What will Ayame's father have to say to Blake? Will he be as friendly as the rest of Ayame's family, or will Blake meet with a shallow grave?
Thunder Fire: Hush. Ayame and Blake will die old together if I have anything to say about it, they're precious and adorable and need to be happy! Also, Hiromi is like Cynthia because they both have a happy, cheery atmosphere that makes them easy to approach, Cynthia's perversion is her own.
Rosealine gold: So Sango if she was a guy, got it.
KedharS: Fathers are rough.
Aquahaze675: Yeah, he's a big old teddy bear.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 411
"So you're the young man who has been dating my daughter," Ayame's father growled down at Blake. "Blake Harker, I believe your name was?"
"Y-Yes, sir," Blake said, nodding. He gulped. His Skorupi was shaking in his arms. A newborn pokemon certainly, but on an instinctual level he still knew what "fear" was, and he could feel it emanating off of his trainer, so he felt the same way. Whatever this beast was in front of them, both trainer and pokemon were well aware of the danger. The crushing pressure on his shoulder from the man's enormous hand caused Blake to feel a surge of fear in Blake; it felt like Ayame's father could crush his head like it was a grape.
"I see…" The way he just said those two words sent a shiver down his spine, and the piercing glare in his eyes wasn't helping. "And you're going to be staying here…"
"Um, Mr. Toujou-"
"What?" The man snarled. Blake nearly jumped out of his spine in terror.
"N-Nothing," Blake said, shaking his head.
"You busy tomorrow?" He asked.
"H-Huh?" Blake hadn't caught what the man said, too busy focusing on not collapsing from the crushing pressure on his arm.
"I asked if you're busy tomorrow," the man said, leaning in closer to Blake, to the point where he completely eclipsed the light from the lamps and left Blake in shadow. Blake felt like he was about to get eaten.
He and Ayame had actually been planning on going for a walk through the snow tomorrow to have a picnic for lunch, but somehow he felt like telling him that was not a good idea if he wanted to make it back to the dining room table tonight. So he quietly shook his head, trembling all the while and answering "n-no, sir…"
"Marvelous," the man let out a rumbling noise from deep within his belly that could have been laughter, but sounded more like a volcano preparing to erupt. He raised his hand and slapped it back down on Blake's shoulder with enough force that it felt like Blake's collarbone was going to be dislocated. "Then you won't mind… err… going hunting with me tomorrow?"
"H-Hunting, sir?" Blake gulped.
"Didn't I say it properly?" He demanded. "You do speak Johtonian, right? Do I need to repeat in English?"
"I-I can understand you just fine," Blake insisted. Wait, isn't Johtonian just a written language? The spoken language for Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh had been standardized centuries ago.
"So?" The giant of a man demanded.
Blake felt like refusal was not an option. "I-I'd love to…"
"Good," he said, turning back and lumbering toward the dining room. He stopped in the doorway, and glanced over his massive shoulder, leering down at Blake. "You coming?"
"Y-Yes, sir," Blake swallowed, following after Ayame's father, holding Skorupi tighter to his chest as he entered the dining room. As good as the stew smelled, he found himself suddenly without much of an appetite. Especially because he could feel Ayame's father glaring at him from across the table as he sat down between Ayame and Megumi.
"So Aya, how is school going?" He asked.
"Hideo! Manners!" Hiromi scolded her husband, slapping him on the chest. "You haven't even taken your coat off!"
"Sorry, sweetheart," he rumbled, unbuttoning the large coat and stripping it off. If Blake thought that seeing the man without his massive coat would make him less intimidating, he was quickly proven wrong. Seeing his muscles bulging out of the flannel overshirt he wore reminded Blake of just how easily the man could rip him in half.
"School's going great," Ayame giggled, patting Blake at the arm and turning to look at him. "Honestly… thanks to Blake, this has been better than the last three years combined."
"Is that so?" Hideo asked, Blake practically hearing the growl in his voice. The man's shining black eyes didn't leave Blake as Ayame gushed about how much fun they had together, and Blake felt the anger in her father's eyes grow more and more intense.
While Ayame was discussing her first date with Blake, Hiromi walked around the table, ladling stew generously into their bowls. Blake peered into the large bowl in front of him, the aroma from the murky brown broth wafting up into his nose. His appetite was quickly returning. Chunks of meat and carrot floated in the stew as well, Blake licking his lips in spite of himself.
"Looks delicious, mom," Megumi complimented him.
"Why, thank you Megu, I really outdid myself today," Hiromi giggled. "I had wanted to prepare an entire roast, but sadly we didn't have the meat."
Hideo glanced down in what Blake thought could have been sheepishness, scratching his beard. He jammed his spoon into the large bowl in front of him, nearly twice the size of anyone else's, and began shoveling stew into his mouth. He raised his napkin up to his lips to clean the traces of stew oozing out of his beard before speaking again.
"Hunting's not been good recently, everything's hibernating," he grumbled. He turned to give Blake a pointed look. "Hopefully, better luck tomorrow."
"Don't you have work in the shop tomorrow?" Hiromi asked.
"Closed up for the holidays," Hideo answered. "Besides, we don't get many customers this time of year, we only had one today, after all."
"Well, if business isn't going so great, you could always do what I suggested," Hiromi said. Blake didn't know what that meant (and honestly, wasn't exactly sure he should be listening to this family conversation) but he did notice that Megumi's expression had brightened when her mother had spoken up, and she was now watching the conversation with eagerness.
"Come now, we've discussed this," Hideo said. "The shop is for woodworking and sculptures, it's not a place to sell those paintings of hers!"
A shadow crossed Megumi's face, which Blake caught. But she had quite the poker face, and the less perceptive members of her family, who had not spent years interpreting the small facial cues of someone who was as traditionally stoic as Blake's sister, did not seem to pick up on the way she felt.
"It's alright mother, I've said a hundred times, I just paint for my own hobby!" Megumi laughed. "Actually putting my paintings up for sale is too embarrassing!"
"Nonsense, your paintings are lovely," Hiromi laughed. "You think so too, right Hideo? Far too lovely to spend cooped upstairs in that storeroom of yours!"
"Oh, you're too kind, mom," Megumi laughed.
"Come on, Hideo, just try and sell a few of them," Hiromi pouted. "Oh! I know, while you're out hunting tomorrow, maybe I can open up the shop and sell them!"
"No, no, no need for that," Hideo said, shaking his head. "Right, Megumi?"
"Right, dad," Megumi agreed. "You're the one who knows the shop, after all."
"…Well, fine then," Hiromi pouted. "Enjoy your hunting trip then."
"It's going to be quite a trip," Hideo said, nodding. "Blake agreed to come with me, actually!"
"What?" Ayame gasped, looking up from her soup and glancing at Blake in surprise. "I thought we were going on a picnic tomorrow!"
"Is that so?" Hideo asked, turning to look at Blake with a glare. "I thought he told me that he didn't have anything planned."
"It, uh… must have slipped my mind," Blake said, not able to meet the intimidating man's gaze.
"Dad, Blake can't go hunting," Ayame pouted. "He doesn't even know how to use a gun, he won't be any help!"
Hideo glanced at his daughter, stroking his beard with confusion.
"…Gun? Why would he need a gun?"
Well THAT wasn't what Blake wanted to hear.
Blake didn't want to think about the fact that he was going for a hunting trip with Ayame's father tomorrow without a gun, so he turned back to his stew and began digging through it, playing around with the chunks of meat and potato.
"Skor!" Skorupi scuttled in Blake's lap, snapping his pincers eagerly. "Skorupi!"
"Oh, is he hungry?" Ayame cooed.
"Yeah, but these chunks are a little too big for him to eat yet," Blake sighed, stewing them around a little. "Excuse me, may I please have a plate or something so I can cut them up into tinier pieces for the little guy, if you don't mind?"
"Certainly," Hiromi said, nodding her head.
"I'll get it," Hideo said, rising out of his chair and lumbering into the kitchen. He returned a few moments later with a large plate and an even larger knife. He slammed the plate down on the table in front of Blake with a heavy thump, making him and Skorupi jump.
"Want me to cut that for you?" He rasped, holding up the large steak knife, the blade glinting in the light.
"…No thank you," Blake said quietly, audibly gulping.
"Sweetheart, you're scaring him," Hiromi laughed. "He can cut it for himself."
"…I see," he said, nodding, stroking his beard. "Right." He set the knife down on the plate, and then returned to his seat.
Blake relaxed slightly, scooping some of the soup onto the plate. He picked up the knife and a fork and began cutting the chunks of meat and potatoes into smaller pieces for the Skorupi to eat. He held up a tiny piece to the small pokemon's mouth, Skorupi eating it.
"Skorupi!" Skorupi cheered, his tail waving back and forth.
"I think he likes it," Ayame laughed, the rest of the table joining in on the laugh as well. Even Hideo threw back his head and let out a loud guffaw, slapping his chest joyously.
After dinner, Ayame took Blake by the hand and helped him up from his seat, as well as taking Skorupi from his hands.
"Mom, Blake and I are going to go play outside!" Ayame said. "May we be excused?"
"Aya, it's your turn to do the dishes," Hiromi replied.
"What?" Ayame gasped. "Why do I have to do it? Why can't Megumi do it?"
"I can't reach the top shelves anymore," Megumi smirked, rolling back from the table and wiggling her eyebrows at her sister. "Besides, I have to get back to my painting!"
"Painting?"
"I've been painting the darkened landscape of Mt. Silver at night. I need to paint at about this time of night every night," Megumi explained. "Because I need to get the lighting perfect from my room. Sorry, I'm busy!"
Ayame pouted, and grumbled something to her mother, but she handed Skorupi back over to Blake, and stomped into the kitchen.
Ayame was scrubbing away at the dishes when Blake entered after her.
"Need some help?" He asked. "It'll go faster if we do it together, you know."
"It's only a few bowls, I'm fine," Ayame laughed. "Besides, just you being here is fine enough." She leaned down and planted a small kiss on Blake's lips, giggling, and got back to scrubbing, this time a little more invigorated.
A few minutes later the dishes were all done, and Blake and Ayame were heading out towards the front door, coats on. Skorupi wasn't with them, it was far too cold outside. Megumi said she would be happy to look after him while she painted.
"We're heading out mom, dad!" Ayame called out to her parents back in the living room. Hideo was sitting on the couch like it was an armchair, reading a thick book, while Hiromi was curled up peacefully in his lap.
"Don't stay out too late," Hiromi called.
"Be back by 11," Hideo added.
"Ugh, come on, dad, we aren't going to have sex in the snow, god," Ayame said, rolling her eyes sarcastically.
"I mean it, young lady!" He rumbled.
"We're not going to do anything, dad!" Ayame rolled her eyes again and glanced at Blake. "I wish," she mouthed at him, giving him a coy smile.
After his meeting with her father, and the fact that he was going to be hunting with the man the next day (without a gun, as he kept being reminded of by his own fear and paranoia) Blake was less enthused about joking around about what they might or might not be doing in the snow. So he just gave her a light chuckle, and shrugged.
Ayame tightened Blake's scarf as he tightened hers, and the two headed out into the cold.
"Wow, is this what winter's like here?" Blake gasped, the strong chill of the winter night slapping him in the face. He wrapped his jacket a little tighter around him, shivering.
"It really fucking gets you, huh?" Ayame laughed, slapping him in the chest. The winter winds caused her ribbon to blow through her hair, as she pulled her hood up, her rosy face filled with glee as she skipped ahead. "Come on! This way!"
Blake followed her through the snow, able to keep track of her by the bobbing glow of her flashlight. Ayame ran down the hill, towards the forest below, turning back to Blake and waving to him. Blake picked up the pace, stomping through the snow.
"It's right here," Ayame said, gesturing him over to a large tree near the edge of the forest. Blake met her at the tree, staring up at the large, thick branches sticking over their heads. Ayame knelt down and slapped the trunk of the tree, brushing away some of the snow. She held the flashlight up to the tree, running it over the dark bark until she found what she was looking for.
"What is it?" Blake asked, peering over her shoulder, squinting closer. He could make out something faint carved into the bark.
"When Megumi and I were little, we carved our names in this tree," Ayame explained. "Because it was the biggest one around." She wasn't wrong about that.
"Yeah, I think I see it," Blake said, seeing the faint 'Ayame' carved in Johtonian.
"Megumi's name is a little higher up, 'cause she was way taller than me," Ayame laughed. "But I caught up with her soon enough!"
Blake smiled.
"I wanted you to come see this," Ayame cooed, giving him gooey eyes. She blushed. "Err, and… I know this is a little… embarrassing, but, well… if you wanted… then we could… I don't know…"
Blake had a fairly good idea of what Ayame wanted him to do, but she was so awkward and adorable trying to propose it that he couldn't help but want her to tell him for herself.
"Look, this is going to sound really, really corny and romcom B-movie of me, but, well… we're both in this for the long haul, so…" Ayame looked bashfully up at him, which wasn't something he was used to due to her height.
Ayame fished a small pocket knife out of her jacket, and handed it over to Blake.
"I guess I've been feeling a little insecure sometimes, but… I would like… oh! But, don't think that, like, you have to, or I'm trying to pressure you into anything, I just, like, you know… if you wanted to!" Ayame stuttered, unable to bring herself to be the kind of clingy person who would ask him to do something so corny and possessive.
Blake smiled, and knelt down beside her, flipping the blade open. He ran the blade into the grooves of her name, scoring it clearer into the bark so it would be easier to find again. He looked at her, and she looked at him, and the two smiled. He handed her the knife back, and she turned back to the tree, carving a '+' sign underneath her name, and then Blake's name underneath it. She then scored a heart around their names, finalizing it. She clicked the knife closed, and glanced back at him, the two sharing a quiet look in the dark.
Ayame leaned forward and pressed her lips against Blake's, the two making out in the snow.
There wasn't a light on in the cabin when Blake and Ayame got back, the two walking quietly into house. Unfortunately, the wood was rather creaky.
Wait. That creaking sound isn't the wood, it's-
The light clicked on, Ayame and Blake shielding their eyes. Megumi was sitting in her chair by the entryway, a disapproving look on her face as she stroked Blake's Skorupi, who was sleeping peacefully in her lap.
"Do you two know what time it is?" Megumi asked.
"Have you just been sitting here in the dark?" Ayame sputtered.
"I asked, do you two know what time it is?" Megumi asked again. "You two just got here today, and you're already staying out late?"
"Megumi, it's not like-"
"It's not even 10!" Blake said, checking his phone.
Megumi's disapproving look slid away to make room for a playful smile.
"I know, I'm just giving you two a hard time," she laughed, rolling up to Blake and handing him his Skorupi. "You should have seen the way you jumped, Blake, it looked like you were going to completely DIE!"
"Yeah, well, you know, it was kind of a… stressful night," Blake said, standing up straight and shifting his grip on Skorupi to adjust for the small pokemon's weight.
"Stressful? Why?" Ayame asked, giving him a confused look.
"Because your dad is really scary," Blake said.
Ayame and Megumi shared a look, and burst out laughing.
"Dad?!" Ayame cackled. "He's a Teddiursa!"
"Maybe you should be scared of him if you were a tree," Megumi snorted.
"A Teddiursa? More like an Ursaring," Blake said.
"He's great," Ayame assured him. "Dad's just a little shy sometimes."
"He's been looking forward to meeting you," Megumi assured Blake. "There's no reason to be worried! When Aya first told us about you, he said that he was going to thank you personally for everything you've done for her! …Or was that 'to' her?"
"Hahahaha…" Blake laughed, not feeling any better.
"You looking forward to tomorrow?" Ayame asked. "I mean, you were excited enough about going hunting that you blew off our date."
"Oh, please tell me you're not mad about that," Blake groaned.
"Not at all," Ayame shrugged, obviously very mad.
"We just had a great kiss in the snow, don't ruin it," Blake begged.
"Oh? Kiss in the snow? Do tell!" Megumi said, her eyes shining with excitement. Ayame and Blake laughed.
"Head up to bed?" Ayame asked, pointedly not answering the question.
"I am feeling tired," Blake agreed, faking a yawn. The two giggled, heading towards their rooms.
"Come on, at least let me live vicariously through you when it comes to your sex life," Megumi called after her.
Blake and Ayame stood at the small area between the doors of their rooms, looking into each other's eyes.
"So, have a good night," Ayame murmured, glancing meaningfully at Blake's door, and then back to him. She bit her lip, leaning against her door.
"I should probably go," Blake said, nodding back to his door. "Gotta wake up early for the hunting trip with your dad…"
"Yeah… me too…" Ayame said, nodding. "I guess… I should get some rest, too… long flight, gotta get my sleep schedule synched…"
The two were saying a lot of things about how they needed to go to their rooms to sleep. And yet, neither one of them made any move to leave. It wasn't like either one of them was actually proposing to… that, they were in Ayame's family home, for gods' sake!
But they just wanted to stay for a few moments more.
"I love you, Aya," Blake said. Ayame beamed at him, sidling back and forth on the ball of her foot as she relished in Blake's words.
"I love you more," she cooed, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek, the two heading to their rooms to turn in for the night.
Aww, Ayame and Blake are as strong as ever, maybe even stronger. Hopefully, the hunting trip tomorrow will go well.