Donoma Marama was a bit of a problem, and she was definitely messing up their date. But now that she's gone, we're all set to get back on track! Will Blake and Ayame have a fun time? Will Ayame calm herself by hugging the Goomies? The date isn't over yet, there's more cuteness to be found! Remember to review!

KedharS: Hopefully.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 818

"Haaaaaaaaaah… I'm recovering… fully rejuvenated…" Ayame sighed, nuzzling a Goomy against her cheek. The soft squishiness of the Dragon type pokemon was cleansing her of the unpleasantness of Donoma Marama.

Blake sighed in relief. He was glad that Aya seemed to be enjoying herself again. Luckily one of the clerks said that it was totally fine for her to hold one of the Goomy. She couldn't take ALL of them out, but one seemed to be enough.

"It's really cute," Blake said, reaching out to pet it. He was curious what it felt like, because it looked like, well, a gummy.

Aya pulled it away from him.

"…Huh?" Blake was so surprised by that he didn't even know what to say.

He tried to pet it again, and Aya slipped away again.

Now he was confused. Aya… wasn't letting him pet the Goomy?

"I'm sorry, Blake," Ayame said, her face shockingly intense. "But even if it's you… I won't hand this Goomy over to anyone."

Her voice was so serious Blake felt his heart stop.

"…Muuu…" She softened immediately as she squished the Goomy against her cheek again. "Ah… Goomy, so round and cute… soft and squishy… need Goomy…"

She looked at Blake with the sweetest face in the world, batting her eyelashes. "Blake… would it be okay if I-"

"Absolutely not."

Now it was Ayame's turn to die.

"I'm not giving him back! I won't! He's mine now!" Ayame insisted, hugging the Goomy so hard she practically squished it flat. Her eyes were burning fiercely. "This is my child, and I won't surrender him to anyone!"

Blake sighed. This was exactly what he'd feared. As happy as he was that Aya was so happy now thanks to this Goomy, one of them had to be responsible.

"Look, Aya, you're going to the Orre Region tomorrow," Blake reminded her. "Don't you think it's a little irresponsible to buy a brand new pokemon and then take it with you to a new region?"

Ayame couldn't deny that was true, but she still tried anyway. "B-But… but squishy…"

"Aya, you've already filled out your resource applications for food and caretaking supplies with the Caretaking Course, they aren't equipped to handle another pokemon for you," Blake continued. Beating on Aya with these facts hurt, but someone had to.

"B-But… squishy!" She insisted, practically in tears.

"Aya, you're going to the Orre Region! Think about what's best for the Goomy!" Blake didn't want to fight over this, and that meant Aya was probably going to win in the end. But he had to at least make the argument for the Goomy's sake and try to talk some sense into her.

Shadows crossed Ayame's face.

"The fucking Orre Region trip… I should just skip it… no, even better, the whole Orre Region should just fucking explode…" She muttered, dark aura emanating off her as she clutched the Goomy.

This is some really crazy stuff she's saying right now! Blake was very quickly starting to feel unsafe. "H-Hey, Aya…"

"But… it's so cute…" she wanted to cry. This Goomy was just the most lovable thing in the world, his soft squishiness soothed her.

Oh fuck. He couldn't do it. The way she was looking at him, the way she was looking at that Goomy, it was just too much.

Of course, neither one of them put the pieces together that Ayame was a grown woman who could damn well buy the Goomy if she wanted to, Blake's permission be damned.

Why do I feel like a dad whose kid is asking him to buy her a toy? Blake questioned the choices that had led to this route. His girlfriend was really forcing this hard.

And like any doting father, he knew that he was going to give in eventually. He sighed in resignation and hung his head. There was no getting past this, was there? "Look, Aya…"

"Hmm?" Ayame looked innocently up at him, her eyes sparkling hopefully. The Goomy was staring hopefully as well.

He couldn't do it.

"Okay…" He sighed. "You can get the Goomy."

Seeing the way she lit up with joy made it all worthwhile. She practically threw herself onto him, hugging him so tightly he could swear he heard his ribs breaking.

"Oh, thank you, thank you Blake!" She gushed at him. "This is the best date ever! I can't thank you enough for this!"

"Wait, wait, there are some conditions first," Blake said, pulling away from her and giving the Goomy some space to breathe.

"…What conditions?" Ayame asked, staring suspiciously at him. She didn't hear anything about any conditions.

"You can't take him with you to the Orre Region."

Ayame died again.

"B-But squishy!" She wailed. "I'm gonna need him there to deal with not having you around! Because he's so soft and lovable and cute!"

"Okay, yes, I get that you want your pokemon," Blake said. "But remember what I said. You don't have the resources to take care of him while you're up there, you'll be bringing him into a hostile environment without getting him used to it, while trying to bond with him. That's not okay, remember how hard it was for my Skorupi when I took him to Mt. Silver with you?"

"But you still managed! Silver was fine!" Ayame reminded him.

"Yeah, but that was because we had a lot of preparation. And I don't think you can make those preparations in the time we have," Blake reminded her. "Aya, you're PART of the Caretaking Course, you know how hazardous it can be to bring a pokemon into a new environment before they're ready. Goomy isn't just there for your satisfaction, you know."

"…But…" Ayame knew that Blake was right, of course, she couldn't just buy a Goomy and take him somewhere like the Orre Region the next day. She only knew the general requirements and methods about taking care of a Goomy, even though she could see how good his condition was. She couldn't just take him along as a stress ball.

But he was so cute! She would need him up there!

"…Fine." In the end, she chose what was best for the Goomy, even though it would break her heart to be parted from him.

"Um… and if you want… since you'll be going to Orre… I can take care of him for you while you're gone," Blake said, glancing shyly away from her. He knew that was a really big ask, but he wanted to make her happy, and that would be the best thing for the both of them.

"Really? You'd really do that for me?" Aya looked like she was going to cry again. But this time, they would be tears of joy.

"Of course, and, well… it would kind of make things easier for me, too, you know," Blake said. "Since that way, I can take care of your Goomy, and it's like… well, you know how it is. Like I have a part of you here with me?"

Why was he saying something that sappy? It made him feel like a total idiot! But it was definitely working. Aya looked like she was going to die from a mixture of joy and embarrassment, which was exactly the face he wanted to see from her.

"…Thanks," Ayame smiled. Her heart was soothed by her boyfriend's consideration. She hadn't come here today expecting to get a pokemon, but she was glad that Blake was going to help her take care of him.

Of course, Blake had come in here knowing that his girlfriend was almost certainly going to be getting a Goomy, but he hadn't said anything.

"…You can hold him, now," Ayame said, handing the Goomy over to Blake. It broke her heart to do it, but she wanted to show her appreciation to Blake.

"Thanks," Blake said, taking the pokemon from her. Goomy were drier than he'd expected, they weren't at all slimy. The little guy was just kind of soft and squishy, like a big blob of gummy bears. Nice and cool, like holding a soft piece of squishy rubber.

"Aww, it looks like you're falling for him a little, too," Ayame smirked, feeling a wave of victory that the Goomy had managed to win Blake over. Of course he couldn't resist when he was holding the pokemon himself!

"…Okay give him back." Ayame's generosity had its limits, after all, she needed to get that Goomy back in her arms. She moved to grab it, but Blake pulled it out of her reach.

Her jaw dropped in shock.

"Blake!"

"No. He's mine now." Blake wanted Aya to be happy, but this and that were separate issues. Aya could get her own Goomy, he wasn't going to let this one go no matter what.

"Give him back!"

"No! Never!"

"You dick!"

The touching moment between the two of them was a distant memory. This date had been about bringing them closer together, but now it looked like their relationship was going to dissolve over a bloody custody battle.

It took a lot longer than it should have to come to an agreement.

"Okay, I'll hold him for ten minutes, then you can have him for twenty," Ayame agreed. "Then I get to hold him again for twenty minutes, and you can have him for ten, and we'll alternate like that, is that okay?"

Blake wasn't convinced.

"Are you going to keep your word?" He asked suspiciously.

"Are you saying you don't trust your girlfriend?!" Ayame exclaimed.

"I trust you to be head over heels for this Goomy," he responded. "As much as I love you, Aya, I won't compromise when it comes to this Goomy!"

He did pass it back to her, though, feeling a hole leave his heart as he did.

But he didn't mind. He liked that Goomy quite a lot, but at the end of the day, it wasn't about the Goomy and its cuteness. He loved it because Aya loved it, and seeing that smile on her face as she took him back into her arms was enough.

"Okay, that's good, are you satisfied?" Ten minutes seemed like an eternity.

Ayame burst out laughing and Blake joined her.

"Come on," she said, wiping the tears of relief from her eyes. "We still have some shopping to do, you know. And you're treating."

"What?! Why?!" Blake didn't agree to that.

"Well, you're the one who's going to be taking care of him for the first few months, right?" She reminded him. "So we have to get stuff that you'll be comfortable with holding."

"Yeah, but he's YOUR pokemon!" Blake reminded her. Even though he was 50/50 on whether or not he would give her the Goomy back when she came back from Orre.

"And you're MY date. And aren't you supposed to spoil me rotten, Mr. Moneybags?" She reminded him, smirking.

"Oh, NOW you care about my money, huh?" Blake scowled. "I knew it was like that!"

"Yep, that's how it is," she winked, elbowing him in the side. "All this time I've just been biding my time, waiting for you to reach the point where you agreed to buy me a Goomy. You've uncovered my master scheme!"

Blake thought about it for a moment. "You know, I gotta say, it's definitely worth it. I don't have any complaints."

The two burst out laughing again, walking to the cashier. It was the guy from earlier. His face went pale when he saw Ayame approaching, worried he was about to get drawn into another discussion. But his eyes landed on the Goomy and he sighed in relief, realizing they were just here to make a purchase. His professional smile returned.

"Ah! So it looks like you two decided to buy a pokemon after all!"

"Yep!" Ayame chirped. She nuzzled the Goomy. "I just couldn't help myself, this little guy is just so lovable!"

"Well, I'm sure you know that Dragon type pokemon are exceptionally difficult to raise and take care of," Jason reminded her. From what she'd said to him earlier he didn't think that was much of a problem, but he still needed to make sure.

"Yeah, don't worry," Ayame assured him. "I'm part of the Caretaking Course back at the Pokemon Academy, so I know all about raising pokemon."

"Then you must know that when Goomy aren't in their pokeballs, they need to grow in a certain level of humidity," Jason reminded her. "We sell enclosures for them that can be climate controlled, I'm assuming you're interested?"

"Yes, one of those, please," Ayame nodded. "And also, what food do you have? I saw earlier that you stock pokemon food for each individual species, and… actually, Blake, can you go get me some? It should have a Goomy on the bag."

Blake had seen this coming. He nodded and headed back into the shelves, looking for the special pokemon food for Goomy.

He found it pretty quickly since the bags were the same color pattern as Goomy. And what he saw inside was the most adorable thing ever. The pokemon food wasn't in pellet form, or even paste form. The bag was full of squishy gummies, each one individually wrapped and shaped like a Goomy. It was like something you would see in a candy store.

Aya was gonna love these.

He grabbed a few bags and returned to the counter, setting them down.

"What?! They're gummies!?" Aya's reaction was exactly as he'd anticipated.

"…Humans can eat these too, right?" She asked hopefully.

Blake didn't like the sound of THAT. "Uh, Aya, I don't think that's such a great-"

"Nope. That's real bad for you," Jason confirmed, shaking his head. "…But a lot of stores do sell ones for people. They're just candies though."

"Done. Sold. As many as you have in stock."

"This is a pokemon store," he laughed. "We don't sell stuff like that."

Ayame scowled. The dark aura from earlier returned.

"This fucking pokemon store… it should just fucking explode…"

Okay, this was getting out of hand fast.

"Goom!" The Goomy chirped, wiggling a little in Ayame's arms. And that right there was enough to blow away the negative feelings she'd had.

Jason put the enclosure on the counter. It was a lot bigger than Blake had expected. "Um… can we have that shipped to us, actually?" He gave Jason his mailing information so he could have the cage shipped over to him.

"Okay, now the last step, I need to see your trainer ID card, so we can register the Goomy as your pokemon, and then you can pick out the type of pokeball you want for him," Jason said, reaching beneath the counter. He took out a wide, flat stand and set it down on the glass. Blake and Ayame looked at the wide selection of pokeballs.

Ayame handed over her ID card for him to scan, while she herself scanned the pokeballs with interest. Blake was glad she was taking her time, it was definitely a hard-

"Luxury Ball please!" Ayame decided immediately.

"Are you sure, miss? That one's very expensive," Jason warned her.

"The Luxury Balls are the ones that make a pokemon happier and friendlier, right?" Ayame asked, staring longingly at the shiny black and gold pokeball. "They help increase the bond between trainer and pokemon, and I want my Goomy to be as happy as possible."

Blake was happy for her, even though he knew his wallet was probably going to take a major blow from this shopping trip.

"Okay, well, thank you for your purchase, then!" Jason was happy either way. He ran up the total and then printed something out. "Here, please fill out the information on this sheet, and then you can take your pokemon."

"Got it!" Ayame snatched up the form and moved out of the way so other customers could get through, going off to fill it out.

While she was doing that, Blake had some questions of his own for the clerk.

"I have a question. I was going around looking at the pokemon, and I noticed you only have primary pokemon," he noted. "Is there a reason for that?"

"Oh!" Jason said, surprised. He wasn't used to questions like that. "Yeah, when it comes to the evolution of Dragon type pokemon, we don't stock them because they're difficult to raise, and not a lot of people are interested in owning them. There are also issues of raising properly, and we don't feel comfortable selling them to anyone of the street. If a trusted customer places a special order then we can try to accommodate them, but otherwise, no, we only deal in primaries."

Blake nodded, that made a lot of sense. "Well, I'm gonna go browse around for a little," he said, turning and heading for the enclosures. He decided to pass the time looking at the different Dragon types the store had in stock. Aya came to get him when it was time to pay.

He didn't even want to look at the bill. But it was a major chunk.

"Okay," he sighed, reaching for his wallet, but Aya stopped him.

"I was kidding, you know," she laughed, taking out her card and handing it over. "This is my pokemon, after all, of course I'm going to pay."

Blake was relieved.

"I scared you though, didn't I?" She giggled. She'd had the food and enclosure mailed to Blake's address, while she cradled the Luxury Ball containing her Goomy with love.

The two of them left the pokemon store hand in hand. There was more browsing they could have done, sure, but the day was good enough already.

"Hey… thanks," Ayame said, turning to Blake and smiling. "I really appreciate that you were okay with me getting a new pokemon. And that you're going to look after him for a little while. I know that kind of takes a bit out of you, so don't think I don't appreciate it."

Blake smiled back at her. "It's okay," he laughed. "Don't worry about it. It's not the first time I've had to look after a pokemon for someone I love."

Memories of his sister kind of spoiled the mood. But Ayame didn't mind. She just smiled.

"It's really sweet of you. This has been a great date so far."

Blake smiled back at her. "…Yeah. It has. …Your ten minutes are up, gimme."

"You jerk!" Ayame laughed, swatting at him.

Aww! Ayame got a new pokemon! And in the meantime, Blake's going to be looking after him! Meanwhile, we've got the two of them getting closer than ever on their date, how nice!