Valentine's Day is getting off to a great start! Let's see what happens with it! What will our cast do? Remember to review!

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!

The votes for the Elimination Round have begun to pick up, that's pretty good! Hope we can start getting them to role in! I've been very surprised by the results of this poll so far, some people are leading that I never would have expected, and some people are trailing behind who I thought would be frontrunners. Just goes to show how much things have changed since last year!

Nominated: Alcea, Ayame, Carrie, Caelia, Cynthia, Dakota, Darla, Elaina, Elizabeth, Julia, Kate, Kitty, Lila, Maddi, Marion, Nikita, Olivia, Sango, Sylvia

KedharS: She really is an amazing friend.

Pokemonking0924: What issues? Sango doesn't have any issues, shut up! You're the one with issues!

Rowlets and Oshawotts: If only she could actually move on.

JoshGamerV: Yep, a whole Valentine's Day arc, enjoy!

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 653

Blake felt his heart stop as he laid eyes on his girlfriend stepping out of his room, hair strung loose and staring at him hugging another girl. Cynthia, feeling him tense up, pulled back and looked over her shoulder to see what was wrong.

When she saw Ayame, her face went pale as a ghost.

Blake opened his mouth to explain that it was a misunderstanding, that nothing had happened and that it was just a platonic hug between friends, but for some reason the words wouldn't escape his lips. He was too stunned by fear.

Cynthia wasn't much better. "A-Ayame," she managed to stutter out, pulling away quickly from Blake and dropping her hands to her sides to show that there was no funny business going on. "This… don't get it wrong, Blake and I were just-"

"Morning, guys, what's up?" Ayame yawned, waving at the two of them. She walked over to them, not a trace of anger or discomfort in her unusually-lax face.

Cynthia sighed in relief, her body visibly relaxing as the fear drained away from her. Ayame wasn't going to pick her up and give her a pile driver in a violent rage.

Blake was a little less relieved. He stared at Aya in surprise, confused why she was so cool after walking into what she'd walked into. "Aya…" He cautiously tried, still not sure if she was going to blow up at him, "are… aren't you mad?"

Ayame blinked, and tilted her head to the side. "No," she said, shaking her head. Then she narrowed her eyes into a glare. "Why? Should I be?"

"No!" Blake quickly said, shaking his head frantically. "I swear, Cynthia and I weren't doing anything, we were just hugging, as friends!"

"Exactly, exactly!" Cynthia said, bobbing her head up and down. "Blake and I weren't doing anything to betray you! Honest!"

Ayame raised a quizzical eyebrow, a wry smirk crossing her face. "Yeah, I know," she laughed. "That's WHY I'm not mad. You guys think I'm going to get upset about two friends hugging each other? Come on, I'm not that insecure."

Cynthia's relief caused her to deflate even more, finally feeling herself crashing down to earth. She was happy Ayame was so understanding, that could have gotten really, really bad. Ayame was nearly twice her size.

Ayame shook her head, chuckling, and walked over to Blake, placing her hand on his cheek. She turned and looked at Cynthia.

"Cynthia, Blake was missing. I already talked about this with you, remember? You know where the line is, and I trust you. And believe me, I trust Blake." Ayame turned back to Blake, and the look of adoration in her eyes made Blake's heart soar. He pulled her into a big hug before she even had a chance to react, squeezing her tightly.

"H-Hey! Come on!" Ayame laughed, startled. "I appreciate it, but come on, Blake, I just woke up! At least let me take a shower first!"

"You know," Cynthia smirked, nudging Blake in the side, "you guys could always get into the shower together if you want to continue with the hug~"

Blake let Aya go and turned to Cynthia, and glared at her until Cynthia shut her mouth. A crooked smile spread across her face.

"Hey, it's not up to me," Cynthia said through peals of mischievous laughter, holding her hands up defensively and backing away slightly. "Why not ask little miss girlfriend if she's up for it, huh? From what she said last night, she definitely has those urges, if you know what I-"

"I DID NOT SAY THAT!" Ayame exclaimed, moving to strangle Cynthia. But as fast as Ayame was, Cynthia was too quick, swiftly ducking behind Blake.

"Blake! Your girlfriend's getting mad!" She cried in mocking fear as Ayame fumed at her. Blake rolled his eyes and glanced at Aya, cracking a smile.

"I'll pin her down, then you can go at her," he suggested. Ayame grinned back at him, she liked the sound of that.

"Hey! No, wait!" Cynthia wailed. Blake turned and grabbed her, pushing her down to the ground and sitting above her head, holding her arms up. Normally Cynthia would be frightened by such an aggressive move, but the smirk on Blake's face told her all she needed to know about how afraid she needed to be, and that was none. She grinned back up at him.

The grinning stopped when Ayame knelt down and straddled her legs, pulling her shirt up enough to reveal her midriff, and began a high-intensity tickle attack.

"Say you're sorry for teasing," Blake jovially ordered.

"Nev- bwwaaaahahaha! Never!" Cynthia refused through hystical laughter, thrashing against the two of them with tears in her eyes as Ayame's fingers went to town on her.

"Say you're sorry or I'm not going to stop!" Ayame teased, reaching up and scratching just under her ribs in a way that made Cynthia nearly choke on her own laughter. It was impossible for her to resist, she was just getting overwhelmed completely by the couple, cackling like a lunatic in the middle of the hall. The other students in the dorm were certainly going to wake up.

"No-! Gah! Gwaha! Fuwwahahafffu!" Cynthia heaved up and down, having the time of her life as her favorite couple played around with her. She wasn't worried. In the moments of clarity between overwhelming need to laugh, she knew that this was Blake and Ayame's way of showing her that they were still her friend.

Finally Ayame relented, when people began peeking out of their rooms to see what was going on this early in the morning.

"Ha… ha…" Cynthia half-laughed half-panted as she sat up, rubbing her wrists. Her face was bright red and tears rolled down her cheeks. She was weak in the legs and couldn't pull herself up, so Ayame helped her stand. "Ha! Told you! You couldn't get me to apologize! I'm never going to apologize for good humor!"

Cynthia put her hands on her hips and thrust her chest out proudly, tilting her head back in triumph as she made her declaration.

Blake and Ayame looked at each other for a moment and laughed, both of them hugging Cynthia at the same time.

To Cynthia's regret, the hug lasted only for a few seconds. It was warm and kind, and she began seriously opening her mind to the idea of a three-way relationship, even though she figured that would be a nonstarter.

If Ayame could be besties with a beauty like Olivia Himeko and not be tempted into getting some of that, there were rulers that weren't as straight as she was. Oh, well, it was something to occupy her fantasies for the day.

"Well, that was a good way to unwind," Ayame laughed, wiping her forehead. "Thanks for that, Cynthia, I enjoyed myself."

"I'd like for you to enjoy yourself a little bit more, if you don't mind," Cynthia grinned, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Ayame shot her a serious look that told her that the time for teasing was over, so she quickly sobered up, nodding.

"Hey, Aya, about today, do you want to go now, or-"

"Nope, no way," Ayame said, shaking her head. She turned to Blake and gave him a warm smile, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I need to get prepared." She leaned in close and whispered hotly into his ear.

"I'd like to see your reaction when you see me, I don't think you'll be able to resist finally giving me what I've been waiting for..."

Blake gulped, his face going bright red. Ayame pulled away from him and wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive smile that Cynthia had to applaud her for.

"I think Ayame's not the only one who needs to take a cold shower," Cynthia joked, Blake shooting her a dirty look. Her perverted talk was like throwing a bucket of ice water over his head, a good way to ruin the mood.

"Besides, there's something else that you need to deal with first," Ayame continued, her voice losing its lustiness and returning to just her normal deep, husky throatiness. Honestly, for Blake, that was more than enough.

But now clearly wasn't the time for Blake to be getting turned on. "Yeah?" Blake asked. "What are you talking about?"

Ayame sighed. "There's someone else who you need to clear the air with and let know that you made it back," she said. The shiver of fear that passed her face had Blake worried.

"Yeah?" Blake asked. "Who is it?" From what he'd heard from everyone else, he'd explained everything to everyone who knew. Did Aya know someone else?

Ayame looked around like she was wary of even saying who in the presence of others. Which wasn't that wrong. She leaned in close and whispered to Blake. "Caelia Auburn knows, too."

Cynthia gasped in surprise. Caelia knew?! She hadn't even thought to tell Caelia, given how distant and reserved the girl was. "Caelia? Really? What happened?" She asked, a little worried. She knew about Caelia's feelings for Blake, and how… attached she was.

Ayame nodded, still giving Blake a guilty look as she continued. "Yeah, she really sort of… didn't take it very well. From what I heard, she went on a bit of a rampage and attacked the Phantom and the Sandbox when she found out you were missing. The boss kind of… maybe suggested that Sylvia had something to do with it, and she sort of went nuts."

Blake swallowed, surprised. That… that wasn't something he had expected when he had gone missing. Caelia had barely been on his mind. He knew that Caelia was really clingy and attached to him, and had a bit of a troublesome personality, which is why he had been trying to cautiously interact with her in a way that was safe and welcoming, knowing how damaged she was, in more ways than one. But he didn't expect to hear that she had attacked the Phantom trying to find him.

Ayame had a guilty expression on her face. "I'm sorry that I put you in this position, but I think it's important that you talk to her. If you want, I can go with you, so it won't feel as weird," She offered, but Blake shook his head.

"It's okay," he assured her. "You just focus on getting prepared for fishing later, sound good? Let's meet up at 10."

Ayame flashed him a beaming smile. "Sounds good," she said, reaching into her shirt pocket and taking out her ribbon. "See you then!"

She flipped him off while flashing a loving smile, and Blake flipped her off right back. Ayame turned and walked down the hall, and Cynthia gave her a nod of respect. The way she was wiggling her ass was clearly a calculated maneuver. Girl sure knows how to appeal with her best assets, she noted, wishing she had an ass like that.

Or at least a girlfriend with an ass like that. Either was fine, really.

Blake sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Okay, I'm going to head out then, too," Blake said, turning to follow after her. "I need to see Caelia and-"

"I'm coming too," Cynthia said, looping her arm around his.

"What?!" Blake sputtered, surprised. "Wait, no, no way. I'm not going to be spending Valentine's Day with another girl on my arm, even if she is one of my best friends. It might not mean anything, but still, boundaries."

Blake pulled his arm free from Cynthia, who shot him a dirty look and crossed her arms over her chest insistently.

"Hey, come on!" She scowled. "You can't be serious! Caelia's my friend, too, Blake! You can't just tell me I can't go check up on her to make sure she's okay just because you're feeling a little uncomfortable hanging out with me! Are you seriously telling me that?" Her voice didn't have any levity in it. She was glaring insistently at him, totally serious now.

Blake took a moment and remembered how badly Cynthia had broken down at the thought that Caelia had gone missing in the storm last winter. He sighed, and nodded in agreement. She deserved the opportunity to check in on her friend and make sure that she was okay.

"Okay, you can come with me," he ceded. "But now holding my arm! And walk at least ten feet away from me!"

"Jeez, should I dress in a massive down jacket and ski mask so you don't see any bare skin?" Cynthia sarcastically asked.

"…Well…"

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Cynthia exclaimed.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Blake laughed. "But really, I don't want anyone to get the impression that we're on a date for Valentine's Day or anything."

He looked around suspiciously. "Especially not Dakota Evans. If she caught sight of the two of us, you know exactly what she would do."

Cynthia gave that a moment's thought and nodded in agreement. "Fair enough, that's a smart move. Reasonable distance it is."

Little did either of them know that at this moment Dakota was snoring away in her bedroom, catching up on some much-needed sleep.

After they got changed into clothes suited for the colder weather, Blake and Cynthia headed downstairs, walking out of the Bulbasaur House and heading towards the Pikachu private dorms where Caelia was staying.

"Just so you know, you're only tagging along with me to check up on Caelia," Blake clarified. "No 'let's get breakfast later' or anything like that, we're going to see Caelia and then go our separate ways. I know that we're friends, but today is the day for Aya and I."

Cynthia was definitely a little bummed, but she also saw where Blake was coming from. She nodded in agreement and flashed him a thumbs' up, and they soon reached the dormitory. Blake and Cynthia soon remembered that neither of them had keycard access into the building.

"Oh, shoot, I almost forgot," Blake groaned.

Cynthia smirked, stepping forward and holding her hand over her chest. "Allow me, Blake. Aren't you happy that you allowed me to come along with you now?"

She pulled out her phone and dialed up Maddi's number.

"Hey girl, it's Cynthia," Cynthia said cheerily. Then, her voice shifted to a more coy, seductive purr. "I hear you're alone on Valentine's Day… and thought you might need a warm hand to come give you some- Maddi? Maddi, you there?"

She looked back to Blake, shocked. "She hung up on me! Can you believe that?!"

Blake raised his eyebrow. Yes. Yes he could.

Cynthia grumbled, and put her phone away. Frustrated at not being able to get inside, she turned and grabbed the door and pulled on it, expecting to feel the familiar tug of the lock. But to their surprise it pulled open.

"Oh, wow. I guess we can just head on in," Cynthia shrugged. Blake didn't question it, and the two headed up to Caelia's room.

Blake took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Caelia, it's me, Blake," he said, knocking harder. "I know that you heard that I was missing for a while, and I came here because I wanted to let you know that I'm back, and that I'm okay, if you wanted to talk or-"

Caelia immediately opened the door. Not her normal method of opening it a crack and peeking out with her good eye, no, she flung the door open, the smell of decay blasting them in the face. She stared out, her eye wide with shock. Legitimate emotion was on her face, which caught both Blake and Cynthia off-guard.

That… that was not something that either was used to seeing from Caelia. She looked like she was about to cry.

"You are… Blake. Okay? Back? Why? How?" Caelia asked in her strange, stilted way of talking, staring at him like she couldn't believe he was really there.

"Yeah, I'm back," Blake said, giving her a smile. "It's a long story, but I'm back, Caelia, and-"

Blake didn't have time to finish his sentence, because Caelia did another unusual action. She threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. She wasn't crying, but she might as well have been with the force of the emotional outburst she just made.

Cynthia cleared her throat, a little miffed that she hadn't been involved in the touching reunion. But then again, it made sense. It wasn't like she had gone missing or anything, after all. But still, it was like Caelia hadn't even noticed her.

That's me, I guess, she sighed. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride…

Blake, meanwhile, was surprised by how hard she was hugging him. Considering what he knew about Caelia, it wasn't like she was able to get much from the hug, she couldn't even feel him. So the fact that she was so overwhelmed that she had to hug him was an honest surprise.

And a welcome one. A smile crossed Blake's face and he reached out, hugging her back.

"Worried," Caelia said, pulling away from him as soon as he started to hug her, making him wonder if she could feel him. "But back. Good. Don't want you gone. Never. Couldn't see you. Broken. Hurt. Now back. Good."

The emotion that had been filling her face seconds before was gone now; she stared up at Blake from behind an impassive mask, her blue eye as hollow and empty as it usually was. But Blake was just glad she was okay.

And if he looked closely, he could just about see a tiny spark of life deep down in the pool of blue, signaling that yes, she really was happy to see him.

Blake decided against bringing up Caelia's outburst and her rumored attack on the Phantom looking for him and Sylvia. It was complicated, and he hadn't confirmed anything. It would just make the whole situation even messier if he brought it up, so it was better to just drop the topic.

Cynthia had a topic of her own, though, one that was absolutely not going to be dropped.

"Hey!" She growled, storming past Caelia and stomping into the room, looking at the devastation that surrounded her. "I cleaned this room perfectly just last month, how the HELL did you let it slip back into this, huh?!"

Caelia ignored her. Her eye could only see Blake right now, and her ears could only hear his words.

Well, that's nice. It's good that Caelia is doing better. Hopefully she'll be okay now, but I think we all know the answer to that.