Now that we've taken a painful look at Blake's past, let's turn our attention back to the present, and his date with Ayame! They'll be apart for a while, so it's important that they end things on a high note, and talk out their issues!

KedharS: Yep, it was definitely too bad. Even back then Blake had zero faith in Sylvia's good intentions.

JoshGamerV: My mom's not a Valetty and it still worked for me.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 816

While Sylvia reminisced about that day in winter when she traveled back in time to get a look into Blake's past, the man in question was focused on thoughts of the future.

At least, that's what he should have been doing.

But at the moment, his mind was completely on the present, and his date with Ayame Toujou.

The future would bring their separation. Ayame would be going to the Orre Region in a few short days, and neither felt ready to part from the other just yet.

This date was intended to provide an opportunity for the two of them to really discuss about their relationship moving forward. They had both become conscious of the fact that they were a little too attached to one another, and while they both felt that some time apart would be good to handle their relationship and keep from growing dependent…

The fact remained that they were dependent. And because neither one could imagine living without the other, neither wanted to talk about that issue.

"I don't want Aya to go somewhere I can't look out for her and keep her safe. I know that she's capable of taking care of herself and it's not my duty to protect her, but the thought of anything happening to her while I'm not there just kills me!"

"I don't want to leave Blake alone. Whenever I'm around him, he reminds me that I'm not just some butch prince, but I'm special and deserving of love. Can I really be confident in myself if he's not there to console me when I need him most?"

These were the thoughts warring in Blake and Ayame's heads at this time, and the issues that this date was supposed to address. Blake and Ayame both needed to put their heads together and prepare for a time without the other, because even after the Orre Region trip came to its conclusion and they were reunited, they would be separated again.

And who KNOWS how long that separation would last for?

So it was vital that they overcame this problem in their relationship. If they didn't, then it was possible that things would only fester and their codependence would grow even more toxic and hazardous, until the point where their relationship collapsed into hostility and they would lose the other forever.

That, more than anything, was what they feared the most.

"Wow! You weren't kidding, this place is amazing!" Ayame said, staring up at the massive building in awe. "And you're saying that this whole building is a pokemon store?! All of it?! That's awesome, I can't believe it!"

…But right now, neither one was thinking such things.

Blake was happy that Aya was happy. He really hoped that she would enjoy this trip. He'd practically had to tie Cynthia down to make sure she didn't tag along.

This was a special day for the two of them. He didn't want anyone to interfere.

Especially if that someone was himself, with his worrisome thoughts.

Right now, my only concern is to make this the best day Aya could have, Blake decided. The time for discussing troublesome things would come later. He just wanted to see more of her beautiful smile at the moment.

"Can we go in already?" She turned to him, her eyes shining eagerly. They headed inside, Blake following her in as she practically dashed through the door.

…Yeah. The important things… we don't need to deal with them now. For now, just have as much fun as you want.

"So where do you want to check out first?" Blake asked, stepping up the internal map of the store. The place was so big that it was practically the size of a billboard.

"Humm… it doesn't say which floor the round pokemon are," Ayame sighed, stroking her chin in disappointment.

Blake doubled over, resisting the urge to burst out laughing.

"Hey!" Ayame exclaimed, her face turning scarlet. "Don't make fun!"

"I'm sorry Aya, that was just the cutest thing I've ever heard," Blake snorted. He nearly collapsed. The fact that Aya loved round pokemon and had a pile of stuffed pokemon plushes that were all round was one of the things that made his girlfriend so adorable.

"Round pokemon are cute! Stop it!" Ayame wailed, waving her hands in frustration. Her pout nearly stopped Blake's heart.

It took a while for Blake to regain his composure after that, but he didn't want to make a scene. "They separate the floors by pokemon type," he explained. "So there isn't really a 'round pokemon' floor, sorry."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Ayame sighed. She was still disappointed. "After all, all pokemon have different needs, but when it comes to pokemon that share the same typing their treatment and care is usually pretty similar. Fire types like the same types of foods, Bug types, Rock types, etc. So if you're going to run a store like this, allocating the staff by type specialization would probably be the way to go. The only other way I could think of would be egg groups, or specific physical traits, like furry pokemon, or scaly pokemon, but because the care can vary so widely between those, it isn't a suitable business practice unless you were appealing specifically to a breeder clientele, or are a very casual family store with limited stock and a small customer base."

Blake was giving her a funny look.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"…Right, I forget that you're also a member of the Caretaking Course sometimes," Blake laughed. He respected Serefina as an expert at pokemon breeding and caretaking, but sometimes he had to be reminded that Aya was two years her senior and had nearly completed the course, even if she was aiming for a different field.

"When it comes to Pokeathlon, knowledge of pokemon breeding and caretaking are must-haves," Ayame said, raising her head proudly. "You can consider my an expert on the subject!"

Blake applauded her. He didn't have the heart to say that he had major flashbacks to Kate's long rambling monologues from the last time he came here.

"So is there any floor you're particularly interested in, then?" He asked, trying to change the subject. Now that he thought about it, Aya didn't really have a favorite pokemon type, did she? She raised all different kinds.

"Hmm, what about… oh!" Ayame was surprised by what she found when she scanned the store listings. "They have Dragon type pokemon here?"

Blake was surprised. "You want to go to the Dragon type section? But you don't even have a Dragon type… wait, are you looking to get a new pokemon?"

He had intended this to just be about showing her around the store, he had no idea that she was considering actually making a purchase! Unless…

Oh no! Because we're going to be separated, she's going to buy a new pokemon she can use to fill in the gap in her heart! Aaargh, that's so cute! But no, Aya, that's bad, don't you get it?! This is the wrong way to handle your emotional problems! Don't try to compensate with a big gesture like this, buying a pokemon is a huge step!

"No, not really," Ayame said, her assurance doing wonders to ease the panic in Blake's heart. Relief washed over him and he sighed.

"Phew, I almost panicked for a second there… I don't know what Callie's thinking, bringing her Jangmo-o with her to Orre," Blake said.

"I think it's sweet, but you're right, she definitely needs to take care and make sure she can look after it," Ayame agreed. "I asked her if she would like any help from me, but she always seems a little guarded and wary around me…"

Ayame felt a little sad about that. Her relationship with Callie wasn't BAD per se, but they definitely weren't anything close to close. Callie was just… always uncomfortable around her, for some reason. She wished she knew why.

It's your height. It's definitely your height, Blake silently answered her question. But he had too much care to actually say that out loud.

"So if you're not going to purchase, why the interest in dragons?" Blake asked. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with it, I'm all for it. Let's go!"

Not even giving her time to answer, Blake headed for the elevators. Ayame laughed, he was so eager, just like a little kid!

"It's because dragons are infamously difficult to raise," Ayame explained as she joined him in the elevator. "They require a lot of supervision and very intense schedules, and their regiments for training are difficult. If you level them up to a certain point, it becomes really hard to raise them further. Basically, they're the kind of pokemon that need a lot of time and dedication to raise well."

"So you're curious about how they're raising the dragons?" Blake asked. He could definitely imagine that. When he thought of dragon trainers, people like Erik came to his mind. The work that Erik had done with Sarah was amazing.

"Exactly, plus, I want to see what kind of people come to a shop like this looking for Dragon types, too," Ayame agreed. "Because Dragon types are really hard to raise, especially ones that are placed in captive environments like this one. They're very much attuned to being wild pokemon, so raising them as pets must be a struggle."

She smiled a little. "Plus, after that whole thing with Reed, well… I can't say I wasn't a little curious about Dragon types myself, anyone would be."

The battle between Darla and Reed had wowed her, and so had the performances on the showcase contest. Dragon type pokemon definitely had their own charms, even though it validated her concerns that dragons were really powerful and unwieldy.

Blake stared at her face and felt himself go pale. Regardless of what she said, that was definitely a face of someone considering buying a Dragon type pokemon.

"H-Hey, Aya… can I ask you something?" Blake was trying very hard to sound casual when he brought it up, in fear of rubbing her the wrong way.

"Hmm? Of course, what's up?"

"Just curious… there aren't any round Dragon type pokemon, are there?" He asked, hoping that there weren't.

"Round… oh! Yeah, there definitely are!" Ayame said, her bright and shining eyes destroying Blake's hopes.

"R-Really…" He was already starting to panic.

"Yep. Shelgon, of course, but those will eventually evolve into Salamence, as I'm sure you know," Ayame noted. "Um… what else… oh, Applin, of course, though those are a bit more apple-shaped, and Goomy are pretty round, too!"

Great. At this point, Aya buying a Dragon was practically a certainty.

As horrified by the prospect as he was, though, he couldn't help but picture Aya's face, smiling and hugging a brand-new pokemon.

…Wow, I really am just that weak, huh? He sighed to himself, smiling. Even though I know it's not the right thing to do, I still want to see that smile when she gets one…

Whether or not it was healthy didn't matter, if it made Aya happy he'd buy her the whole damn pokemon store.

The elevator dinged and they stepped out into the Dragon section. It was a lot higher up than the Poison types were, probably because Dragons, like Flying type pokemon, did better at higher altitudes on the whole.

This section of the store was also a lot different to make up for that. For one thing, it was a lot less crowded. That was a surprise, Blake expected that a weekend would have a bigger crowd. But then he figured that it was probably because, like Aya had said, it was a lot harder to raise Dragon types than Poison types.

Well, I suppose Kate will be happy about that, the idea that Poison types beat something out in terms of popularity, Blake had to admit.

Another thing that was different was that there were a lot less pokemon. Not just because there were more types of Poison pokemon than dragons, but even the species that they did have, they had a lot less specimens of.

To make up for this, the enclosures were a lot bigger, and a lot more individually-spaced. A whole section of the store, the entire far wall and its corners, was set up as an imitation of a rock face, with a large number of interconnected caves. Deino, Axew, Bagon, and Jangmo-o each had their own sections of the wall that they occupied, separated by glass screens. On another wall was a separate cave complex, host to a nest of Noibat.

Meanwhile, in the center of the room was a massive enclosure that resembled a pristine lake. There were four Dratini that made it their home. There were three separate water enclosures, in fact. One was more marshy, in an entire enclosed dome (presumably to adjust for humidity) and was home to a pile of Goomy, while the other was more in the styling of a beach, where a pair of Dreepy rested under a palm tree.

There was even a forest area home to some Applin. And a recreation of a sandy desert with a rock enclosure that was for Gible.

Blake was surprised. While the Poison floor had enclosures like this, most of the pokemon were in their own cages. Perhaps it was because they had a greater number of pokemon and more of a variety, so they had to be conservative with their space. But here it looked like every pokemon was given its own little habitat.

It was like being in a miniature zoo.

"Hey there! How can I help you two today?"

Blake and Ayame turned to see a man walk up to them in work clothes, his apron giving him away. He wasn't what they expected. For someone who worked with Dragon types, both of them expected him to be a lot more… imposing.

This guy looked exactly like how a temp worker for a pokemon store should look, like just some random dude. It was so surprising they weren't sure what to say.

"I'm Jason, are you in the market for a Dragon type pokemon? We have about the best selection you could hope for!"

Ayame recovered first.

"Hey there, no, we're not looking to buy anything today," she admitted. "I just came by to browse stuff with my b-boyfriend." It had taken more out of her than she'd expected to say boyfriend, but she was happy she'd managed to get it out.

"Cool, gotcha. But if there's anything I can help you with, please just let me know!" He said, flashing her a smile.

Jason would soon learn to regret his offer.

"In that case, and I ask you about some of your caretaking methods?!" Ayame asked, practically knocking him over with her eagerness. "What do you feed them every day? How do you maintain their conditions? I took a quick look, and these pokemon are all in great shape! Is there a special exercise regiment your store specializes in? I would love to talk a little more about that, I've been dying to know! Dragon types are really difficult to raise after all, and…"

Blake watched Aya go off on the young employee, who was looking more and more haggard by the second. He had to smile. As long as she was having fun, that was good enough for him. He decided to leave her to her questioning, and went to go observe some of the pokemon.

His first stop was the Goomy enclosure. And he had to admit, he could see the appeal. Their moist, squishy bodies were some of the most adorable things he had ever seen, they were just like Uni, so soft and cute!

He had a feeling that Aya would fall in love immediately if she held one. Thankfully they were safely in their environmental dome.

"Cute, huh?"

Blake was startled. He hadn't even heard the woman come up to him. She leaned against the railing and flashed a smile his way. She was shorter than him, about Cynthia's height, but curvier. And the similarities didn't end there. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief and she wore a catlike grin on her pretty face. Her hair was an odd shade of purple, rolling down her back like a waterfall, but what really stood out were her clothes.

Her outfit was, to put it bluntly, loud.

She wore a sleeveless black dress with a lace corset, decorated in gold trimming. Definitely not the kind of fancy dress that someone would go pokemon shopping in. Her shoes were far from casual as well, expensive-looking heels over black stockings. Her black choker was the finishing touch, and she wore a designer handbag over her shoulder.

Frankly put, she looked like the kind of woman who belonged on the set of a movie studio somewhere, not in the pokemon section. Was this the kind of person who bought Dragon types?

"I-I guess they are, yeah," he agreed, a little caught off-guard. He hadn't expected someone like her to talk to him. If not for his relationship with Olivia he might have been too intimidated to say a word.

"Not as cute as you, though," the woman added on, crinkling her nose and smiling. "The way your face lit up when you were staring at those little Goomy, I just had to come over here and start a conversation."

"Uh…" Blake was blown away by this woman's forwardness. Not even Cynthia was this blatant! He'd like to think she was just being friendly and this was all one big misunderstanding, but this woman was clearly staring at him with desire in her eyes, he could tell. Blake considered himself something of an expert when it came to noticing when girls were attracted to him.

Back at the Pokemon Academy, Sango sneezed.

"I-I was just thinking that my girlfriend would really like to hold one," he said, clearing his throat. He made sure to emphasize that he was spoken for in the hopes that this girl would get the hint.

"Your girlfriend, she the tall brunette with the nice legs and ass?" The girl asked, thankfully changing the topic away from how cute she found him.

"Yep, that's her," Blake said, smiling proudly.

"Not bad, you're a lucky man," she said, nodding approvingly. "That girl's quite a catch." She slid her eyes back to him and smirked. "Although if you ask me, she's a lot luckier, getting to be with a guy like you."

Okay. DEFINITELY Cynthia vibes.

"Uhum, um, listen, I-"

"My name's Donoma," she said, handing him a slip of paper. It was her phone number. She winked at him. "She's going to be busy for a while, it looks like, so why don't we sneak out and have some fun of our own?"

Blake was shocked. This woman… was she actually suggesting-?!

"I have a girlfriend!" He practically shouted, his fear of drawing Aya over here the only thing controlling his volume.

"And I," she replied, "have a flight to catch tomorrow, and a hotel suite." She wiggled her eyes suggestively. "Come on now, no one has to know."

That wasn't the point! He couldn't believe the nerve of this woman, coming onto him so directly, even when she knew he had a girlfriend! He opened his mouth to berate her for her unbelievable rudeness, but he never got the chance.

"Hey!" Aya stormed over to them, her eyes filled with anger. "What's going on here?" She asked.

Blake felt his heart stop in his chest. How much had she heard?

Damn! Who is this chick? Coming in so aggressively and trying to get Blake into bed? Yikes, definitely sounds like bad news. Not the best thing for their date!