Darla and Lila showed up in the Hoenn Region, and more importantly, Cynthia's grandparents' inn! What are they here for? The winter break seems to be getting more intense. Will this girls' trip work out for the better? If Darla and Lila are here, then who else might show up? Any other surprise guests coming to the inn? This chapter's a little short, but the arc is just getting into the swing of things.

JoshGamerV: It's a pretty happening place to be, that's for sure.

Thunder Fire: Maybe. That would definitely be hot, they're both 10/10s.

KedharS: What are you confused about?

Aquahaze675: Well, I would like to think so. Unfortunately, I don't think that's going to be the case, as much as I would like it to be.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 434

Cynthia reached into her shorts and took out her phone in a smooth gesture, taking a bunch of pictures of Darla and Lila in burst mode. They were dressed down in casual clothes, Lila in a pink dress and Darla in tight jeans and a black sweater, but it was plain to everyone that it was them. Sango, Maddi, and Marion had all stopped their work to stare at the two idols, not sure if what they were seeing was something to be believed. Darla Drake and Lila Seelie were actually at this inn?

"What are you doing?!" Darla demanded, storming forward. She nearly stepped in the puddle, slipping and falling, but Lila caught her by the arm before she could get too far.

"Darla Drake and Lila Seelie, idols beloved by the student body," Cynthia recorded into her phone's mic, putting on a rather scarily-accurate approximation of Dakota's gratingly high-pitched voice. "But little did we know that their student bodies are spent engaged in more… Sapphic interests! Only a few days into their winter break, and these two juniors in the Appeals Course are already checking into a rather seedy inn, ready to seek comfort in each other's arms, unbeknownst to those around them."

Sango snickered, Cynthia's impression actually pretty spot-on, she had to admit.

"'Seedy inn'?" Roland asked, raising his eyebrow. Cynthia gulped, but her smug expression didn't shift. Darla and Lila were in a relationship? Dakota would pay the big poke-bucks for a story THAT juicy, she'd been after them for how long? She wasn't REALLY going to out the two girls, but she enjoyed watching them squirm.

Only they weren't squirming. It wasn't shame, or guilt, or even embarrassment that she saw on either girl's face. For Lila, it was a look of exasperation. Darla's eyes, on the other hand, were burning with white-hot rage.

Cynthia changed course real damn fast.

"I'm kidding, you guys," she clarified, putting her phone away. "I wouldn't out you. That's the worst thing you can do to a person. I'm not Dakota, I have standards."

Cynthia ignored the derisive snorting sound that Maddi made.

"We. Are not. In. A. Relationship." Darla's words were set through clenched teeth, her jaw locked and her body giving off a "don't fuck with me" aura. She continued, "we're just here as friends. This is a business trip. There is nothing going on between Lila and I, there's no way we would have those sorts of feelings for each other. So stop messing around. There's nothing to hide."

Cynthia nodded, believing Darla's words at face value. But that didn't mean she missed the imperceptibly slight twitch of discomfort in Lila's eye when Darla said that they were just friends and that there was no way they would have feelings for one another. It was so small; the finest of cracks in the otherwise perfectly crafted smile of an idol's face.

Cynthia's lips turned up. Well, maybe I'm not so far off the mark, after all…

"Well, if everything's all nice and kosher," she smirked, standing of and brushing herself off, "I wonder why it is that you two, here on business, happened to get a double room? Two futons side by side, usually the kind of room for couples… instead of two singles, fishy fishy…"

"Isn't that the same kind of room we have?" Sango asked, standing up as well. Cynthia ignored her, enjoying herself at Darla's expense.

Darla looked like she was going to pop a blood vessel.

"We aren't like that!" She insisted with a snarl.

"Cynthia, what are you doing?" Roland demanded, Cynthia flinching. "You should know better than to bother our guests, or pry into their personal affairs! I don't believe this!"

"It's okay, grandpa, I know them," Cynthia insisted. "They're also students at my school, they know I'm just teasing them."

"…Oh," Roland said, calming back down. His face brightened. "Why, I had no idea that you girls were friends of my granddaughter!"

"We aren't," Darla snarled, narrowing her eyes.

"Darla, be nice," Lila said, placing her hand on Darla's arm as she fumed.

"She's totally going to make up some bogus story to slander us and tell Dakota all about it!" Darla exclaimed. "And you want me to play nice! We're talking about our careers here, something like this is just… rrrrgh!"

"Young miss, you don't have to worry," Roland assured her, Darla turning her attention onto him for the first time. He cleared his throat, and glanced at Cynthia with a glare so cold she forgot she was in Hoenn for a moment.

"My granddaughter certainly knows better than to do anything like that," Roland said, narrowing his eyes even tighter. Cynthia shivered. "Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

"Yes, grandpa," Cynthia swallowed, unable to nod her head fast enough. "I-I'm sorry, Darla. I was just messing around, I promise. I won't do anything or make up any stories. It was all just a big joke, because you got so angry…"

"…Well, fine then," Darla sniffed, nodding her head. "I'll believe you."

"Now, I promise, for the rest of your stay here, my granddaughter won't bother you young ladies," Roland insisted. "Shall I show you to your room?"

Roland ushered Darla and Lila down the hall, turning back to look at the girls.

"Finish with you wiping, and don't forget to take care of that puddle of water, we don't want it to stain," he ordered them. His voice softened. "When you're all done wiping down the floor, you can come eat dinner. We'll be having some more guests coming in according to the records, so this place should be getting rather lively. Oh, and Cynthia?"

"Yes, grandpa?" Cynthia asked, the worry in her tone obvious.

"As I said, we'll be getting a lot of guests coming in late tonight. Rose and I are getting up in years, of course, so I was wondering if it would be possible for you to stay up late tonight and check the guests in? It would be a great help."

Cynthia blanched. That would make three nights in a row she would be going with a less-than adequate sleep. But what was she going to say? The hopeful look on her grandpa's face, she couldn't go against that.

So she didn't. She forced a smile onto her face and said "sure thing, grandpa! You can count on me!" And that was that.

Roland sighed with relief and nodded, turning and heading down the hall with Darla and Lila. "And don't forget to wipe up that puddle!"

"Oof, that's rough," Sango said, patting Cynthia on the back. "Going without sleep again?"

Cynthia sighed, slumping over. She turned and looked at the huge puddle of water on the floor, and knelt down, beginning to scrub.

"It's fine," she muttered. "Let's just get to work."

After they all finished their work, Sango, Marion, and Maddi were all let off the hook, and given the opportunity to head back to their rooms. Sango and Maddi went to go for a nap, and Marion headed out the door, intent to get some more fishing done in Mauville City, so it was unlikely she'd be back before tomorrow.

Cynthia was less lucky, and Rose requisitioned her for kitchen duty. So about a half-hour later, she found herself carrying a long tray of sushi down the hall, towards Darla and Lila's room, the girls having ordered their dinner in.

Cynthia set the tray down on floor and knelt, raising her hand and rapping her knuckles against the door. "I've brought your food," she called out.

She heard the shuffling of feet and picked the sushi platter back up, rising to her feet as the door slid open. Thankfully, it was Lila who answered the door, not Darla, the blonde's sunny face a relief as an alternative to Darla's sour one.

"Oh! Wonderful!" Lila smiled. "Darla! Cynthia brought the food we ordered for us! Isn't that the most darling thing?"

Lila stepped aside and let Cynthia bring the sushi into the room. She set it down and stood up straight, glancing around the room. The girls had certainly brought a lot of luggage with them, that was for sure. And it was easy to tell whose was whose. Lila's stuff was all bright pink and covered in fake fur, while Darla had utilitarian suitcases and duffel bags. A difference in styles to be sure.

There was something else Cynthia noticed as well, and it made her smirk.

"Two futons, huh?" Cynthia asked, unable to control herself. "And here I thought for sure you two would be getting one."

Darla's eye twitched. Lila tactfully stepped between the two girls before her partner could begin throwing punches.

"Thanks for the food, Cynthia!" Lila interrupted. "It looks delicious!"

"Oh, you think so?" Cynthia blushed, smiling. She scratched her hair sheepishly. "I-I made it myself. It turned out really good, I think. Enjoy!"

"You made it yourself?" Lila gasped her eyes widening. "Wow! That's so awesome! We'll be sure to savor every bite, right Darla?"

"…Whatever," Darla grumbled. She walked over to the door and looked expectantly at Cynthia. Well. It seemed she'd certainly overstayed her welcome. Cynthia turned and filed out into the hall per Darla's wishes, but not before turning back to the two girls one final time.

"Ahem," Cynthia coughed, holding out her hand and wiggling her fingers in a "gimme" motion, glancing expectantly at them.

Darla and Lila glanced at each other in confusion.

"In a situation like this one, it's customary to tip," Cynthia explained, wiggling her fingers even more insistently.

Darla slammed the door shut.

Cynthia sighed, and shrugged her shoulders. Apparently she pushed her luck. She turned and headed down the hall, but she barely made it two steps before the door behind her opened and Lila dashed out, purse in hand.

"Sorry Darla's in such a bad mood," Lila apologized, opening up her purse and withdrawing a few bills. "It's been a pretty rough couple of days. We have a lot of stuff going on, what with the travel, and besides, we're back in Hoenn, and that always makes her a little surly."

"Oh, that's right, you guys are Hoenn natives too," Cynthia remembered, her eyes widening. "I completely forgot!"

"Darla doesn't like to talk about it," Lila sighed, handing the money over to Cynthia. "But I don't mind it too much."

"Lila, you coming?" Darla called from their room. "If you don't get here soon, I'm gonna eat all the sushi, then I'm gonna get fat, and then we're going to have to take a break from performances for me to lose weight!"

"Coming!" Lila called over her shoulder. Cynthia rolled her eyes. That constituted an actual threat to her? That was amusing.

"It was nice to see you!" Lila said, giving Cynthia a flirtatious wink that made the girl's heart stop momentarily. "Let's talk again soon!"

With that, Lila flounced back towards her room, leaving Cynthia caught in a haze, her heart pierced by cupid's arrow.

"So that's the power of a one-on-one talk with a pop idol," Cynthia gasped, holding her chest. Her infatuation was already wearing off, but damn. No wonder Lila was so popular, Cynthia had barely spoken to her before today and she already made it seem like they were best friends.

Cynthia shook her head to clear her thoughts, heading down the hall. She had only a few more chores left to do, and then she would probably go see if Sango wanted to take a bath with her.

"Today was exhausting," Sango sighed, easing into the water. She and Cynthia had finished showering and were relaxing, ready for their bath. Cynthia got in after her, letting out a sigh from deep within her stomach, feeling her fatigue slipping away as the warmth of the water washed over her. She lounged back, tilting her head lazily over to Sango.

"You're complaining?" Cynthia said, rolling her eyes. "What do you think I'm going to have to deal with tonight?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," Sango said, scooting back around and turning to Cynthia. Silver floated down into the water between the two of them. Sango's expression softened. "You seemed really positive before, but… are you sure about this? Working tonight? You know, if you want to, I could… I don't know…"

Cynthia snorted and dismissed Sango's suggestion with a wave of her hand before the girl even had the chance to make it.

"Please, Sango, come on. You don't know the first thing about checking in guests," Cynthia laughed. "Besides, it's just one night. Nothing to worry about. I'll be totally fine!"

"It's not one night though," Sango reminded her. "It's three nights now. The night before last, with Marion, and then last night, no way you got a good night's sleep with that drinking. And then with tonight, too, well…"

"Sango, I'll be fine," Cynthia insisted. "You know me! Full of energy! Grandpa and grandma get it, I can do just about anything as long as I put my mind to it!"

"Except shut up, apparently."

Darla's cold voice drew the attention of both girls. They tilted their heads back to see Darla and Lila walking out of the showers, towels wrapped around their bodies.

"Be nice, Darla," Lila urged her partner, Darla rolling her eyes in response. Lila turned and looked out over the bath, a joyful coo escaping her throat. "Wow! Look at this place, it's so beautiful! It's a paradise!"

As the girls slipped their towels off and slid into the water, Sango caught sight of their bodies and sunk a little deeper into the water, feeling ashamed of the lack of femininity in her own figure. Cynthia didn't seem to have the same self-esteem problems. Instead, she ogled the two girls with a sleazy grin on her face, Darla glaring at her.

"This water is perfect," Lila said, sinking down into the water and letting her hair spread out around her as she leaned back, letting the warmth seep into her skin, which slowly flushed pink. She took a deep breath and sighed. "It even smells wonderful."

"It's not bad, I gotta admit," Darla grinned, leaning back against a large rock and stretching, giving the first smile either girl had seen from her since she showed up a few hours ago. "It's pretty damn awesome, if I'm being honest!"

"I'm surprised we ran into you guys here," Sango said. "I mean, here, of all places. What are the odds, right?"

"I was just telling Cynthia, we came to Hoenn, and we didn't expect to run into anyone else, except the people we came here with," Lila said.

"Oh? What do you mean?" Cynthia asked, interested.

"We're not the only ones here," Lila explained, sitting up in the water and turning to the girls while she talked. "We arrived in Hoenn a few days ago, all of us."

"By 'all of us' do you mean…" Cynthia had a good idea what she was talking about. When it came to the Hoenn region, there was something significant about it, especially when it came to girls from the Appeals course like Darla and Lila.

"Why did you guys come here, anyway?" Sango asked. Like Cynthia, she had a pretty good idea about what they were there for, even though they were both nationals from the Hoenn region. And if they were right…

Darla and Lila shared a look, and sighed in unison, shaking their heads.

"Pokemon Contests," they both answered.

"Olivia," Sango stated. They both nodded.

"Olivia and a bunch of her other friends in the Appeals Course traveled to Hoenn for the break," Darla explained. "She's won all the contests in Sinnoh, but she hasn't participated in any in Hoenn. She really wants to conquer them all before the next semester starts. Traveling all of Hoenn in three weeks, pretty bold, but could we really expect any less from the Empress?"

Lila nodded in agreement.

"So is she coming here?" Sango asked, her eyes lighting up in surprise.

"That sounds pretty good!" Cynthia said, licking her lips as she imagined the Empress and her killer body taking a bath.

"We all came as part of the same group," Lila explained. "We arrived in Mauville City, and traveled to Verdanturf Town so that the Empress could challenge the contests there, along with anyone else who wanted to. As expected, she won them all, one in each category. Then, they all decided to go to Fallarbor Town."

"And that's why you guys are here?" Cynthia asked. She knew the map of Hoenn like the back of her hand.

"We split off from the others when they were heading to Fallarbor Town to challenge the contests there," Lila explained. She glanced at Darla, who pointedly averted her eyes to stare up at the starry sky in silence.

Lila sighed.

"Darla doesn't want to go to Fallarbor Town, so we decided to take a detour and wait here for a few days, enjoying a nice little holiday," Lila explained, trying to make it seem like no big deal. She was such a skilled actor she even managed to convince herself a little.

"Ick, totally get it," Cynthia nodded in agreement. "Fallarbor Town, with all that soot and ash everywhere? No, thank you, Lavaridge is way, way better!"

Darla snorted.

"Darla!" Lila said.

"Soot? That's what bothers you? Soot?" Darla resisted the urge to laugh. "That's why you wouldn't want to go to Fallarbor Town? Please."

"Well if not the climate, then why?" Cynthia asked.

"Meteor Falls," Darla grunted. "Hate that place."

"Darla!" Lila gasped. Darla shrugged her shoulders.

"You're staying here because you didn't want to go to a tourist attraction?" Cynthia laughed.

"It's not that simple," Lila said, glancing at Darla. Darla didn't bother answering further. She just gave another shrug.

"It's none of your business, anyway," Darla scowled. "Anyway, Lila, don't you think we should be minding our own business? Leave them to themselves?"

"Oh, getting in the way of your romantic times?" Cynthia giggled.

Darla rolled her eyes for what felt like the millionth time.

"Come on, Darla, they're friends of the Empress," Lila said. "We can be social, right?"

"I'm social enough on the stage," Darla coldly replied. "I don't want to do stuff like this while I'm in my private time. I'm not a social butterfly like you, Lila."

"Well, come on!" Lila said, slipping through the water and inserting herself between Sango and Cynthia. "We're all students here! Might as well socialize! Tell you what? Why don't you girls join us in our room after we finish with our baths?"

"Sure, I gue-"

"YES, PLEASE!" Cynthia cut Sango off, her ulterior motives dripping from her lips as she smiled eagerly, her eyes shining with excitement.

Well, Cynthia seems pretty excited. Maybe she'll get a little special treatment from a couple of idols? Lucky girl. Make people feel envious I bet.