her head.

"You're right, I wish I knew what was going on with her," Julia said. How I can help her, you know? Make her feel better, so that things can go back to how they were before. I just… I just want my best friend back, you know?"

The desperation in her voice made it difficult for Marion to tell her that Kitty didn't want things to "go back to normal". She could see Julia only had Kitty's best interests at heart. Problem was, she had no idea what those were.

"…I suggest you should try fishing!" Marion said. She focused her harmonia out into the ocean, silently calling for a certain special friend of hers.

"You always suggest that," Julia griped.

Hey there!

"Maybe," Marion admitted, giving her a coy wink. "But in this case, I think it's a good idea. See, fishing is all about connecting, you know? You connect through the rod, and communicate with the pokemon on the other line. It's like a conversation as you reel 'em in! It's a blast, I guarantee it!"

"…That's with harmonia though, right?" Julia clarified.

"Yes?"

"That thing I don't have."

"Correct."

Julia scowled.

"Then how will this help me?"

"What do you want help with?" Marion asked innocently, wanting to hear it from her own mouth. "I didn't know you were looking for help."

"Er… I mean…" Julia paused. Did she want help?

"Well, I mean, I just… I guess I just want to know what I'm supposed to do," Julia quietly said, looking at the others to make sure they weren't listening. "You know, in order to be friends with her again. I mean, like you said, it's not like I can hear her thoughts or anything, and if she won't tell me what's going on, then how can I…"

Julia's voice trailed off as she saw a sly smile spread across Marion's face. She reached a finger up and tapped her ear.

"Have you tried listening?"

"H-huh?"

"Hearing someone else's thoughts isn't hard you know, Julia," Marion replied. "You just need to listen to what they're trying to say."

With that cryptic advice, Marion gave Julia's confused expression a smile, and watched as the fishing pole in the girl's hand began to jerk.

"Whoa!" The force on the line was so powerful it nearly pulled Julia into the water. Marion reached over and grabbed the girl's waist to keep her from falling in.

"Looks like you've got a bite," Marion smiled. "Wonder what it could be?!"

So do I. Strange that they're here to catch Nick a pokemon, but it seems like Julia is the one who needs help more.