Marion has appeared! But how did she get here? And what does she want? And what will happen to the story now that she's here? One thing's for sure, it will probably involve fishing. Actually, make that "definitely" involve fishing.

JoshGamerV: She certainly is that sort of girl, yes.

Thunder Fire: I'm always open to suggestions, though I will make the final decision for myself. If you'd like to make your case, go for it.

KedharS: For better or worse.

Aquahaze675: Sango, I've come to bargain.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 427

Sango lacked the ability to describe what she was looking at.

Marion Rivers, her friend, Marion Rivers, was standing in front of her with the same dopey grin she always wore, fishing rod slung over her shoulder and holding a large bag in the crook of her arm, her other arm lifting her hand in a cheery wave.

How was she here? She had just text Marion like a minute ago, and she had JUST hung up the phone. That… it wasn't possible.

Sango sighed, and stepped out of the way, letting Marion inside.

Cynthia was as shocked as Sango, and it was taking her a little longer to come to grips with it. Sango had gotten used to Marion's… antics, but Cynthia still didn't know the girl very well, and was still trying to piece together just what the heck was going on.

"How… why… I don't?"

Cynthia looked desperately to Sango for clarification on all of these things, but Sango just raised her shoulders in a resigned shrug.

"What are you doing here, Marion?" Sango asked.

"Well, you came with a challenge, so I came to greet it!" Marion said. She knelt down and deposited the bag on the ground, opening it to reveal a bunch of dead Barboach, Goldeen, and Seaking, much to Sango and Cynthia's disgust.

"How did you get here?!" Cynthia finally managed to blurt out. It still didn't make any sense to her that Marion COULD be here. "I… we were just on the phone with you, so how?"

Marion blinked, tilting her head to the side, giving Cynthia a confused stare like the other girl was being an idiot for being so confused herself.

"I was just down the block, though?"

Sango and Cynthia took a moment to process this information.

"WHAT?!" Both girls exclaimed at the same time, before clamping hands over their mouths to shut themselves up, remembering that Maddi was sleeping a few rooms away.

Marion rolled her eyes.

"Where'd you guys think the innkeeper got those fish from?" She laughed. "I set up shop in Lavaridge! Well, to be more specific, I invested in a shop a few years ago and I came to help them out while I'm here, but you know, same thing."

"A… what?" Cynthia didn't know what to say, but Sango was starting to understand a little better.

"So, it's like this," Marion began to explain. "See, I love Slateport. It's my favorite city in Hoenn! Hoenn itself is my favorite region in Japan, by the way, any guesses why?"

"…Too much water?" Sango answered, her tone of voice ironically dry.

"Yuppers!" Marion said, flashing her a thumbs' up. "7.8/10, nice answer!"

Sango didn't even get why Marion was ranking her, and the ranking itself made no sense, either. Just another flight of fancy of her fishing enthusiast of a friend, Sango supposed. She shook her head. Marion was as inscrutable, and annoying, as always.

Sango began to wonder if this was what Maddi felt like being around Cynthia. Yeah, she could understand how that could get grating.

At the same time, though…

"Hey, Sango! Go grab the tray in the hall, okay? I'll start preparing! You know if the owners will let me get some rice?"

That big dopey grin on Marion's face, completely free of guile, it couldn't be helped that Sango smiled whenever she saw it. She walked into the hall, where Marion had set a cutting tray down, lifted it up, and carried it into their room so Marion could begin cutting the fish.

Marion may have been doing it to "compete" with the inn, but Sango could see that she was delighted just to be preparing sushi for her friends.

Or maybe Sango and Cynthia were unnecessary, and Marion was just enjoying the delight of cooking for its own sake, Sango couldn't quite be sure. She sighed, shaking her head in resignation.

"Right! Where was I?" Marion paused, scratching her chin to try and remember. "Yeah, so Slateport! All sorts of great places to fish! Mauville has some, too, but not nearly as many as Slateport's bounty! But the problem is, because places like Lavaridge Town are so isolated from bodies of water, they can't get any fish! That's why I started investing in fishing marts in Lavaridge and other landlocked towns in Hoenn, like Verdanturf and Fortree City, to deliver fish to them! That way, you guys can get fresh fish for your meals! So when you guys were saying you got sushi, and it was at the inn we had just sold off some of our best catches to, I realized 'hey! They must be staying there!' and I rushed right off!"

Marion smiled brightly and clapped her hands together.

"And that's the whole story!"

Cynthia and Sango let that sink in for a few seconds.

"…And how did you get here so fast?" Sango asked warily.

"Ran fast, yadoy," Marion snorted, rolling her eyes.

"…And how did you get in the building when it's already locked?" Cynthia asked cautiously, not sure if she was going to like the answer.

"…Wow, so that's why the door was so hard to open!" Marion gasped.

Sango had to restrain Cynthia to keep from lunging at the girl.

"Kidding, kidding!" Marion laughed. "I just walked in and said I'd like to rent a room! I mean, I was like super-stoked to camp! But then I was like, sleepover! And the innkeepers were like 'sure, we have some spare rooms for singles', so I was like-"

"Yeah, we get it," Cynthia said, still not believing how Marion had managed to rush here. She looked at Sango for an explanation, but Sango just shook her head. There wasn't one.

Marion kept that dopey grin up on her face for about two seconds.

"…Actually I was just standing outside your door the whole time ready to surprise you guys," she laughed. "I told your grandma to take the night off so I could cook you guys dinner. I helped her carry the fish here, and we got to talking. When I heard you two, of all people, were staying here, and that some of my best customers were Cynthia's grandparents, well…"

Marion stuck her tongue out sheepishly, and rattled her fist against the brim of her hat.

"I just felt like playing a little prank is all!"

Sango and Cynthia collapsed in exhaustion. That, at least, sounded a heck of a lot more believable to the two of them.

"Everything else was true, though," Marion clarified. "I do have a shop out here! Want to come by tomorrow you two? You can even bring that other girl, Maddi, along!"

Cynthia sighed and shook her head.

"Can't. Gotta stay home and work on fixing up the place," she grumbled. "Pain in the ass, but what are you gonna do? You guys can go have fun without me, though."

"Oh, poo!" Marion huffed, sighing. She turned to Sango.

"Sango, go get the rice! I'll stay here with Cynthia and get the frown turned all right-side-down!" She winked at Sango, nodding eagerly. Sango shrugged, rose to her feet, and headed into the hall to go find the front desk. She didn't mind the walk, she could use the fresh air. Well, she was still inside, but being away from Marion's suffocatingly exuberant energy was like being around fresh air, at least. She certainly wasn't rushing, that was for sure.

Sango was surprised Silver hadn't followed her. Then again, it had been a long day.

She stifled a yawn. She had been energetic all day long, but now she just felt tired. Marion could have that effect sometimes, or maybe it was the soothing bath that had done it. Either way, she hoped that after they finished the rest of Marion's sushi, she could finally turn in for the night and get some much-needed rest.

Cynthia's grandmother guided Sango over to the ricer, which still had quite a bit left. Sango took was there was and hoped it would be enough, heading back to her room with a smile on her face. Surprising as it was, and annoying as it had been, Marion was a sight for sore eyes, and she looked forward to having her hang around. This was actually shaping up to be a pretty good vacation for the three of them, all things considered.

That sentiment lasted about two more seconds as she opened the door and stepped into their empty room. She looked around, dumbfounded. The sushi was right where they'd left it, as well as the strips of raw fish Marion had been cutting into. And as the stench of the room indicated, the bag of raw fish was equally untouched. Silver was snoring away on a pillow, having gorged his small body, and Aud's figure could be seen curled up in the cooled-off incubator. Everything looked relatively peaceful, and there was only one explanation for that.

Marion and Cynthia were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, there was a folded slip of paper left on top of the long tray filled with food, with Sango's name scrawled on it. Sango had a sinking feeling about that. She sighed, setting the rice down on the table (no sense in it now) and sat down, unfolding the slip of paper.

"Sango! Cynthia was still feeling all down and dumpsy, so I thought it was a good idea to bring her night fishing! Was gonna ask you, but Cynthia said you haven't eaten all day, and you need to finish your food properly! Remember, fish is the most important meal of the day! Help yourself to as much as you want, and then get a good night's sleep! We'll probably be gone for a while, so don't wait up! See you tomorrow!

-Marion"

Sango crumped the note up and threw it away, sighing. Night fishing, huh? Well, she really should have seen THAT one coming, if Marion was trying to cheer someone up it would most definitely involve fishing of some sort. And she didn't particularly mind being left behind, either, but there was something that was nagging at her, something else that Marion had said, what was it…

Sango gasped, and a wave of sympathy for Cynthia washed over her.

They were in Lavaridge Town, and according to Marion, the closest fishing hole was in Mauville. From Mauville to Lavaridge was about an hour by bus, and those two were walking on foot. Which meant they would be gone… "for a while" didn't quite cover it.

Sango closed her eyes and gave a silent prayer for Cynthia, she was going to need it. Maddi had been tired today, but Cynthia would probably be dead to the world tomorrow.

With her roommate suddenly gone, Sango found herself without a whole lot left to do. And since Silver was already fast asleep, and exhaustion already settling in, Sango decided she would get nice and rested up for tomorrow. So she finished off the rest of the sushi and took the bag of dead fish pokemon out of her room and into the kitchen, returning to the warmth of her futon where she drifted off to sleep a few brief seconds later, wondering what the morning would bring.

The morning brought Cynthia, trudging into the room at the break of dawn, looking like death warmed over. She had deep bags under her eyes and grimace on her face, leering at Sango from behind her scarlet bangs as she slid the door closed. Sango had just gotten up herself, already getting started on her morning calisthenics to work off the delicious breakfast that Rose had prepared for them. More fish, but fried this time. Judging by the bounty Sango had left in the kitchen the night before, she could probably count on eating fish for her meals for a long time to come.

Well, at least Marion would be happy about it.

While morning exercise was part of Sango's routine, to Cynthia that much energy in the morning was probably feeling pretty crappy, so she stopped and asked Cynthia how she was doing with as much heart as she could muster.

Cynthia's only response was an incomprehensible grumble. She flopped down into her futon and was snoring in seconds.

Sango understood that it would probably be hard for Cynthia to get her work done today, and hoped her grandparents would be understanding. If everything worked out, Marion might have gotten Cynthia out of having to help out around the onsen after all!

That note of irony was what lit up Sango's face as she exited the room and left Cynthia to her beauty sleep, Silver floating behind her.

Marion intercepted her in the hallway, and unlike Cynthia, she looked just as energetic as she had looked the night before.

"Hey, Sango! You get a good rest?" Marion chirped. "How was the sushi? I told you I was a great chef, didn't I?"

"It was delicious, Marion," Sango admitted. "How was the… night fishing? You guys were gone for pretty long."

"Yeah, you're telling me, we just got back a few minutes ago!" Marion laughed. "Time sure flies when you're having fun!"

Sango doubted that was how Cynthia would put it, that was for sure. But she replied with a good-hearted smile all the same.

"So what's the plan for today?" Marion asked, her energy practically filling the entire hallway. "I can wait to show you guys around to the restaurant! What do you say?"

"Actually, we were planning to check out the bakery first," Sango said. "But I can check with Maddi to see if it's okay!"

Sango stepped around Marion and walked over to Maddi's room, knocking lightly on the screen to check and see if she was awake.

"Hey, Maddi, it's me, are you good? You sleep okay?" Sango asked.

The response from inside the room was something akin to a grumble in the affirmative, Sango thought, and that was a good sign.

"Hey, so I was thinking, what do you want to do today?" Sango asked. "We could check out Lavaridge if you want."

Maddi was silent for a while.

"Is Cynthia coming?" She finally asked.

Sango sighed. Maddi was still trying to duck Cynthia, huh? Oh, well. Cynthia had predicted that anyway, so she couldn't exactly feel bad."

"She's not," Sango informed her. "She's staying here and helping out around the inn."

A sly thought crept its way into Sango's mind, and she had an idea of how she could encourage Maddi to come out and hang with her for the day.

"So you know, you might run into her if you stay here."

Rustling came from behind the door. It slid open.

"Sure, let's…"

Maddi's voice trailed off when she noticed that Sango was not alone.

"Hey there! Madison Whitmore, right? I remember you! I'm Marion, we've met before!" Marion greeted her in the good-natured way she greeted everyone. "So you're hanging out with us too, huh? It's gonna be a blast!"

"Absolutely not," Maddi said, sliding the door closed faster than Sango thought would be possible. She groaned.

"Maddi!"

"That girl is going to bring nothing but headaches," Maddi replied from behind the door. There was no malice in her words, just the matter-of-fact tone of someone who knew full well what a day with Marion Rivers would result in, and expressing that she wanted no part in it. Sango couldn't exactly blame her, but she still wanted to spend the day with her friend.

"Can't it just be us?" Maddi asked softly. Sango glanced at Marion, and mouthed the word "sorry", promising with both her eyes and her heart that she would make this up to Marion somehow.

Marion, to her continued credit, didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

"Sure! That works for me!" Marion said, smiling brightly. If she WAS upset about getting snubbed, Sango wasn't able to see it. She turned to the door. "Maddi! You and Sango have fun, okay? I'll just stay here and hang with Cynthia, sound good?"

Maddi didn't respond. But she slid the door open, nodding her head.

"Yeah, we can go," Maddi said, glancing at Marion. She felt a little guilty for what she had said, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to go out and have fun with Sango. But she also knew that if Marion was there, she wouldn't actually be having all that much fun. "Thanks, Marion."

"Not a problem, Maddi! I get to hog Sango all the time, you're totally welcome to your time with her!" Marion said. She skipped down the hallway, headed for Sango and Cynthia's room. Clearly, she wasn't interested in letting Cynthia get any sleep. Sango shook her head in sympathy for her friend, before turning back to Maddi.

"Ready to go?" Sango suggested.

Maddi nodded her head, glancing back into the room.

"C'mon, Grim."

"Duskull."

Grim floated up, moving over to Maddi and circling around her head. The two girls headed down the hall and exited the inn, stretching in the sun.

"Whoa, it's so warm," Maddi said, surprised. The sunlight was shining down on them, bright and warm like it was summer time.

"We didn't get in until night," Sango noted. "I guess it really is tropical all year 'round."

"That, or the volcano," Maddi smirked, jutting her thumb over her shoulder and pointing at Mt. Chimney behind them. Sango chuckled.

Sango and Maddi headed down the dirt road into the peaceful town of Lavaridge. Unlike the more developed Slateport City, and the technologically-advanced futuristic city of Mauville, Lavaridge was a small, peaceful town, with a calming atmosphere. Many of the residents were of considerable age, and they all greeted the two girls with smiles and waves. They reached the shopping district, which was little more than a small marketplace, and Sango noticed that one of the restaurants was advertising freshly caught fish from Slateport outside, with a dining hall right behind the stand for cooked dishes. That must have been where Marion was working.

"So what first?" Maddi asked. "I've already eaten, so…"

"Well, actually, I was thinking we could check out the Lavaridge Bakery," Sango said, fishing into her pocket for the address Cynthia had written down.

"I just said I already ate," Maddi replied.

"Yeah, I know, but it's for later," Sango explained. "Cynthia mentioned that they make this special cookie, a Lava Cookie, and she said we just HAD to try it, that it was the most delicious thing she'd ever had. And she also wants us to bring back a box of them for her."

…Well, that DID sound nice. Maddi didn't want to look TOO eager so she averted her eyes and shrugged her shoulders, saying "sure, we can go."

Unfortunately, Sango had no idea what to do.

For starters, the address was unintelligible because Cynthia's handwriting was crap. The other problem was that the map she drew on the paper led out of the inn, down the road, and then just stopped in front of a big star, like that would tell the girls anything. So they had no idea where they were going or how far away it was. But in a small town like Lavaridge, Sango suspected that any of the residents would have a decent idea of where it was, so she would ask.

Just as Sango built up the resolve to ask one of the people walking by where the Lavaridge Bakery was, looking up from the paper, she realized too late that she hadn't been watching where she was going, and crashed right into one of them!

"Oh! Oh! I'm so sorry!" Sango gasped, stepping back, her face flushed with shame. Then, she paused mid-apology and did a double-take, unable to believe who she had just run into.

Who could it be? ANOTHER surprise guest? It seems like everyone's in Lavaridge this time of year!