Val's evil nature continues to prevail this chapter. She keeps abusing and taking advantage of everything, will Blake be able to keep his cool? What will end up happening? Will anyone catch on to her true nature?

KedharS: Sadly not.

Thunder Fire: Ah. Sylvia's a blonde so I didn't make that connection.

JoshGamerV: Sadly. And things were going so well beforehand. What a tragedy. Hopefully things won't be that bad, and everyone will be able to get through this safely.

MikySP: Val doesn't really let her spirits get crushed. She just relishes in the misery of others, it's hard to catch someone like that off-guard.

Aquahaze675: Well, "wow" certainly says quite a lot, actually. Like, "wow she's such a bitch."

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 417

Blake couldn't believe how seamlessly Val had integrated herself into the Toujou family. She and Carrie were both guests, but the attitude they had was completely different. Carrie, presumably concerned about being "outed" as a Team Rocket grunt, sat in silence, speaking when spoken to but otherwise keeping to herself.

Valerie, on the other hand…

"So you don't have Christmas Trees in Johto?" Val asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"We celebrate differently," Hiromi explained, enjoying talking with their new houseguest. When the sweet girl had mentioned that she was a student visiting the Johto region, who, due to a mix-up, was stuck with nowhere to go on Christmas Eve, Hiromi had generously invited the girl to stay at their house and celebrate with them, and she didn't regret it for a moment! Valerie was a lovely guest, and seemed to absorb everything she talked about eagerly. The other girl, Carrie, could learn a thing or two from her!

"How differently?"

"Well, western countries often celebrate with their families on the 25th, Christmas Day, but here the day that matters the most is Christmas Eve, the 24th. We get together with family and enjoy a nice dinner, and couples, well… couples get up to all sorts of things," she giggled.

"Oh!" Val gasped, turning to look at Blake, who she had chosen to sit next to, her mouth open as though she realized she had just done something bad. "Oh, my, I had no idea! I didn't know I was accidentally being an imposition on such a nice couple!"

Just intentionally being one, you damn- Blake had to resist the urge to let his rage show on his face. He wanted to focus on Ayame, on his other side, but Val was drawing her knife slowly against his leg as an obvious threat, and it was hard to keep him focused.

From what he could see, Val was exactly what she pretended to be. If he hadn't known any better, he would have probably fallen for her façade just like Ayame and her family had. She was simply that talented at putting on an act as a sweet and cool student, an affable person who made friends easily. She even went out of her way to try and involve Carrie in the conversation. Clearly, she had absolutely no worry about her association to the Children of the Oracles or her identity as a terrorist being discovered.

And why would she, when Blake was keeping her secret for her?

"Where are you from, Valerie?" Megumi asked. "Your pronunciation of Japanese is perfect!"

"Oh, just call me Val! And I'm from Kalos," Val explained. "Actually, my dad has a lot of dealings with companies in the Kanto and Hoenn regions. My school lets us choose our own courses, so I took some classes on spoken Japanese, as well as the different written languages from region to region."

"Wow, that's impressive," Hiromi said. Hideo was too awkward to participate in the conversation, but he was nodding in agreement.

Blake felt sick to his stomach. They were all falling for his sweet words, even Ayame.

"So why did you come here, Val?" Hiromi asked.

"Mt. Silver, actually," Val explained. "I want to see for myself what's at the peak of that mountain. I've heard a lot of stories about it!"

"I see. Well, you've certainly chosen the worst season to explore it in," Hiromi said, a disapproving look crossing her face.

"Oh?" Val asked.

"You may not know this, but in my youth I was a pokemon ranger," Hiromi revealed, something that Val did, in fact, know.

"A pokemon ranger?" Val asked, her voice almost sounding genuine.

"That's right, I protected this mountain for quite some time, actually, before I settled down with my dear hubby," Hiromi explained. "So I know that in this climate, you shouldn't go exploring on Mt. Silver unprepared. Though it's not as big of a risk, there is still some protection for travelers. But I can't in good conscience encourage you."

"I see," Valerie said, nodding. "So there are still rangers up there?" She didn't seem that bothered by the possibility that her goals would be met with failure from Pokemon Rangers interfering. Or maybe she was just that skilled of an actor, Blake couldn't quite be sure.

Hiromi's smile faded, and her face took on a complicated look.

"No, actually, there's no longer a need," Hiromi said, shaking her head, a nostalgic smile crossing her face. "Right now, that mountain is under the protection of someone far more suited than a pokemon ranger could ever be."

Val was intrigued by that, certainly, and so was Blake. Neither one knew what this "protector" was. Val assumed it was someone or something protecting the Oracle, and Blake just hoped that it would keep the Oracle safe from whatever Val wanted to do with it.

The rest of the dinner continued like that, with Val asking subtle questions about Mt. Silver that Hiromi was happy to answer, and the entire time she continued to run her knife up and down Blake's thigh. It was unnerving how serene her face was as she threatened to bleed him dry, and it made Blake believe her threats all the more. At the same time, though, he knew that he couldn't just leave things like this. He needed to stop Val from whatever it was she was planning on Mt. Silver. He just didn't know how. If he said anything, then Ayame, her family, they would all…

Carrie and Val were both shown to their guest rooms, which were just down the hall from the rooms that Blake and Ayame were staying in. It was time to turn in for the night, though Blake wasn't sure he would be getting any sleep with Val in the house.

"Well, good night," Ayame said, smiling at him. Her cheeks were lightly flushed and her eyes were shining. "Merry Christmas, Blake."

"Yeah," Blake said, smiling, giving her a hug. "Merry Christmas."

His words were genuine, but his attention was elsewhere. Down the hall, behind Ayame, Val was watching him with eagle eyes, clearly to make sure he wasn't going to tell her anything he shouldn't.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Blake said, his voice loud enough where Val could hear it. "Remember how you said you wanted to show me the sunrise? I'm sorry I couldn't wake up early enough to see it with you this morning, but tomorrow I'll try to wake up early. So come to my room and wake me up, okay? Then we can go see it together."

Ayame didn't know what he was talking about. He hadn't slept in, he had gone to see it with her. What was he saying? But she didn't correct him, she just nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds great," she agreed. She headed into her room, leaving Blake and Val standing in the hallway.

Val strolled over to him, her eyes flashing a warning.

"Cute, making date plans with your little girlfriend," she whispered. "I hope you won't say anything… unfortunate in the morning."

"Why do you care?" He asked. "You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?"

"I am," Val agreed, keeping her tone low so Ayame couldn't hear her through the door, "but I would very much appreciate not having rangers coming after me. My threat will still hold. This house will get buried if you let one word slip."

"I know," Blake hissed. "Just leave."

"Sweet boy," Val grinned, patting him on the cheek and sashaying towards her room, putting a swing in her hips to look alluring. "Glad we're on the same page."

And with that, Blake returned to his room, where Skorupi was already snoring away, and after getting changed and ready for bed, he slipped off into a dreamless sleep.

Blake wasn't sure why, but that night he dreamed a dream that he had not had in some time. A nightmare that had haunted him on and off since his youth. Black flames, burning all around him. And through the smoke and flame, the cold, golden eyes staring down at him. The shadowed figure stalked closer to him, opening its mouth to reveal sharp fangs that gleamed in the darkness. Blake clutched his head; more than the heat, the sharp pain in his skull was engulfing everything, and he sprung awake, his comforter soaked in sweat.

"Hah… hah…" Blake's breath was ragged as his nightmare slipped away from him. He tried to sit up to orient himself, maybe go into the kitchen for a glass of water, but he realized that he couldn't move. Was it sleep paralysis?

…Wait, no. He felt a pressure weighing down on his stomach, pinning him down.

"What?" Blake gasped.

"Trouble sleeping?"

Val's sharp voice ringing in his ear caused him to wake up completely, horrified. Val had snuck into his room. He had expected that from her, honestly. But he had hoped that she wouldn't. He squinted in the darkness, but he couldn't see her as anything more than a shadow perched upon him. But he could picture the smile on her face.

"What do you want?" Blake snarled. Instantly he wanted to shove her off of him and strangle her, but he couldn't do that. If he did, then she would absolutely do something to Ayame's family. He was right at her mercy, and all he could do is let her do whatever she wanted.

"Oh, nothing…" Her voice was soft and teasing, a flirty sort of tone that one would expect from a lover, if Blake was the kind of sick to be with someone like her. Blake felt something cold tracing his throat, Val's knife. "I was just thinking… I'm so lonely tonight, and I was wondering, if maybe you could… keep me company for the night? It's so cold outside, and I'd like to stay…" she licked her lips, bringing them close to his ear, her hot breath tickling his skin, "…nice and warm…"

"If you're feel lonely, why don't you take that knife and shove it right up your-"

"Careful, Blake," she warned him, Blake suddenly feeling something heavy press against his throat, cutting off his air. "I enjoy your evil side… but careful."

"I don't… want… anything to… do with you…" He managed to cough out.

"Oh, that's cute," she purred, removing her arm. The knife pressed deeper into his chest, and Blake realized she must have unbuttoned his shirt. "You think I care about what you want. What about what I want?"

"Val, you're going to get the story taken down," Blake warned her.

"Forget about that," she whispered. He could feel her moving on top of him. "You just lie back and pretend I'm Ayame. You might even like it."

"Don't," Blake pleaded, but the whimper in his voice was just getting Val even more excited.

"Well, you seem so reluctant…" Val mused. "No… it couldn't be… Tell me, has Ayame… tasted you yet?"

"Valerie-!"

"No?" Val gasped, her voice oozing with joy. "Has anyone? OH, this is PERFECT! I get to steal the first taste of you, in your girlfriend's house, right next door to her? Oh, how are you going to hide it, Blake? Will you keep playing the good boy? Pretend that you didn't do anything? Or will your guilt overcome you? Or… or! Maybe… maybe you like it?"

"You fucking piece of-"

"I can feel it, the darkness coming off you, oh, I bet you'll relish it! Tearing her heart out with your own hands as you reveal every sordid detail of what we did? And don't worry, I'm quite good, I'll be sure to make it a memorable night. It's not quite the same as having you in front of Sludge Girl's eyes, but I think we're about to have a great time."

Val leaned down and pressed her lips so close to his ear her tongue was practically inside it.

"Beg me," she whispered. "Beg me not to. Say 'please Val, don't violate me' and I'll let you go. Okay?"

"Please, Val," Blake choked out, begging to not just her but also to god that this wouldn't happen. "Please Val, don't violate me."

Val inhaled sharply, leaning up so that she was straddling him, staring down at him in the darkness.

"I'm so glad you pleaded with me so passionately," she moaned, her hands sliding back through his waistband and slipping down his trousers. "It's going to make this feel so much better for me, knowing that you don't want it enough to beg."

"Val!" Blake gasped. But before Val could move any further, the light in the room clicked on, flooding the bedroom with light, Blake and Val wincing from the sudden brightness. That flinch was the first thing to distract Val, the second being the fist catching her in the jaw, knocking her off of the bed.

Val slammed against the wall, grunting in pain, her head spinning. Her knife clattered across the floorboards, skidding away.

"Blake!" Ayame cried, putting herself between Blake and Val. She grabbed the curly-haired girl by the collar of her black pajamas, lifting her up and slamming her back across the wall. Val didn't seem to have any fear in her eyes as she stared at Ayame, her lips pulling up in a smirk.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She growled.

"Just what it looks like," Val purred, her voice devoid of remorse. "I'm doing what you clearly don't have the courage to do. You weren't going to eat your meal, so I thought I might just take a bite. It's fine though, I'd leave you with more than enough to enjoy yourself later."

Ayame's eyes were wide and brimming with fury. Blake hadn't seen this rage even with Team Rocket. She grabbed Val by the neck and began to squeeze, and the murder in her eyes was enough to finally snap Blake out of his stupor.

"Aya, don't!" He cried.

"She was about to-! She was about to-!" Ayame stuttered, Val's eyes flashing in affirmation, her smile not fading even in the face of strangulation and death.

"You can't," Blake hissed. "If you do anything to her, your family will-!"

Val's eyes flared, daring Ayame to do it. Ayame didn't know what Blake meant, but she opened her hands, letting her go. Val hit the ground, coughing and laughing at the same time.

"How did you know to come in?" Val mused. "I was watching Blake pretty closely, it didn't look like he gave you a warning. And he would know better than to leave a note or send a text, not when he knows what I might do if I found it…"

"He asked me to see the sunrise," Ayame replied. "When we'd already gone this morning. That's when I knew something was wrong."

"I figured, knowing you, that you would do something tonight," Blake scowled. "You're the kind of person who likes twisting the knife in, after all, seeing the suffering of others, so I figured you'd do something. So I hoped Aya would sus out something."

"I thought it was gonna be Carrie," Ayame admitted. "When he mentioned 'waking up early in the morning', I figured that meant he wanted to make sure nothing would happen tonight, so I stayed in my room listening at the door. When I heard you pass my door, and then no one came back for so long, I knew that there must have been something going on. So I came to check on Blake, and look what I found."

"All that paranoia, because you were worried for your boyfriend? Due to your sickly sweet memories?" Val cackled. "Why, that's perfect."

"How dare you fucking do that to him?" Ayame growled. "I swear, I'm going to fucking-!"

"Aya, you can't," Blake pleaded with her.

"Listen to him, you really should," Val smirked.

"What are you talking about?" Ayame demanded.

"Simple. A colleague of mine is outside, ready to bury this whole place," Val purred. "That's what I told him. Blake and I go back a long time, don't we Blake?"

"Blake?" Ayame looked at him, confused.

"She was in Galar," Blake said. "With my sister."

"Your sister?!" Ayame gasped, turning back to Val. "Then she knows-"

"Just saw her last week," Val purred. "Well, this is quite a pickle I've found myself in, isn't it?"

"You get out of my house," Ayame snarled. "I don't care what your plans are, but you get the fuck out of my house."

"I'll leave, I'll leave," Val shrugged, rising to her feet, picking her knife up off of the ground. "If I tried to have my fun right now, even with my leverage it might not be enough to stop you right now. But I'm not leaving on my own, you see."

She pointed the knife at Ayame, then at Blake.

"You two… come with me, if you would?"

Ayame and Blake both stared at her, stunned.

"What… huh?" Ayame asked, confused.

"You're not serious," Blake said, even though he knew that, yes, she absolutely was serious.

"There's something on Mt. Silver that I'm looking for," Val replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I was going to go tomorrow, but it looks like I'm not welcome here, so I'm going to leave now. And the two of you are going to come with me! I could always use a talented couple of helpers. It can get dangerous on that mountain, you know."

"Absolutely fucking not!" Ayame snarled. Blake wanted the same, but he had a better grasp on the situation than Ayame did.

"Aya… it's not that easy."

"Listen to your boyfriend, Aya," Val smiled.

"Don't you call me that!"

"Now, now, Aya, Blake is right. Because if you two don't come with me, well, this house won't be in good condition," Val threatened. "You care about your family, don't you? And if you don't think I'm serious, just look at your boyfriend's eyes. He knows exactly what I'm willing to do."

"Aya, she's right," Blake said.

"No, I'll tell my mom and dad, they-"

"Take one step out of this room, and that's it," Val said, taking her cell phone out of her pocket. "You think you'll be able to get that sister of yours out in time when she can't even use her legs?"

Ayame wanted to scream, but there was nothing she could do. She didn't know if Val was capable of actually going through with it, but… but-! But it was her family! She couldn't just let her…

"…Fine," Ayame spat out, her fists shaking with rage. How could someone who seemed so normal turn out to be so fucking evil? She wanted to beat the cocky smile off of Val's face. But she hung her head and nodded, and the three were off.

Ayame managed to save Blake, but now they're both in a very bad position. What awaits them on Mt. Silver? Will they be able to stop Val and her evil plans?