Olivia's group is hitting the town! They've got some fun, but there are other issues, too, namely the fact that they're traveling with a fishing addict, and she can't get her fix! That's quite a problem, hopefully Marion won't go too nuts.

Rowlets and Oshawotts: It's fun to have fun with characters I don't get to use very much.

KedharS: And mama needs her fix bad.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: All work and no fishing makes Marion a dull girl.

KentcasLol: Thanks!

JoshGamerV: It's a real problem.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 867

"Uwaaah! This one smells just like my Aromatisse!" Lila crooned, taking a big whiff out of the scented candle. "Here, Darla, take a sniff!" She said, turning to her partner and handing her the candle for a smell.

"Uh… thanks," Darla said, awkwardly smelling it before handing it back to her. Lila had way more of a thing for scented candles than she did.

"It's great, huh?" Lila gushed, ignorant of how much Darla didn't really care about the aroma of a couple of candles. She was all-in on herself at this point, having brought her own tote bag from her luggage and shoveling candles of all sorts inside.

"Interesting, they don't just have candles based on natural aromas, but they also have several based on particularly fragrant pokemon," Lukas noted, taking a sniff of one that promised to smell as nice as a Roserade.

"According to the guidebook, it's because the Orre Region doesn't have many wild pokemon," Hiromi was eager to inform them. "So a lot of customers want to at least experience the scents of wild pokemon, anyway."

"That's… kind of weird," Lukas said, returning the candle to where he'd found it. Olivia was quick to snatch it up, putting it in her own shopping bag.

"Yeah, I don't get the appeal of sniffing pokemon either," Allen said, shrugging. This whole "scented candle" business wasn't exactly doing it for him at the moment, but he kept a restrained smile on his face while the others went along.

"Ooooh, they have Alcremie!" Lila practically screamed, running across the shop to the wide selection of Alcremie scents. "Ooooh, Mint Cream with Blueberry Sweets, Salted Caramel with Flower Sweets, oh, I could just die!"

Allen sighed, and forced a smile to his face. They were going to be here a while, it looked like.

At least Darla was able to be happy for her friend. She walked over to Lila and sniffed some of the candles with her.

Meanwhile, Ayame just kind of felt out of place. Stuff like scented candles always seemed to her like a "girly" hobby, and it wasn't really something she ever concerned herself with. She didn't even wear perfume. So she just stood awkwardly off to the side and tried not to get in the way.

Then she spotted familiar-looking picture hung beneath one of the candles, featuring a Goomy, and it brought a smile to her face. She remembered her own Goomy back home, and wondered how Blake was handling things.

Well, it couldn't hurt to be a little girly, right? She picked up the candle and gave it a quick sniff. It smelled like gummy candies, just like her squishy little darling!

"Picture it! The cool and suave prince of the track club Ayame Toujou, squealing over scented candles like a schoolgirl!" Donoma's voice-over drained the smile off her face and she quickly put the candle back, turning to shoot her a glare.

Donoma was undaunted, her smile just as big as always.

"Stricken dumb, the beautiful Ayame Toujou gets flustered by her colleagues seeing she can fight it with the other girls," Donoma cackled, making a camera with her fingers. "Featuring rare, behind-the-scenes footage of what the real track star is like when she thinks the camera isn't looking!"

Ayame didn't say a word. She just stormed over to the other girl, getting up close and personal. She loomed over the purple-haired girl and used her height and imposing figure to up her intimidating elements, glaring down at her.

Donoma suddenly got the impression that this was a very bad idea.

"H-Hey, come on now, I'm just kidding around," she said, smiling placidly and backing away, bumping into a shelf and knocking off a few candles. "You don't have to get all mad about it, come on! It's just for fun…"

Ayame didn't look like she was having all that much fun. Between this, the heat, and what happened earlier today at the pool, she was in a bad mood all around.

It didn't help that she missed her boyfriend and was trying to push past those feelings, either. She was just irritable all around, and even her mom coming to chaperone, which should have been a great pickup for her, wasn't helping very much.

But at least Olivia looked like she was having fun. That would have to be good enough for now. Ayame looked past where she had Donoma basically pinned down, and saw that Olivia was checking out another batch of scented candles, from the store's assortment of rose scents. Ayame could at least be happy that she was enjoying herself.

"S-So… c-can you let me go?" Donoma asked, trembling a little. She might have been a big fan of Ayame's, but her fanaticism drew the line at being twisted into a pretzel by the giant girl. She just wanted to make a great show off of her star, that was all! No need for Ayame to get all upset and pissy about things!

"Whatever," Ayame muttered, stalking away. She snagged the candle from earlier on her way to the counter, having made a decision.

Donoma let out the breath she was holding, and a shaky smile spread across her lips. Ayame was so much fun! The way she could go from flustered to angry, to awkward again, it was so real and human that Donoma just HAD to be the one to capture it, damn it!

She just needed to be careful about the girl's temper.

Meanwhile, Lila and Darla were still checking out candles.

"Honestly, Lila, I don't get what you like about this stuff," Darla sighed, setting down a scented candle that was apparently supposed to carry the aroma of a sunset, whatever that meant. To Darla is smelled kinda orangey. "Like… can't you just go outside if you want to experience the freshness of nature or something?"

Lila rolled her eyes, of course Darla wouldn't get it. "Sure, Darla, where am I going to find 'Tropical Coconut Tantalization' in the Orre Region? It's not like this place is known for its lush aromas, we're in an arid desert.

"…Okay but you live on an island with a lovely forest, lakes, and even a mountain," Darla reminded her, gesturing at the other girl's bag. "Do you really need 'Pine Scent Pleasure'? Come on, Lila, you can't just buy EVERYTHING."

Lila stared at Darla for a few seconds and then smirked.

"Watch. Me."

In spite of the store's wide selection of scents, it wasn't all that big. It was pressed up against the boardwalk, and one of the larger stores on it, to be sure, but with the entire group crammed inside of it there was barely enough room to walk around. The Orre Region didn't have much in the way of tourism, so a store that would have been a hole in the wall somewhere else was practically the flagship attraction here. And Lila was intent on buying them out completely. Everywhere she looked, she saw another scented candle that she just HAD to have.

She was going to need a bigger tote bag.

Luckily, most of the others were a bit more manageable about what they wanted to buy. Lukas and Allen weren't all that interested, while Giselle hung back herself, not really "getting" the whole point of the candles just like Ayame.

But unlike Ayame she was a shopaholic by nature same as Lila, so she couldn't help but snag a couple just on principle.

"Oh, what's that one you've got there?" Celia asked her, interested in the candle that Giselle just picked up.

Giselle held it up to her nose and inhaled, relishing in the scent of the sea breeze. "It's 'Ocean Splendor', and it's just darling!" She giggled, moving to put it away in her bag. But Celia caught her hand and shook her head.

"…Huh?" Giselle asked, confused at what Celia was doing.

"Uh… maybe you should give that one here," she mused, a grim look on her face. "Sorry, but I think there's someone who might need it more than you…"

She nodded over her shoulder and jammed her thumb behind her, pointing at a rather amusing, if tragic, sight.

"Come on, Marion, stand up," Jessie sighed. "It's okay, there's nothing to worry about. You'll be fine for a few hours."

Jessie was trying her damnedest to pull Marion to her feet, but she wasn't getting anywhere with the poor girl. Marion was rocking back and forth in a fugue, curled up in a ball in the corner of the store and clutching her hat to her head so hard it looked like she might break right through it.

Giselle winced, giving Celia a look.

"Uh, are you sure that's…" Giselle didn't even get a chance to spit out her question because there was a lull in the murmur of the other students, and she could suddenly hear that Marion was muttering something to herself.

"Can't fish… need to fish… can't fish… need to, need to clean… get all the fishies out of the water… gotta purify my thoughts… gotta be clean… pull fishies out of the water, get them nice and safe and clean… alone, just me… clean everybody… clean the people… gotta pull all the nice little fishies out of people's skulls…"

Giselle's jaw dropped and she looked at Celia with shock.

"She's exaggerating," Celia sighed. She didn't look all that sure about her statement, though. "I-I mean, I think…"

Marion was just playing around, right? She sounded like a raving psychotic off of her medication, which wasn't a very good sign. This seemed a lot worse than a drug withdrawal.

Giselle found herself agreeing with Celia. Maybe giving it to Marion was the best course of action for all their sakes. She didn't want to wake up in the morning gutted like a Goldeen or have her skin peeled off like scales.

Celia went to the register and bought the candle, shoving it into a paper bag and then slapping it into Marion's hands. Marion went at it like crazy, huffing into the bag like someone trying to decompress from a panic attack.

It was definitely a sight. They didn't stay at the candle shop too long after that.

"So, where to next?" Olivia asked, delighting in Marion's state of withdrawal. "The butcher? Or the baker?"

"It's getting to be around that time," Hiromi said, checking her watch. Her stomach was starting to rumble. "What do you guys think about finding a restaurant for some-"

"TAFFY!" Lila squealed, her eyes landing on a store named "The Taffy Barrel". She grabbed Darla by the hand and practically dragged her towards the candy shop with glee.

Everyone glanced at each other and sighed. Hiromi rolled her eyes and shut the guidebook. It was becoming pretty apparent who was ACTUALLY dictating the pace of this little sightseeing trip, that was for sure.

After getting their taffy (Lila had insisted on trying every single flavor, much to the shock of everyone else) they were finally going off to get lunch. There was a joint for fish and fries down by the shore, which was a relief to Marion.

The restaurant was a specialty place, that advertised their food as being freshly caught. Because of this, they'd set up shop right over the water, and if one looked between the slats of the plank floor of the deck they were eating on, it was actually possible to see the waves beneath. It was Marion's sort of place. Being this close to the sea breeze was at least helping her cope, and she didn't need the paper bag with the candle anymore.

At the same time, though, everyone could see that she was starting to get a little twitchy. Her eyes kept shifting to the gentle waves, and it was apparent to all what she would rather be doing than eating fish. Even Hiromi was starting to regret forcing Marion to come without her fishing pole, and she didn't even know the girl, or her reputation.

Marion was still getting as much enjoyment out of this place as she could, though. Even if she couldn't fish herself, she was still a girl with an immense appreciation for places populated by fishers like her, so she was happy to try their wares.

Which translated to one of everything on the menu.

The staff of the restaurant were treating Marion like a queen, and for the people who knew why she was here, they realized that she must have been one of their regulars. In fact, maybe she had even sold a fish or twenty to their restaurant just because she could, although that was a little less likely given the necessity of pokemon conservation in this area.

It at least made for an interesting lunch topic, and one Marion was happy to discuss in great detail. Which made for a nice change of pace given her earlier… instability in the other stores they'd visited that day.

"Oh yeah, no, I don't sell fish here," Marion explained. "In fact, trading in pokemon is illegal in the Orre Region, even when it comes to selling to licensed businesses. That's because the Orre Region is classified as an endangered area, so all wild pokemon found here are considered to be protected species. No catching is allowed in Orre at all!"

She tilted her head to the side, confused. "They… didn't explain any of this to you guys when you were signing up to go on the field trip? Yeah, you're not allowed to catch wild pokemon. It's necessary for us to get the numbers back up."

No one wanted to admit that they'd skimmed the teachers' instructions.

"So wait, why are you eating so much, then?" Lila asked, gesturing to the mountain of plates gathered around Marion like moons orbiting Jupiter.

"Oh, these? These weren't caught in the Orre Region," Marion explained. "No, places like this have to hire sailors to go out into the deep waters to capture wild pokemon, because the population in the surrounding seas are too sparse due to all the runoff. Back at the lab, we're working on containing and neutralizing the damage in order to being repopulation efforts, but it's a really difficult process so we've got a long way to go."

Hiromi was actually the most interested in what Marion was talking about. "Actually, I work hard at keeping my home a safe habitat for wild pokemon, too," she said, thinking fondly of her days as a caretaker of Mt. Silver. "I totally understand your meaning when it comes to making sure the environment is looked after."

"Isn't that the job of the Pokemon Rangers?" Lukas asked, confused. "I mean, no offense, but that sounds like the sort of thing that they'd be handling."

Marion rolled her eyes. "Yeah, no duh. Why do you think I'm in the Ranger Course back at school? Because Pokemon Conservation is really closely linked to being a Pokemon Ranger. But where rangers have more of a reactionary stance to efforts in helping the environment, Pokemon Conservationists are more proactive, taking steps to ensure that pokemon can live in healthy ecosystems so as to maintain consistent population growth. That's one of the key things that we work at back at the lab, making sure that what parts of Orre are still sustainable for wild pokemon remain that way."

"Uh… yeah, that sounds pretty cool," Lukas said, pretending like he understood a damn thing about what Marion had just said.

"You mentioned a lab, is that where you're working at?" Celia asked. She wasn't that close to Marion, but Marion worked closely with her cousin and she'd heard a thing or two from Jessie about Marion's work, so she was naturally curious.

"That's right!" Marion chirped. "I'm working at the Pokemon Coordination Lab, run by Professor Krane! It's the perfect place to learn more about preserving the environment! If you guys are in the area sometime, I'd be happy to show you around!"

Ayame glanced at her Olivia, and they both looked at Hiromi. Nope. Ayame's mom still hadn't put it together that Marion wasn't supposed to be on this trip.

"Personally, I'm more interested in why Lila's capable of eating so much," Darla teased, taking the opportunity to change the subject. Pokemon Conservation and Pokemon Rangers were a bit of a sensitive subject to her; the Draconid people saw it as their responsibility to protect the environment for wild pokemon, almost to a militant degree. And while Darla didn't have a problem with that (in fact, she found it to be rather admirable) it was definitely an awkward subject for her, to say the least.

Luckily, Lila was happy to take the buck for her.

"Oh, that? You mean all the taffy I ate earlier?" Lila said, waving her hand dismissively. "That was nothing, don't worry about it."

"Nothing?" Donoma asked, shocked that Lila would be so casual about something like that. "You ate, like, 5 pounds of solid, sticky sugar strips like it was nothing! I could do an amazing show about you, documenting just how much you could eat! Just picture it!"

"I'm surprised you're in such good shape," Giselle agreed. "I know if I ate that much, I wouldn't be able to fit into my dress!"

"You Appeals Course types really care a lot about that sort of thing, huh?" Jessie asked, laughing loudly. She didn't care one whit about her figure or her weight or any of those other things that the more vain girls working with Olivia cared about, as evidenced by her plump physique.

"Oh, yeah, it's nothing much," Lila laughed. "See, I can eat mountains of sugar and it doesn't affect me at all! I don't gain any weight, so it's really convenient."

Lila just laughed it off like she was ignorant of the seething glances turned her way. Olivia in particular was giving her the stink-eye.

Jessie just laughed again.

Marion sighed, and slumped against the table. "Dang it all," she groaned. "I don't wanna keep going like this…"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Hiromi asked. Marion had been out of it all day. She couldn't really be reacting this badly due to fishing withdrawal, could she?

"Fishing withdrawal," the rest of the table replied, answering that question for her.

Hiromi sighed and scratched her head in reluctance.

"I can see Doctor K… she's smiling so gently at me…" Marion murmured, staring out at the ocean and reaching a yearning hand towards the waves.

Hiromi finally gave in. "Okay, okay, fine," she sighed. "After this, we can all go fishing, okay?"

The rest of the table save Jessie was a little sallow about that. But Marion sprung to life, reinvigorated by Hiromi's kind words.

"YES!" She roared, punching the air with glee. "YOU'RE THE BEST! THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

Hiromi looked towards Olivia and shrugged reluctantly. What was she supposed to do?

Marion is reborn! Next, she'll be taking everyone fishing! That should be a good thing, right? Maybe they'll even have fun.