It's been quite a long journey getting to this point, but here we are! Chapter 666! And who would have imagined that this chapter would land on a Valentine's Day arc, of all things? What will result from this? Horrors and nightmares beyond our imaginings? Returning to Sylvia and what she's up to? We'll have to find out!

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 story is finally completed! Thank you for reading!

The Semi-Final Round of the second Pokemon Academy Best Girl contest has begun! Which three of these six girls will make it to the Finals? So far we've only got a few votes in, so show your support for your best girl and vote on the poll in my profile! We want this competition to be close, after all! Who's going to win?!

Semi-Finalists: Ayame, Sylvia, Marion, Sango, Elaina, Valerie

KedharS: Drama? In Chapter 666? What a shock.

Rosealine gold: Maddi is taking a break, I don't imagine she's much of a fan of Valentine's Day. And don't worry, I'm planning to bring up those plot threads I left dangling, just wait.

Rowlets and Oshawotts: Well, the relationship has room to grow.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: I have some ideas of what I want to do with Serefina and her love life, though nothing concrete just yet.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 666

Ayame took a deep breath and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was already starting to feel a little sick to her stomach. Today was Valentine's Day, and she couldn't help but feel a little giddy.

At this time just yesterday, she was filled with grief and depression, thinking that whole world was falling down around her; the boy that she loved was gone, and she feared she would never be able to smile again.

But now, Blake was back, and they were going to spend Valentine's Day together! She still found it hard to believe.

The face that stared back at her in the mirror seemed strange to her. She was used to stern looks and a cool, icy demeanor. She wasn't the kind of girl to go around wearing big, beaming smiles and grinning like an idiot!

But still, smiling like this still felt right to her somehow. Probably because it just naturally slipped onto her face whenever she thought about Blake. Fate had granted her wish and brought him back to her, and she was eternally grateful for that.

She just needed to keep things under control. Right now, she felt like throwing up, and she couldn't stand it. She was both the happiest and most nervous she had ever been. A wave of revulsion rose up again, and she tried to suppress it.

She was glad that she had been so busy getting ready that she hadn't had the chance to eat breakfast this morning; throwing up on her date wouldn't exactly make for happy memories of her first Valentine's Day.

…Ayame was going to try and make herself throw up right now just to be careful. This nervous stomach of hers was just the worst!

A knock on her bedroom door quickly put an end to that. With a start, she jumped slightly, turning to the door.

"Ooooooh, Aaayaaaaaa!" Olivia's voice rang out from behind the door. "You have a gentleman caller downstairs just dying to meet youuuu!"

Ayame's heart skipped a beat and she suppressed a cough. He was already here! It was happening right now! Their first Valentine's Day as a couple! They would go get lunch, then fish up some Luvdisc, then skip the dance to eat a romantic dinner together, walk through campus in the moonlight, and then return to her dorm, and then, and then…!

Ayame's gurgling stomach was an accusation of her lewd intentions. Her face flushed and she swallowed, walking over to the door. But not before checking herself out in the mirror one last time to make sure she looked her best.

Don't get nervous, don't get nervous, she reminded herself. You look amazing, and it's Blake! Blake will tell you that you look beautiful no matter what, there's nothing to be concerned with, Ayame! …Oh, I hope he likes it!

She shouldn't be this nervous. She had competed in national track meets and junior Pokeathlons without feeling this intense pressure in her gut.

Was this what love was supposed to feel like? Ayame loved and feared this sensation. A shaky smile crossed her face and she quickly shook her head. That wasn't good enough! She needed to give Blake her best!

The beaming smile that replaced it was exactly the look she was going for. She nodded in approval and turned back to the door, letting Olivia inside.

Blake was nowhere to be seen, much to her disappointment. She looked hopefully behind her friend, but couldn't see anybody.

Olivia snorted.

"Oh, Aya, you didn't think I'd bring him here, did you?" She laughed, shaking her head. Ayame shot a venomous look at her friend, but Olivia shook it off. The other girl's anger wouldn't faze someone like her.

"Then, what…?" Ayame quickly fixed the scowl on her face. She didn't want to get too upset. She didn't want to greet Blake while looking angry, she wanted to greet him with a smile. So she asked Olivia what was going on.

Olivia was delighted to inform her, a coy smile crossing her face as she wiggled her eyebrows, reaching up and patting Ayame on the cheek.

"I've always got my best girl's interests at heart," Olivia assured Ayame. "See, Aya, I'm not going to send you down there without letting you make a GRAND entrance, my dear sweet girl." Her smile widened even further.

"An entrance suited to a princess such as yourself," she added. Ayame's heart skipped a beat, and her face lit up with a tentative feeling of joy at the word princess. Yeah, that… that's what Blake always thought of her. A princess.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Blake was nearly as anxious as his girlfriend. He had been waiting for this day for over two years, after all. Valentine's Day with the girl he loved. He couldn't believe he could be so lucky.

Olivia had told him to sit and wait in the common room, saying she was going to go get Aya and bring her down, and that he should wait down here for the two of them.

Blake had spent a long time waiting for this, he could wait for a little bit longer, after all. That left him to sit alone with the feeling of excitement welling up in his chest. Aya… Aya was coming. They were going to go on their date, and when they did…

"And there's the boy himself!" Olivia called, sliding down the stairs with the grace of an angel, a beatific smile on her face as her eyes glowed with joy. Blake turned to her with a look of hopeful apprehension in his eyes, searching for Aya. But she wasn't anywhere in sight. Olivia giggled, seeing the look on his face. The two of them were totally on the same wavelength, it was completely adorable. If this was what dating was like, Olivia could definitely see the appeal.

"Aya, is she… coming down?" Blake asked. It was a stupid question, he knew, because of course she was going to come down. That was just his desperation talking. His eyes searched the staircase for her, and Olivia suppressed an eye-roll.

"She's coming soon," Olivia giggled, glancing up the staircase. "Any minute now. Just wait for your cute little princess, Blake."

Blake swallowed, his throat going dry. This was it.

Olivia cleared her throat, and with a flourish, stepped to the side. This wasn't her show, after all, it was Aya's time to take the stage.

And did she ever take the stage.

Ayame descended the stairs like an angel from the heavens, and Blake felt his heart stop in his chest as he saw her.

She was at her most beautiful standing before him now. Her ribbon was gone, but her bangs didn't drop to hid her gorgeously handsome face. Her hair had been styled with product and her bangs were swept back and tucked behind her ear with a hair clip, her dark locks glossy and slightly spiky in a "just got out of the shower" kind of way. Her smile didn't speak a word of the tension in her chest, wide and bright like the sun as she looked at her boyfriend with eyes that glowed with a hazel-gold fire of joy.

While Ayame's face was the first thing to catch his eye, that was only the start. With a strength that surprised Blake he forced himself to look away from her face and take in the rest of her, and he didn't regret what he saw. Ayame was wearing a dress that looked simply ravishing. Seeing Ayame Toujou in a dress would be cause enough to stop one's breath, but the dress she wore suited her beautifully. The color of midnight, it was a blue so dark it practically shimmered. Upon closer look, it looked like it was made of lace; it was nearly see-through, but it wasn't, causing Blake to wonder if it was layered. Quite fitting, given the weather. It cinched to her figure like a glove, which was great as Ayame had quite the figure to show off. The neckline was modest, not showing any cleavage, but revealed a decent enough amount of her collar to be alluring. The sleeves were short, stopping at her shoulders, and made of lace. For once, she wasn't wearing running shoes, but something with a heel, causing her already tall figure to be a few inches taller. It wasn't quite high heel levels, but once Blake got his mind off of the vision of loveliness in front of him and other parts of his body were granted the chance to cast their votes, he would certainly wonder how THOSE would make certain parts of her stand out.

A black handbag hung from her shoulder. To finish off the outfit and confirm once and for all that it really was Ayame Toujou standing in front of him and not a fantasy from his deepest dreams, her sky-blue ribbon was wrapped around her wrist, bringing a touch of brightness to her clothes matched only by the smile on her face.

"Well?" She breathed, her voice coming off a little more husky and seductive than Blake was used to, catching him off-guard for a moment. It wasn't a voice suitable for the morning, and it certainly wasn't a voice that belonged in a dormitory common room.

Blake didn't have the faintest idea what he could say.

Feeling her boyfriend's eyes raking over her, Ayame puffed herself up a little more. She could tell by the look on her face that he was pleased, and she relished in it. She felt prettier than she ever had before with his eyes upon her, but still, Ayame was feeling a little bit selfish. This was her moment, after all, and she wanted to hear him say it.

"What do you think?" She prodded, not letting her first question go unanswered. The way her heart swelled with joy to see him flustered made her wonder if she was maybe just a little bit of a sadist deep down.

Blake finally regained enough control of his faculties to be able to speak. Luckily, his temporary paralysis had given him time to not blurt out the first thing that came to his mouth, which was some bizarre blend of "angel" and "goddess".

Seeing the look of pride plastered on Aya's face, he found himself wanting to tease her, just a little bit. For old time's sake.

And he knew just what to say to wipe that smug look off of her face.

"A princess…" he breathed, sounding a little more awestruck than he had meant. He couldn't help it! He was awestruck, standing in front of him was the most beautiful girl in the world, she really was a princess!

His thoughts were only proven to be more true by the sight of her handsome face broken apart by a big, dopey grin of shock, her face turning scarlet from his flattering words. He'd said it! He'd really said it, he saw her and the first words to come to his mouth were… ugh, it just wasn't fair! How could he say stuff like that with a straight face?!

And why did he have to look so good, at that?! She was the one who was supposed to be wowing him, not the other way around!

Usually, Blake's hair was a bit of a mess, and when he wasn't wearing the winter uniform he was wearing some old clothes that covered as much skin as they could, nothing special. Today, he of course hadn't changed the fact that his clothes covered a lot, but he was wearing something new besides his drab sweaters or long-sleeved shirts, for once. His sweater was actually pretty nice, a warm black turtleneck with a grey vest over it, and stylish black pants that seemed more like something she would wear than him. And his hair was actually brushed, for once. He'd also foregone bringing his headphones, which upped his cool factor a lot, as well.

And not only that, how long had Ayame gone without seeing him? It had been weeks! He had spent so long in that horrible place, with her staying behind and doing nothing but think about him for days, and now here he was, looking so… so cute and handsome?! Ayame was supposed to be the handsome one, and he'd just come along and pretended like it was no big deal that he could dress up fancy and actually maintain his appearance!

It just wasn't fair! Ayame shot a glance at Olivia, who turned her head to the side and whistled, shooting Ayame a knowing side-eyed look as she smirked, letting her know that, yes, this was entirely as Olivia had planned.

Ayame didn't know whether or not she wanted to kiss the Empress for styling up her boyfriend, or smack her across the face! She was certainly grateful that Blake looked so cool, but at the same time, she had wanted to be the one to surprise him, damn it, and he had come over looking so cool…

Plus, saying that she was a princess?! So casually, at that, it just made Ayame want to scream! Why was her face so hot?! This was supposed to be her moment of triumph, where she basked in his appreciation of her, but right now she was so scarlet it was like she'd been basking in the sun instead of in her boyfriend's loving gaze!

She had to say something to regain the momentum, but all she could do was stutter out a "r-really? Well, um… thank you… you look nice, too…" And doing that had nearly killed her! She felt that urge to throw up again that she thought she had suppressed.

Blake and Ayame let the conversation die pretty quickly after that, both too flustered to say much of anything to the other.

Finally, after the awkward silence had long-since stopped being amusing and was beginning to get annoying, Olivia stepped in and took matters into her own hands.

She clapped her hands together loudly, snapping Blake and Ayame out of their lovestruck adoration of one another and drawing both pairs of eyes towards her.

"Okay, this is cute and all, but we need to move on," Olivia said, clearing her throat. She wanted to smile herself, but if she left the two of them to their own devices they would spend the whole Valentine's Day in the common room and wouldn't go out and actually have their date. And Olivia was not okay with something like that happening.

"Don't you two have a date to get to? I know you guys are going to get lunch, so get lunch! And after that, what was the plan again? Luvdisc Fishing? Well, I'll tell you one thing, your reservation is at 8, and I do NOT want you to miss it!" Olivia said, practically shoving the sickeningly sweet couple out of the building.

And no, it wasn't just because she had some plans of her own to prepare for involving a particularly delicious-looking blonde, not at all. No, Olivia was thinking purely for Aya's sake when she urged the two of them to get a move on!

Frankly, after all she'd been through these past few weeks, Aya really needed to get laid.

Olivia was honestly stunned that someone as amazing and special as Ayame Toujou was still a virgin. Honestly, Blake's self-control should be commended.

But no, fuck that. Enough was enough. Olivia had not spent all her time crafting Aya into a vision of loveliness for this date to end on something lame like a chaste kiss good night and some heated gazes, not a chance.

The Empress was one of the Four Daevas for a reason. She had a manipulative, tactical mind that could give the others a run for their money, making use of her vast network of connections to maintain a stranglehold of influence over the other students in ways that the Commander and the Phantom could only dream of!

If she turned that power towards Blake, well…

Well, frankly, she hoped it wouldn't come to that. The stars were aligning, and the time was right. Olivia had always found men to be frankly extraneous, but hopefully the stories she'd heard were true and that all men had a beast deep down inside of them. Today was the day of the beast, and if she was lucky, Blake would let his out to play.

If not, Olivia was going to have to take matters into her own hands.

Aya kept rattling off excuses for why they hadn't gone any further than they had. "We're not ready to go that far." "We're going at our own pace." "Blake needs time to really get comfortable in the relationship." "This story is rated T, we can't do anything like that." "Blake was trapped in a nightmare hell dimension."

Blah, blah, blah.

Olivia wasn't letting him weasel his way out of this one. Aya had really tried her best tonight. She was a vision of loveliness, his face had all but said it. Calling her a princess?! That was the type of language that you don't use unless you're willing to put out.

Blake had been teasing Aya for so long he was practically asking for it. If he could look at Aya with that much heat in his eyes, after everything he'd said about her ass, about how hot she was, and NOT do anything?

Olivia wasn't going to answer any of those questions, because it was going to happen. It didn't matter that they had just found their way back to each other, not to her. In fact, that was more of a reason than any that the two of them should hook up now!

It had been a miracle that Blake had come back to them. A miracle that might not happen twice. She hoped that was the sort of experience that would make Blake realize that he couldn't just keep leaving well-enough alone, playing at the holding pattern of his own comfort.

Aya didn't have much time left, after all, and who knew where their relationship would go after her graduation?

Olivia had explained all those things to Aya this morning, while she was getting ready. She let her know that in no uncertain terms was she to take it easy on this date.

There may have been a few thinly-veiled threats that if Aya made it through the night with an intact hymen then Olivia might have to get a little rough with her boyfriend, just to make sure that Aya got the picture about what was at stake.

So Olivia saw them off with a smile, and gave Aya a knowing look as they departed. Now was the time, and she was going to go for it.

Ayame smiled back at her friend, her heart singing in her chest. She reached down and took Blake's hand in hers, feeling the warmth of his fingers interlocking with her own. This was right. This was what they both wanted, she was sure of it.

"I love you," she whispered softly, just in case he didn't know by now. She squeezed his hand. Blake smiled back at her.

"I love you too," he said, squeezing her hand back. That reassured those lingering doubts in her heart. Blake was back, and they were together again. And if everything went as planned, hopefully they would be together in the way that she had so desperately wanted ever since she realized just how in love with him she really was.

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh, feeling his love warming her heart. Tonight was going to be a wonderful night.

Who says that 666 needs to be a bad thing? The touching Valentine's Day between Blake and Ayame begins here!