Due to Marion's insistence on fishing, and the near-withdrawal she went into over not being able to do so, the Empress's group will now be hitting the beach! What fun awaits them there? And will they get the chance to do anything other than fish? Let's find out!

KedharS: Marion's actually pretty chill when it comes to teaching people to fish, as we've seen. The important part is having fun!

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: You never know, there's always the possibility that she isn't a total idiot, we can always hope.

Hellraiserphoenix: The Appeals Course definitely has a lot of potential for fun shenanigans, that's why I'm focusing on them so much.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 868

"When you think the Port of Gateon City…" Donoma mused, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, "…only one thought comes to mind."

"Indeed," Lukas said, nodding in agreement. "And that thought, of course…"

"…Is the beach girls and bikinis!" The two shouted in unison, their eyes snapping open, ablaze with passion.

"They're in perfect unison," Lila said, a little amazed at the fact that the two of them could have just as much coordination and teamwork as her and Darla.

After lunch, the group stopped off at the hotel to put away the boon from their shopping excursion, and grab their bathing suits to hit the beaches. Due to Orre's hot climate, Gateon Port's seaside charms made it the one and only part of the region good for tourism, with the beaches open even this early into the spring.

"Of course, the ladies are quite fetching," Lukas said, sweeping his silver-streaked hair out of his face with a flourish and turning to Donoma. "But needless to say… the most lovely flower on this shore if you."

Indeed, Donoma cut a nice figure in her high-cut black and purple two-piece, even with the purple cover up slung over her shoulders. Olivia could appreciate that as much of a nuisance as she might have been, those curves were made for bikinis.

"Why thank you," Donoma purred, giving him a flirty wink in response. "Those trunks of yours are so tacky they make you an active eyesore. I mean, seriously? A rose?"

"Hey! Come on!" Lukas exclaimed, turning as red as the rose on the side of his black swimsuit. "Read the mood, wasn't that totally the kind of moment when you would fire back some whimsical flirty dialogue, huh?!"

"Normally yes," Donoma said, turning away like she couldn't stand the sight of him, "but you… you're just awful."

"Oh come on!" Lukas exclaimed.

She was resisting the urge to break out laughing. Messing with Lukas was so much fun because he always got so wound up.

"At least those two look like they're having fun," Darla noted with a wry smile of resignation. "You'd think they could keep it down, though."

"Hmph, I see Lukas isn't complimenting me on my swimsuit," Lila pouted, puffing her cheeks up. She'd wanted to wear a cute swimsuit too, but she'd been forced to hide it with her cardigan because Darla had said that the less attention they drew to themselves, the better.

"Well, those two definitely have a lot of energy, that's a relief!" Hiromi laughed, glad that everyone seemed to be in a better mood. They were adapting to the heat quite nicely, and she was relieved to see things were working out okay.

"Oh, is that how it looks like to you?" Olivia smirked, watching Lukas and Donoma bicker from the sidelines with amusement.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Hiromi asked, confused.

A few awkward looks passed across Ayame, Celia, Giselle, and Allen's faces. Jessie was as confused as Hiromi was.

"Those two… ahem. Used to date," Olivia clarified.

Lila and Darla were surprised. They were part of Olivia's inner circle, but as they were mainly concerned with themselves, they weren't really aware of any of the ongoing drama circulating around the group. This had caught the two of them off-guard.

But not nearly as off-guard as it caught Hiromi, whose jaw hit the ground in surprise. She hadn't gotten that vibe at all! "Wow, really? That's-"

"Wait just a second! Even if you are the boss, I won't forgive something like that!" Donoma exclaimed, stomping through the sand over to Olivia. "Date? Who? Me and that guy? I've never been so insulted in all my life!"

"Hey!" Lukas exclaimed.

"I don't 'date', Olivia! I just sleep around with people that catch my fancy," Donoma huffed, crossing her arms indignantly. "I won't have you impugn my integrity by asserting otherwise!"

"This weirdo cares about the strangest things!" Was the general thought that went around the group in response to that statement.

Lila, perceptive as she was, put the pieces together pretty quickly. "So wait, when you said they 'used to date', you mean…"

"Yup," Olivia confirmed with a nod. "She chewed him up and spit him out over the course of about half a week and then was done with him."

"Got a problem with that?" Donoma scowled, raising her eyebrow.

"Not personally no," Olivia replied, not a big fan of relationships herself. She'd slept with more than her fair share of girls, so condemning Donoma for that would be a tad bit hypocritical. "But you could at least have a little sympathy for the damage you leave in your wake."

"Hey! You're making it sound like I'm a trauma case!" Lukas said. "That mess was all in the past, I'm over it!"

"Oh please," Donoma said, rolling her eyes. "You aren't nearly… 'impressive' enough to have the self-esteem to recover from that."

She glanced down at his crotch to make it clear what she was insinuating. Lukas quickly covered himself with his hands, turning bright red.

"She's a real piece of work, huh," Celia said. It had been four years, and she was still getting used to the drama of the Appeals Course. Folks in the Battle Course were a lot simpler. Maybe she should rethink her allegiance to the Empress.

"Meanwhile… why are none of the rest of you in swimsuits?" Donoma scowled, turning to the other members of the group with a scowl. Giselle, Celia, Ayame, even Olivia! Not one of them were dressed up for the beach! They were totally killing the vibe!

She didn't really care about Celia's cousin, and Marion was otherwise occupied at the moment.

"There's a changing room right there," Olivia said, pointing at the changing rooms. She put on a haughty smirk. "You expected me to go strolling around the streets of Gateon City in my bathing suit? I think not. Such vulgar displays aren't suitable for someone like me."

She sneered at Donoma, letting the difference between the two of them stand out obviously.

Donoma rolled her eyes and smiled. "Prude."

"Unlike you, I have a public image to maintain," came Olivia's response. "No one cares if somebody no-name wannabe director goes prancing about like a slut, but for someone with my reputation I need to uphold a certain level of decorum."

"So in other words you're boring," Donoma smirked.

"Boring?!" Olivia had heard insults of all sorts from jealous women, but "boring" was a term that she simply wouldn't abide. "You take that back! The camera loves me!"

"Oh, sure, folks like taking model shots and glam covers because you're hot," Donoma had to agree, "but that's not the same as real star-power. Admit it girlfriend, people are only calling you the next hot thing because of your looks. But a real star is someone who can capture the attention of the camera even when they're wrinkled and grey."

She puffed herself up a little taller and brushed her hair back, stepping in close and pushing her chest against Olivia's.

"The real talent's not on the screen. It's the guy with the camera making you look hot."

It wasn't lost on anyone here that Donoma, an aspiring producer, was emphasizing her career path as the "real" one that would attract the talent.

Olivia was seething inside. She knew that Donoma was trying to goad her, maybe out of a warped sense of competition, maybe because she was just a cunt. But if Olivia was the type of person to give into temptation, she wouldn't be the star that she was today.

Of course, even as she assured herself of these things, she completely overlooked her continuing blind spot in Alcea Vermeil.

Donoma could see that Olivia wasn't biting, so she backed down. "Well, if our Empress has suddenly gotten shy about her body, there's no helping that," she sighed theatrically, milking the moment for all it was worth. "I guess I'll go find someone a little more worthy of making time with. There are plenty of fish in the sea, after all."

She turned to leave, eager to start flirting with some of the local flavors and maybe find a good roll in the hay to christen her arrival in the Orre Region. But she never had the chance, because a tiny hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back with a surprising amount of force.

"Eh?" Donoma blinked in surprise, glancing back.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hiromi asked sweetly.

"Uh… to the beach?" The parasols were literally ten feet away from them, Donoma wasn't sure what the big deal was.

"That's not why we came here," Hiromi reminded her. "Did you forget?"

"I have the fishing poles!" Marion cheered, walking back from the car with an assortment of fishing rods in her arms, enough for everyone. The smile on her face was as dazzling as the afternoon sun kissing the waves.

Donoma could scream.

"B-But… you guys don't need me to fish, right?" She asked. "I mean, that's something you guys can handle on your own… meanwhile, the rest of us can go enjoy the beach…"

"We're sticking together as a group!" Hiromi said, giving a mom smile that was impossible to argue with. "I don't want anyone wandering off on their own and getting lost again, you remember what happened this morning!"

Donoma turned her glaring eyes upon Olivia, who took no small pleasure in the fact that her earlier indiscretion was now making things more difficult for the other girl. Sometimes things would just happen to work out.

"It's okay!" Marion assured Donoma. "Even if you don't know what to do, I'm a master of fishing, I'll get you all prepped up like a pro!" Her eyes were shining with such innocence that someone as wicked as Donoma couldn't remain standing under her gaze.

"It's gonna be great, Donoma!" Olivia cackled with glee. "You said it yourself, there are plenty of fish in the sea!"

"Olivia…!" Donoma hissed.

"There, you see? It's decided!" Hiromi said, her face an impenetrable steel wall against the Poison type trainer. "Let's all go find a good spot to fish! Marion, please lead the way!"

"Nooooooo!" Donoma wailed, struggling valiantly to escape Hiromi's clutches as she looked mournfully towards the sea. But Hiromi had her in her "mom grip" and no one could break free of that.

"Your mom is… quite something, Ayame," Celia said, surprised.

"My big sister was the kind of person who couldn't sit still for more than two seconds," Ayame informed everyone with a sigh. "Mom learned a long time ago how to keep people in line."

"God, I'm so bored…" Donoma groaned. She had no idea how long they had been fishing for, but the sun was getting a lot lower in the sky.

It had been a few hours at least. Marion had led them away from the sand to a spot on the boardwalk where they could all sit in a neat little row and cast their lines out over the ocean, which must have looked just ridiculous to anyone passing by.

Olivia had to admit that as much as it amused her to see Donoma so frustrated, she was bored out of her skull herself. It would be one thing if they'd managed to catch any pokemon, but even Marion hadn't fished anything up!

What was she expecting, anyway? The Orre Region was famous for being an inhospitable place, and the coast was no different. Runoff from the mining had been leeching into the water for years, and hardly any wild pokemon inhabited them.

Of course, when they'd brought that up to Marion two hours ago, she'd cheerfully replied that the point wasn't the catching, it was the fishing itself.

Olivia hated stuff like that. Sure, she would spend hours and hours on things herself, practicing and training her performances until they were perfect. But those were things that actually mattered. What was she going to gain from sitting here with a fishing rod in her hands? She wasn't even going to tan properly, how infuriating!

Donoma may have been a miserable flirt who delighted in bothering others, but she'd still had a point. No one but Marion had come to the beach actually wanting to fish. …Well, maybe Celia's cousin, considering she worked at that fishing shack.

Olivia turned to glance at Marion, and was astonished at what she saw. Marion, Jessie, and Celia, the three of them were having a blast! They were chatting up a storm like a bunch of old friends, what the hell?

She thought back vaguely to when she was first starting to get to know Celia. Even though she had made it clear that she wasn't interested in joining the Appeals Course due to her love of pokemon battles, Olivia had accepted her in regardless because of her father. Celia's dad was notorious in the fashion world for his coveted brand lines, and when Celia said that it was her intention to take over for him eventually, Olivia just had to have her!

"My hobbies? Um… fashion, training my pokemon, going on long walks, and fishing."

That's right. She had said something like that, hadn't she?

Traitor, Olivia seethed.

But there was no point in getting upset about it. She calmed herself down and tried to look on the bright side. Not even Hiromi was really enjoying herself anymore, and this had been her idea in the first place, to appease Marion. There was no way that they'd be doing this again tomorrow, right? Of course not. Eventually Hiromi would put her foot down, and they could get things back to normal.

This was just the first day of the trip. It had been a rocky first day, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be salvaged later.

Tomorrow, they'd hit the beach, and do it for real. Olivia just had to get to that moment, and until then hope that no one would recognize her for the rest of the afternoon.

"Hey wait! Isn't that the Empress and her group?"

Oh. So much for that.

Olivia froze and the fishing pole nearly fell from her fingers. But she didn't let herself gaff for long, she sat up straight and held her head high. If she looked as ashamed as she felt, then that would be a story. She'd already been recognized, so if she wanted to avoid more problems and contain the damage, she needed to own it.

But she hadn't recognized the voice.

Maybe if she had, she would have realized how much of a big deal it was. She would have thrown herself into the water rather than let the assumption be confirmed by her presence.

But she didn't even think about who it was, because the voice belonged to someone who wasn't even on her radar.

"Yeah! It is her!" Callie cried, reaffirming her own suspicions. "Hey! Ayame! Over here!"

Callie didn't give any thought to the fact that there was a serious conflict between the Empress and the Commander. The only thing she was thinking of at the moment was that Ayame was her friend, and after spending the whole day with Alcea and Maddi being the only familiar faces around, it was nice to see someone else for a change.

She bounded past Olivia and ran to Ayame immediately, and Ayame perked up herself.

"Oh, hey! Callie! Nice to see you!" Ayame said, setting her fishing pole down and standing up, walking over to the small girl. It was like a Tyranitar saying hello to a little Skitty.

That brief bit of levity was the only friendly exchange between the two groups as they met on the boardwalk.

Maddi ducked back. It wasn't like she had a problem with Ayame per se, but well… even though she occasionally hung out with Cynthia and her friends, Ayame was a bit of a troubling spot, since they were technically on opposite sides of the cold war between the Daevas.

Plus, there was someone else in that crowd she recognized, and she knew if Marion spotted her she'd be roped into fishing, and that was something she was gonna avoid like hell.

When Olivia realized they'd run into the Commander's group, she knew that this was going to be a tense exchange. She set down her fishing pole as well and stood up, going to face them head on. It was the courteous thing to do, after, all.

"Hello there, Commander," she said, greeting Alden with as warm a smile as she could fake for a boy. "Had some fun on the beach, it seems?"

While Olivia and her group had spent the afternoon fishing, it was clear that the Commander and his cronies had been enjoying their time in the sun. Their hair was wet, and some of them were still in bathing suits. Not Vic, of course, who far too proper for that; like Olivia was want to do, she had made use of the changing rooms.

But again, Olivia still had failed to register what the Commander and his group walking down the boardwalk from a trip to the beach entailed.

"Oh, to run into you for a second time today. Quite a coincidence, is it?" Alcea's familiar voice soured Olivia's expression, and she turned to give the redhead a piece of her find.

At roughly the same time, all experts agreed that Olivia's heart had stopped beating and she could have been declared temporarily deceased.

Alcea wasn't wearing the light sundress she'd had on when Olivia had last seen her earlier that day. She was dressed in a sleek bikini as red as a rose. It clung to her figure so tightly it looked like it had been painted on, emphasizing her generous chest and bountiful hips. The tightness of her waist gave her an air of fragility like a porcelain doll, but if one looked closely they could see the hint of a tan beginning to bronze her skin.

She was dripping wet from head to toe, in spite of her best attempts to dry herself out. Because of this, her scarlet hair was tousled and shiny like she'd just climbed out of bed, and droplets of water curled down the fringes. Olivia followed one such drop down her flawless neck, past the heaving mountain of her breast, and down into the valley of her cleavage.

The Empress's brain stopped working.

Damn. Alcea caught Olivia by surprise and scored a critical hit! The Commander's faction has certainly taken a "commanding" lead in the war with that gambit, but will it be enough to ensure victory? How will the Empress respond?