Here it is, the long-awaited performance of Ayame Toujou for the Cuteness Competition! Just as Sango got her own chapter dedicated to her performance, Ayame will be getting the same! So how can the cool and handsome prince of the track team show off her cuteness to the judges? With a little help from her boyfriend, of course, that's how!

Pokemonking0924: Sango doesn't have any signs, though, so it wouldn't do anything.

KedharS: Yup, she really knew how to make the best of her performance alright.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Thanks! Ayame's performance is definitely going to be something to look forward to, that's for sure! Hope it's a good one!

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 745

Sango walked offstage, a confident smile on her face. A little something had changed in her. When Olivia had given her that dress and everyone had complimented her, she had learned what it was like to feel pretty for the first time. And since then, she had, of course, still had doubts and self-esteem issues about her appearance, because of course she had. But those passing doubts were just passing, and she'd felt a lot more positive about herself, compared to when she'd been teased in middle school.

And now, it felt like Olivia had given her something new to be thankful for. She had thought that she was absolutely going to lose the Cuteness Competition, but Olivia had told her how to handle herself, and she'd tried her best. Just like Marion she'd dived head-on into what made her happy, and the applause she'd received…?

That happiness had been conveyed to everyone, she was certain of it.

Even if I don't win… this contest was worth doing, Sango thought, patting herself on the back.

The stage empty, the audience waited expectantly for Lukas to call Ayame Toujou out next, because she was the next one in line. Cynthia in particular was excited, because she had been preparing for this since the moment Ayame had proposed her little idea. She was squirming in her seat, just about ready to shout "hey, where's Ayame, bring her out already!"

But Lukas explained the cause of the delay.

"I'm terribly sorry for this little inconvenience, but for our next contestant's performance we will be needing to bring in a few props, so this could take a minute or two," he explained. "Please, bear with us until then!"

There were a few groans in the audience, Cynthia among them, and then the curtain dropped.

"Ayame's next, right?" Reiner thought, stroking his chin. "She needs props for her performance? That's rather odd."

"Yeah, what do you think she's going to do?" Callie agreed. "Maybe since she's a runner she's setting up a track or some obstacles or something? That's what I would have done, set up like a punching bag to show off my moves."

She scowled.

"You know. If I had GOTTEN IN," she bitterly added. Clearly being the only girl of the Eight Leaders to not make the top 8 had given her a bit of a chip on her shoulder. She wasn't thinking about Sylvia, because as far as Callie was concerned Sylvia still didn't deserve her position.

"I think she might have something a little different planned," Julia suggested. "I mean, yeah, she runs, but is that really the kind of thing that's going to go well in a Cuteness Contest? She might try something else instead."

"Well, Sango did a good job with her Pokemon Ranger appeal," Kitty reminded her, and Julia had to begrudgingly admit that was true.

"Fair enough," she admitted. "Still, I don't think it's gonna be running."

While everyone was discussing what Ayame would do for the Cuteness Competition, Claire had a far more pressing concern at the moment.

"Where's Blake?" She asked, looking around. "His girlfriend's going up onstage next, he can't seriously be planning to miss this."

"It's complicated," Cynthia said. "Don't worry, he'll be here, I'm sure of it."

…Well, he would definitely be seeing the performance, anyway. It just wouldn't be from the stands like the rest of them. And that promised to be quite an amusing distraction. Cynthia was so excited she didn't even feel jealous about what was going to happen, she was looking forward to this way too damn much.

And then, the curtain rose, drawing everyone's attention away from their chatting and back to the stage. It lifted up to reveal…

A kitchen.

It was a rather poor approximation of a kitchen though, just a large cooking stove that had been lugged into the center of the stage, and right beside it was a table. But the person who was seated at that table wasn't Ayame Toujou, the girl who was supposed to be performing for the judges, it was her boyfriend, Blake Harker.

Kanone raised his eyebrow. So this was what she had been setting up? He resisted the urge to smile, this was certainly going to be an interesting performance alright.

"Blake?!" Claire sputtered in disbelief, rising from her seat. "What's he doing on the stage?!"

"Sit down," Cynthia said, pulling the other girl back into her seat. "Just watch, this is going to be something exciting," she promised, grinning eagerly at Claire. Claire saw the mischievous gleam in her eyes and sat back, begrudgingly willing to see where Cynthia was going with this.

"Now, some of you might be wondering why we have a boy on the stage," Lukas said, gesturing to Blake. "For those of you who are unaware, this boy happens to be Blake Harker, the boyfriend of our next competitor, Ayame Toujou! And today, she's asked him if he could take part in her performance, so she can show just how cute she can be!"

"Oh!" Claire gasped in realization. "So that's what happened! Ayame must have realized just like those two idol girls that Blake can bring out her cutest qualitie!"

A smile crossed Claire's face. "Oh, man, this is going to be the most adorable thing in the world, then!" She laughed.

Cynthia chuckled and shook her head. "Oh, you have NO idea," she smirked.

"Now, without further ado, here comes our next competitor, Ayame Toujou!" Lukas said, stepping aside and holding out his hand to beckon Ayame forward.

During the Cuteness Competition, several girls had changed their outfits to be more suitable for the kind of cute performances they wanted to do.

But Ayame had taken it to the next level.

She tottered onstage, her balance surprisingly hindered considering her usual grace and elegance. But one look at what she was wearing told everyone why. Instead of her usual confident strut, she was trembling with anxiety.

It wasn't just that her clothes were revealing. It was the type of clothes she was wearing that was the real shock to the audience.

For her performance, Ayame Toujou stepped onstage wearing a maid costume. In place of her normal sky-blue ribbon, she wore a black headdress with frilly white lace to hold her hair back. Her top was cut short, the lace frills bearing her toned stomach to emphasize her physique, while also revealing a lot of her nape and shoulders, the sleeves connected to the shirt at the bottom and reaching down to her elbows. The black skirt was so short it almost looked perverse, but thankfully it covered everything it needed to, coming down to mid-thigh. It had a design hanging over the front like an apron, even though it was functionless, just to give that feeling of a maid. Black thigh-high socks with white lace and heeled shoes completed the outfit, slightly hindering the sneakers-preferring tomboy's movements and giving a dignified, maid-like feeling.

How Ayame felt about wearing such an outfit was plain to see on her scarlet face, trying her hardest to smile confidently like she used to, but finding it impossible due to how the clothes she was wearing were making her feel.

Truthfully, Ayame was afraid she was going to die of embarrassment. Why had she thought this would be a good idea?! She had absolutely no idea what she was doing wearing something like this, dressing up like some… some slutty maid!

But this was all for winning the contest. She wanted to show Blake's older brother how great of a girlfriend she was, and that meant she had to try her hardest to win! So she'd pushed her pride aside and prepared to use one of her few feminine talents, cooking Blake a meal, and added the maid outfit for extra flair.

Of course, due to Olivia's past, she didn't have anything even close to resembling a maid costume for Ayame to wear. And it was rather reasonable to expect that even in the Appeals Course, very few girls would. But she DID expect that a girl like Cynthia, who loved cosplay and dressing up, would have one she could alter for Ayame to wear, and so she'd pleaded with her to give her one of them to dress up in for the contest.

Of course, if she knew just HOW skimpy Cynthia was going to make it, she would have decided to just wear something normal. But she'd worked herself up into being a maid, and now that the costume was on her there was no going back now!

Ayame nearly stumbled to Blake, trying to keep walking straight but woefully fearing she would pitch over and die of embarrassment. But… that wouldn't be the worst thing, right? After all, clumsy maids were a thing!

Blake certainly thought so, anyway. He looked at her in wide-eyed shock, his jaw dropping as he took in what she wore. Having grown up in a wealthy house, maids had always been something present in his life, to the point he didn't really consider them that alluring. They were just normal to him. But the sight of Aya dressed up as one was making him reconsider that position.

It wouldn't have been the first time.

Not long ago, Blake had tossed around the idea of Ayame dressing up like a maid. It was just a joke he'd given because he knew she'd react with embarrassment at the idea, but it had stuck in her head all the same.

…Not that SHE had any interest in something like that, of course! Playing the subservient maid to her boyfriend?! Absolutely not! It was just… well, she knew he would be interested! Yeah, that's why she had considered going through with this outfit in the first place! But now here she was, and she could see just HOW interested he was…

It made her heart skip a beat and her body heat up as she stood under his hot gaze, like the audience meant nothing to him.

"H-Hello there, master!" She stuttered, putting on a bright smile in tribute to the ones Olivia always wore, shaky as it was. "How are you feeling this fine morning?" She asked.

Blake was way too stunned to answer. She fidgeted in place, urging him with her eyes to answer like they'd spent the intermission practicing. Finally, Blake remembered where they were and what they were doing, coming back to some semblance of sanity after achieving enlightenment staring upon his girlfriend's body stuffed into that outfit.

"R-Right! Ye-Yeah, I'm doing a lot better…" he mumbled, nodding awkwardly towards her. "Thank you, Aya…"

"Not at all, master!" Ayame chirped. Just pretend the audience isn't there. It's just you and Blake right now, no one can see the two of you, nobody cares that you're wearing a maid outfit, it's all for him, that's right.

With those words in mind, Ayame continued her performance. "Now, master, what are you feeling like today? W-Would you l-like some breakfast? O-Or, m-maybe a bath, or… or…" God, this was the most humiliating thing ever, she couldn't get the words out. She buried her face in her hands, peeking through her fingers. "P-P-P-Perhaps… me?" She squeaked out.

Blake coughed, nearly falling out of his chair. It was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen. He knew that he was supposed to say "breakfast would be fine" but he couldn't bring himself to deny the meal that was currently being offered him.

"I… I could eat…" he mumbled out, his thoughts occupied by something a lot different than food. If Ayame got the implication she was a good enough actress to not cry out in embarrassment, simply awkwardly nodding and stepping away.

"B-Breakfast it is! Yes, master, as you wish!" Ayame said a little too loudly, turning away and stumbling over to the stove. "One omelet, coming right up!" She could breathe a little easier now that she didn't have to stare at her boyfriend, or see his eyes appraising her. But that didn't mean she was totally free and clear.

After all, she could still feel his eyes on her, boring a hole into her backside. He was, of course, casually checking out a very specific part of her.

Some things never changed.

But she couldn't exactly get upset, that was the point of this whole performance, after all. She was playing the part of a cute, shy, awkward maid in love with her master, and Blake was playing the part of the master who was attracted to her in turn. These were the roles they were playing, she couldn't just let herself feel humiliated for doing what she was supposed to, right?!

If only she knew how badly the pressure of the audience's stares would feel when she was planning this… but it was too late now! No, what she had to do at this point was focus her attention on the stove, and the dish she was preparing! That was the whole point of this, to demonstrate her talent for cooking to the judges!

…And throw in a little clumsy maid for the cuteness. That was also part of the performance, definitely not because it was doing anything for her.

Luckily, the heat of the stove was quickly drawing in her attention. With her mind turned towards cooking, she didn't have to concern herself with the awkwardness or the attention. She was cooking now, she had to focus on making what she was preparing the best meal of Blake's life! She so seldom got the chance to cook for him, even though he loved whatever she made for him so much. It was nice to do it again, she needed to cook more often.

Thoughts of having dates with her boyfriend where they stayed back home and she cooked them both dinner filled her thoughts, bringing a dopey grin to her face as she prepared the food just as she always did, even if it had been a while since she'd made omelets. But she knew that it would taste delicious, and Blake would love it.

Blake was drooling. Yes, that had started before Aya had begun cooking, but now that he could smell the eggs in the skillet and the bacon, sausage, and ham chunks sizzling, mixing with the scent of onions, mushrooms, peppers, and olives, he found himself drooling for a different reason completely. He hadn't had a chance to eat lunch today, Aya had pulled him out of line. And he didn't want to, either, wanting to be able to fully savor her cooking.

So yeah, Blake wasn't just hungry for his girlfriend, he wanted her cooking, too. He couldn't wait to eat! What was taking her so long!?

Finally, Ayame turned the stove off, the food finished. She lifted her frying pan and tilted it onto the plate, taking extra care to make sure that the presentation was perfect. As it cooled she picked up the plate, turned, and walked over to the table, setting it down in front of him.

"Here you are, master!" She cooed, feeling a little more comfortable with being aggressive and cutesy like this. "Here, let me put on the finishing touches for you!"

She picked up a squirt bottle of ketchup and spurted it onto the omelet, making a heart. In the center of the heart, she wrote "A + B", which made Blake think that his heart was going to stop. Then she set down the ketchup and turned, before Blake cleared his throat.

"Aya, don't you think you're forgetting something?" He reminded her.

"Wh- …huh?" Ayame turned back to look at him, confused. The performance was over, and she'd given it her all. Blake was supposed to enjoy the omelet in peace, what was he talking about? She hadn't forgotten anything.

"There's a certain thing you have to do to make it perfect," Blake smirked, holding up his fork and waving it at her. "Don't you remember?"

"Err… are you sure, master?" Ayame asked. She really had no idea what he was talking about. But she couldn't exactly say that, she had to play along. This was a performance, after all, and she was playing the part of the loyal maid who obeyed her master's wishes.

"Yeah, let me remind you," Blake said, beckoning her over. She lowered her head so he could whisper into her ear and explain what he was talking about.

Because her anxiety, Ayame nearly threw up in his lap when he told her what she was supposed to do for the finishing touch on his meal. She pulled back in shock, shaking her head in disbelief. No way, he couldn't be serious!

"I-I'm not doing that!" Ayame exclaimed. She remembered that she was onstage in front of everyone, and that's why she was refusing, even if the fact that she was supposed to be playing a role had slipped her mind.

Blake smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Is a maid really supposed to be refusing her master, Aya?" He asked, waggling his fork back and forth like it was his finger and he was scolding a disobedient child. "A maid's job is to do what she's told."

It might have been a little cruel to make her have to go through with this onstage, and Blake did feel a little bad about it. But at the same time, this competition was about drawing out Aya's cuteness, and she couldn't be at her cutest if she was totally comfortable with what she was doing. He had to make this performance stand out.

Ayame remembered her duty, and understood just how trapped she was. It wasn't enough to play a role, she had to play THIS role, she had to be the maid for him, and show the audience she could do it. Even if it was the most embarrassing thing in the world.

Her hands shaking and her face bright red, she forced a smile to her face as she curled her hands up into the shape of a heart, holding it over his meal. "D-Don't forget, m-master!" She stuttered. "H-Here's a… sp-special spell, to make it taste… extra d-delicious!" The words shook out of her mouth, she was so humiliated she could barely spit them out. But at the same time, she could see what he was doing, and how much he was trying to help her, and so she didn't blame him, even as she felt like falling over in shame.

"H-HAPPINESS BEAAAAAM…!" She wailed, winking at the omelet. She was lucky she hadn't fallen over in embarrassment.

Blake smiled. That was exactly what he wanted. "Thank you, Aya!" He grinned, sliding the plate over in front of him and holding up his fork. "This looks delicious, you really did your best!"

If Ayame didn't love him so much, she would have despised him. Her face was a mix of anxiety and embarrassment, as she waited with anticipation for Blake to dig his fork in and start eating his "breakfast."

Blake took his first bite, and his eyes widened in shock. His face lit up as he turned to her, smiling brightly.

"Aya… this is the most delicious omelet I've ever tasted! You're amazing, thank you so much!" He exclaimed, quickly shoveling more of the delicious meal into his mouth.

That smile had made everything worth it. Ayame brightened like a pokemon about to evolve, her smile shining with so much joy it could have lit up the stage itself. She was content. Even if she would lose the Cuteness Competition, or the actual Miss Pokemon Academy Contest, hearing Blake praise her cooking like that was more than enough.

"It was nothing much, master!" She said, tilting her head to the side and giving him the biggest smile she could. It was the cutest thing the audience had ever seen.

Ayame has finished her performance, and showed everyone just how cute she can be! But what do the judges think of this act? Is it an immediate 10 points? Or are they ready to skip the rest of the contest and just proclaim her the winner right now? I guess we'll have to find out!