The Toughness Competition has been announced! What will result from this? Let's hear some more details about the whole thing, and then we'll see where everyone is on the matter. This last competition should certainly be an exciting one, and a fitting climax!

Pokemonking0924: Yeah, but she's still a little insecure sadly.

Thunder Fire: That would be nice.

Guest: There are definitely a lot of reasons why certain girls should win.

KedharS: Hopefully she can show off her best stuff.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Welcome back.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 758

Sango was completely astounded by what she was hearing.

An obstacle course? Mountain climbing?

It was like the Toughness Competition had been specifically tuned to exactly her specialties. She couldn't have designed a more perfect contest if she tried.

It sounded almost too good to be true.

Sango tried to be a realist. There had been many times she'd gotten too optimistic about something, only to have her hopes and dreams completely crushed. And she wasn't about to let that happen, not again. So she measured her expectations.

She couldn't honestly win, could she?

But as much as she thought it was impossible, as much as her brain knew it was impossible, there was still that nagging voice in the back of her mind, whispering to her and telling her "maybe… maybe it is possible…"

She didn't want to believe the voice. But the voice kept sounding more and more compelling. She took a deep breath, and exhaled, her expectations measured.

But still, that voice kept whispering.

The other girls were whispering too. A few of them looked confused, and Lila in particular looked a little green around the gills. She swallowed, and shook her head.

"An… An obstacle course?" She asked, trying to force a smile to her face. "But… won't I get my dress all dirty? And what if I break a nail?!" She whined. "This isn't fair! I can't climb an obstacle course or a MOUNTAIN while keeping my clothes looking this nice!"

She looked to the other girls for help, particularly Olivia. Olivia clearly wasn't pleased, but she didn't come to Lila's aid, either.

Pretty much everyone collectively agreed that while she may not necessarily get last place, it looked pretty unlikely that Lila would get anywhere fast in the Toughness Competition. After all, she was the kind of girl who prissed and preened all over the place.

But the others didn't understand why she was whining. After all, it wasn't like she could win anyway, so it wasn't a big deal.

"Don't worry, Lila," Darla said, flashing her a smile. "You can do it! You just need to be a little tough, right? Should be easy!"

Lila opened her mouth, her face going pale. She gulped, and tried to look confident, forcing a smile onto her face and laughing like a giddy fool. It was grating, even moreso than her normally nails-on-a-chalkboard giggle. The other girls shivered a little.

"I-I'll try my best," Lila nodded. Even so, not a lot of people were expecting much from her. Sango felt a little bit more comfortable, even hopeful, with where she was possibly being placed in this tournament. Looking at the other girls…

Alcea was tough. Sango knew that, of course, and she knew a lot about Alcea's past. She was probably one of the few people here who knew that Alcea had gone through some difficult times in her past, and survived on that island for years. So yeah, it was possible that Alcea could be a challenge, even if she wasn't a mountain climber.

The other challenging foe was definitely Ayame. Ayame lived on Mt. Silver, so Sango suspected that she probably climbed mountains for fun. She was also in great shape, almost as great as Sango, maybe even more.

So yeah, those two would be tough foes, and Sango's thoughts were already racing, focusing on who she would be facing off against. As for the others…

She didn't know Gabrielle or Darla at all. But Darla seemed tough, and confident, and she was the kind of girl who was very bold and tough. So yes, it was possible that Darla could be a major rival for her. She would have to watch out for her.

Serefina could be a problem, but Sango didn't think so. Same with Olivia. Both of them were tougher than one might think just by looking at their very feminine appearances, but Sango didn't think that either one of them would be a REAL challenge. Being tough on the inside wasn't enough to climb a mountain, she knew that much. So that meant Sango's situation was focused on Ayame and Alcea, as she had expected. And maybe Darla. The fact that Darla was tied in the points totals with her was enough of a reason to be wary.

But even as she was thinking all this, and even as the other girls were probably thinking the same things as well, it occurred to them all that Lukas had not actually described what the Toughness Competition would entail in detail.

It seemed to occur to Lukas as well, because he picked that moment to chime back in. Maybe it was the confused expressions on the girls' faces, or maybe it was the fact that the audience had stopped talking and there was a lull for him to drop in. But he tapped on the microphone to draw attention back to him, and all eyes looked to see what was going on.

"Before we let the girls begin climbing their little mountain," Lukas said, as if climbing to the top of the mountain was some easy walk in the park, "we have someone here to explain to us what they're going to be doing in major detail! So without further ado, let me introduce you to our friend from the Ranger Course, Erik!"

Lukas turned and gestured to the side of the stage, and Sango's eyes bulged out of her skull in surprise. Erik was here?! He was?! Why? Wasn't he busy with…

Sango's thoughts smashed to pieces as Erik walked onto the stage in full uniform, and it all made a lot more sense to her now.

So THAT was the situation! The "private activity" that the other members of the Ranger Course were doing up on the mountain wasn't just cleaning out the melting snow, it was to take care of the entire competition! The Miss Pokemon Academy Contest! They had been conscripted to work on that, clearly, assembling the obstacle course!

Sango wanted to slap herself in the face for being such a fool. No wonder Erik and the others had encouraged her to join. They knew that she would be able to do great on the obstacle course and could show off just how skilled she was.

Her chest swelled with pride as she looked at his stern face, knowing just how much faith he had in her. It made her feel a lot more comfortable herself, she couldn't wait for the competition now! She settled down and waited for him to begin explaining things.

Erik cleared his throat, taking the microphone from Lukas. "Hello there," he said in his gruff voice. He shifted from leg to leg and fidgeted, looking around. He clearly wasn't used to being onstage, and it showed. Sango knew what he was going through right now. "I'm going to be talking to you about the competition… oh, I mean, the Toughness Competition," he clarified quickly. "…I'm Erik, by the way, but you can call me Sarge... or, well, I guess you already know that, so… ahem."

He cleared his throat again, and shook his head. He clearly wasn't doing well at conveying his thoughts, that was for sure. Sango had to keep from laughing, it was almost cute how dedicated he was to this. She cleared her throat and nodded encouragingly to him. Their eyes met, and Erik relaxed a little bit, standing up taller.

And Erik was already pretty damn tall.

"Hmph…"

Sango's ear caught the anger in Darla's grunt and she turned to the dragon user, surprised. She had almost forgotten just how much the two didn't get along. Great, she hoped that this wouldn't be a problem…

Another look at Erik told her that it very well might be. He wasn't exactly in the best mood either as he looked her way, staring at Darla standing beside Sango. His eyes took on a harsh, hateful look, and he suppressed a growl below his breath.

Sango began to sweat now. Please, please just get on with it! She urged him silently, glaring at him to get him to stop messing up. Erik saw the pressure in his eyes and nodded.

"Where was I… oh, right, the competition," Erik said. "So, we wanted this competition to really show off the girls' toughness, but we didn't want it to take too long. It'll only be a few hours, since they won't have to walk all the way up the mountain, of course."

Sango sighed with relief, though she wasn't nearly as relieved as most of the other girls were. Even she was a little worried about having to climb a whole mountain. That would be rather insane, to have to do that on her own!

"We'll be picking them up in a bus and taking them up to the beginning of the course," he explained. "This tournament is split up into three separate parts."

Sango's ears perked up. Three parts?

"The first part of the tournament is the obstacle course," Erik explained. He pressed a button on a tiny remote and the screen shifted to show a detailed obstacle course that looked like something that either a pokemon would go through, or someone training to be an actual Pokemon Ranger. The other girls gasped in worry, most of them, anyway, but Sango wasn't worried at all. It looked like fun, and it looked like something that she would be able to handle, no problem.

"The girls will go through the course, moving through the obstacles in order to get to the end. Then, when they get through the obstacle course we've set up, the next step of the competition is that they have to navigate their way through the labyrinth that we've set up," Erik explained. "It's long and detailed, and really difficult to navigate through. We spend a lot of time on it, after all, and we would hate to see it be TOO easy to get through!"

He smiled, but his smile was a little menacing. Sango sighed, that was a really bad habit of his. But she didn't let it get to her, and she listened intently for the rest of it.

"After they get through the labyrinth," Erik continued, "the final leg of the Toughness Contest is simple. It's a mountain climbing contest, after all. Very straightforward. All the girls have to do is climb the mountain and reach the goalpost! When they've accomplished that, then the contest is finished. The order that the girls reach the goalpost before time runs out will determine how many points they each get. And whoever fails to make it through by the time the timer dings, and the competition is over? They'll be disqualified and will receive zero points. You have to finish the competition, after all!" He explained.

Sango was teaming with excitement. This sounded amazing! She couldn't wait, it sounded so fun! She wanted to run it right now! …But Erik was still talking.

"One last thing, for this competition, there's a special rule we have to consider," Erik continued. "These girls will have a little bit of help along the way, too."

Sango was interested by that. Help? What did he mean by that? She was curious.

"Each one of our ladies will be able to use one of their pokemon to help them through the competition," Erik explained. And Sango's heart soared with glee. She got to get the help of one of her pokemon? Well, there was only one that she would need the help of, and she couldn't wait!

An obstacle course, a labyrinth, and mountain climbing, all with her beloved Silver at her side the whole way through? It was perfect! Sango couldn't have planned anything better!

"Let me explain what I mean," Erik continued. "Each trainer will get the opportunity to choose one of their pokemon to work with them on their way through the course. You can, of course, choose a larger pokemon to help you guide your way through, a pokemon you could ride on," he explained. "But you'll have to be the one to carry that pokemon along with you through all the courses, as well, there might not be points where it can travel through."

There were some murmurings. But Sango didn't care about that. She was already going to choose Silve to be her partner, so it didn't really matter any of this other stuff, it wasn't like she was going to change her decision.

But it was Lila who had a different question. She raised her hand high into the air, a hopeful look on her face.

"Yes, do you have a question?" Erik asked, turning to Lila.

"So does that mean we can choose a Flying type pokemon, and have them carry us to the finish line?" Lila asked hopefully, visions of a luxurious and relaxing journey up the mountains on a pokemon's back filling her thoughts.

"No," Erik coldly smashed her dreams. "We've prohibited pokemon that are capable of flight. All pokemon used as partner pokemon are restricted to traveling by land," he clarified. "If you want to use a Flying type pokemon, then that pokemon will not be able to fly, is that understood?" He glanced pointedly at Lila.

Lila herself felt a little green around the gills, resisting the urge to glare angrily at him. It was like she was FORCED to go through this obstacle course or something, that wasn't fair!

Sango had her own issue with that. Silver didn't exactly have legs, so he couldn't really travel by ground himself. She was about to raise her hand to ask him what was going on, but before she could, her eyes met Erik's and he realized what she was going to say.

"Also, if your pokemon can float, that's okay," Erik clarified. "The only problem is with pokemon that are capable of carrying you on their backs, not pokemon that just float normally, does that make any sense?" He asked.

There were some nods of agreement. Sango let out the breath she was holding and nodded as well, relieved. That meant she could take Silver on the course after all! It was perfect!

"One other thing I think needs to be clarified before we dismiss our young ladies," Lukas said, stepping in for Erik. "Now, I think a lot of our audience is wondering what this round will be like for them; after all, they've been watching this contest so excitedly, and yet now, instead of on a stage, these young ladies will be climbing a mountain! It's a rather tricky terrain to navigate through, and we won't be there to see them!"

There were some grumbles amongst the audience, and Lukas nodded along with them. "I know, right?" He agreed, laughing. "That doesn't sound like a lot of fun! We've been so excited to see the results, that it just isn't fair that we can't! And that's why I talked with the Sarge over here, asking him if there was anything he could do, and that's why he's set up a bunch of cameras all across the course! That way, we can watch our young ladies compete from the relaxing security of the Milotic Dome, maybe enjoy a nice early dinner while we root for them!"

"Oh, cool!" Cynthia cheered in excitement, her eyes shining. "That's gonna be awesome! So we'll be able to watch Sango doing her best by camera!"

Blake nodded. "Yeah, I gotta say, this does sound like a lot of fun," he admitted. "And honestly, how lucky is it that this is the Toughness Competition? It's like the competition was perfectly made for Sango, she might actually win the Miss Pokemon Academy Contest at this rate."

"I'm so excited!" Kitty squirmed eagerly. She really wanted to see Sango's gallant figure as she went through the contest. "This is going to be so cool, right?"

"Definitely cool," Blake agreed. "But still, as hard as Sango's going to try, it won't matter." He held his head high with pride, crossing his arms over his chest. "Because Aya's in that contest too, and she's going to get first. So unfortunately, Sango's going to get second place at most, since they're tied for points."

"No, her highness is going to take first," Kate snapped. "Remember, she spent years living on that rough island, she's not going to be easy to defeat."

Blake and Kate glared at each other. There was no sign of Kate's prior affection for Blake in those eyes of hers, and Blake wasn't exactly looking sweetly upon her, either.

"Before we take our young ladies to the obstacle course, I think it's important for us to remember our judges, who have worked so hard up until now," Lukas said, turning to Kanone, Ian, and Akira. "We won't need their help in this final round, since it isn't a judging contest, but a race. But for now, we can celebrate how hard they've worked for our sakes, and for the sake of our contest! Let's give them a round of applause!"

Kanone waved to the audience as they cheered them on, and the others were cheered for as well. Ian nodded happily, while Akira almost smiled, almost. They rose from their seats and cleared off the stage, leaving the girls on their own to plan out their next steps in the contest.

As Sango headed back to her dressing room to pick up Silver, she was stopped by Ayame. The taller girl's eyes were shining with eagerness.

"Yo, Sango, gotta say, I'm surprised," Ayame grinned.

"Oh? Why?" Sango asked, curious.

"You seem to be taking this whole thing rather coolly," Ayame explained. "I was expecting you would be, like, smiling a huge smile or something. After all, this contest is just perfect for a girl like you, right? It's like it was designed for a Pokemon Ranger."

"I don't like getting ahead of myself and picking my berries before they've sprouted," Sango clarified, shaking her head. Then, a small smile reached her lips. "…But yeah, it is pretty nice," she admitted. "I think I might have a really good chance."

"You and me both," Ayame agreed, nodding excitedly. "We're both going to do the best we can! And in the end it's going to be a race to the final goal, isn't that right?"

"I hope so," Sango said, nodding in agreement.

"Now, I just need to think of which one of my pokemon is going to be the best help," Ayame mused. "I mean, you're definitely using Silver, so who should I use… hmm…"

While Ayame walked ahead, stroking her chin thoughtfully, Sango couldn't help that the smile she wore was spreading further and further across her face. The pounding in her chest was no longer due to nervousness or worry; it was because she was excited, looking forward to what was going to come in this next round.

She felt like she could actually be hopeful. It was a strange feeling.

There was only one more round for her to get through, and then this contest would be over. She felt like it had been going on for more than a week, but really it had all been one long day. Right now, win or lose, she was going to look forward to relaxing when this was all over.

But first, there was a Toughness Competition to win, and Sango was going to do her best!

The final competition is about to begin! What will it be like tomorrow, I wonder? We'll have to find out! I hope that our girls do the best that they can!