Well, everyone made it back safely. But there are still a lot of issues to confront. How will they react to what just happened? It's been a long day, and an even longer night, so our group needs to take the time and relax and decompress. A nice peaceful bath with Sango and Cynthia will let them talk about their issues. Remember to review!

The Final Round of the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Contest 3 has begun! Get the votes in! There's only one week left! 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 last votes in! Can we get a climactic victor? You've only got one vote this time, so make it count!

Finalists: Chloe, Cynthia, Vic

KedharS: Yup. Everyone's okay. But it's not over yet… there's still someone lurking in the shadows that crept here from the Jagged Pass…

Guest: Oh? What irony?

Hyphenman: Quite a lot of things happened. What in particular were you shocked at?

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1047

Cynthia leaned back in the water and stared up at the night sky. Her mind was a jumble of confused thoughts. She was trying to forget what she'd seen that night, while also trying to push down the doubts about the future that she'd already brought to Hoenn with her.

"So you really saw a ghost that looked like me?"

"What?!" Cynthia jumped in the water, startled. She turned to Sango with a shaky smile. "O-Oh, Sango. Didn't see you there… uh, yeah. Sorry. And she didn't just 'look' like you, dude, she was exactly you, right down to that face you make whenever it's 'three for one tacos' in the cafeteria."

Sango's jaw dropped as she sat down in the water next to Cynthia. "What? You're kidding me. So you don't think… it was real, right?" Sango wasn't scared of ghosts. But what Cynthia explained had made her much more amenable to the idea that they existe.

Cynthia could only offer a shrug.

"I mean… you tell me."

Sango sighed. She didn't want to think about that right now. So she changed the subject to something that had been burning a hole in her ever since they headed back. "Hey, um… if ghosts are real… then how do you think they… well, you know… appear? Like, in the real world, I mean."

"Huh? I don't know. Supernatural shit? Don't ask me, dude, I don't even have Ghost type pokemon," Cynthia shrugged.

"N-No, I mean… let's say, for sake of argument, you were dead. Would you come back as a ghost? Are there specific reasons why someone would? Like, if the ghost of that girl on Jagged Pass is real, why did she manifest as a ghost, and not… someone else?"

Cynthia scooted a little closer to Sango and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Is this about your mom?"

Sango hugged her legs and nodded. "I mean… if that girl was a ghost… then maybe my mom is too, right? Maybe she could appear? Someday, I mean."

Cynthia wasn't sure how to address that. She sighed. "Sango… your mom passed away. I know you want her to come back, but… do you really want her to just be floating around and haunting you all the time? Is that what you want for her? To just be some disembodied spirit?"

"N-No!" Sango said, shaking her head. "I mean… yeah, you're right. No. It would be ridiculous, right? Something like that…"

Even as she said that, though, she couldn't help how she felt.

"I just… I just want to see my mom again…" She mumbled. Even if it was just for a second, even if she was a ghost.

"Well… think about it like this," Cynthia said. "If it was possible to come back as a ghost, wouldn't there be, like, just a ton of them floating around? No. No way. It just doesn't make sense, right? There's gotta be something else, some other reason. So maybe it's due to regrets and stuff?"

"Regrets? What do you mean?" Sango asked.

"Well, that girl, from the mansion, she must have lived a pretty isolated life, up on Jagged Pass. It's close to Lavaridge, sure, but this place is a retirement home for seniors when you get right down to it, not a whole lot to do. I'm sure when she died that young, she must have been filled with regrets, right? Stuff that she… never got to do. Not even a chance to make her own future… you get how it is…" Cynthia's voice trailed off as she began to empathize with the dead girl.

She quickly shook her head, returning to reality. "Look. Anyway, the point is that someone like that had a lot they regretted, and that's probably why she came back as a vengeful spirit. But your mom wouldn't do that, right?"

"You… you think?" Sango asked. "But… wouldn't she have regrets? Since she died when I was really young, she must have some regrets."

Cynthia stared thoughtfully at her and tapped her chin. "Well… I don't think she'd have any regrets, though?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sango asked.

Cynthia grinned. "Well… she can see you now, right? Why would she regret anything, when her daughter grew up to be such a great gal?"

Sango's face turned scarlet at Cynthia's words. "UM! Um, uh… that's… I mean…" She shook her head frantically, not sure what to say. Cynthia just laughed.

"It's okay, hon," she smiled, patting Sango on the shoulder. "You're a great gal, and you're doing great. I'm glad I get the chance to chat with you like this. It feels like it's been too long since we've really had a real conversation, you know? Thanks. This made me feel a lot better."

"Well… I'm glad too," Sango smiled. "But I'm still not okay with you continuously teasing me about Aidan! What's the deal with that?"

Cynthia flinched. She didn't want to ruin the good mood they had going on by admitting to Sango that she'd spied on her when Aidan confessed, because that would mean acknowledging that she knew Sango had a crush on someone, and that could make things even more uncomfortable between the two of them. She had to think fast.

"O-Oh, you know," she laughed awkwardly. "Just some light ribbing! You know how it is with me, always giving my besties the business!"

"…Right," Sango said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. She wasn't fully convinced, but like Cynthia, she didn't want to ruin the good vibes they had going between them right now. This could be the last time they had just to themselves for the rest of the trip. Kitty was petrified in their room, hiding beneath the covers in fear of the ghosts, and Julia was trying to comfort her. Meanwhile, Elaina had passed out in her futon the second she'd gotten back due to straining herself on such a long hike (apparently, living your teenage years as a reclusive hermit didn't do a whole lot for your stamina) and Caelia didn't take baths with the rest of them.

"Hey, um… I was just thinking," Sango said cautiously. "You know… about what you were talking about before?"

"What? You and your steamy romance with Mr. Muscles?" Cynthia smirked. Sango glared at her. "…Sorry."

"No, not about that, of course not about that. I'm talking about the Battle Frontier," Sango said. Seeing Cynthia flinch like that was a confirmation of her suspicions. "Just like I thought. It's still giving you trouble, isn't it?"

"That's… no, it's not," Cynthia vainly tried to protest. But Sango could see right through her. She stared at Cynthia until the other girl gave up the ghost. Cynthia hung her head and sighed in defeat. "…Okay, yes. You're right," she admitted. "I'm still not quite sure what I should do."

"Well… what do you want to do?" Sango asked.

"For my facility? Or do you mean…?" Cynthia let the question hang there because she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer. Sango picked up on that immediately and shook her head.

"Not the facility. I mean the Battle Frontier itself. Are you sure that's what you really want to do?" Sango asked.

Cynthia sighed, and curled up into a tiny ball in the water, hugging her knees just like Sango had. She stared down into the cloudy spring.

"…I don't know," she admitted. "Does it sound like fun? Yes. More than fun. It sounds absolutely amazing! Being able to battle against whoever I want, training my pokemon against other trainers, living in an amusement park all my life… it sounds absolutely glorious." She glanced down again. "But… I'm only 16. And this thing is already firing, you know? For me, it was some abstract dream, but now it's REAL. It's really happening, and I have to make a commitment, now. Do I do it? Do I back out? Am I really ready to commit to something this serious?"

She sighed again, hanging her head. "I guess I just don't know."

Sango wasn't sure what to say. So she just sat there beside Cynthia and let her presence tell the girl that she had a friend she could count on.

"I'm glad you came, Sango, I really am," Cynthia smiled.

"Yeah, well, what else was I gonna do? Spend the break with Elizabeth and bonding and shit?" Sango asked, smirking.

"Ugh, are you two still fighting?" Cynthia groaned. "I thought you guys got along now?"

"Wha- d-don't say it like that!" Sango huffed, her cheeks turning red. "We… we're just… it's complicated, okay?!"

Sango being Sango, acknowledging that Elizabeth wasn't the worst stepmother in the world was just not something she was capable of doing. Cynthia realized that, of course, and just laughed at her friend's denial.

"That, Sango?" She smirked. "That right there is the reason I keep teasing you about Aidan. Because you're cute when you deny it so fervently."

Sango leveled a menacing glare at her friend. "Oh, really? And what about now? Do I still look 'cute'?" She demanded.

"…No, now you look like you want to stab someone," Cynthia replied. She stood up, and stretched. "Well… that's one thing."

"Hmm? Getting out already?" Sango asked.

"Yup," Cynthia nodded. "Don't want to turn into one big prune after all. I'm relaxed, enthused, and ready to greet the next day!"

Sango smiled. She was glad that Cynthia was in a better mood. Well, while Silver was resting, she could enjoy some time to herself.

"Good night, Cynthia!" She called after her friend. "Don't let the ghost get you!"

Cynthia froze halfway to the door. She turned and glared at Sango. "Don't say that! Don't even joke about that!" She wailed. Sango just cackled with glee.

Cynthia left Sango to her own devices and walked back to the room. But on the way there, she ran into Blake, coming back from the bathroom.

"Oh, Blake. Hey. What's up?" Cynthia asked.

"…Hey," Blake said, glancing aside. His face was red. "Um, uh… how was the bath?" He stammered out awkwardly.

Cynthia was surprised. She hadn't expected Blake to react like that. "That's… what's up, dude? Why are you acting so weird? Not still worked up about the ghost, are you?" She asked, a coy grin spreading across her face.

"N-No, it's not that…" He stammered. He still wasn't looking her in the eye. "Your bathrobe, it's…" He pointed at her.

Cynthia glanced down, and immediately the flush from the bath returned. She'd been so lost in thought when putting her robe on, she'd completely forgotten to tie it! She'd just walked across her inn with her whole front open!

"D-Don't look!" She cried, pulling the robe shut.

"WHY ARE YOU DRESSED LIKE THAT?!" He demanded. Even though he could see she'd covered herself out of the corner of his eye, he was still too embarrassed to look at her.

"B-Because… I-I… I'm trying to seduce you!" She blurted out, a manic grin spreading across her face. It was absurd, of course, but at this point she decided it was better to steer into the absurdity. She leaned in close, pulling it just slightly open to bare her meager cleavage. "S-S-So… what do you think? Tantalizing?"

Blake wanted to smack her. "Come on, Cynthia, we had an agreement. Stop." He knew she wasn't serious and was just trying to conceal her own embarrassment, which was why he didn't get more upset at her. But that didn't make him happy.

"…Sorry," she apologized lamely. "I guess I was just lost in thought."

"…About that ghost?" He asked.

Cynthia flinched. "What? Ghost? NO, I mean… I mean yes! Definitely the ghost! And definitely not anything else…"

Blake narrowed his eyes. "Okay, Cynthia, enough. What's going on here?" He asked. "You've been behaving weird for days. Is something the matter?"

Cynthia stared at her friend, and sighed. Just like Sango, Blake had this nasty habit of being able to see right through her. "Best friends suck," she muttered under her breath.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. It's nothing," she said, shaking her head. "It's… okay, look. The thing is, tonight… I really wanted it to be fun, you know? Especially for Caelia and Elaina. The ghost kinda… threw a wrench into it, you know? Darn, that sucks!"

Blake could smell Cynthia's bullshit a mile away. "I grew up with Claire, and Cynthia, while you're good at slinging shit, you ain't Claire. Spill. What's really going on?"

Cynthia scowled. "It's nothing!" She snapped. "Just forget it!"

With a sour expression, she turned and walked away. But Blake grabbed her by the arm to stop her, turning her back to him. She winced when she saw the pained expression on his face.

"Cynthia, you're my friend," Blake said. "And that means I'm going to be worried about you either way. But if you don't want to tell me what's going on, you don't have to, okay? I'll just be concerned all on my own."

Cynthia stared at him for a few moments, and he let go of her. He headed past her, and then it was her turn to take him by the arm.

"It's… it's not something I want to talk about," she murmured. Her eyes danced around the room. "Not here, anyway. Not with my robe open like this."

"…Fair enough," he admitted. "So… what is it, then?"

"Can we walk and talk?" She asked. The two walked past their rooms and headed down the hall. Cynthia retrieved a bathrobe tie from the closet and began to explain why the ghost had shaken her so much earlier.

"Like… yeah, ghosts are scary," she admitted. "But… it's not that big of a thing. I was frightened, sure. But when I calmed down, and thought about it… it wasn't the ghost that got to me, that's not what stuck."

"Then what did?" Blake asked quietly.

"That girl… she wasn't much older than us, you know?" Cynthia mumbled. "She was just a rich girl living with a loving family. She probably had her own dreams, her own goals. And then… she was gone. The landslide occurred, and that was all taken from her."

"I guess that is something to think about," Blake nodded. "I can't imagine what it must be like, to have regrets like that."

"Everyone's got regrets," Cynthia admitted. "You, me, everybody. Heck, I bet there are thousands of ghosts out there who died with regrets in their lives. But see… when it's someone so young… someone from Lavaridge… I just can't help but think, what would happen if I got caught in a landslide? If I… you know."

"Cynthia, you can't think like that-"

"It almost happened tonight!" Cynthia exclaimed. Her face was pale with fright. "I nearly bashed my head in on those rocks! If it wasn't for Julia, then I would've…" She began shaking. She didn't even want to think about it.

"But it didn't happen," Blake reminded her. "You can't just think about what would have happened, or what might have happened. Just be glad that you're okay."

"But it COULD have! And if it did… what would I have to show for myself, huh?" Cynthia exclaimed. Blake realized that she was talking to herself more than she was talking to him. Talking and shaking like a leaf.

"Cynthia…"

"I just… I wanted… I don't know what I want," she admitted. "This Battle Frontier thing… it's my chance to make something of myself. Sango's going to be a Top Ranger for sure, and you, Blake, you've got, well… that stuff with your family. But me…"

She wiped her eyes. "I don't really have anything like that. I'm just a kinda skilled battler, and even then I only rely on my Breloom. You saw what happened when I didn't use Tristan, right? Will beat me, then Caelia. I don't think I've won a battle in months!"

"Cynthia, that's just dumb," Blake said, shaking his head. "You've just had a few streaks of bad luck, that's all. You don't need to force yourself to do something you don't want to."

"But I do want to!" Cynthia said. "I want to make something of myself, I want to… oh, I just don't know, damn it!"

Blake could see that Cynthia was stuck. But he didn't know what he could do to make her unstuck. "Look, Cynthia, if you're worried or afraid…"

"It's not that I'm afraid," she said, shaking her head. "I mean, I am, it's just… I feel stuck! I want to move forward, but I don't know how!" Ah, he was right on the money as usual.

"Well… do you want to do this Battle Frontier thing, then?" He asked. He still wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that. "Or do you not know what you want to do?"

It was obviously the latter, and Cynthia knew it as well as he did. She just hadn't accepted that yet.

"I just… I don't want to regret anything," she mumbled.

Oh. So she was just an idiot, then.

"Didn't you say already that everyone regrets?" Blake asked, raising his eyebrow. "You're not going to make any progress in life trying to avoid doing anything you'll regret. I thought you, of all people, would know that. This is just me, but wouldn't it be better to regret things that you've done, rather than the stuff you didn't do?"

Blake remembered his own childhood, when there were so many things he wanted to do that he wasn't capable of due to his injuries. He could do those things now, of course, but he didn't have his sister there to share them with.

"Living… without regrets," Cynthia mumbled, staring at Blake. It was like she was seeing him for the first time. "Yeah… I did used to do that, didn't I? Doing whatever I wanted, without second-guessing myself… there's time for regretting later, right?"

She was a lot closer to him now. He could smell the soap on her hair.

"Uh… Cynthia…?"

"Blake… can you help me?" She whispered, reaching up to his collar and running her fingers across his cheek. "I don't… want to regret the choices I didn't make."

Uh-oh. It seems Blake's suggestions to Cynthia might be backfiring. Hopefully she doesn't do anything that they'll both regret. I would hate for their friendship to be ruined due to her questioning of her own desires.