With Gerard on the case, I think it's time we can take a break and switch tracks to focus on another situation that's developing in hopefully a slightly more heartwarming manner than here.

Also, thank you to everyone who read my story "The Heir to the Dragon". I would appreciate if you continue to read and support it in the future! You can get there through my profile!

We've got a decent amount of girls nominated, but there's always room for more! If there are any other girls you think deserve a chance at the title of Pokemon Academy Best Girl, nominate them here! Somehow, someone nominated Val of all people. Yeesh.

Currently Nominated: Alcea, Ayame, Carrie, Caelia, Cynthia, Dakota, Elaina, Julia, Kate, Kitty, Maddi, Marion, Nikita, Olivia, Sango, Sylvia, Val

Just a Bad Writer For Fun: Gerard's definitely still human, he's just an ass of one.

Rowlets and Oshawotts: Indeed, I wish rangers could play a bigger role in the story myself. As for harmonia, don't worry. This is going to be a long story. A very long story. Right now, characters like Kitty and Elaina are still maturing into their harmonia. As they get older and move into future years their powers will be shown in a much more positive light as they grow to understand them and utilize them better. This is just the beginning, where a large theme is losing control of harmonia and how that affects the mind.

KedharS: Pretty much.

JoshGamerV: Of course he's smart, he's a great scientist and planner. Sylvia just makes everyone seen dumb in comparison because she's a genius.

Thunder Fire: Of course.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 619

"So Sango, how have things been?" Elizabeth asked, smiling cheerily at Sango. The two were sitting in one of the cafes on campus, having a nice late coffee. Sango was trying to enjoy herself, but she was finding it rather difficult to do so considering the state of things.

She let out a sigh in spite of herself. Elizabeth didn't deserve that. She tried to keep a positive face. Elizabeth had come all the way out here and was trying to bond with her, it was the least she could do to pretend like she was having a good time.

"Things are okay," Sango lied through her smile.

"…I see," Elizabeth said, studying Sango for a second. Sango thought she could see a flash of suspicion gross the archaeologist's face, and quickly took a sip of coffee to distract from the conversation before changing the subject.

"How are things going with my dad?" Sango asked. "Is he doing okay?"

"Oh yes, Uboss is just wonderful!" Elizabeth gushed. Then she sighed. "Of course, between you and me, he works a little bit too much. I was hoping we could go work together in Johto after we finished things in Galar, but of course your father had other plans. You know how he is, you can never keep him tied to one place, he's always gotta be exploring."

Sango almost felt like laughing. "Yeah, that's my dad alright. He'll say he cares for you and wants to be there, but in the end he's gonna get absorbed into his work and there's not a whole lot you can do about it, you know?"

"I'm definitely getting a bit of a feeling of how rough you've had it," Elizabeth admitted, taking a bit of her donut. "Still, it's that adventurer's spirit that I fell in love with, so I'm going to be rooting for him no matter what."

Sango smiled for real at that. The way Elizabeth talked about her dad… it made her feel guilty for how she'd acted around the woman before and how she'd treated her back in Galar. It was a truly touching feeling she got listening to her.

"He still sends me cards though, so it's not the worst, plus we can chat online," Elizabeth continued. "Still, I hope he'll be done soon, so we can finally get on with the wedding. Oh, you simply must come! Please, Uboss and I would love to have you be a part of it, when are you off school? We can compare your schedule with mine and with Uboss's, and work out a date that's perfect for all three of us, how does that sound?"

"Seriously?" Sango asked, surprised. "No, that's okay, you don't need to bother with that, I'm fine, this is your special day, you guys don't need to be so considerate of me."

Elizabeth smiled and shook her head. She reached across the table and placed her hand over Sango's, squeezing it gently and shaking her head. "No, no, don't even think about that."

"Huh?" Sango asked, confused.

"A wedding is about family," Elizabeth explained. "A family coming together, don't you understand that?"

"Well, yeah, I guess…" Sango nodded.

"And you're a part of our family," Elizabeth continued. "It isn't just about Uboss and I, this wedding is just as much about you as it is about the two of us, since we're going to be a family. We want you to be a part of it!"

"Th… well, that's… I mean…" Sango couldn't meet the gorgeous woman's eyes. The way she smiled, it was just so… Sango felt like she was being hugged tightly by Elizabeth just by having the two of them sit together in the café. She reached up and wiped her eyes, starting to feel a little misty. This was one of the things she'd noticed about Elizabeth before. Whenever the two of them were together, whether Sango liked it or not, it almost felt like her mom was still alive.

Before, Sango had hated that feeling, because it felt like her mom was being replaced in her heart and that made her feel guilty. But right now, with how difficult things were for Sango and how many bad experiences she'd had at recently, it felt kind of nice to be mothered a little. Sango began to shake, finding it hard to keep the tears away. Sorry, mom… I love you, but this is really sweet, I like… I like Elizabeth…

Sango wiped her eyes again and smiled, hoping that it looked like the only reason she was crying was because she was so touched by the gesture.

"That… that really means a lot to me," Sango said.

"So then you'll do it?" Elizabeth asked hopefully. It seemed she had been worried about Sango's reaction the whole time. That was a fair concern, Sango had to admit. After all, the last time the two of them had been together, even if they parted on good terms, Elizabeth's relationship with Uboss had still been a touchy subject. So to have Sango not only give the two of them her blessing but also express a willingness to be a part of the wedding, it made all of Elizabeth's insecurities about the future of their strange little family fade away.

"Of course I will," Sango nodded, and now Elizabeth felt like the one who was going to start crying. She squeezed Sango's hand and smiled.

"I'm so glad," Elizabeth murmured, shaking her head. It was almost impossible to believe, but it was true. "To be honest, I wasn't sure if you'd want to even come to the wedding at all, you know, considering how things are," she admitted. "That's why I talked with Uboss about everything, and about how much I want you to be my maid of honor."

"Uh, what?" Sango had no problem going to the wedding, but as the maid of honor? That was a bit of a surprise. "Don't you have, like, other people you could be thinking about?"

"No, no," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "You may not know this, but archaeology isn't exactly a field with a lot of women in it, I don't have a lot of female friends."

"Oh, wow," Sango said, and she could kind of relate. She didn't know many other girls in the Ranger Course, all the students she knew were guys. Marion was sort of a different story. "Sorry, I just kinda figured that since you're such a friendly person and everything, you know? That you'd have a lot of friends."

Elizabeth laughed, her voice sounding like the high-pitched chime of a bell. "Ah yes, 'it's girl's night, want to go poke around in an ancient ruin where you might be attacked by wild pokemon, girls? Sounds like a blast to me!'"

Sango burst out laughing.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Elizabeth smiled, pleased that Sango's mood seemed to be improving. She didn't know Sango very well, she'd only spent a few weeks' time with her, and even then Sango was in a rather weird emotional state so she hadn't been able to get a great grasp on her future step-daughter's personality. But something had felt wrong, like there was something off about her, and Elizabeth was glad that she was putting that behind her. "So, what do you say? Will you be my maid of honor?"

"That would be my honor," Sango said, cringing a little at the pun. "As long as you're sure? You don't have anyone else you'd like to ask? I mean, I'm still a kid, so…"

"I think we both know you're not just any kid, kiddo," Elizabeth chuckled. She smiled warmly and shook her head. "No. Like I said, I don't know many other women. And ever since the maid of honor at my first wedding got into an accident and ended up in a coma, well…"

Elizabeth mentally slapped herself in the head. What was she doing, talking about Cynthia at a time like this? This was about strengthening her bond with Uboss's daughter!

"Sorry, sorry, forgive me," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "No, that was rude. This is about more than just you being the only option available. I want you to do it because I want you to be a part of this. This whole thing, I want to show you that you're as much a part of this family as Uboss and I. Like I said, Sango. The three of us. After what happened before, I knew there was no way that Uboss and I can get married without you. It would make the both of us feel just awful, like our future together is going to be about just us, and not about you. When you said before that you felt like Uboss and I were starting a future together and you weren't a part of it-"

"But I was wrong then!" Sango blurted out. "Back then I was just being an insensitive brat! I've grown up a lot since then, honest!"

"I know you have, I can see it," Elizabeth laughed, taking her hand back from Sango's and placing it over her chest. "But no, you weren't wrong to feel that way. It's a very natural feeling. But this is all about showing you Uboss and I getting married is about the three of us coming together as a family. …And I swear, if I have to say that one more time, I'm not going to be able to keep a straight face. So what do you say, will you do it?"

Sango giggled, smiling warmly at Elizabeth, and nodded her head. "I already said yes, you don't have to keep selling you know."

Elizabeth sighed in relief, like a great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She was so grateful that Professor Reinhart had called her in to consult. She'd been meaning to bring this topic up with Sango since practically after the two had last spoken, but she hadn't had the time. And this wasn't something you could do over Zigzazoom or on a phone call.

"That's wonderful, then," Elizabeth said. "Now, how are things going with you? Uboss told me you stayed a friend's house over Winter Break? That must have been fun. Though I kind of wished you'd called me, you know? You could have come to Johto, and we could have spent the break getting to know each other better, you know? I'm sure with the both of us, we could have gotten your father to take Christmas off, at least."

Sango didn't say anything, feeling a little shaky about the fact that the conversation had switched to how she was doing, since how she was doing wasn't exactly the best. Elizabeth noticed the change in her temperament and quickly backtracked, worried she'd accidentally said the wrong thing and had been too forceful.

In fairness, spending time at a dusty ruin that had already resulted in at least one confirmed disappearance didn't sound like Sango's idea of a good time. But she didn't want to give Elizabeth the wrong idea. Right as she was going to open up and assuage the older woman's worries, Elizabeth began to babble.

"Oh! Sorry, would that have been too presumptuous? I didn't mean to ask you something that serious, I was just kind of joking around, honest! I know you wouldn't feel too comfortable spending the holidays with me, when we barely know each other, so-"

"Elizabeth, it's fine, you don't need to worry about stuff like that, honest. It's totally okay for you to want us to spend some time together, and with dad, too," Sango assured her, trying to laugh a little as though the mood was light. Elizebeth relaxed, clearly relieved by Sango's answer, making Sango feel both happy and guilty. Truthfully, that had been one of the reasons that she hadn't asked to stay with Elizabeth and her father (along with the fact that it was impossible to get ahold of them consistently). Not wanting to get too close and spend time with her, especially one on one time. Back then, she was still a little shaky on the whole relationship. She still kind of was, if she was being honest. Yes, Elizabeth was great, and she could honestly say she was happy for the two of them, but she still felt a little uncomfortable about her place in her family.

Mainly because Elizabeth was just too gosh-darn nice, it was hard to put up the necessary level of personal detachment Sango needed to interact with her. Honestly? Even agreeing to the wedding and being Elizabeth's maid of honor had been more for Elizabeth's sake than Sango's. She wanted to be a good step-daughter, she really did. So she was overcompensating with her actions to make up for the amount of distance she placed from the older woman in her heart, forcing herself not to grow too attached to her.

Just like with Ayame and Blake, she bitterly noted. She had become Ayame's friend almost entirely out of guilt for how bad she felt about liking the same guy. She was always considerate to women who had won the hearts of men she loved, who were nothing but honest with her, and all she could do was favor them with false smiles, overcompensate in how close she was to them in order to make them feel better, when really she was still a little jealous. And more than just jealous. She was scared. Scared of what would happen if she opened up and let them in completely, let them see the real her and how that might affect their relationship.

And could she really be blamed for that?

Elizabeth was one of the most caring, loving people that Sango knew, and she barely knew her at all! She'd barely spent two weeks with her, and there had been some… distractions during that time. That was why Sango had made up some story about a trip and accepted Cynthia's offer to stay without even considering talking to Uboss or Elizabeth. She needed emotional distance.

If they spent too much time together and Sango let her guard down too much, Sango might even start to see Elizabeth as her mother. And that was something that terrified her. She had accused her dad of replacing Maya, and she was so scared she would end up doing the same.

Maya's my mom, not Elizabeth, she reminded herself. The spot in Sango's heart where her mother's love was rooted was an unshakable fortress. Elizabeth hadn't even come close to getting inside. Which was why Sango was afraid to make a spot there for Elizabeth on her own, even as sweet and warm as the woman was, even as much as Sango liked her.

If she let Elizabeth in and forgot about Maya, Sango would never be able to forgive herself.

"Did you have fun?"

"Uh, what? Sorry," Sango said, realizing she'd been spending so much time focusing on her feelings that she had been completely ignoring the person that she was supposed to be having a conversation with in the first place!

"I was just asking, did you have fun?" Elizabeth repeated. "You were making kind of a face just now so I wasn't sure if you enjoyed yourself or not. Was it a bad time?"

"No, it was okay, I had a great time!" Sango quickly assured her, bobbing her head up and down. "Yeah, Cynthia's grandparents own a hot spring, so we got to stay there for free. It was a pretty nice trip, all things considered."

So long as you ignore the fact we almost got killed by a our friend's psychotic adopted sister, she silently added.

"Cynthia, the little cute one, with the red hair? Yeah, I spoke with her earlier today, she said you were working at the aquarium," Elizabeth said. "What's that about? You fish?"

"You know, just a little," Sango said. "A friend of mine is really into it, so I got into it myself." Talk about an understatement. "Right now, we're sort of planning this big romantic event for Valentines' Day, and so we're getting together a whole bunch of Luvdisc for the students to fish. You know, couples and go together, singles and go to meet other singles, it's a pretty basic thing, probably not that interesting if I'm being honest."

"I think it's cute!" Elizabeth laughed. "I spent all my time at school studying, I never went to fun events like that! I never even kissed a boy until Alaine, actually. And you like fishing, right? It must be nice, getting to help your friends. That green-haired girl looks like she's got quite a bit of energy. Yes, she's quite a special one…"

Elizabeth had felt the harmonia from the other girl. She hadn't mentioned anything about it to Sango because she didn't want the girl involved in any unnecessary trouble, but it had relieved her to feel such a curtain of warmth from the tan girl. Like being washed by a lazy river on a warm summer's day, that girl was relaxing.

"Oh, you mean Marion! Yeah, she's the friend I was telling you about, the one who's really into fishing," Sango laughed. "You know, I'm pretty sure she cares more for the fishing part of the event than anything about the romantic stuff!"

Sango laughed, Marion always managing to bring a smile to her face even when she wasn't in the room herself.

"And what about you, then?" Elizabeth asked, smirking a little.

Sango blinked, not sure what Elizabeth was talking about. "What do you mean 'what about me'? I like fishing just fine."

"Oh, no, I was thinking of something else!" Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "I meant are you looking forward to Valentines' Day? Any romance? I heard that there's a school dance going on, you know, you going?"

Sango swallowed. This was going in a direction she really wasn't comfortable with. "Um, that's… well, I haven't given it any thought, really…"

"Oh, so you don't have someone in mind?" Elizabeth pressed. It was kind of nosy, but she really felt she was building up a rapport with Sango today, and talking about boys was something she had always wanted to do with her daughter. Not that Sango was a replacement for her little girl, but getting a chance to bond like this was a rarity and Elizabeth wanted to make it count.

"Not… no, I don't," Sango said, shaking her head.

"What about that Blake boy?" Elizabeth asked. "You were quite into him before, if I remember correctly. He's rather cute, maybe you could ask him! How's he doing, by the way? After that incident in Galar, things must have been…"

Elizabeth's voice trailed off as she saw the color of Sango's face begin to change. She slid her hands under the table and began to shake, lowering her head. She gasped, not sure what line she had crossed, but knowing that there was definitely something she had just said that wasn't okay.

"Sango?" She whispered, desperate to apologize but not sure what to apologize for. "Are you… is everything okay?"

Sango pushed through, putting on a tough face. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready to let Elizabeth in yet. She raised her head, tears filling her eyes against her wishes, and tried to nod her head to indicate everything was fine, but even she knew that it would be pointless.

"He… he has a girlfriend," Sango muttered out, hoping that would serve as a cushion for the truth of her feelings. "He asked her out immediately after we got back. So I didn't get to tell him how I feel, I never had the chance."

That's right. Look sad, feel down, and then reel it back in. Pretend like the issue is just a touch of heartbreak and not anything more serious. Stop crying and force out the smile already, you don't want to worry her!

But Sango's tears just kept coming out, she couldn't help herself. She locked her jaw and forced herself not to cry, smiling as tightly as she could. It was okay, everything was okay.

She could see that Elizabeth wasn't buying it.

"So you lost him to another girl, I see…" Elizabeth said, her tone filled with pain for Sango's sake. Why did she have to be so sweet?! "That must be very painful. I'm sorry to hear that."

Elizabeth rose from her seat and walked around the table, bending down and pulling Sango into a warm sideways hug, pressing Sango's face into her soft and pillowy chest. Sango felt a hand stroke through her hair, and a voice as sweet as silk comfort her, "there, there".

That was it. That genuine feeling of sympathy for Sango's plight, treating her kindly, like a mother, like someone who cared and wanted to help her, who just wanted her to be happy and was sorry she felt so sad. The warmth of the hug spreading through her body, the sheer, overwhelming joy of being comforted and loved without expecting anything in return, right when Sango was at her lowest point.

That broke Sango's last remaining barrier to her heart, that wall she'd been building up and burying all of her pain and sadness behind.

And with the walls down it all came flooding out.

Poor Sango, but hopefully Elizabeth will be able to really help her move forward.