With our relationship problems resolved, we move forward into the future. And what future is that, you may ask? Well, there's only one arc to follow! The Miss Pokemon Academy Contest begins here and now! Remember to review!

KedharS: It definitely will, when it happens.

Hellraiserphoenix: I agree, Elaina definitely needs other people to help her, and hopefully Sango will be one of them.

Rowlets and Oshawotts: Well, maybe she'll be able to.

Aakareo Kokokuhikari: In answer to your question about Sango, if you've made it to this point then clearly your anger at me has only grown, rip.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 730

After Blake's defeat of Elaina, rumor spread quickly around campus about what had happened, much to his embarrassment. But he held his head up high and kept going, hoping that soon the climate would acclimate, and eventually reach the point where Elaina could actually begin attending school normally. It was a long way off, of course, but he still hoped it would happen someday.

Because of this sudden focus to Elaina and Blake whenever Blake came by, however, he was totally in the dark about another event, one that he more than likely should have been a lot more aware of than he was.

He didn't even realize that his girlfriend Aya had been conspicuously absent for the last few days. When he spoke to her, she always seemed like she was in a hurry, she left his texts on "read" for hours, and she always had a tired, sort of frustrated look on her face.

Of course, it never would have occurred to him that she was cheating on him. And because of that, he didn't consider that there could be something else going on, instead.

Blake wasn't the only one experiencing some strange experiences during the week; things were slowly getting back to normal.

By the weekend, winter had given way to spring. Most of the snow was melting and the sun was high in the sky. The air was still chilly, but people didn't need to go around without their coats. Most notably, the investigation into what had happened with Dakota had been unfortunately dropped. Curfew orders were still in effect, but things were starting to return to a sense of normalcy unfortunately, which made people who were close to Dakota (all two of them) feel a little bit disappointed and frustrated. Akira and Serefina both knew who had done it, but there was nothing they could do.

The real return to normalcy would be coming on Saturday, however, and it began with a letter in select students' mailboxes, and an email signaling to gather at the Milotic Dome.

Blake was roused from his sleep Saturday morning to Cynthia kicking down his door, which was starting to occur with frightening regularity. She stormed in and placed her hands on her hips, wearing a scowl on her face.

"Blake! What are you doing?!" She exclaimed. "Come on, it's about to start!"

Blake sat up in bed, his eyes foggy and his head still a little hazed. He'd been having a particularly good dream about eating out at a restaurant with Aya and Gwen and the two of them hitting it off, and the fact that it wasn't real was a bit of a disappointment.

"Oh, Cynthia," he yawned, rubbing his eyes. "What's-"

Cynthia wasn't in the mood for explanations. "Didn't you get the email?!" She asked, stomping over to his bed and pulling him out. "It's today, you dummy!"

Blake didn't know what "today" was, and was a little embarrassed to admit that, no, he wasn't reading his emails. So he kept his mouth shut and grabbed up his clothes from the hamper to get changed, but Cynthia stopped him.

"No time!" She said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him out the door. Blake had only a fraction of a second to notice that his roommates were conspicuously absent, even though Reiner tended to sleep in later than he did. He was still in a bit of a fugue state as Cynthia led him across campus, partially wishing he could somehow manage to sleep and walk at the same time.

"Don't worry," Cynthia said over her shoulder. "I've already got tickets for us. We're sitting with the usual crowd, but Maddi's coming too. Well, I hope she is, anyway, she said that this was a stupid thing and was glad she didn't make it into the final cuts."

Oh, so this was going to be some sort of contest. That answered a question that Blake probably would have had if he cared. By the time they got to their destination he was starting to wake up a little bit more, and put the pieces together a little clearer.

They had arrived at the Milotic Dome, one of the places on campus that Blake tended to avoid out of a lack of interest.

The Milotic Dome was to the Appeals Course what the Eon Stadium was to the Battle Course. It was where all the best competitions for aspiring coordinators were held, a grand stage able to hold most of the student body to watch exceptional performances.

And gather they did.

Blake was surprised by the turnout, and wondered for a moment if he was maybe wrong about the whole contest thing. He assumed that was the reason they were here; Pokemon Contests. Cynthia had mentioned how she'd kind of gotten into them over the break, so she must have dragged him to go see one thinking he was still in a rut from the fatigue of his match with Elaina.

That wasn't close to being true, of course, he was just burned out.

"Come on, Cynthia," he groaned, "I don't want to go watch a contest."

Cynthia blinked, looking at him in confusion. She shook her head. "Uh, no, this isn't about Pokemon Contests, this is something else completely."

Now Blake was a little more intrigued.

"…You don't read your emails at all, do you?" Cynthia sighed as they got into line to enter. "I guess that means you didn't vote, either."

Vote? Vote for what? Blake wanted to ask, but didn't want to appear to be an idiot to his friend.

He shouldn't have been concerned.

"Your face is telling me you have no idea what I'm talking about," Cynthia said, rolling her eyes. "It's only the most important competition on campus, Blake!"

Blake raised an eyebrow. He would have thought that would be one of the pokemon tournaments, maybe the Fall Festival Tournament or whatever they were going to do in spring. But it was clear that he was way off. He had a sinking suspicion he knew the idea going on. The only other thing that Cynthia would get so passionate about besides pokemon battles would be…

"It's the Miss Pokemon Academy Contest!" Cynthia said, rolling her eyes and shrugging her shoulders like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

…Something like that. It was Blake's turn to roll his eyes.

"I'm going home," he muttered, turning to walk out of the line.

"Hey! Come on!" Cynthia pouted, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him back. "This is a school activity, you know!"

"What's even the point?" Blake asked. "Aya is Miss Pokemon Academy, there's no debate."

Cynthia clutched her heart and doubled over. "…Ugh. So much purity and sweetness stings me in the heart," she said. "It's like my evil soul is being purified by your wholesome love, stop it." She smiled and laughed to herself, and Blake just rolled his eyes.

"…So what's this contest I don't care about?" He grumbled. He still wanted to go back to bed, but he had a sinking suspicion that it would be a futile cause. Cynthia could be incredibly annoying and would be dragging him back, and he didn't want to have to put up with that.

"Well basically, Olivia Himeko is the one running the contest," Cynthia explained. "For the last three years, and now this one! Everyone votes for who they think is the 'Miss Pokemon Academy' in the general election poll online. People can nominate whoever they want, and the votes are cast, and they decide the top 8 from those numbers."

This sounded ridiculous. Blake thought there should be a "Mr. Pokemon Academy" but he didn't want to give Cynthia any more crazy ideas.

Cynthia pulled a conspiratorial smile. "Blake, I think you should be interested in this contest, personally," she giggled. Blake raised his eyebrow. That sounded ominous.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"You're find out~" She hummed, turning back to the line, letting him go. That was enough to convince Blake not to go back, even though he wanted to go to bed. It was at least worth a little of his time, even if he thought it was stupid.

By the time they got to the stands, Blake was already regretting his decision. Things were a lot more crowded than he had expected. It was honestly kind of weird. Did people really think that this contest was that big of a deal? It didn't make sense, this contest was stupid. But Cynthia led him through the stands to where everyone else was sitting, and it was the usual freshman group, with a few notable exceptions.

For one, Maddi didn't hang around them all the time, but she was there now, sitting off in the corner. The other surprising face was Kate, who was, to Blake's irritation, sitting in the seat right next to his. Yet another reason he wished he could go.

It wasn't that he hated Kate, or that he thought she was even that bad of a person, but… he knew the kind of contest that this was. And it was a shoe-in that Alcea would have made the top 8. Which meant he was going to have Kate's shrieks of support in his ear the whole time, which would probably be giving him a headache.

Everyone else was the same as normal. He sat down next to Cynthia, who was already ignoring him, chatting up Maddi a lot. At the same time, Julia and Kitty were sitting next to each other and talking as usual, though he couldn't hear over the sounds of the crowd. Callie was curled up next to Nick, a look of dissatisfaction on her face, clearly miffed that she hadn't made the top 8. Then there were Reiner and Nikita to round things out, the couple both buried in their phones. Clearly they'd been dragged along by Cynthia, and didn't care as much as he didn't.

One missing face was Sango, and Blake felt envious. Like him, she pretty clearly wouldn't have given a damn about a competition like this, but she'd managed to find a way to wriggle her way out of having to come. Lucky.

Blake leaned back in his seat and let the noise flood his ears, closing his eyes and trying to drown it out to get back to sleep. He was going to take advantage of Kate being quiet for as long as he could, when another obnoxious voice caught his ear.

"Hey! Where's my seat?"

Blake's eyes snapped open and he saw Claire standing over him, her hands on her hips. Right, he had almost forgotten. After the incident with Elaina, Claire had filed some paperwork to stay on campus as a guest for now, and had been staying in the girls' room.

"If you want my seat, feel free," Blake offered, already moving to stand. "I'll just head back to my room and get some shuteye."

"No, nope!" Cynthia said, hopping up from her seat immediately and patting it. "Go ahead, Claire, I'll sit on Maddi's other side!"

Squeezing past the other girl, Cynthia sat down next to Maddi and Claire took her place, flashing a smile at Blake. And now he found himself between a rock and a hard place.

He was about to grouse about his misfortune when the lights dimmed, and the noise in the auditorium disappeared. All eyes turned to the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Stepping out onstage was Lukas Legoto, wearing a suit and a big smile on his face.

"Oh, hey, it's Lukas!" Cynthia said, surprised. "Haven't heard from him in a while!"

"It's a pleasure to see so many exciting faces out here!" Lukas said, holding a microphone to his lips. "It is my pleasure to be the MC for today's festivities! We are now announcing the fourth annual Miss Pokemon Academy contest!"

A chorus of applause broke out through the crowd.

"Now, for all you first years, let me explain how this contest is going to go!" Lukas continued. "For the past week, you've been voting online for which girls you think are the best! And from your votes, we've picked 8 winners! These lovely ladies are the cream of the Pokemon Academy crop, and they're here today to battle it out for the position of Miss Pokemon Academy!"

Lukas was a showman, if nothing else.

"Now, before we can meet our ladies I'm going to explain how this contest works," Lukas said. "Our finalists will face five challenges! These challenges will give them opportunities to show off their best qualities to our special panel of judges! Now, without further ado… let's meet our judges!"

Lukas turned and held out his hand, and another section of the stage, near the back, lit up. A fancy judge panel, normally used for contests, was occupied by three surprising figures. Akira, of all people, was on the panel, looking like death warmed over. Blake wondered how he'd been roped into judging this contest. The next person was Ian, who seemed a little happier to be here, and the third person on the panel, sitting in the center seat, was…

Blake felt a little sick to his stomach, seeing his brother beaming out brightly. What the hell was Kanone of all people doing here?!

A chorus of gasps and cheers rang out from the audience.

"Isn't that your brother?!" Claire exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. Blake groaned and nodded his head.

"What's he doing here?" Cynthia asked, confused.

"I'd like to take this moment to thank our special guest, Kanone Harker, for accepting our invitation to join the judging panel for this contest!" Lukas said. He walked over to the judge panel. "Judges, do you have anything you'd like to say?"

"I'm good," Akira said, clearly not sharing Lukas's enthusiasm.

"I'd just like to say that it's an honor to be here," Ian said, smiling.

Kanone was next. "When I got the invitation, I thought this would be an excellent chance to visit. I can' wait to see what these lovely ladies have to appeal. In fact, there's a certain performance I'm just dying to see."

"This isn't good…" Kate whispered, her face going pale. Blake was surprised.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked, turning to Kate.

"Her highness is going to be performing with Kanone as a judge… no, no, that's not good," she mumbled, not even talking to him.

Soon, the rumblings of the crowd at Kanone's presence died down, and Lukas took that as the perfect opportunity to move things along.

"Now that we've had a chance to meet our judges," Lukas said, a coy smile crossing his face, "it's time for what you've all been waiting for! Let's meet our lovely competitors!" The stage fully lit up, and a large screen descended from above.

Lukas stepped to the side to make room on the center of the stage, holding his hand up. "We'll be going in descending order from first place! So, our winner of the preliminary round and the girl with most votes, the lovely beauty who rules the Appeals Course with her grace and good looks, known as 'the Empress', your three-time crown champion, Olivia Himeko!"

The audience broke out into cheers of applause as Olivia strolled out onto the stage, dressed up to the nines in a gorgeous white and gold dress perfectly sculpted to show off her figure and her cleavage. She did look beautiful, and Blake could see why she had received by far the most votes.

On the screen, a picture of Olivia with a figure star divided into her different stats appeared.

Olivia Himeko:

Looks: 5/5

Figure: 5/5

Personality: 4/5

Skill: 5/5

Domme Energy: 5/5

Olivia took her place at the end of the stage, a spotlight shining directly upon her.

"And now, for our next competitor, in second place, a girl as beautiful as the flowers she cultivates, with her stern words and strong battling ability she's as sharp as the thorns of the eponymous rose she's the queen of, the Sixth Leader Alcea Vermeil!" Lukas announced next.

Walking onto the stage with the regal looks of a lady came Alcea Vermeil, scarlet hair tousled up and wearing a dress that shimmered as she walked, along with long red gloves. Blake was prepared about a second before it came, bracing himself for the massive cheer of support that came from Kate's lips.

"YES! You look AMAZING, MILADY!" Kate roared, leaping from her seat and pumping both fists into the air.

Alcea Vermeil:

Looks: 5/5

Figure: 4/5

Personality: 5/5

Skills: 5/5

Nobility: 5/5

But it was third place that took Blake completely off-guard.

"And in third, the choice of most of our lady friends at the Pokemon Academy, the cool beauty with the charming smile and good looks of a prince, the star of the track team and master of the Pokeathlon, the suave and sexy Ayame Toujou!" Lukas announced. Blake was so stunned he couldn't believe what he was seeing for a second.

Unlike Olivia and Alcea, Ayame wasn't wearing a dress. But her outfit was no less stylish. She walked onstage in tight jeans and a designer black blazer that probably cost quite a pretty penny, over a stylish white button-up shirt. She still wore her trademark ribbon in her hair, but the most surprising thing was her face.

To anyone who knew Ayame Toujou personally, they knew that past her cold exterior was a sweetheart of a girl who was easily embarrassed and enraged. But she looked neither stern nor flustered as she walked forward, wearing a cool smile like she belonged there.

Blake fell in love with her all over again.

"YEAH, AYA!" He shouted, even louder than Kate had. It made perfect sense why he couldn't reach Ayame until now.

"Told you you'd want to be here," Cynthia smirked under her breath.

Ayame Toujou:

Looks: 4/5

Figure: 4/5

Personality: 4/5

Skills: 5/5

Ass: 5/5

Cynthia nearly died laughing at that last one. But she didn't have time, because coming up next was the next competitor.

"And in fourth, one half of the lovely idol duo Grimm Fantasia, the self-proclaimed 'lovely maiden who dreams of fairy tales', the sweet as a button Lila Seelie!" Lukas announced. Lila flounced out in full idol gear, her pink and white dress bouncing with her frosted blonde locks as she waved to her adoring fans. The idol mania swept the audience, who were cheering her on.

Lila Seelie:

Looks: 4/5

Body: 3/5

Personality: 5/5

Skills: 4/5

Cuteness: 5/5

As Lila took her place, she looked back expectantly at the other side of the stage.

"And in fifth," Luka continued, the audience already picking up on where he was going with this, "the other half of Grimm Fantasia, the girl who calls herself 'the cool beauty with the heart of a dragon', strong as she is lovely it's Darla Drake!" Darla wore her black and blue dress to match Lila, walking out with a cool smile on her face, waving at her fans as well. The applause couldn't compare with Olivia, but the idol duo certainly knew how to work the stage.

Darla Drake:

Looks: 4/5

Body: 3/5

Personality: 4/5

Skills: 5/5

Coolness: 5/5

The next girl made Lukas smirk. Blake could barely see it, but he still felt the glee in his eyes. "Coming in sixth, a girl whose figure speaks for itself! A gentle soul who cares for those around her, a member of the Pokemon Friends club, what pokemon wouldn't wish to be smothered in that glorious bounty when she hugs it to her chest? The caring poke-mama, Serefina Kagefusa!"

Face red as scarlet, Serefina forced a smile to her face as she stormed out onto the stage. She wore a black dress with a ruffled green cardigan over that tried to downplay her chest, but there was no hiding it. She held her tongue and stood next to Darla, clearly trying her best not to scream.

It brought the first smile to Akira's face of the day, seeing her try not to lose it.

Serefina Kagefusa:

Looks: 3/5

Body: 5/5

Personality: 5/5

Skills: 5/5

Boobs: 6/5

"And in seventh," Lukas continued, moving on, "a girl who few have seen the smile of, the mysterious beauty with a heart as cold as ice and the skills of a trainer to send a chill down your spine, the lovely and talented silent assassin Gabrielle Breaux!"

Gabrielle walked out onto the stage. Unlike the other girls, she made no effort to smile. Her long black hair was tied up in an elegant ponytail and she wore a sky blue dress that shimmered in the light, sending ripples through it that resembled snowflakes.

Gabrielle Breaux:

Looks: 3/5

Body: 3/5

Personality: 3/5

Skills: 4/5

Friendliness: 1/5

Lukas paused for a moment to regather himself. "…And finally, last but not least, a girl who needs no introduction. A girl who tries her best at everything she does, even though she's only been at the Pokemon Academy for a short while! We've never seen this many votes for a first-year before, not since Olivia Himeko! A talented and energetic young lady whose skills have earned her the title of 'Probationary Ranger', SANGO AKANA!"

If Aya's entrance into the top 8 had been a surprise to Blake, this made him legitimately question if he was dreaming. SANGO? Sango had made it to the top 8 of the Miss Pokemon Academy contest? No, it just didn't make sense. He had nothing to say.

No wonder she wasn't here.

"SANGO won?! Seriously?" Cynthia exclaimed, her mouth dropping open. "Dude, I nominated her as a joke, I didn't think… yeah! Way to go, Sango! You're the best!"

Sango walked onstage looking like Blake had only seen her once before. She wore the dress Olivia had given her, even if she had worn it several times before, and to his surprise she'd even made herself up, removing some of the blemishes from her face. Her hair tickled her chin, spun out to give a windswept look.

Even though she was smiling, it was clear she felt out of place. Her walk wasn't the same confident strut as her fellow competitors, she looked like she might tip over at any moment. But she walked to her position nonetheless.

Sango Akana:

Looks: 2/5

Body: 3/5

Personality: 5/5

Skills: 5/5

Boobs: 0/5

Sango's eye twitched as she saw her stats. Clearly she had not been consulted on the points screen.

"Let's give a round of applause to our lovely competitors!" Lukas said, and the crowd went wild.

So, with a few surprises, the Miss Pokemon Academy Contest begins! Who will win the title of Miss Pokemon Academy? Let's find out!