Great, the reviews are back! In the meantime, let's take another look at what's going on during the tour! Some of the students are definitely invested in what they're learning about, like Lila, for example, but other students aren't exactly invested in the topic. I wonder what someone like Donoma is getting up to while the tour is going on?

KedharS: Marion was always an environmentalist. That was an established part of her character from practically her introduction.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: I do think there's a connection between the general futility of living in a dying region like Orre and the rather antagonistic, militant attitude of the inhabitants. Orre is just a crummy place to live all around.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 929

Professor Jovi's explanation about the nature of the contamination affecting the Orre Region's ecosystem and the fact that there was a tiny shred of hope that the region might someday be partially populated by wild pokemon again had really lifted the spirits of the students on the tour. It meant that the situation, bad as it was, wasn't final, and that there were still possibilities that could be believed in after all.

Even people like Olivia, who didn't really care one way or the other about the environment, felt a little bit better listening to the professor explain how much care went into improving things, and how much work went on here. It wasn't like she was heartless, after all.

The only one who really didn't care either way was Donoma.

Donoma hadn't wanted to go on this tour in the first place. Of course it wasn't like she was HAPPY that the Orre Region was in such bad shape, she wasn't a psycho. But something like that just wasn't her concern. She didn't have anything to do with the pollution, she hadn't even BEEN to the Orre Region before. It felt like this tour was one big guilt-trip trying to make them all feel bad for not doing more to help the environment, and Donoma wasn't the kind of person who liked to be manipulated by other people.

She much preferred to be the one doing the manipulating.

It made sense that a moron like Lila would fall for this hook, line, and sinker. She was the sort of girl who followed her heart and did things without thinking them through carefully, even if she was smarter than the airheaded character she pretended to play. But of course, Donoma was amused at the fact that for all Lila was absorbing about how important it was to take care of the environment, it wouldn't matter in the end.

That girl was far too materialistic to ever make real changes in her life. She was definitely the kind of person who would complain about how bad things were going for the environment on social media, while at the same time going about her life without ever trying to make a difference to change them because it would be too much work.

At least people like Marion Rivers put their money where their mouths were, and were actually working to make a difference, even if it was just by fishing.

So no, Donoma wasn't that invested in what was going on right now. After her miserable night last night, her thoughts were more focused on how she could make Lukas pay for the way he'd rejected her, the scumbag.

Hiromi had chewed her out for her attitude. Big time. Donoma shivered just remembering that conversation. She didn't want a repeat performance, so she was forced to suck it up and be on her best behavior. No snide remarks, no groans, no complaining about how lifelessly boring this tour was at all, she just had to put up with it.

At least Hiromi couldn't yell at her for just looking bored, that was a plus.

In the meantime, she was watching Lukas out of the corner of her eye. Now that she'd had some time to cool down and think things clearly, she was really curious about what had led to such a sudden rejection last night.

It was clear that Lukas had wanted to do it. And unlike Allen, who had obviously rejected her advances because he wanted to see her squirm, Lukas's rejection was a lot more… hesitant. Emotional, even, like he was forcing himself to go through with it.

That made sense. After all, she practically smell the pheromones that had been wafting off of him, he was clearly jonesing for it.

So why had he turned her down? Was it because of what had happened between them the last time, when she'd made it clear where they stood? That was probably it. For all he acted like a ladies' man, Lukas was remarkably sensitive. He had clearly wanted them to be more than just friends with benefits, so she'd had to cut him off before he got to be too much of an annoyance.

It seemed that decision had led him to develop a rather warped view of her.

Donoma knew that she wasn't the nicest person. Not really. But she could certainly act like it. Batting her eyelashes, tossing back her hair, seeming like she cared about the inane things that her partner was telling her, they were all practiced maneuvers to make the other person feel as good as they could while with her.

She was the kind of girl who lived life in the moment, always chasing the next "big thing", whether that was a television show idea, or an exciting pokemon battle or contest, or in this case, a new partner to have a fling with. She got bored easily, but she always made sure that when she parted ways with someone, she left them with fond memories

So… maybe Lukas's recollection of events didn't go so fondly. That was probably it. But it wasn't a wholly negative experience, either, or else he wouldn't have been so tempted. Clearly he wanted it, but because of what had happened the last time he must have been… apprehensive.

He said I was toxic… that I was trouble and he didn't want anything to do with me anymore… that kind of pisses me off, I have to say, she thought bitterly. It wasn't HER fault that Lukas couldn't handle the way things were, but he'd taken it out on her anyway.

And now he was just nervous. Noticing that led to a wicked smile curl up her lips. There were only two people here who weren't really paying attention to this tour. One was her, of course, and the other was Lukas, who was too anxious to hear a single word.

Their eyes met, and she relished in the way the color drained from his face. She gave him a wave and he flinched.

Sensing something interesting could come from this, she fixed a playful smile to her face and closed the distance between them, causing him to nearly fall over trying to back away.

"What's wrong?" She purred with a whisper, startling him. "I just want to talk."

"Uhum, um…" Lukas's eyes shot back to where the group had been standing, but nobody was there. They had all moved onto the next part of the tour, and no one had noticed that the two quietest people had stayed behind.

"Lukas, I think the two of us need to have a conversation about what happened last night, don't you think so?" Donoma asked, her voice going from playful and flirtatious to cold as ice in the blink of an eye.

"I, um… l-look, Donoma, I know you're pissed, but honestly, the reason I turned you down, it's not because of you, it's just-" Lukas was desperately fumbling for the right words to make this whole thing go away. His eyes shot down the tunnel and for a second he seriously considered calling out for help out of fear.

"Really?" Donoma mused, tapping her finger to her chin thoughtfully as she ignored the obvious terror that her prey was feeling. "See, I remember you saying something about how toxic I was, isn't that the case? So you're saying that it's not because of me, now? I find that a little hard to believe, I'm afraid," she scowled.

"N-No, it's just… I just… I don't want to fall into your clutches again!" Lukas wailed. He gasped, his face going snow white. "W-Wait, that's not what I meant! I didn't…"

"So… 'clutches' huh? That's quite an interesting word," Donoma said, narrowing her eyes. She felt that anger start to well up inside her again. "You know, this negative view of me you have is really starting to get on my last nerve, Lukas. And here I thought we were friends."

Donoma did consider Lukas a friend. At least in the way that she thought about friends. For Donoma, friends were always just a temporary thing. She expected them to leave her life at some point, unless she left them first because she was done with them. It just wasn't in her nature to make strong, lasting relationships with people. Because of that, she didn't really feel betrayed by the way Lukas had acted, since it was just the sort of thing she expected.

It just… pissed her off.

"Look, it's not, like… it's not like I don't like you," Lukas said. "I mean, yeah, you're a lot of fun to hang out with, and it's not like you're intentionally an asshole or anything, it's just…"

"It's just what?" Donoma snapped, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "That isn't enough for you, is that it?"

"Yes!" Lukas said. "I mean, I just… I don't want to have sex with you! Why is that so hard to accept? I just want some frigging boundaries, geez! I mean, the way you were acting last night, yeah, I… I did 'feel' some things, but remember what happened the last time we got together?! It ended horribly! And I don't want to go through shit like that anymore! You're not good for me, it's as simple as that, why do you have to be so scary about it?!"

Donoma considered what he was saying. Oh, it certainly was a rejection, there was no denying that. So her bad mood wasn't exactly mollified. But at the same time, she could understand where he was coming from just a little bit.

But she was still pissed.

"Lukas," she said calmly, "I think you're putting a bit too much thought into this. The only thing I wanted from you last night was to have a good time. Get some fun in, and then that was all. So tell me, what's so wrong about that? Why did you feel the need to slam the door in my face?"

Lukas's face turned red. "B-Because… I know you. It won't just stop with that. That'll just encourage you to try again the next time you want something! You're the kind of person that plays with other people to get what she wants, then lets them go on their way when you're done. And look, I get it, it was my bad for expecting more out of the two of us in the first place. But that doesn't mean you can just waltz back in and try to get me into bed again and act like I'm just gonna go for it! I'm done with you that way, Donoma!"

Hmm. So it really IS because of what happened between us back then… It was clear that Lukas still had a chip on his shoulder from the way that Donoma had ended things the last time. And now he didn't even want to try putting himself in that position again, because of what had happened.

Then another wicked thought crossed Donoma's mind.

She sighed. "You know… you're right, Lukas, I admit it. Yes, I did treat you very badly. I just wanted to have a bit of fun with you, and I thought that you were having as much fun as I was. And then, when I got bored, and noticed that you were starting to expect more from the two of us, I did what I always did, and I pushed you away. I thought that would be for the best, but it's clear that I really hurt you when I did that."

Lukas couldn't believe what he was hearing. Donoma was actually capable of expressing those kinds of thoughts? And she was capable of thinking them?!

"So even though I didn't mean anything serious by it… it's clear that I did hurt you," Donoma admitted. "And for that, I'm sorry."

Lukas was just shocked. He'd heard Donoma sound sincere before, but never in such a contrite manner. Was she actually feeling remorse about what happened? He felt himself start to relax, but in the back of his mind, he knew that he couldn't trust her. This was the sort of thing she did, tell people what they wanted to hear.

Donoma's fingers ghosted up to the collar of her blouse and popped open the first button. And then the second.

She smiled sweetly at him, coyly batting her eyelashes. "I really shouldn't have treated you that way… and I really should have apologized sooner. Perhaps… you'd accept my apology in a different manner, then?"

Her blouse was almost completely unbuttoned, bearing her cleavage. When did she get this close?! Lukas backed up, shocked, only to bump into the back of the cave. There was nowhere to go. Donoma pushed against him, her breath hot against his ear. He felt the softness of her chest press up against his, his face lighting up in embarrassment.

"No one's noticed that we're gone," Donoma purred. Her fingers tickled against his cheek. "I can apologize to you… in whatever way that you'd like… I've been a bad, bad girl, Lukas… don't you want to… punish me for it?"

Lukas cursed internally for thinking even for a second that Donoma could actually feel sorry about the way she'd treated him. She hadn't changed, and he doubted she ever would. This was just another way to mess with him, another way to get what she wanted.

"Why are you always like this?!" Lukas hissed through gritted teeth. His hands were shaking at his sides. He wanted to shove her off of him, but he didn't dare risk touching her body because he couldn't trust himself. "I thought we were having a genuine conversation for a moment!"

Donoma rolled her eyes. "You should know better than that, Lukas. You know that everything that comes from me is… genuine."

He couldn't believe she could tell such a bold-faced lie.

The truth was, Donoma was only partially lying. She did feel a liiiiiitttle bad for what she'd done. She didn't regret it, of course, she had only done what came naturally to her. But she did feel a little bad that it hadn't led to a more amicable parting. And if apologizing to Lukas would get them on better terms and make him more amenable to having some fun again, then she would mean it with all of her heart and soul.

Of course, that wasn't at all how it worked.

Finally, Lukas managed to get up the courage to push Donoma off of him. Pressing against the cave wall with his arms, he forced his body forward, which startled Donoma. The impact of him suddenly pushing against her caused her to lose her balance and stumble backwards, almost smashing her head into one of the rocks.

"Donoma!" Lukas cried, grabbing her by the hand at the last minute. He pulled, keeping her from cracking her skull open on the sharp rock sticking up out of the ground, but that just caused him to go down with her. She winced as she landed hard on her back, the cave floor making a fairly awful cushion. But it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

What was more uncomfortable though was the pressure she felt pushing down on her from above, because Lukas was lying on top of her.

"…Ow…" Donoma winced, rubbing the back of her head. She'd have a bump there for sure. She scowled at Lukas.

"You know, if you didn't want to do anything, you could have just said that!" She snapped. "You didn't need to push me down so hard, you jerk!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Lukas cried, pushing himself up so he wasn't completely crushing her. "I've been saying exactly that since last night, and you haven't been listening to me!"

Donoma rolled her eyes. "Your mouth may have been saying that," she scoffed, "but the rest of you seems to be singing a pretty different story. Or am I mistaken about what I'm feeling pressing into me right now?"

Lukas blinked, and his face turned scarlet as he finally realized where he was and who he was on top of, and what other things he was feeling at the moment.

Donoma smirked. "And the penny drops," she purred. "So what's the plan now, since you've got me defenseless and alone? I've never been much one for that sort of thing, but I suppose I could make an exception…"

"No!" Lukas sputtered in embarrassment. "You know that this was an accident!"

"Oh was it? Must be a pretty happy little accident then."

"You know that's not what I was trying to do!"

"Really? Then what were you trying to do?"

Lukas turned pale as a sheet and his head shot up to see Hiromi standing above them.

She wasn't the same kind, girlish woman that he had gotten to know over the last few days. The figure glaring down at him with her piercing eyes looked exactly like a demon. He began to shake, his mouth not working properly.

He knew how bad this looked. He and Donoma were alone. He was on top of her with her blouse all the way open, and he had a…

…Well, there were a lot of ways that this could be interpreted, and the worst of them came with jail time.

The exact thought had already crossed Donoma's mind. While she hadn't expected anyone to notice that they were no longer part of the tour, she didn't expect Hiromi herself to come try and find them. That opened up some interesting… possibilities.

All morning she'd been thinking about how she could get back at Lukas for the way he'd so brutally rejected her last night, and come up empty. But now, the perfect opportunity had just landed in her lap- literally.

All it would take was a scream. A scream and some tears, and she could have some delicious, delicious revenge.

She could see it in his eyes. He knew it, too. The rest of his life, his entire future, it all depended on the charity of Donoma Marama.

She smirked and rubbed her thighs together. Just that thought was enough to get her about half of the way there already.

"Sorry, Hiromi," she sighed, slumping back. "It was my fault…"

"…What?" Hiromi asked, confused.

"Uh… what?" Lukas asked, even more confused.

Donoma placed her hand on his chest and shoved him off of her, and he was so stunned her didn't even resist. She stood up and brushed off her skirt, beginning to redo the buttons on her blouse.

"Well, I got bored," she explained, shrugging her shoulders like it was no big deal. "And well… when a lady gets bored, sometimes she gets some… urges. So I ambushed Lukas here right after you all left, and I proposed… another way we could have some fun together."

Hiromi raised her eyebrow. She wasn't impressed. She was very embarrassed, but she was not impressed. She glanced over at Lukas, but right now he was experiencing a very strange combination of confusion and embarrassment, his mouth flopping open and closed with no sound coming out.

"What?" Donoma frowned, finishing buttoning up her blouse. "Don't look at me like that! I'm sure you know that a girl's gotta have her needs! And Lukas was definitely willing to help me out on the matter. Darn, just when we were getting to the good part, too…"

Hiromi's frown deepened. "That… is NOT something you do during a tour, in a public area where we are guests! I already warned you once! What the HELL is the matter with you, thinking that sort of thing was appropriate?! Not only did you leave the group to go wander around somewhere that you DO NOT have permission to be, but you were actually planning to… to… THAT?! HERE?!"

She turned to Lukas, just as furious with him. "And you! You just went along with it?!"

"I-I…" Lukas didn't even know what to say. Donoma had somehow roped him into looking like her willing accomplice, and he didn't have the faintest idea about how to dissuade that perception. So he just played dumb.

"Hey now, I was the one who dragged him into this," Donoma defended him, shockingly. "He was more of a… boytoy, I would say. I mean, can you blame him? He's just a guy, he's not made of iron." She glanced down at Hiromi's boobs and smirked, bouncing her own chest.

"…Well, maybe you're not exactly capable of enflaming that same feeling in men," she sighed with a smirk.

Lukas couldn't believe she thought it was a good idea to add more fuel to the fire.

Hiromi's face was red with shame and outrage. It was her job to watch after these students, and this Donoma girl was giving her lip?!

"That does it! You two are in HUGE trouble when we get back to the hotel!" She growled. "But for now, we're going back to the tour!"

She grabbed Donoma by the arm and dragged her out of the cave, not even paying attention to see if Lukas was following.

Donoma glanced back at him with a wink. "You might want to… 'take care of business' before you come back," she mouthed to him.

Lukas was stunned. Donoma had the perfect opportunity to get back at him, but had actually taken the fall in his place? Even if he had been guilty by association, whatever Hiromi was planning to punish him with would definitely be a lot less than if she had chosen to go another way.

He didn't know if it was wrong to feel grateful or not.

Hmm, well that was certainly a steamy encounter. So tensions have been smoothed over for now, but how will Donoma and Lukas move forward from here, I wonder? It should be exciting.