Blake's training begins! What will lie in store for him? Will Dokukage be an easy teacher to work with? Or will Blake find himself in a difficult position, forced to walk on water or climb trees without using his hands?

KedharS: And funny, don't forget funny.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Room décor is an interesting topic, and for some people it might do to go in-depth, but probably not everybody. Any rooms in specific you're interested in?

Hellraiserphoenix: Like many things about Dokukage, expectations will be subverted.

Rus0804: Well, Gerard may surprise you. And no, Dokukage's hair is black.

Aquahaze675: We'll just have to see. That could apply to several things in your review, I'll leave it up to you to guess how many I'm talking about.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 570

"I'm grateful that you were willing to help me," Blake said, taking a step into the clearing towards Dokukage, who had risen from his seat and turned to the boy. Blake wasn't sure what else to say, as Dokukage's only response was silence. The man was… well, he was a ninja. And with how he had defeated Blake, that made him quite an intimidating presence. Blake felt his mouth get dry as the other student approached him, moving swiftly and yet so quietly his feet didn't even make a sound on the snow.

Blake only blinked for a fraction of a second, but when he did, Dokukage had apparently teleported so many feet away that he had appeared right in front of Blake, Blake gasping in surprise and stumbling back.

"Whoa there," Ayame said, reaching out and grabbing the small of Blake's back, keeping him from falling over. Blake balanced himself out, swallowing. Dokukage had already defeated him before, and now… now he was, what? Playing intimidation games? Trying to keep Blake on edge, assert his dominance again just to show off? Blake already knew he was a weaker trainer, he didn't need Dokukage to rub it in.

The fact that the guy wasn't talking was just driving him crazy! He wasn't sure how to talk to a teacher who wasn't talking to him!

Dokukage stared at Blake, looking for the right words to say. Why did he have to be so awful at talking to strangers?!

Come on now, damn it! You've spoken to him before! Why can't you talk now?! Dokukage demanded of himself. They're looking at you like you're a serial killer or some rampaging pokemon! Is this really the first impression that you want to make on the student that you're supposed to be training?! No, you want to be a teacher that your student can look up to and think is a cool guy, not someone that they would be scared of!

But Dokukage wasn't sure how to interact with a guy he barely knew in a casual context. He could speak to Blake as an opponent, but as a teacher?! He didn't know the first thing about what to say! Why the hell did I even agree to something like this? I'd be a horrible teacher, especially if I can't say a damn word to anyone!

Dokukage had half a mind to call it all off, but he couldn't do that. Not after what he had seen of Blake's performance in that match in the Phantom Cup. Blake had talent as a trainer. What he lacked was experience and proper training. Dokukage suspected that Blake could become an excellent trainer if he put his mind to it, and that had made Dokukage interested in helping him.

People thought Dokukage was a cold, distant, even cruel person because of his lack of social skills and his reputation as a ninja. But that wasn't true! When Alcea had told him that Blake had asked her to get in contact with him in order to see if Dokukage could lend a hand and show him how to become a stronger trainer, he had thought it over for a night and realized that it was perfect. Blake had used two Bug type pokemon against Dokukage, and they had both fought quite well, though with obvious issues. And from what Dokukage had heard, Blake possessed a third Bug type as well. It was the perfect arrangement!

Other people might have wondered why Dokukage would have even bothered to help Blake at all, even if he was well-suited for it.

Dokukage was just that sort of guy, that was all. His underclassman needed help, and Dokukage knew how to help him. He had seen Blake's abilities first-hand, and also knew the kind of person he was. Maybe not directly, but he knew Callie and Alcea well enough, and they both spoke quite highly of the boy. And for Alcea Vermeil to speak highly of someone, that was quite something indeed. Enough for Dokukage to trust he was a decent sort, worthy of being trained.

That being said, there was another factor about Blake as well that he was curious about, and that was Sylvia Driscoll.

Sylvia Driscoll had a strange interest in Blake. And though he didn't know her very well, he had a decent grasp of the kind of person that she was. So if Blake Harker was intriguing enough to her for her to rope him into her scheme to knock him out of the tournament (conveniently after she herself had battled him, possibly to test his power level?) then that was something very interesting indeed. Dokukage didn't know much about Blake, but he wanted to help. And maybe if he did, he could figure out what it was about Blake that Sylvia was so interested in.

But none of that was going to happen if Dokukage couldn't find the right words to say to ease the tension off! He was completely tongue-tied!

And even more troubling was the fact that Blake had not come alone, either. The girl standing next to him was Ayame Toujou, who Dokukage vaguely understood was Blake's girlfriend. Standing nearly a head taller than her boyfriend and staring intensely at Dokukage while radiating a protective air made the shinobi feel very, very small.

Talking with just Blake would be hard enough, but now you expect me to talk in front of her, too?! I can barely talk to girls as it is, let alone girls that look like they're going to break my arm! This difficulty is too high! This is an S-Rank Mission for sure, sensei! What am I supposed to do?! He wailed to himself, trying to keep from wilting under Ayame's piercing gaze.

What sort of guy brings a date to a training session anyway, huh?! Think next time, you fucking dumbass! Dokukage cursed Blake out in his mind, in no way angered by jealousy at the fact that Blake had a girlfriend and he did not.

"Hey, listen, I don't know what's going on here, but you better believe that if you're just wasting time trying to scare my Blake that I'm going to have some issues with you," Ayame said, the awkward silence finally too much for her. She took a step forward and Dokukage nearly shat himself in fear, knowing that if he flinched to her advance then he would be revealed as a fraudulent coward, and there was no way he was about to let that happen.

To Dokukage's immense gratitude, Blake stepped in to defend him.

"Aya, don't worry about it," he assured her, taking Ayame's arm and stopping her. Ayame glanced at him and grumbled something about "why do you have to be such a nice guy all the time?"

Blake turned back to Dokukage, his expression serious and understanding, and a little bit suspicious as well. He wasn't sure what Dokukage's attitude issue was about, but he did have some experience getting through to people who had trouble communicating. Gwen, Caelia, Elaina, even Kitty to a degree, there were a few ways he could reach out. He had been a little intimidated by the shinobi at first, but if Dokukage was going to go to the trouble of helping him train, then he wasn't a bad guy, right? So maybe he was just awkward and quiet, like them.

So Blake was going to try reaching out instead.

"Hey, you agreed to train me, right?" Blake asked.

Dokukage nodded. That was easy enough, even though he wasn't sure how to make an introduction to Blake about being his new teacher.

"Thank you," Blake said. "I'm interested though, is the reason that you're being so quiet because this is the first time you've done something like this? It would make sense if it was."

Dokukage's eyes widened a little and he cleared his throat. Blake understood! Perfect!

"Yes," he managed to get out, thankful that his control of his tone was still even and balanced, so Blake couldn't figure out exactly how nervous and confused he was. "I spoke with Alcea. She said you needed someone to train you. Like I said, it isn't going to be easy. But if you're willing to take it seriously, then I will seriously lend you a hand."

Blake's face brightened. "Great! Thanks a bunch, Dokukage!"

Blake held out a hand to Dokukage, who looked down at it, not sure what to do. He wasn't the kind of person who shook hands.

Dokukage bowed instead, then with a flick of his wrist a cloud of smoke popped out of the ground, accompanied by sparks and a crackling noise. Dokukage disappeared into the smoke bomb while Ayame and Blake coughed, too embarrassed to remain there.

"Hey!" Blake cried, looking around for his supposed teacher, who had vanished into the forest. "What's up with this?"

Dokukage hid himself against the trunk of a nearby tree, holding up a bark-textured cloth for a disguise. He couldn't hide his embarrassment, both being thanked by Blake, and the offer for a handshake. He commanded respect as a sensei, but gratitude?

If Blake felt indebted to him, well, he could thank him with a favor, not a handshake.

"Your first lesson!" Dokukage announced, using his skills to project his voice, "you and your pokemon must find your teacher within the forest!"

Yeah, that would work! That was a great way to start things off! Dokukage patted himself on the back at his quick thinking, turning his reflexive response into an actual lesson! And Blake was taking it seriously, that was great!

"…What does that have to do with being a pokemon trainer?" Ayame asked dryly. She couldn't deny that Dokukage had skill, defeating Blake the way he had in the Phantom Cup, but she wasn't seeing the connection to his teaching methods.

Shut up! Dokukage shouted at her in his mind. It doesn't have anything to do with it, but just… shut up! I just had to fucking think of something, like I'm just going to admit I didn't want to shake his hand?! It was just a clever lie! Why are you even here, anyway?!

"Okay, guys," Blake said, already getting invested in the training. While he admitted that Aya had a point, he couldn't really answer what it meant for a pokemon trainer to be able to find the shinobi in the forest, but he was certainly going to give it a chance. So he sent out all of the pokemon he had on him, except Sarah. He wasn't sure if he should bring her out yet or not.

"Mareashishishi!" Maria was the first one to respond when she left her pokeball, scuttling through the snow over to Blake, ready to perforate him with a painfully toxic hug.

But luckily, Tara wasn't about to let that happen.

"Snivy!" She hissed, leaping in front of Blake and whipping at Maria with some vines. The Mareanie snarled back in response, the two pokemon glaring at each other angrily.

"Mar!" Maria objected with a hiss.

"Snivy," Tara responded, crossing her arms in front of her chest and turning her nose up indignantly, which only made Maria more angry.

"Hey, you two!" Ayame snapped, walking over to the two pokemon and kneeling down next to them, both pokemon turning to look at her.

Ayame jutted her thumb into her chest and narrowed her eyes.

"Just so you two know, I'M Blake's girlfriend, understand me?"

"Snivy?!" Tara exclaimed, her scales turning red as she floundered around. "Snivy! Snivy!" She tried to protest the assertion.

"Mareashishishi!" Maria cackled, rolling around in the snow as she laughed mockingly at her rival. Tara hissed at her.

"Calm down! You might be his pokemon, but you don't get to be with him, I'm the only one who gets that opportunity, you understand?" Ayame demanded.

"Aya… why are you arguing with pokemon about something like that?" Blake asked, not sure whether to laugh or feel embarrassed. The correct answer, in fact, was to "shut the hell up", as the cold look she shot him over her shoulder was so kind to let him know.

His other pokemon were a little more docile. Rogen was relaxed as usual, and Ruru chirped, waving one of her legs at Blake to try and catch his attention. Weiss was on-guard the way he usually was, standing still and watching for Blake, waiting for orders from his trainer.

Cory was the only other one who was a little hard to rein in, raising up his pincers and snapping the way he did that was a mixture of angry and happy, Cory eager for a fight. Unfortunately, there weren't any opponents, which meant he might end up picking a fight with one of his other teammates, which could end up being an issue.

"Sol!" Blake was about to step in and calm Cory down when a soft voice caught his ear. He turned to see Uni, the Solosis floating up to him with a bright look in her eyes.

"Uni!" He said, his face brightening. "Hey there, sorry it's been a while since I let you get some fresh air, pal."

"Solosis," Uni said, shaking back and forth as if to say "don't worry about it". She was sweet like that. It helped that unlike Cory, she was one of his pokemon who didn't like fighting.

Blake felt a soreness in his chest, wishing that Uni's previous trainer could be like her. The small little pokemon was as cute as a button, and nice to a fault, and once upon a time Gwen had been just as sweet, if still a little damaged.

While Blake reached out and patted Uni on the head, Ayame was still trying to work things out with her "love rivals", when she felt something poking her leg. She glanced down and her whole face lit up, the conflict between Tara and Maria forgotten.

"Silver!" She gushed, picking up the small Skorupi, who looked at her with bright eyes. She was so glad to see him again! It was kind of rude, but she missed when he was a little baby pokemon that would need to stay out, so she could play with him whenever she wanted! She missed cuddling her cute little Silver!

"Skor!" Silver chirped. He was shivering a little. She hugged him closely and stood up, giving one last look to Tara and Maria to tell them to behave, before walking over to Blake.

"Blake!" Ayame huffed, holding Silver up to him. "Why is this the first time I'm seeing Silver all semester, huh? I know you don't want to use him in battle, but you could at least call me over to come play with him, you know!"

"Sorry Aya," Blake sheepishly admitted. "I guess since he started growing up a little more, that it was okay to treat him like any other pokemon…"

Indeed, Silver had grown a lot since his time in the egg. While not the size of a full-grown Skorupi yet, he was certainly no baby pokemon. The Poison type supplements that Kate had recommended they feed him had done wonders at raising him up to the point where, while he wasn't going to be a super-star, he could at least put up a decent fight.

But Blake was still hesitant to send Silver out into battles at this point. Not that he couldn't win, he just doubted that the Skorupi had the training to get very far. The first step would be to help Silver get better at battling in general. And that was one of the things he was happy about with this arrangement with Dokukage. Dokukage was a Bug type specialist, after all, he might have some feedback about what Blake could do to get Silver up to a level where he could compete with Blake's other pokemon. It was a worth a shot, anyway.

And hopefully, Dokukage would have some tips for Ruru as well. If Blake was lucky, Dokukage might even be willing to help him get Weiss to the same level as his Scizor was. Blake imagined Weiss moving the same way as Dokukage's Scizor, and the thought was exciting. With that kind of power… Weiss might be unstoppable.

It was something necessary, if he hoped to defeat Gwen's Lancelot and bring her back home. They had the will to win. All they needed now were the skills. And that's what this training would hopefully allow him to get.

Just as soon as he could find Dokukage, anyway.

Meanwhile, Dokukage, only a few feet away, was seriously rethinking this whole training session. He was bored out of his skull and hiding behind a tiny curtain pressed up against a tree, wondering what the hell he was looking at.

What the heck's going on out there?! This is just some dumb fucking pokemon social gathering! You guys are supposed to be looking for me, damn it! I'm right here! I know I'm hiding really well because I'm a ninja, but come on! It can't ACTUALLY be this hard to find me!

He was actually incredibly well-hidden, his camouflage so perfect that it would be difficult to see where he was.

And that was assuming that anyone was actually looking for him, of course. Unfortunately for Dokukage, Blake's pokemon were more invested in handling their own affairs. Cory was already picking fights with Rogen and Weiss, though neither was moving to engage, and Ruru had stepped in to separate Tara and Maria, who were still bickering as usual. And meanwhile, Ayame and Blake were discussing Silver, while Uni was floating next to Blake, happy and content.

Suffice to say, "finding Dokukage" was not currently all that high on the list of priorities for Blake or his team.

Come on, damn it! I'm right here! Dokukage wanted to scream, but that would prove the absolute incompetent of a teacher he really was. But that wasn't his fault! He had come up with something that, while probably not that helpful in training pokemon, wasn't ENTIRELY useless! It wasn't his fault that the trainer he was supposed to be teaching wasn't taking any of this seriously!

And it just happened to be winter, too. That was the really grating part. Dokukage was a ninja, which meant he had received training in how to regulate his body temperature. The cold didn't bother him at all, he could do this all day.

Theoretically, at any rate. If one looked at him, you would not see the faintest trace of a shiver, he could control his body so well. But that was a hell of lot different than not getting fucking cold! In reality, Dokukage was just like the Bugs he trained. And while Bug types might not have been weak to Ice types, not many bugs enjoyed the cold. So yes, though his ninja skills allowed him to maintain his cover, Dokukage was freezing his ass off pressed up against that tree, hoping that Blake would cut the crap and come find him already.

STOP FLIRTING AROUND LIKE YOU GUYS ARE STILL ON YOUR DATE! Dokukage wailed. GET YOUR ASS INTO THE TRAINING ALREADY, DAMN IT, BEFORE I CATCH HYPOTHERMIA AND DIE!

Dokukage-sensei is quite the teacher. Hopefully, he will have a great impact on Blake's career as a pokemon trainer.