The fighting is done, and now it's time for a party! What will our characters be getting up to? This should be a lot of fun.

KedharS: He's sort of going to be omnipresent in arcs starting now.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Cynthia and Caelia's developing relationship is going to be a slow burn, no pun intended.

Rosealine gold: I would put strong odds on next chapter.

Thunder Fire: They are. Maybe he got held back for like twenty years.

JoshGamerV: She does. Interesting. Elgyem can affect the mind, too. Interesting.

Aquahaze675: Interesting. I didn't see the similarity until you pointed it out, but yeah, I get it. Makes sense.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 401

Sango had a lot of energy, but she wasn't the greatest fan of parties. Not even goodbye parties. That was where she and Cynthia differed. Both girls were very extroverted and enjoyed making friends, but while Cynthia loved company in all forms and was the ultimate party girl, Sango preferred to do more enjoyable activities with those in her inner circle.

Parties, well…

Let's just say that even now, she felt out of place in the dress she was wearing, and she was circling the food table with such an intense and vigilant gaze that someone looking at her might think she was scared it was going to up and run away.

"Sango!" A familiar chirp was met with a familiar wait on her back. Cynthia had just come up behind her in a big hug.

"Cynthia, if you're drunk right now, I swear I'm calling campo," Sango said, not willing to turn around until she was certain she wouldn't be met with something uncomfortable. She hadn't seen Cynthia when that murky business had occurred, but she'd heard enough. This was a school-sponsored event and not a private party, so she wasn't sure where Cynthia would have gotten booze, but Cynthia was a resourceful type of person.

"Aww, don't be such a square," Cynthia giggled. The weight on Sango's back decreased and Cynthia circled around her, smiling a big smile.

"Don't you have a child to look after?" Sango reminded her. A scan of Cynthia, clad in a sleek red dress that matched her hair, saw no Aud in sight.

"'Course, silly! Audie is right over there!" Cynthia turned to Serefina, a few feet away, holding the small white pokemon and giving Cynthia a cautious look. Cynthia blew kisses, whether at the pokemon or the buxom woman holding it Sango didn't want to guess.

Before Sango could excuse herself, Cynthia swiveled back into her frame of view, eyes shining with a brightness that at least gave the hint of sobriety. Sango couldn't smell any alcohol on her, either, which gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, the shorter girl was being responsible.

"Don't worry, Sango, you're always so serious," Cynthia assured her. She flashed Sango a wink. "Don't worry! I haven't had a drop! After all, last time I drank, well…"

Cynthia's face took on a sickly pall, and she glanced down sheepishly.

"It didn't… go well," she mumbled. "And when I woke up it was super-late, and my head was killing me and I wanted to throw up, and, like…"

Cynthia painted quite the graphic picture.

"Good, I hope you learned something," Sango said.

"Yup!" Cynthia grinned. "Next time, I'm going to be sure not to schedule our flight for the morning after a big party!" She nudged Sango in the side and gave her a big wink. Sango rolled her eyes. Cynthia thought she was soooo funny.

"So you're not plastered?"

"Not even drywalled," Cynthia said.

"Really, I would have thought you'd be drowning your sorrows."

"Sorrows? The battle was a blast!" Cynthia chortled. "Yeah, maybe I would have liked to win, and okay, sure I'm frustrated…"

Sango kept waiting for a "but" but all she could see was Cynthia's face looking more tense and upset, like she was going to cry. Then, she forced a big cheery grin onto her face.

"But it was a lot of fun! Besides, today is a party. Can't be down during a party! I'm going to do my best to smile!" Sango had seen enough of Cynthia's smiles to know when one was being forced. Her friend was the type of girl to put on a strong face when she was around others, but the last time Cynthia had lost a battle this important was the Fall Festival Tournament, and Sango distinctly remembered hearing Cynthia's muffled sobs late into the night that night.

"Yeah, let's enjoy tonight as much as possible," Sango agreed, giving her friend a soft smile. She wasn't a party person, but she wasn't going to ruin Cynthia's good time. As long as Cynthia kept that good time limited to what was appropriate for a minor, anyway. Sango was sympathetic, but she wasn't crazy.

"So, I almost forgot to ask, are you two all packed?" Cynthia asked, changing the subject.

Sango glanced at the Castform floating in the air beside her. Silver looked back at her and tilted his head to the side.

"…Silver doesn't have luggage, Cynthia…"

"What? No, I meant you and Maddi! I didn't get a chance to talk to you guys after our fight, so I forgot to ask. Are you two all packed?" Sango opened her mouth to say something, but closed it when she saw how bright Cynthia's eyes were shining.

Instead, she asked a quiet "Maddi?"

"Yeah! Is she looking forward to it?" Cynthia asked.

"I thought you were kidding about that whole 'she had to go thing'?" Sango remembered.

"Well, duh, we were just fooling around!" Cynthia laughed. "I know you guys were going to go anyway."

Sango wasn't exactly sure how to break the news to Cynthia that no, Maddi was not a guaranteed show on this trip. In fact, Sango was quite certain that Maddi wanted nothing to do with it, even if she didn't have any options as far as Sango was aware. And yet seeing that eager look in Cynthia's eyes made those words just so hard to get out. Sango sighed, glancing at Silver for support. She wasn't a fan of lying so she was going to broach the subject diplomatically.

"You seem really… excited about the trip, then?" Sango asked.

"Are you kidding? Totally!" Cynthia gushed. "Honestly, I can't wait! I never get to go on trips with my friends! Bringing you guys over to my grandparents' place is going to be so great! Especially Maddi! I just can't wait to hang with her! We don't do enough together, you know?"

Cynthia sighed.

"I really like Maddi, but she's so hard to get along with. So I'm really glad I'm going to get to hang out with her over the break," Cynthia explained. "You're really lucky, you know. I'm surprised how fast she opened up to you."

The smile Cynthia wore was sad, and Sango felt a twinge of pain shoot through her chest. Oof. That hurt. So much for the diplomatic approach. However she told Cynthia now, it would probably break the girl's heart. Then again, Maddi not showing up for their boat to the airport tomorrow morning would probably break her heart just as much.

So what was Sango supposed to do, exactly?

"I also wanted to invite Caelia, but she said no," Cynthia sighed. "I guess not everyone is willing to hang out, you know? Maddi is kind of antisocial too, but I guess I'll have to settle for just the two of you. Maddi coming is great enough anyway, I'm glad she'll be able to make it."

Oof. Another ping.

"So? What about her?" Cynthia asked. Sango blinked, and pretended not to hear the question in order to buy some more time to come up with an answer for Maddi's thoughts on the trip that wouldn't end up breaking the already-fragile girl's heart.

"Hm? What was that?"

"Maddi! How does she feel? Is she excited?" Cynthia asked.

"She… uh, yeah, the trip has definitely been on her mind," Sango said. Sure, maybe in the way that the Ring DVD was on the mind of people who watched it for the next seven days, but it wasn't technically a lie, right?

"She's excited, huh?" Cynthia grinned.

"It's definitely making her anxious."

"Is she here?" Cynthia asked, looking around. "I haven't seen her since the fight, I didn't even get a chance to really thank her for the awesome battle."

"Uh, probably not," Sango said, giving a half-hearted scan of the room. No Maddi, or more obviously, no floating Duskull. "Maddi's not much one for parties."

"Yeah, they aren't for everybody," Cynthia agreed. "Anyway, can you check with her? I'd call her up myself, but she still hasn't given me her number, do you have it?"

What a surprise, Sango resisted the urge to say. "Yeah, I have it. I'll probably give her a call tonight, see what's up." Sango considered using the call to float the idea past Maddi one more time, but she doubted that the girl would change her mind. Honestly, Sango thought that with Maddi's aversion to Cynthia, it was probably better for her not to come.

"Hey, Cynthia, do you mind if I go?" Sango asked. This conversation was already causing her significant emotional stress, and she could really use a breather. "I just want to go get some fresh air, if you don't mind?"

"Oh! Yeah, sure, no problem!" Cynthia said. She skipped towards Serefina, turned, and raised her hand, waving to Sango. "Enjoy the party! See you tomorrow if I don't see you later!"

Sango kept Cynthia's smile in mind as she walked out onto the balcony, fishing out her phone. She really didn't want to see Cynthia looking down tomorrow, but she also didn't want to see Maddi being miserable on the trip. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, not sure if this call she was making was a cursory call for Cynthia's sake or an actual attempt to convince Maddi to join the trip. She was also a little worried about what Maddi would actually be doing for break, since it seemed there was nowhere for her to go.

Sango held the phone up to her ear and listened to the dial, when suddenly a ring caught her other ear. She raised her head and turned.

A few feet down the balcony, Maddi was standing and leaning on the railing. Grim was floating over her head, dancing to the ringing of the phone. Maddi reached into her coat and pulled out her phone, sliding the screen open. As she glanced at the caller ID, she saw Sango out of the corner of her eye. She did a double take. Sango was staring right at her. Maddi turned to her and raised her phone up, pointing at it as if to ask "really?"

Sango nodded her head. She hung up and walked over to Maddi.

"I didn't expect you to be here," Sango said.

"I'm not a fan of parties," Maddi admitted, pocketing her phone. She smiled nostalgically. "Two weeks, huh?"

"Hmm?" Sango blinked.

"Oh, nothing," Maddi said, shaking her head and chuckling. "I was just thinking. Two weeks ago, I barely knew you to say hello to. And now, well…"

"Now we're friends," Sango said, giving her a smile.

"I wouldn't have believed it, honestly," Maddi admitted. "I mean, stuff like this, it's just… hard to believe, you know? That we became so close in such a short amount of time. Especially, you know, someone… like me."

Sango blinked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sango asked. Maddi wasn't usually this… forlorn looking. The solemnity on her face, for a moment Sango wondered if she was the one that had been drinking.

"Just, you know, I'm not that easy to get along with," Maddi said, glancing down. "And honestly, I thought you would be kind of… difficult to get along with, at first. So thanks for… putting up with me, I guess."

"What brought this on?" Sango asked. "Maddi, are you okay?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine, it's not like I'm dying or anything," Maddi said, rolling her eyes. "Just… well, maybe…"

Maddi wasn't exactly comfortable with this next part, but she did want to let Sango know how she felt so she told her anyway.

"I guess I kind of… got used to hanging out with you over the last few weeks, you know?" Maddi said, averting her eyes. She wasn't blushing. She never blushed. It was just cold out! "So maybe I just wanted to let you know."

"Yeah, I've had a lot of fun the past few weeks, too," Sango said. "Honestly… I think you were the best partner I could have teamed up with, you know?"

"R-Really?" Maddi glanced at her, her eyes widening behind her bangs. "I-I don't know about that, I think you would have done better with someone else. I mean, I'm a good trainer and all, but as far as having fun-"

"You helped me learn how to battle pokemon," Sango said. "Like… really battle with them. That was something that I wasn't really prepared for. And thanks to your help, I was able to really grow as a person."

"Haven't you thanked me for that enough?" Maddi asked.

"I mean, yeah, maybe, but honestly I don't think I can thank you enough," Sango laughed. "It really means a lot to me."

The two stood in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company. Yeah, this is way better than some noisy party, Sango thought, looking fondly at her friend. Just hanging out with a friend and talking is a good evening in my book.

"Hey, Maddi, can I ask you something?" Sango knew she finally had to get to the point, and ask Maddi the real question.

"Hm? Sure, what's up?" Maddi asked, glancing back at Sango curiously. "You want to know more about pokemon battles? Want to borrow one of my teams again?"

"Actually, this, uh… it's about winter break," Sango said, trying to sound as casual as possible as she raised the issue. Maddi's face turned sour. Sango sighed. Clearly "casual" wasn't of much help for Maddi's mood.

Cynthia wants to be friends, Maddi wants her space, and here I am, stuck in the middle, Sango reached up and rubbed her forehead, sighing again. She really wished there was some way they could all get along. Cynthia was her precious friend, probably the closest friend she had after Blake, and her friendship with Blake was… complicated, to say the least. At the same time, these last two weeks had really shown Sango a side of Maddi that she wanted to keep in her life. Maddi didn't have many friends, but she was still a good girl when you got to know her. In summary, Sango didn't want two of her close friends to be fighting. It would be like if Cynthia and Ayame hadn't found a common ground and were at each other's throats.

There had to be some way to connect the two of them, and help them get along, Sango just knew there had to be.

She just had to figure out what it was.

Meanwhile, back inside, Blake and Ayame were hanging out with Kitty and Julia.

"So you two are really going to be spending the break together, huh?" Julia laughed. "Lucky boy, Blake, can't believe Ayame's going for it."

"You two can't do anything dirty!" Kitty insisted, puffing her cheeks up in a huff.

"We aren't gonna do anything dirty!" Ayame exclaimed, her face turning bright red.

"Aww…" Blake sighed. Ayame smacked him in the shoulder as Julia held her sides, cackling.

"I mean it!" Kitty wailed.

"Kitty, mind your own business," Julia said. She smirked. "If those two want to get all lovey-dovey and do all sorts of 'things' over the break, that's up to them."

Kitty turned an even brighter shade of red. She didn't even want to THINK about that, Blake doing… those things.

"What about you guys?" Ayame asked, desperate to change the subject. She was more focused on Kitty than Julia if she was being honest, though.

"Nothing much," Julia sighed. "Just going home to my family. Wish things would be a little more exciting, to be honest. What about you, Kitty?"

Kitty glanced down at Pearl. She was holding the pokemon tightly to her chest, clearly a little anxious.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Julia asked. "I know you threw up earlier, and there was that whole… thing, with Ryoko. You aren't still a little woozy? You don't have a fever, do you?"

"I'm fine, honestly," Kitty said, shaking free of Julia's hand. "I mean, I feel fine, anyway, it's not… it's not that… I guess I'm just…" The worry on her brow was obvious to all of them.

"Kitty… do you think that you're going to be okay?" Blake asked. He seemed almost as anxious as she was. There was an unspoken question in the air. Kitty had just gotten back to a good place emotionally, and being on her own again might make her relapse.

"I don't know, honestly," Kitty admitted. "Right now, I'm finally back, you know? Back to the way I am, I feel better, I do, but…"

"But you're still worried?" Julia asked, reaching and putting a kind hand on Kitty's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"What if, like, what if I relapse?" Kitty asked, her already pale face going even more pale. "I'm scared. Blake, you helped me get back to how I was, but… when I go home, I'm going to be all on my own. And if I slip up again, you won't be there. I know I should have more confidence in myself, but I'm still really worried that, you know… that I'll lose myself again."

"I understand," Blake said, nodding. "But Kitty, I trust you, okay? I think you'll be fine."

"R-Really?" Kitty asked.

"You're a strong girl, even if you don't always think so," Blake assured her. "You're going home for the break?"

Kitty nodded. "To my parents' farm. They have a lot of pokemon there."

"Okay, how about this? If you get worried while you're back home, and you think you might be losing yourself to harmonia, you can call me anytime, okay? I'll be happy to talk with you as long as you want and get you back to a more stable emotional space, okay?" Blake suggested.

Kitty's face brightened and she nodded eagerly.

"If-if you think that's okay, then yeah," Kitty said.

"Just try not to call too late at night, because me and Ayame are going to be doing a bunch of dirty stuff then."

Kitty turned pale, and then turned bright red when she realized Blake was teasing her. Ayame lightly slapped him in the chest again as he laughed, Kitty pounding him with her gentle fists.

"Blake."

The corner of the room they were chatting in fell silent. Blake turned back to see Elaina standing behind him. It had been several hours since they had parted, but she was still wearing the same clothes. Unlike Blake and Cynthia, she had not changed into a more fancy wardrobe. She was, of course, still wearing her mask.

"Elaina?" Blake asked, raising his eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk," Elaina said quietly, closing the distance between the two of them. "Can we talk?"

"About what?" Ayame asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She didn't want to be the jealous bitch of a girlfriend, but she had a bad feeling about what was going on.

"It's private," Elaina said, sparing Ayame a glance before directing her attention back to Blake. "Can we speak outside?"

Blake stared at Elaina for a few seconds, and then glanced back at Ayame. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do here.

Ayame sighed and gave him an exasperated look, and nodded her head.

"Thanks, you're the best," Blake smiled, kissing her on the cheek. "Do you mind watching him?"

He nodded down to the Skorupi in his hands, sleeping like a log.

"Of course not," Ayame smiled, taking the pokemon and watching as he and Elaina headed for the door.

Kitty reached up. She had to stand on her tippy-toes, but she gave Ayame a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ayame said. Just because she trusted Blake and knew the kind of person he was didn't mean it still didn't sting a little to see another girl spending time with him, especially one he had such an emotional investment in. But she also knew that, to Blake, helping this girl was important, and so she was going to support him with a smile, because she knew that was what he needed.

Ayame really is a great girlfriend. So we've got some serious talks coming up to wind things down, before we get to the shenanigans everyone will get into over break.