The Toughness Competition is still going strong, and our girls are giving it everything they've got! Who will emerge victorious, and show that she's the toughest one there? There are a few frontrunners, but no telling how it'll turn out!
Rosealine gold: Who knows?
Pokemonking0924: Olivia and Alcea's relationship is definitely a complicated one, there's no telling what she would do.
Pokemonlukes: Thank you, I try.
KedharS: She's definitely trying her hardest!
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 761
Initially, Sango had been startled by how effortlessly Ayame's Wooloo was jumping up the climbing wall. But she quickly dismissed that with a shake of her head and turned her thoughts towards climbing the wall herself. Luckily, she was far more adept at putting on her harness than Ayame was, and she was quickly moving after the girl, climbing the wall herself.
She may have been caught by surprise, but it wasn't the end of the world. Just because Ayame was moving at a quicker pace Sango had expected, that didn't mean that Sango was out of the running herself!
The fact of the matter was, Ayame was still a runner. And running would help her out a lot in obstacle courses, sure, but Sango saw how she had lost time in the ropes. She knew that Ayame was skilled at the things she practiced at, but rock climbing wasn't one of them.
But Sango had trained for stuff like this since she was a little girl, going to climbing gyms with her mother, and then later, by herself. So she knew how to climb. And she was counting on that to give her the edge.
She took to the wall like she was born to, and everyone in the audience could see it. For a lot of Sango's friends, who knew that she was athletic but didn't pay much more attention to her hobbies than that, it was one of the first times they were seeing Sango in her element, as a Pokemon Ranger who had training to be the best she could.
But now they were getting a front row seat to Sango being the Pokemon Ranger she longed to be, and they were stunned speechless.
"Look at our ladies go!" Lukas called, his excited voice carrying over the speakers. He had chosen not to follow after the girls on the bus, remaining nice and warm and safe in the Milotic Dome with the guests. The judges had already cleared off, meaning he was alone on the stage, and he was certainly making the most of it. "Sango and Ayame are currently neck and neck for the lead! And coming behind them, Alcea, Darla, and Gabrielle are all vying for position! Followed by Lila, then Olivia, and then Serefina's boobs followed by the lady herself!"
Normally, Cynthia would be laughing up the comment about Serefina's boobs, but she was too busy being amazed by her friend's performance.
"Wow, I… I never realized she was so good," Cynthia said, her mouth dropping open. "I mean, I know she did really good on that probationary exam, and she got some field experience after that trip, but I just never thought… wow."
"She's really doing her best!" Callie said, a big smile spreading across her face. She might not have been one of Sango's closer friends, but she could absolutely agree with cheering on a girl who was doing her best at such a cool physical activity!
"Look, she's catching up!" Nikita said, grabbing Reiner's arm excitedly. "Maybe she can actually beat Ayame!"
"Yeah, maybe," Reiner said absentmindedly, suppressing a yawn. He could appreciate that Nikita was really excited for what was happening, but he couldn't help the fact that he was not. This just wasn't the kind of tournament that appealed to him, so he'd been rather resistant to making comments during the whole exchange.
Fortunately, Nikita could understand that. She may have been invested herself, being a lot more outgoing and eager than she normally was, cheering as loudly as she could, but she was a good enough girlfriend to recognize that this wasn't Reiner's thing, and not to hold it against him that he wasn't worked up as much as she was.
In terms of being good partners, though, Blake was definitely taking the cake here. Even though he was amazed by Sango's performance and taken aback by how easily her lithe, well-muscled figure climbed from rock to rock, he wasn't about to let his loyalties sway. Aya was doing the best she could, and he was going to cheer her on. Even if she couldn't hear his words, he knew that she would believe in him, and know that she was cheering him on.
"I wonder, Blake, are you really okay with just cheering Ayame on?" Claire shouted to him as he took a breath. He whirled upon her, surprised that she had called out. He hadn't expected that, he was so engrossed in the competition.
"Of course!" He shouted to her over the cheers of the audience. "Why wouldn't I be cheering Aya on?!" He asked.
"Because Sango's competing too," Claire answered. "Don't you think you could at least cheer both of them on?"
Claire felt a little bad for Sango. Before Ayame Toujou had showed up, she had thought that Sango was the perfect fit for Blake. They had complimented each other nicely, and Sango had clearly loved him quite a bit, passing her test with flying colors. But now, Blake was with Ayame, and the two of them were happy, and Claire was happy for the both of them.
And also feeling really, really guilty about it. It felt like she had betrayed Sango, a girl she had almost started to become friends with. The least she could do was cheer for her a little, right? Even if that wouldn't make up for the fact that Blake didn't reciprocate her feelings, or the fact that Claire supported Ayame being with him over her now.
It would be nice if Blake could be a slightly better friend and cheer Sango on, too, but she understood he was in a pretty tricky position so she didn't press the issue. She left it at his discretion what he would do with his feelings.
And Blake wasn't going to betray the faith Aya had in him, even if she would never know. He cheered with all his heart, praying that his words would have some impact on her, that she would fight even just a little harder knowing he was cheering her on.
And somewhere on that wall, Ayame knew that Blake was cheering her. It was like she could hear his voice in her ear, cheering her on, telling her that he believed in her and knew she could do it, and she wanted to believe in him.
Those words gave her the strength to keep pushing forward. She raised her head slightly and stared up at Foof, watching her cute little Wooloo bouncing ahead, bounding from one rock to the next. She really was in perfect form.
Ayame wished she could say the same about herself. But she wasn't used to rock climbing, even if she was in great shape. She was pushing muscles that she seldom used to their limits, and she could feel her arms beginning to strain and her joints aching like they were on fire. She stretched out her arm and grabbed one of the rocks, hoisting herself up, pausing to catch her breath.
A smile crossed her face. She was filled with joy at the sound of her heartbeat, the feeling of adrenaline rushing through her like a drug. It hurt like hell, but DAMN was it worth it! Her hands were trembling with eagerness and she felt her second wind strike her, carrying her up as she kept moving forward with everything she had.
When Sango passed her, that was when Ayame knew that she really had a game! She was loving this, the thrill of competition, the feeling of pushing herself to her limits, it was everything she wanted from this Miss Pokemon Academy Contest! She hadn't felt it in any of the previous competitions. The Beauty Competition was okay, but the Smartness Competition was kind of annoying. The Cuteness Competition was… well, she'd enjoyed it, but as far as a contest? She hadn't really felt like this event was anything like a competition until the Coolness Competition, when she'd fought against Sango and that Samurott and lost.
Now she was fighting against Sango again. She really was an amazing rival! She had thought so when Sango was a rival for love, and now that they were competing in this obstacle course, this Toughness Competition let her feel that competitive fire with her friend again, and in the best way!
Sango was such a good athlete, Ayame wished that her friend would consider being a Pokeathlete, at least give it a try. She'd given pokemon battles a try, joining the Pokeathlon and seeing her raise a team, training them to take the pennants, that would be something amazing.
Sadly, something that Ayame would never see.
Her fingers straining, Ayame hooked onto the top of the ledge and pushed everything she had into her arms to pull herself up and onto the top, right beside Foof. She sat down to catch her breath, turning her head to see that Sango had reached the top as well, Silver floating beside her and looking a little winded himself.
At this altitude, breath was becoming quite a commodity, and both girls were struggling to hold onto as much of it as they could as they stopped for a brief cooldown, the other girls coming up from below them.
They were tied. For a brief moment, their eyes met and they stared at each other, panting and soaked in sweat. Their faces were dimly lit by the flickering torchlight below, but mostly they were cast in shadow as they gazed into each other's eyes.
Both girls burst out laughing, as choked and faint as it might have been. Here they were, sharing a brief moment alone at the top of the wall, recovering their strength as they prepared to move on to the next part of the obstacle course.
"You're doing amazingly," Ayame complimented. "It must be all that *gasp* fucking training you do as a *pant* Pokemon Ranger, isn't that right Sango?" She asked, flashing the other girl a wink as she wiped sweat off her brow.
"I'm… *huff* not a ranger… yet…" Sango panted in reply, a creaky smile crossing her face. "And you… *gasp* aren't doing so bad… *hah…* yourself, Ayame… it must be all that training you've done with being a Pokeathlete, right…?"
The two girls shared another laugh. Their eyes flashed competitively at one another, and stretched. Their bodies were sore, and the packs on their backs and their harnesses were definitely weighing them down. But up here, together, they felt like they were lighter than air, and ready to move forward and head down.
"Let's go then," Sango said, nodding.
"You got it right," Ayame grinned, flashing a thumbs' up. The two girls stretched a little, and descended the side of the wall. Ayame moved much faster down the wall this time, and they both touched down simultaneously, along with their pokemon.
They glanced at each other, and smiled again, and the two girls charged forward towards the next obstacle ahead of them.
The crowd was loving it, cheering on the competitive dynamic of the girls. The rivalry had captivated them, and the audience loved the fact that they were vying for first place even more, it made the whole thing seem much more exciting. They were so far ahead of the others it was practically a two-person race. The other next girl behind the two of them, Darla, was just getting started on the climbing wall, they were a full obstacle ahead of everyone else.
"Look at those two!" Lukas cheered. "After that poignant moment of camaraderie on the rock wall, they're back in it and ready to show each other what their rivalry is really all about! And what do we think of that?"
The audience cheered, they thought quite highly of it.
"They're doing their best, and their neck and neck! Not only tied for points but tied in their race, too! Which one will seize the lead and take control of the race? This match is really heating up!" Lukas continued. "I'm bursting with excitement, this was just what the climax of our contest needed, a burning rivalry like these two, to get us all pumped up and excited!"
The audience may have been feeling excited, but Blake himself was feeling a little bit of relief. He had been cheering for Aya with everything he had, because he wanted her to win. But listening to the rest of his friends cheer for Sango (except Kate, of course, but she wasn't exactly a friend) he began to feel a little guilty that he was rooting for his girlfriend, and not for Sango, a girl who he considered to be one of his closest friends.
It had been a dilemma that he had forced himself through, rooting for Aya and deciding to just take the wound to his heart.
But after seeing the two of them together on that wall, sharing a laugh, something had changed in him. He had realized that cheering for Sango didn't mean he was betraying Aya. Because what Aya loved the most about this whole thing was the competition.
She LIKED having Sango as a rival, and she loved competing with her in this obstacle course. It was the happiest he'd seen her all day, save for her far-too-brief stint as a maid. She wouldn't mind that he cheered for the both of them, because part of her was cheering for Sango herself.
It was like a weight had been lifted off of his chest. He felt like an idiot, only realizing now that he could cheer for the both of them and hope that they both did their best. That moment had made it clear, what was going on there was just like him and Cynthia. When they had pokemon battles, they were both trying their hardest to win. And their friends were right there, rooting for both of them. He couldn't believe that he had been so blind, thinking he could only root for one or the other.
He called out to the two of them. "Aya! Sango! Do your best, you can do it!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, sitting back down in his seat to catch his breath. As he did, his eyes caught Claire's, and he saw her lips curl up into a smile.
She was relieved. So Blake hadn't gotten so lost in his love for his girlfriend that he was unable to root for Sango as well.
"Ayame and Sango are almost to the next obstacle! Who is going to get their first, and take a commanding lead?" Lukas asked the crowd. It was a question that everyone was hoping for an answer for in the coming seconds.
To Sango's surprise, she had made it there first. She realized that Ayame was pacing herself, because Foof wasn't running as fast anymore. Her pokemon must have been starting to tire, that was unfortunate.
But Sango wasn't about to let that influence her. She wasn't going to take things easy just because Ayame was a little behind! She turned her attention to the obstacle, her heart already burning. Luckily, there wouldn't likely be any aerobics here, it would give her time to catch her breath for a little and get ahead.
After the climbing wall came a climb of a different sort. A net was strung up over some mud, and Sango was ready to take it. Climbing nets wasn't something she was trained for, but she was confident that she could do it.
Two seconds of climbing and the net disagreed, twisting and tilting over, flinging her into the mud with a yelp.
Ayame suppressed a laugh as she climbed onto the net herself. "Don't worry, Sango, you can do it!" She called. "Whoa! This is really tricky, I don't- eeeeyipe!"
Just as Sango had done, Ayame tilted over herself, and fell into the mud. She was grateful she'd changed into something less fancy than her previous outfit, just as Sango was thankful she was wearing her easily-cleanable clothes.
Sango and Ayame wiped mud off their faces and glanced at each other, laughing again. They picked themselves up out of the mud and got onto the nets again, trying to make it through at a little slower pace.
It was definitely difficult going, made especially more difficult by the fact that now that they were covered in mud, the net was slippery now, making it hard for either girl to keep their control and their balance.
The girls had given up their lead quite a bit, and fallen into the mud quite a few times, by the time they managed to get across the net, climbing down and starting on the next obstacle. They were still tied for the lead, and to Sango's amusement Foof was still keeping pace with her, Ayame, and Silver, in spite of not being able to float. It was quite a testament to Ayame's skill at raising her pokemon, Sango would have to tip her hat to the other girl.
The next obstacle wasn't necessarily as challenging as the net dangling over the mud, but it was still rather difficult for them. After all, they had reached a long range of barbed wire stretched across the eight paths of the obstacle course, hanging over a large puddle of mud. It was hung low enough that the only way through was to crawl.
Sango and Ayame glanced at each other. They were already covered in mud, no sense in being shy about it. With a grin, they crouched down, and began to crawl under the mud.
It wasn't that it would be hard to get through, unlike the net there wasn't anything that either girl needed to do to keep their balance. It was all about crawling through the mud on their arms, as sore as they were.
Silver ducked under the barbed wire and Foof squeezed in after Ayame, and the two girls crawled through the mud, keeping low enough to the ground to keep the wires from pricking against their clothes.
Cynthia was cheering with everything she had. This was probably her favorite out of all the obstacle courses! After all, it had the two things that she was hoping for the most in an obstacle course filled with beautiful girls.
Mud, and the chance of clothes getting torn off.
Sango and Ayame might have been skinny enough and athletic enough to keep themselves close to the mud, but Cynthia was certain that the other girls were less likely to be able to make it through fully intact.
Serefina and her boobs… Cynthia was drooling at the thought of her wardrobe malfunctions, no matter how hard she tried there was no way Serefina could keep her chest pressed down enough to not scrape against the wire.
Maddi glanced at the perverse expression on Cynthia's face, and let out a sigh that went unheard over the raucous of the crowd. She had a feeling that Cynthia wasn't cheering on Sango at the moment, but thinking about something else entirely.
She turned her attention back to the screen. The girls were doing the best they could, and even if Maddi wasn't very invested in this contest, she could at least respect that, and cheer Sango on a little bit, as much as she didn't like joining in the applause.
It was the least she could do as one of Sango's friends, after all.
The competition is only getting more intense! Ayame and Sango are having a blast with their rivalry, but it looks like the other girls are starting to fall behind a little bit! Who will emerge the victor? We'll have to find out!