Now that we've arrived at the hot springs, there's only one thing to do, of course. And that's go to the hot springs! Which means naked girls, everyone having fun, and Cynthia hopefully keeping it in her pants enough to not cause Elaina to lose her cool and blow the whole inn over with a tornado of embarrassment. Hopefully she can keep herself under control for now.
The Final Round of the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Contest 3 has begun! Get the votes going in soon! There are three girls in the finals! Who's going to win? Chloe? Cynthia? Or Vic? One of those girls will become the third best girl, so get those votes in as soon as possible! You've only got one vote this time, so make it count!
Finalists: Chloe, Cynthia, Vic
KedharS: Well to start, we're going to be going to the hot spring and see how everyone's getting along, for a nice relaxing dip. Which means Cynthia lusting over Elaina.
Jjjdunk1: Cynthia's a great friend. Still, it's a question of whether or not isolating Caelia is the right thing to do or not. But yes, for now, everything is going okay.
Hyphenman: Who knows. If we do see them, I wonder what they would have to say about Cynthia's job choices. It has been a while since Cynthia's seen the two of them. But for now, let's just relax in the hot spring.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 1036
"Haaaaaah… it's been too long…" Cynthia sank back in the water and began blowing bubbles, feeling the warmth of the hot spring wash over her. It was nice to be back home. She stared up at the sky, which was sparkling with starlight.
After arriving late, Cynthia's grandparents let the kids go out to the hot springs to take a relaxing dip while they prepared dinner. The girls were enjoying their time lounging around, feeling soothed after a long and stressful flight + bus ride.
"It's as nice as I remember," Sango nodded. She was finally smiling. The hot spring was washing away her bad attitude from before, making all those issues between her and Cynthia seem like a thing of the past.
Kitty was paddling through the water, even though Cynthia had told her not to swim in the hot spring like it was a pool. She was trying very hard not to look at Julia and check out her hot body, but it wasn't going very well.
She couldn't help herself! Julia was just so…
"Kitty, are you feeling okay?" Julia asked, glancing over at her friend. "Your face is bright red, are you sure you're not ready to get out just yet?"
"Y-Yes! I'm fine!" The reason her face was red had nothing to do with heat. "Don't worry, I'm not overheating or anything! I'm fine, honestly!"
Julia wasn't convinced. She paddled over to Kitty.
Kitty got redder and redder as Julia approached. She was really, really pretty.
"You were all flushed the last time we were at a hot spring, too," Julia said, frowning. "Maybe you're too sensitive to the heat for hot springs."
Kitty looked down at Julia's body, and started to get dizzy. She passed out in the water, blood trickling from her nose.
"Kitty!" Julia wailed, helping her out of the water.
Cynthia and Sango stared blankly at the melodrama as Julia rocked Kitty, which was only getting worse for her since their bodies were pressed right up against each other.
"…So you ARE aware that Kitty has feelings for Julia, right? That hasn't slipped past your dense-o-meter right?" Cynthia whispered to Sango.
"Yeah, totally," Sango whispered back, rolling her eyes. Now that they were on the same page, they didn't have to worry about keeping things secret.
"Speaking of feelings…" Cynthia murmured.
Sango narrowed her eyes. "Don't even think about it. We still need to have a discussion about-"
"No, no, not that!" Cynthia pointed past Sango, at the hot spring entrance where another girl had just finished showering and was coming out to join them.
There were several reasons that Elaina had taken a little longer than the other girls to come out. One of those reasons was the fact that her large breasts took a while to wash, and the other reason was because, well…
She was shy.
It was one thing going out with her mask off, but going out with no clothes?! That was another matter altogether! She was unbelievably embarrassed!
"Elaina! You coming in?!" Cynthia shouted across the spring, startling the brunette, who nearly dropped her towel.
"Uh, um…" She tightened her grip on the hem of her towel, and began to shake.
"Come on in! The water is fine!" Cynthia called, beckoning towards her. "Join us!"
Elaina took a deep breath to work up her nerves, feeling a warm breeze wash over her. She exhaled and dropped her towel, stepping into the water.
It was her first time in a hot spring, and it felt like her body was being purified. All the dark issues she dealt with before, her harmonia overwhelming her, it was like nothing had ever happened. She sank into the water and sighed, a smile spreading across her face.
Cynthia sidled over to her, a big smile on her face, and Elaina tensed up. She started to shake, and splashed back, away from the other girl.
"What are you doing?" Elaina asked suspiciously, holding her hands over her chest. "Please get away from me."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Cynthia asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.
"I know what happens in hot springs!" Elaina exclaimed. "You… you're going to grab me and grope me and touch me all over! Be… because I have big boobs! That's right, isn't it?!"
Cynthia burst out laughing. "Huh?! What are you talking about?" She sputtered in disbelief. "Please! Come on, Elaina!"
"B-But… in manga and anime and visual novels, whenever a girl with big boobs enters the hot springs, the perverted girl gropes her and plays with them! And I don't want that! I-I'll blow you away if you do, I will!" Elaina said, scooting back in the water. Her back hit the side of the spring and she realized that she was completely trapped.
Cynthia rose out of the water, standing over her with a wicked gleam in her eye. She held out her hands and made a groping motion, and Elaina went pale.
"…I'm kidding," Cynthia laughed, plopping down next to her. She patted Elaina on the shoulder, who stared at her in surprise.
"What… uh, really?" Elaina asked, surprised.
"Come on, I don't know what rumors you've heard about me, but I'm not that kind of girl," Cynthia assured her. She pulled her knees up in front of her chest and leaned her head forward, staring at the brunette.
"That's… okay, then," Elaina said, feeling a little awkward. "So, um… huh."
"This is the first time we've really talked, huh?" Cynthia said.
Elaina nodded. "Honestly… I was really surprised that you asked me to come to your party," she admitted. "You know, the one a few weeks ago? It caught me by surprise. I haven't ever been asked to a party…"
"Of course I would," Cynthia assured her with a smile. "I've actually wanted to get to know you for a while. But I was kind of scared of you at first, so I didn't feel like I could approach you until, well… you know. With Blake."
Elaina winced, lowering her head. "That… I understand," she admitted. "I was kind of a dangerous person back then… and I still am, I guess. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you and everyone else before."
"It's okay!" Cynthia assured her. She reached out to pat Elaina on the shoulder, and Elaina scooted away instinctively.
Cynthia blinked.
"You're a bit skittish huh?" She smirked.
"You're going to grope me, I know it! And I'm not… I'm not good with that sort of physical stuff! I've barely ever touched a boy before!" Elaina protested.
"…But I'm a girl," Cynthia said blandly.
"Does that mean you don't want to touch me?" Elaina asked, narrowing her eyes. She tightened her arms over her chest.
Cynthia gave her a blank stare, and then turned to look out over the water. "Okay that's not what I was talking about. Let's just move on."
"I knew it!" Elaina hissed.
"Well, what do you want me to do?! You're hot!" Cynthia winced. "Blake's a complete loser for not going after that meat!"
"Blake?!" Elaina exclaimed, turning bright red. She started thrashing in the water. "What-! Uh, what… what does he have to do with this?! Why do you have to bring him up here?! Why do you think I would… I don't! I mean… I would never… we're just friends! Friends!"
"…Geez you don't have to Kate out all over the place," Cynthia smirked. "What, you thought you were being subtle?!"
"I-I just…" Elaina held her hands in front of her face, feeling the warm comfort of her mask shielding her from her shame.
"Come on, Elaina, it's adorable," Cynthia said. This time the other girl was too frazzled to avoid Cynthia's peaceful pat on the back. "I know you like him."
Elaina sighed, lowering her hands and leaning back against the edge. "It's… well, what am I supposed to do? He just… he's the sweetest guy in the world! He always helped me! Before everyone else, he treated me like I was great."
A relieved grin spread across her lips and she stared up at the sky.
"…Oh yeah. He hugged you, didn't he?" Cynthia grinned, poking her in the side. "Back during your pokemon battle to calm you down.
"H-Hug!" She gasped, splashing around in the water. "He… that wasn't a hug," she sputtered, shaking her head.
"It was definitely a hug," Cynthia nodded. "He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close. You just couldn't see because you were too busy freaking out. But as a spectator, it was definitely a sight to see."
"That doesn't count as a-! …Wait, were you there? Did you even see it?" Elaina asked.
Cynthia placed her hand over her chest. "Ow. Hey. I've got feelings too, you know."
"…And I would appreciate it if you didn't play with mine," Elana scowled.
"Fine, fine," Cynthia scoffed. "But just so we're clear… I have feelings for Blake as well."
Elaina blinked, surprised. "Wait, what?! You like Blake?! Why?"
"Because he's great and I like him! I mean, sure, he's not the kind of guy who's done really important, meaningful stuff for me like you… wait, why am I comparing?!" Cynthia smacked her head a few times. "It's not a competition! Blake's done a lot of stuff for me! Really deep and meaningful and kind stuff, he's a great guy! We shouldn't be arguing over who he's helped more."
"…Okay," Elaina nodded. She added under her breath, "but it's definitely me."
"That's right! The important thing is that he's a great guy… with a girlfriend."
There it was. The word that turned the hot spring ice cold. Both girls let out a sigh and sank back into the water, resting their heads on the edge of the spring, staring up at the sky.
"…It's not fair," Elaina sighed. "I liked Blake before that dumb boy-girl did."
"You sure had a terrible way of showing it," Cynthia said, frowning. "You kind of treated him pretty awfully, you know."
"That's… that's because I'm just… well, you know-!" Elaina exclaimed. "But that's all in the past! I still like him!"
"Well, I liked him since the first day of school!" Cynthia proclaimed. "…I just didn't realize it until way after, that's all."
"Well, I liked him since… um…" Elaina sputtered. "Never mind! That doesn't count anyway, it doesn't count until you realize it! You don't get to just proclaim you liked him first when you didn't even notice it! No fair!"
Cynthia scowled. "Fine then! There's only one way to decide this!" She exclaimed, grabbing Elaina's wrist and dragging her through the water.
"Hey! Let go!" Elaina gasped, confused. She was yanked through the water, holding her hand over her chest to shield herself. "What are you doing!?"
"Sango!" Cynthia shouted across the spring. "We need your help!"
"Cynthia-!? What… huh?" Sango looked at her in confusion.
Cynthia pushed Elaina forward, standing next to her. "Who liked Blake first?!" She demanded. "Me or Elaina?!"
Sango's eyes jumped between the two of them, an exasperated look on her face. "…You have GOT to be kidding me…" She muttered, burying her face in her hand.
"You know we can HEAR you, right?!" Reiner shouted from the other side of the partition.
Cynthia burst out laughing and Elaina turned white. She began to shake, and the steam began to swirl around her as a whirlwind kicked up.
"…Blake's not hear yet, though!" Reiner added. The wind settled down a little, but Elaina still looked mortified.
"Okay, are we done with this?" Sango sighed. She wasn't exactly interested in talking about who had fallen for Blake first.
And for the record, it was HER.
"So what else are we going to do?" Cynthia asked, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I suppose, if you wanted to gossip about boys-"
"Cynthia…" Sango growled. The assumption that there was something going on between her and Aidan, while partially based in reason, was starting to piss her off. Just because she had been dense enough to not notice what Aidan felt about her, that didn't mean Cynthia was. She must have picked up on it and was capitalizing.
Sometimes, Sango wanted to strangle her best friend. She was weird that way.
"Oh! I have an idea!" Cynthia said, pumping her fist into the air. She had a bright smile on her face, with just a tint of mischievous, which Sango noticed.
She had a bad feeling about this.
"We're going to compare each other's breast sizes!" Cynthia declared loudly enough for all the boys to hear.
Yep. Definitely a bad feeling. That smile had more than a tint, damn it.
"Hey, I think I'm just gonna… go this way," Sango said, tucking her arms over her meager chest, sneaking away from the girls.
Cynthia grabbed her wrist. Her grip was like an iron vice. Sango couldn't pull herself free.
Blake finally worked up the courage to enter the bath. It was only when he stepped into the water with his scars bared that he realized he shouldn't have been so wary. The only people who were here right now were the people who already knew about his scars in the first place.
"HOW BIG?!" Cynthia's voice screeching over the wall was the first thing he heard.
"They're… they're not that big! Really!" Elaina's wail shook the trees.
"Geez, they're as large as my stepmother's," Sango's voice was filled with astonishment.
"Okay, Elaina! New course of action!" Cynthia cackled. "If you want to seduce Blake, shove those monsters into his face!"
"Blake's here now," Reiner called over, and Elaina screamed.
"She's just joking!" She shouted over the fence. "I-I don't want something like that, Blake, I promise!" She rattled her fist on the fence, practically shouting.
Blake just sighed, slipping into the water. He wanted to block out the rest of the girls' shouts and cries about what Cynthia was getting up to. He'd just gotten into the water, couldn't he just have a little bit of time to-
"THEY'RE SOFT, TOO! WHAT THE HELL!?"
"You said you wouldn't!" Elaina wailed, splashing around. "You promised!"
"Ehh, it's just a little skinship," Cynthia laughed. "Come on, I'm sorry. It was just a touch."
He face-planted into the water.
On the other side of the fence, Elaina was seething. She wrapped her arms tightly around her chest, shaking, her face was red with fury. She glared at Cynthia, and Cynthia was thinking that maybe she had done too much.
"H-Hey-"
A blast of water smacked her in the face and she cried out in pain.
"Hey, come on you two, let's split up," Sango said, stepping between the two of them. She was smiling. "She didn't mean anything bad."
Elaina just sighed.
"Let's finish up the measurements," Cynthia said, turning to the other girls. It was all over in a couple of minutes.
"YES!" Sango cheered a little too loudly. There were tears in her eyes. "I'm not the smallest one! I'm not!"
"I-I'm still growing!" Kitty wailed. She turned to Julia. "Julia, I swear they're not usually that small, they must be shrinking because, um… the heat of the water! That's why!"
Julia raised her eyebrow in confusion. She had a smug look on her face.
"Look at her. Bragging with those D cups," Cynthia seethed, glaring at Julia. Then she smiled. "At least I'm not as small as some people."
"Hey! Why are you looking at me?" Sango exclaimed, splashing over to Cynthia. "You're… you're just lucky! Because you were a little bit bigger than me!"
"What can I say?" Cynthia shrugged. "Some girls have it, and some girls don't."
She turned and looked at Elaina, like she was staring at a religious icon.
"And some girls REALLY have it."
"They… they're not that big!" Elaina wailed.
"Oh! Wait, there's one other person we need to get the measurements of!" Cynthia exclaimed. "Caelia, what about… oh."
She turned to look back at the door, but Caelia wasn't there, of course. She wasn't going to bathe with the other girls.
"Caelia's not here, remember? Your grandparents gave her a private bath to use, remember?" Sango reminded her.
"…Yeah, I know…" Cynthia said, looking down. She felt a little bad as she glanced around at the other girls, who were all enjoying themselves to varying degrees.
Everyone was bonding right now. But not Caelia. It wasn't fair.
"Okay, I think that's enough bath time," Cynthia said, standing up in the water.
"Really? But we only got in like half an hour ago," Julia said, confused. "You think dinner's ready already?"
"How are you still hungry?" Kitty wondered.
"It's fine," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "I need to go do something." She got out of the spring and headed inside, drying off and throwing on a robe.
She went to go check up on Caelia.
Awww. A nice moment of bonding in the hot springs, and not only that, Cynthia's decided that it's important to see what's up with Caelia. As a good host should, making sure that everyone is happy together and having fun. What's Caelia up to now, I wonder?