It's time for the moment we've all been waiting for! The swimsuit contest enters its final stage, with Alcea being put up to judgment, and following that with Olivia's swimsuit! Who will win? Alcea? Olivia? Or will a dark horse emerge the victor? The climax is upon us!

KedharS: Primarily emphasizing the "hate".

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 899

Alcea waited patiently for the judges to render their verdict, wearing a passive smile on her face, looking like she didn't have a care in the world.

If she was being honest, even she was a little surprised by the reaction that her swimsuit had elicited from the crowd. It wasn't like Alcea was ignorant of the effect that her body had on other people, especially boys. She knew that she was beautiful, and she knew the things men whispered about her and what they thought when they glanced at her figure.

As much as she tried her best to ignore those thoughts, she couldn't help the fact that she was beautiful and people took notice. It was one of the reasons why she hadn't wanted to participate in this competition in the first place.

Yesterday had done more than enough to inform her of how the reaction would be. She'd felt the pressure of men's gazes before, but never to that degree. It had been the first time she'd ever gone to a beach, after all. Well, a beach that wasn't a private beach, or the shore of a deserted island. And the reactions had been… well, like this.

So yeah, Alcea was in the sort of situation that made her feel a little uncomfortable. She didn't want to back down, but she still felt a little dirty inside to be showing off her body to a bunch of strangers who were looking at her like they wanted to eat her.

And she'd joined in voluntarily! To win a contest!

Something like this, well… it was tawdry! If Kate found out she'd been walking about in a swimsuit for the express purpose of showing it off to people, then she would have been incensed! But Alcea had still gone along with it anyway.

She just needed to shake off the pressure from the boys' gazes, and endure it long enough to show that she could be a team player. That she could get along with the Commander and what his group wanted to do, then there would be a chance that she could make nice with them.

What had come as a bigger surprise to her though was the response that Olivia had given her. She was hiding it well behind the calming mask of dignity that she'd perfected with her learning of how to behave like a noble lady (something that she had been woefully in need of after spending three years stranded on a desert island) but inside she was very confused by what had happened.

To say that Alcea and Olivia did not get along was like saying oil and water had a somewhat difficult time mingling.

It wasn't due to any provocation on Alcea's part, Olivia was just incredibly hostile towards her because she saw Alcea as a rival. Alcea had thought that they'd reached some level of understanding after what had happened at the Miss Pokemon Academy Contest where she'd saved the other girl's life from a fall, but Olivia had remained just as hostile as always.

So something like giving Alcea a swimsuit seemed completely out of the question. Alcea didn't even know what to think about it.

Why would Olivia give me something like this? Was the thought occupying her mind as she posed in front of the judges' table. It wasn't in the Empress's nature to do something nice out of the goodness of her heart, especially not to Alcea.

She'd said it was because she wanted to fight Alcea at her strongest, and defeat her in the end. She'd given her the swimsuit for that reason, anyway, but that explanation seemed to feel off the more Alcea thought about it.

After all, this swimsuit fit her perfectly. And while Olivia and Alcea were both attractive, their figures weren't the same. Olivia was slightly taller than she was, and her breasts were bigger by about a cup size. But the top didn't feel loose at all, it was like it was made for her measurements completely. And aside from her boobs Olivia was a little more slender than Alcea, with a tighter butt and narrower hips, due to her refined, model-like figure. But the bottom of the swimsuit wasn't too tight for Alcea or anything either.

On top of the fact that it was a perfect fit, the color scheme of the swimsuit was also an exact match for Alcea's trademark red, with a little bit of green to complement. So the only conclusion that Alcea could draw was that Olivia just happened to have a swimsuit on hand that was designed to be perfect for her rival?

Alcea was a lot of things, but she wasn't an idiot.

The only thing she could think of was that Olivia, for whatever reason, had bought this swimsuit for her. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that someone who declared Alcea her rival in everything, including beauty, would be aware of the other girl's measurements, but what did that mean? Why would she go to all that trouble just to give Alcea a new swimsuit?

It wasn't the kind of question that Alcea was used to answering. The more she thought about it, the more confused she got. The only thing she could come up with was that Olivia had been planning to have a swimsuit competition the entire time, and had bought this swimsuit in advance. It was certainly better-made than anything she expected to find in the Orre Region, that was for sure.

Astounded by Olivia's competitiveness, Alcea let any further questions lapse from her mind, and returned to the beach where she was still under appraisal by the boys.

And they were certainly getting their eyeful.

Allen was the first one who regained his composure enough to speak. He was surprised that even he had been taken aback by Alcea, given the fact that he usually held himself to a higher standard than getting flustered over a pretty girl. But luckily he was a clothing expert, so he was able to recover from that with ease and be professional about this.

"Well, let me think," he mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Your swimsuit is definitely made of quality material. It looks like it came from a designer brand. While normally that wouldn't be enough to score a win in my book, as a lot of women think that just purchasing designer goods is enough to make up for their own shortcomings, with you, I don't think I can find any. The color scheme suits your complexion perfectly, and the style draws the eye to all the right places, making the model and the swimsuit seem like a packaged deal. Rather than one outshining the other, both garment and wearer complement each other perfectly, and in a suitably beautiful package."

He cleared his throat, realizing he was still getting a little flustered. He caught himself, and continued. "In my professional opinion, you should receive a 9 out of 10. It's not quite perfect, because as confident as you seem, it feels like this swimsuit is still a little new to you, as if you aren't totally comfortable wearing it."

Alcea wasn't surprised by his estimation given how much focus he'd given to her. It seemed fair enough, and his praise was much appreciated.

"Oui," she nodded, bowing slightly. "Thank you."

It was the highest score anyone had given out today. It was definitely worthy of some gratitude.

Lukas was next. "Wow, just… wow! It's amazing! Like, definitely, the hottest thing I've ever seen! You're totally smoking, Alcea!"

Allen rolled his eyes and nursed his brow. He'd tried to be objective so as not to embarrass Alcea in front of everyone, but here came Lukas with the subtlety of an Aggron, saying some of the cringiest shit in the world.

Luckily, Alcea took it remarkably well, favoring Lukas with a diplomatic smile.

"Why thank you," she replied, "I certainly try my best, is it?"

Lukas, of course, couldn't take the hint, and resumed stuffing his foot as deep into his mouth as he could get it.

"Yeah, totally!" He gushed. "Like… just looking at you, it's like that swimsuit makes you ten times hotter! I've never seen anyone that hot, I just…"

As he spoke faster and faster and continued to laud praises upon Alcea, he felt himself suddenly being pressured by her gentle smile. He quickly realized that maybe, just maybe, he was saying some stuff that was better kept private.

Embarrassed, his voice got smaller and smaller and his face turned bright red. He was talking to Alcea Vermeil, after all, a lady of high breeding who could just possibly be considered nobility.

And whose Grass type pokemon were capable of sending him to the hospital.

"…S-Sorry," he quickly apologized, hanging his head sheepishly. "I got a little carried away…"

"No, not at all," Alcea smiled, shaking her head politely. While she definitely wasn't thrilled by all the stuff he said, and was actually quite embarrassed, by the rather… explicit ways he chose to describe her, she took it in stride. "I appreciate your candor, is it?"

Lukas could feel nothing but passive-aggressiveness from that comment. Understanding how much he'd screwed up, he decided to tersely give her a score and move on. "So from me, it's a 10 out of 10," he said.

Nobody expected any less coming from him, that statement was about as much of a surprise as the fact that he could no longer look Alcea in the eye.

If Alcea had anything to say about receiving a perfect score from him, she kept it to herself. She just turned to Alden and smiled.

Alden was the one who was the least affected by Alcea's appearance. He'd heard the lengths that his fellow judges had gone to describe her, but in his eyes, it wasn't anything special. Sure, she was definitely more attractive in an objective sense than the other girls today, but he wasn't really sure what he should say.

"I guess… an 8 out of 10. I really like the swimsuit," he shrugged. That was the defining factor. He thought that the red looked nice. He didn't really have that many thoughts one way or another about the girl who was wearing it.

Of course, that didn't stop a certain other party from getting the wrong idea.

Vic watched from the sidelines, seething with rage. She wanted to tear Alcea limb from limb! She'd been thrilled to get the Commander's words of praise for her swimsuit, and took pride in the fact that he had given her a higher score than anyone else.

Well, so much for that! So he liked Alcea's swimsuit more than hers?! In Vic's eyes, that was unforgivable!

But she couldn't be mad at him, either. He was just being honest. No, the person who Vic was mad at over this was Alcea herself. Parading around in that swimsuit, trying to catch the Commander's attention, the nerve of her!

Of course, that was just as unreasonable as blaming Alden, maybe even more unreasonable, but when Vic was upset, "reason" stopped being that big of a thing to her.

Meanwhile, Alcea herself was ignorant to the fact that Vic was viewing her as even more of an enemy than before. Maybe if she'd been a little bit more aware of the nature of romance, she could have picked up on the vibes that Vic was giving out, but all she could feel from the other girl was the same glare as always.

She had no idea that her glare was filled with even more contempt than usual, nor did she have any clue what the origin of that contempt was.

Things like romance sadly flew over Alcea's head far too often.

Still, she was proud of what she'd accomplished. Her scores were the highest collectively of all the girls, beating out Lila by a sizable amount. She held her head up high and walked over to join the other competitors, drawing the eyes of the boys with her.

Then came the final contestant.

Lukas was filled with excitement. Alcea had been thrilling for sure, and he wondered what Olivia was going to do to top her! "Now… last, but definitely not least, a woman whose title of 'Empress' speaks for itself, Olivia Himeko!"

Olivia walked out onto the beach, and it was immediately clear that Alcea was in for some stiff competition.

Her swimsuit was surprisingly modest. It was definitely a bikini, but not as skimpy as one would expect from someone as flirtatious as Olivia. She walked out like she was on the runway, modeling for a famous magazine. The colors she'd chosen were the perfect compliment for her golden hair and pale skin, a deep navy blue that really made her pop, with golden highlights to add a little bit of shine to it as well. She was just as beautiful as Alcea, and she matched the redhead's confident strut with some confidence of her own.

While Alcea walked with the poise and grace of a noble lady, leading to one seeing her as an untouchable flower in a garden, Olivia walked like she was born to be in the spotlight. She knew just where to fling her eyes, just when to turn her head, what parts of her body to emphasize and when for the maximum effect on the audience.

And the crowd was loving it.

Olivia had been serious when she said she wanted to give Alcea the fight of her life. She was putting all her practice modeling dresses and swimsuits in the past into this moment, and she was reaping the rewards. By the time she got to the judges' table, it was clear that she'd won.

The votes were just a formality.

Allen had nothing but praise to give her. "The colors, perfect. The style, it fits just exactly. It's as natural as a second skin on you, and the composure and poise you have while displaying it shows that your swimsuit is just the perfect fit. If someone asked me to figure out what the perfect swimsuit for you would be, I couldn't think of a better one. In my eyes, that's a 10 out of 10 for sure!"

Olivia didn't smirk. She didn't shoot a triumphant look Alcea's way. The time for gloating would come later. She was on the stage now, even if she was just standing in the sand, and the only thing that mattered was the fact that everyone's eyes were on her.

Alcea's eyes, most of all.

Lukas was next. "…Damn," he said, shaking his head. He spent so much time around the Empress, and maybe it was because he knew she was a lesbian, but he'd sort of numbed himself to the fact that she was so fucking hot. He couldn't keep thinking that way, though, Olivia wasn't letting him. It was like she was forcing her attractiveness down his throat.

All he could say for a little bit was "damn."

Finally returning to his senses, he shook his head and gave a more eloquent appraisal of Olivia's beauty. "Look, Olivia, you're just… wow. I thought that Alcea was gonna be the hottest one for sure, but then you come out here looking like this, and I just… wow. I can't pick. You both look just perfect! I guess you're also a 10 out of 10, then."

Well. Olivia had come out of this with two perfect scores. That just left one deciding vote. She turned her attention to Alden and gave him a polite smile, knowing that in the end, there was still a chance that she could lose this.

Allen and Lukas? They were easy. She just had to put on the perfect performance, and she wrung two 10s out of the boys.

But Alden was a wild card, since he wasn't looking at this through the eyes of a clothing expert, or the eyes of a horny junior.

He was looking at Olivia with the eyes of an idiot.

"Well, I like it," he said. "It looks really nice. And I totally get what they're saying about you looking pretty, I think anyone could see that."

Well, that was a nice start. But Olivia knew better than to get her hopes up when it came to a guy like this.

"So… yeah. I guess, since your swimsuit is pretty good and all, 7 out of 10," he decided, and Olivia thanked him with a smile.

7 out of 10. He'd given Alcea an 8. Olivia expected something like that might happen, but that didn't make her feel any better about it.

In the end, the scores spoke for themselves. Two girls had stood out far more than anyone else today, and with the scores they'd received, there was no question that they were both the winners. But neither one had been able to beat the other.

Olivia had scored higher with Allen, but Alden rated her with a point lower than Alcea. They both summed up at 27 points, which meant it was a tie.

That wasn't the outcome Olivia had been hoping for. She'd wanted to defeat Alcea definitively, and show her, and everyone else here, how much hotter she was out of the two of them!

But she couldn't lose her temper. That would only make things worse.

As the audience went wild with cheers and catcalls, Olivia turned and met Alcea's gaze. Her heart swelled with pride.

That was it! That was the look she wanted to see! For once, Alcea wasn't ignoring her! She wasn't looking away! She was staring right at her, watching her, she had seen everything!

As much as Olivia might have wanted to show up the other girl, as much as she knew that she was the more attractive of the two, she didn't feel any sense of loss at the draw. Under normal circumstances, tying with Alcea would have been unacceptable.

Olivia knew that she was better than Alcea. She'd gotten two perfect scores, after all. Only Alden, the dunce that he was, had thrown a wrench in her plans, and as frustrating as it wsa, there was nothing she could do about that.

She knew she was better. And Alcea had to know it, too. She was the star right now! All these people were cheering for her! Alcea couldn't ignore her any longer, she couldn't!

Olivia ignored the judges' congratulations, ignored the cheers of the audience, ignored everything on the beach that wasn't a beautiful redhead in a gorgeous scarlet swimsuit. She walked through the sand with a triumphant smile, standing across from Alcea.

"So what did you think?" She asked, trying to keep the boastfulness out of her tone.

Alcea replied with a polite smile.

"It was… quite a fun event, is it?" Alcea mused. "I certainly enjoyed myself. I don't even feel bad that there was no victor. I certainly did my best, after all."

Olivia felt her mood sour a little. Would it have killed Alcea to laud her with some praise? …Yeah, of course she wouldn't do something like that. The redhead was too stuck up and obsessed with herself to acknowledge the efforts of someone else.

"And thank you for this swimsuit," Alcea said, gesturing to the garment she wore. "It suits me perfectly, is it? Oui, I must repay you for your generosity."

Truthfully, Alcea didn't want to do anything for Olivia, she still had her share of grudges against the girl. But that wouldn't be the polite thing to do. They were rivals, and Olivia may have given her the swimsuit out of a competitive urge to win, but it couldn't be denied that she'd still given Alcea something, and etiquette dictated that Alcea needed to return the favor.

Olivia turned her nose up at the idea. "Hmph! As long as you can understand the value of what you're wearing, it's fine. I'm a big enough person to not need anything from you!"

With that, Olivia turned and stormed away, resisting the urge to scream out with joy at her "victory" over the redhead.

Alcea had actually thanked her! She liked the swimsuit! Which meant that she was acknowledging Olivia's higher quality of taste! Olivia was certain that was the reason she felt so exhilarated right now.

So the swimsuit contest comes to an end, with an… okay… result? Maybe? Well, at least it was entertaining to watch. Olivia and Alcea competed, but in the end, neither could definitively win over the other when it came to looks. So all that really came of this was pissing Vic off more.