The party continues! Ayame gets her chance to address her friends and guests, and hopefully the rest of the party will go smoothly!
Aquahaze675: Definitely, they're going to be playing an important role going forward.
KedharS: Not really, it's not like he won over Darla, after all.
Thunder Fire: It's a little more complicated than that. Continue speculating, it will all be answered eventually.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 374
When Ayame stepped out of the back door and into the ballroom, all eyes were focused on her, and none more intently than Blake's. Just seeing her, he felt his heart skip a beat. She had looked lovely in the dress she had worn earlier today, the one she had been so insistent didn't suit her at all. But that couldn't be compared to the dress she was wearing now.
Ayame hadn't been totally wrong when she said the pink dress didn't suit her. Pink wasn't quite her color. But the dress she was wearing now? A gorgeous sky blue that matched perfectly with the ribbon in her hair. It wasn't anything fancy, but a simple layered gown that reached down to her knees, the spaghetti straps showing off her creamy shoulders and muscled arms perfectly. The top clung to her athletic figure in a way that highlighted her best elements, with the skirt emphasizing the tight curve of her-
Blake shook himself back to clarity, afraid he was drooling.
"Would the girl of the hour like to say anything?" Olivia asked Ayame when she reached the center of the room. She handed the microphone she had been holding over to Ayame, and made a gesture to cut the music.
"Uhum, um…" Ayame cleared her throat, scanning the crowd. She couldn't see Blake, just a lot of faces, most of which she recognized, but a decent amount that she didn't. Of course, Olivia had taken the opportunity to turn her birthday celebration into another networking party. She was still stumbling over words. Why wasn't she finding something to say?! Come on, come on…
Ayame's eyes landed on Blake and she sighed in relief, relaxing. There we was, right with Cynthia and Sango. A warm smile crossing her face.
"Hello, um, I'm Ayame Toujou," she introduced herself, chuckling a little. "Although I bet you guys already knew that, huh?"
Laughter rose up around the crowd. Ayame relaxed a little more, getting into the swing of things now.
"So, a lot of you guys know me, I've been here for a long time. I will admit, I'm still not getting used to birthday parties like this," Ayame said. "You know, I've never been one for friends. When I was growing up, I don't think I had even one. I was always just the weird girl who was too tall and boyish."
Ayame sighed. She glanced at her friends in the track club, every one of them having come, even the first-years. Celia was there, too, and so were Darla and Lila, Giselle, Serefina, and Olivia of course. Then there were Blake's friends, and…
Ayame gave a warm smile at the boy she loved, her eyes shining across the room at him. She hoped he knew that her smile was reserved for him and him alone.
"So to see everyone here, celebrating my birthday… I don't really know how I'm supposed to feel. I've always kind of felt weird at these things, like Olivia was trying to take me out of my comfort zone. And believe me, I'm far from the first girl who's experienced THAT with her."
The people who understood the joke burst out laughing, while Olivia jokingly waved her hand in a "yeah, yeah, no big deal" dismissive gesture and rolled her eyes.
"But honestly… I was still caught up in myself. I was making friends without even knowing it, but the way I was around them, well… it wasn't the best. I was still that girl who didn't have confidence in herself or others. I was defensive and rude, and I was making things harder on myself, and on the people in my life who cared about me. But now…"
Ayame took a deep breath.
"Now, I couldn't be happier. And yes, I still… I'm still a little unsure and uneasy about large parties. Having big parties and lots of friends around still makes me feel a little queasy and anxious. I would honestly prefer to hang out one on one and watch a movie or get lunch with everyone here. But there's not really the time for that, so I'll admit it, Olivia, this is way more convenient for everybody. But even knowing that, there are still some people that I do want to celebrate with, just us. Because someone very dear to me… he's the reason why I'm smiling today and telling you all this, instead of mumbling through some half-baked 'thanks for coming' speech that none of us would give a crap about. That person… is my boyfriend, Blake Harker."
She was pleased to see that people were applauding. She was worried that people wouldn't be so supportive. But then again, most of these people, they were her friends and classmates, after all, so they would be happy she was happy.
"Blake showed me so much about myself that I had been afraid to confront. He helped me move past the blocks in my way, so now I can run forward with a smile on my face. I just wish I had met him sooner. I wish that this wasn't my last birthday party, the last time I can celebrate with you all. I wish I could spend so much more time with everyone, but I know that I can't." Ayame resisted the urge to cry. Today was a celebration, after all. "You're all so great, and I want to spend as much time with you guys as I can. Especially those closest to me. So having you all here, today, celebrating my birthday… it's really great. I'm so grateful, to all of you."
She couldn't stop now. Now she was crying. But thankfully not full-on bawling, just a few tears in her eyes.
"Thank you, again, for coming here, for celebrating with me. It means the world to me, really. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the party, but I'm going to have to stop talking now, otherwise I'm not going to be able to stop myself from bursting into tears!" She frantically wiped her eyes while giggling, handing the microphone back to Olivia.
"I would like to echo my dear friend's thanks," Olivia continued in Ayame's place. "Aya… Aya has tried so hard, and it means a lot to me as well that so many people want to celebrate my beautiful best friend's birthday. And you heard the girl! Let's party!"
The music kicked back up and Ayame shuffled through the crowd, moving with singular purpose. She wasn't interested in dancing or eating, or even tearing into the massive mountain of presents stacked near the door.
There was only one person she wanted to be talking to right now.
"Aya-"
Ayame through her arms around Blake and hugged the air out of him before he could get his voice out, much to his surprise.
"I'm glad you could come, really," Ayame gushed. "I'm so, so happy right now, and there's no one I'd rather be celebrating with."
"…We just talked like an hour ago, less," Blake laughed, Ayame pulling back from him and taking him by the hands instead.
"Yeah, but it was way too long," she said, shaking her head. "I was already missing you."
"Wow, you're really clingy," Cynthia cackled. "It's honestly adorable."
"I thought your speech was sweet," Sango smiled. "It really got me thinking, you know? I've already been here for an entire semester… and it's all going to be over in a few days, you know? We've really come a long way since we first got here."
"You're telling me," Cynthia sighed. "Nothing stings more than falling in love with your best friend, and then getting your heart broken."
She reached up and patted Sango on the head.
"You'll figure it out when you get older and fall in love, Sango," she said.
Sango's eye twitched. Ayame tried very hard to keep a straight face.
"Me, personally, I'm excited for the tag team tournament," Cynthia said. "They're declaring the finalists tonight! This party is really great, but that's what I'm looking for!"
"Yeah, yeah," Ayame said, laughing. "Hopefully you and Blake can get in. You know, with your perfect records. I'm sure you must be sweating in your boots."
"Not just us," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "Sango's up for consideration, too!"
"Really?" Ayame asked, raising her eyebrow.
"W-well, I mean, there are three teams with only one loss apiece, and, I mean… I'm on one of them, so, like, maybe I'll make it into the final four teams?"
"Maybe?" Cynthia snorted, slapping Sango on the back. "Girl, you're gonna get in there for sure! Have a little more confidence, you and Maddi are the team to beat!"
"R-really?" Sango asked, smiling bashfully.
"…Well I mean, you would be, if not for Caelia and me," Cynthia added, Sango's smile turning sour.
"Would it kill you to give a compliment?!" Sango scowled.
"I've got loads of compliments!" Cynthia protested. "Considering you'd never even been in a pokemon battle before the beginning of the month, I think it's amazing that you got this far!"
"…Oh," Sango said, her face softening.
"…Just not as amazing as me."
…And the scowl was back.
Ayame watched the two go at it, and part of her wondered if maybe those two should be dating instead.
"Hey, Blake, I was wonder- hey!"
Ayame's face brightened as she looked over his should, surprising Blake.
"Over her, Giselle! Here!"
Blake turned around to see a shorter girl. Though with Ayame, everyone was a shorter girl. She wore a black dress with silver patterns and a look on her face like a Deerling caught in the headlights.
Coaxed by Ayame's words, the tanned-skinned girl slowly walked over to them, giving a shy little half-wave as she turned her eyes away from Cynthia and Sango, who were now taking their attention from the bickering and focusing it on her.
Ayame let go of Blake's hands and walked past him, catching Giselle halfway to her, draping an arm over the smaller girl's shoulder and bringing her over to the crowd.
"This is Giselle Kaiser," Ayame introduced her. "She's a good friend of mine from the Appeals Course! Giselle, these are my friends, Cynthia and Sango, and you've already met Blake, of course."
"Uhum, hello," Giselle said, a shyness to her voice and flushing of her face that brought Kitty to mind immediately, even if the color scheme was like a photo negative.
"I think we may have met?" Cynthia grinned, holding out a hand. "I love your dress, by the way! It's so beautiful, what's it called?"
"It's a cheongsam," Giselle said, glancing down at her outfit, the shiny silver-blue cherry blossom pattern catching the light. "It's the traditional dress from my parent's home region of [seriously why does China not have a pokemon equivalent yet, enough with this whole China vs. Japan bullcrap Game Freak], I thought it would be nice to celebrate in it."
Blake noted that she'd also tied her hair up in a bun, when she usually wore it loose in the few times he'd met her.
"It's gorgeous," Cynthia agreed. "So you're from [you get the idea]?"
"No, actually, I'm from Blackthorn City," she explained. "My parents are very traditional, though."
"Yeah, her parents are all pokemon breeders," Ayame explained. "Me met freshman because she was in a caretaking class I was in, even though she really wanted to be in the Appeals Course."
"But you seem so…" Sango tried to find the right words. "I guess I just pictured coordinators to be more…"
"I know, but… it's always been my dream to be a top coordinator," Giselle explained. "To stand on stage and be applauded, so… I tried to change myself. Aya and I, we both, um, started out really shy, but even though I can perform well onstage, I… haven't really changed a lot off of it."
"No, no, you're doing fine," Ayame laughed. "Oh, hey! You're not wearing your glasses, that's fucking awesome!"
"Y-you like it?" Giselle blushed. "Yeah, I got contacts. I just, you know, wanted to look my best…"
"I think it's great," Ayame agreed. "So why were you hanging back and acting all shy? If you wanted to come hang, then just ask!"
"Well, I mean… I'm not good around new people, so…" Giselle glanced at Cynthia and Sango, then back at Ayame. "I just wanted to come say hi, and wish you a happy birthday personally is all…"
Blake paused, looking at the bright expression on Giselle's face. The way her eyes lit up when she spoke with Ayame… the way she'd made herself up for her birthday…
Blake interceded between Giselle and Ayame to address the girl.
"Hi, you remember me, right? Blake," Blake introduced himself with a casual smile. Cynthia, who had understood what was going on from the start, resisted the urge to burst out laughing.
"Hi, nice to see you again," Giselle coolly said. Blake held his fingers to his eyes and then pointed at Giselle in a warning sign of "I'm watching you." Giselle narrowed her eyes in response.
Ayame was none the wiser.
"Aya!"
Ayame turned to see Olivia come up as well, giving her a big hug. Right now, it was only her close friends that were bothering her, everyone else recognizing that she wanted to spend time speaking with Blake, her boyfriend.
"Hey boss," Ayame said, resisting the urge to cry in happiness. "Thank you again, so much, for this party."
"No, don't even worry about it," Olivia said, shaking her head. "Besides, you haven't even seen the present that I got for you."
Ayame looked curiously at her.
"What present-"
"What about you guys, are you enjoying the end of your first semester?" Olivia asked, releasing Ayame and turning to Sango and Cynthia.
"Yeah, it's been a blast!" Cynthia nodded.
"Got any plans for the break, then?"
"Absolutely!" Cynthia said, giving Olivia a thumbs up. "I'm going to stay with my grandparents in Hoenn! I can't wait to show my cute little Aud all the places I grew up!"
"That's sweet, what about you, Giselle?"
"Just, you know, going back home," Giselle said.
"Same," Ayame said. "Come on boss, you know this, I already told you."
"…And you two?" Olivia asked, turning to Sango and Blake, who were both looking a little uncomfortable.
"Well, uh… see, the thing about my family…" Sango sighed. "My dad is going on a trip with my new step-mom, so, like, even if I go home… I'm just gonna be alone for the whole time."
"Oh, that's awful," Olivia said.
Blake wasn't exactly in much better shape. He really didn't want to go home to his family. Or more specifically his father. Even though things were… better… between the two of them, going home meant he would have to talk with his father about his sister. And then he would have to live with that revelation. And that wasn't a discussion he was ready to have. Richard Harker was a hard man to be around on a good day.
"I haven't really… given it much thought," Blake said.
"Going home?" Olivia pressed.
Blake stared at her in confusion. She knew the answer. He had already talked with her about this a while ago, when she asked him if she could come visit his mother over a game of Go they had played a few days back, and he had expressed his insecurity about going home himself. So why was she bothering him about it.
"I… I don't… I mean, I guess so, but…"
"You don't seem that excited," Olivia continued.
"Ooh! I know!" Cynthia piped up. "Blake, Sango, you guys could come back with me! We've got a ton of room back at my place, I'm sure my grandparents wouldn't mind!"
"R-really?" Sango gasped.
"I mean…" Blake blinked in surprise. He remembered that the hot springs had been nice. Maybe a winter trip to a hot spring would be a great way to spend his break, so he wouldn't need to concern himself with his family issues and could just relax and take it easy.
Olivia shot Cynthia a withering glare that sent a shiver down the shorter girl's spine. It only lasted for a fraction of a second before the returned to her composed smile.
"…Oooooor…" Olivia interjected, a cool smile crossing her face, "Blake, why don't you go spend your winter vacation with Aya?"
Aya paused.
Blake paused.
Everyone there paused for a moment to take in this idea.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "Hold up, hold up-"
"You, y-you, you w-w-want…" Ayame stuttered, her face going bright red.
"Did you, um…" Blake's jaw dropped.
"Come on you two!" Olivia said, throwing an arm over Blake's shoulder and reaching up to do the same for Ayame. "What's the big deal? Blake doesn't have anywhere to go over the break since he clearly doesn't want to go home. It's not a big deal to take him home with you and meet your family, right?"
Ayame glanced at Blake, her face bright red. Blake was also flustered.
"You guys can't just-" Sango opened her mouth to say something, but Cynthia clamped her hand over the blonde's mouth, turning her objections in mumbles.
"Cymtria!" Sango grunted out, Cynthia pulling her hand back slightly. Sango whispered to her, "you can't seriously be okay with this? Don't you like Blake? Do you really want to see him and Ayame go on a trip together?"
"It's gonna be great," Cynthia said, her eyes shining. She was certainly jealous, but the thought of all the… "things" the two of them might be getting up to on their trip was fulfilling a much different part of her brain.
"That's, I mean… me going with her, I don't know…" Blake said, unable to meet Ayame's eyes.
"Think of it as my birthday present," Olivia cooed. "Aya, you can introduce him to your family as your prospective husband!"
"N-no!" Ayame said. "We-we're just dating, and if my parents learn, then-!"
"Where's the brave Aya I love?" Olivia huffed. "Doesn't she want to show off her cute boyfriend to her family? Take him to visit her home, show him around? It's not like you guys are going to some overnight trip, he's just staying over at your place. There'll be adult supervision, so it's not like you'll get up to anything too naughty, right?"
Olivia leaned in close and whispered into Ayame's ear, "unless you'd like to, that is…"
Ayame sputtered in disbelief. She didn't want to say it as a matter of principle, but, well…
…She wanted him to go with her. She really did. Now that Olivia had put the thought in her head, spending winter break with her boyfriend sounded absolutely lovely!
But if she admitted that right here in front of everyone…
"You… don't want me to go?" Blake asked. He really did want to spend the break with her, too, now that it was out there. It was embarrassing, sure, but… he loved Ayame, and just getting to spend two free weeks of break with her… It would be great.
"N-no, I do, it's just…" Ayame gasped, her eyes shooting to Olivia, whose face lit up in response.
"Then, it's decided!" Olivia crowed victoriously.
Blake and Ayame looked at each other, their pallid complexions turning bright red.
"…Offer still stands," Cynthia said, glancing at Sango. Sango sighed, and nodded her head.
So, that trip should be interesting. A little something to look forward to after they finish their break!