Continuing with the wave pool, Blake and Cynthia will try to show the other girls how to have fun! Cynthia's trying to see if being in the water like this is good for Caelia, and whether or not it could help with her inability to touch and feel, and could she be right? Is something like this just what the doctor ordered? Will Caelia actually HAVE FUN on this trip?

KedharS: Yup. But at least this time, it's with the best of intentions, so that's good, at least, right?

Hyphenman: Don't worry, they have inner tubes this time, so nobody's going to drown. Unless Caelia decides she wants CPR from Blake after all, in which case that could be something of a problem.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1062

"Ruka, the inner tube isn't going to work if you use it like that," Cynthia said, nursing her forehead in frustration.

Ruka wasn't wearing the inner tube around her waist, or even sitting on it. She refused to get even the slightest bit wet, so she was perched atop the inner tube on all fours like a feline pokemon, hissing angrily at the water.

Everyone else had gotten into the pool, even Caelia and Elaina. They were all in the shallow part, where the water was just barely rising up and down, unlike the deeper sections of the pool where the waves could rise up to almost be as tall as the people swimming.

Caelia was currently bobbing up and down in the waves, but beyond that, she wasn't really doing anything. It was practically like she was a piece of driftwood or a mannequin in an inner tube, staring off into the distance. If Cynthia's plan was working, it was hard to see how.

Elaina, on the other hand, was having a LOT more fun. She had never swam before, and didn't know how, so she couldn't exactly do much movment of her own. She was floating on water wings to keep her above the water, and trying to kick like Blake had told her to in order to stay on the surface, but there was something else going for her that was doing a lot of work.

Namely, the fact that she came with two flotation devices readily equipped. She wasn't amused by the fact that her boobs were large enough that they floated, but there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it.

Cynthia was appreciative, though. But right now, her focus was on Ruka.

"It's okay, Ruka," Cynthia said, her voice surprisingly tender and reassuring. "I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you, okay?"

Ruka really wanted to believe her trainer. But she'd never seen water before, and just couldn't trust it enough.

"Zorua…" Ruka whimpered, staring at the roiling waves. Cynthia's suggestion of coming to the wave pool might have been good for Caelia, but Ruka would have been much more comfortable with staying at th wading pool. This water looked too choppy!

She glanced up at Cynthia and mumbled something the other girl couldn't hear. It didn't matter what it was, though, because Cynthia wouldn't be able to understand what she wanted to say anyway. That was part of the issue with Ruka's ability to trust her trainer.

Cynthia wasn't like Marie, the previous human she'd formed a connection with. Cynthia couldn't understand her. Ruka desperately wanted to connect with her new trainer directly and make her voice heard, but Cynthia lacked the tools for that right now. So all Ruka could do was rely on other people to translate for her, and none of them were here.

How could she trust Cynthia if she couldn't express how she was feeling? Cynthia wouldn't know, so there was no way to connect.

That's what Ruka thought, anyway, because she didn't understand the nature of the bond between trainer and pokemon. Having only been with Marie, who could communicate directly with her, she'd never dealt with a human who was familiar with other pokemon like Cynthia was. She wasn't even aware of it, but it was a bond that she'd been pursuing because she wanted that connection. That was the whole reason she'd chased Cynthia, after all.

Cynthia smiled and swam to the edge of the pool, looking up into Ruka's eyes. Her gaze was so warm and comforting.

"I know you're scared," she murmured, reaching out and laying her hand over Ruka's. In spite of how wet it was, Ruka didn't feel the need to pull it away. "But you don't have to be. I told you, I'm right here, and I'll look out for you, okay?"

Ruka couldn't put her finger (or paw, as the case may be) on what it was, but something in Cynthia's eyes convinced her. Nodding her head, she stood and slipped the inner tube up her hips, and then took a shaky step down the stairs and into the pool.

"Zorua?!" Ruka gasped as she felt the lower half of her body submerge under the water. It felt so cool and refreshing, not at all like the tropical storms she was used to on Jagged Pass! It reminded her of the bath that she'd taken at the inn, when the water had lured her in with its warmth. What had she been so afraid of?

"Do you like it?" Cynthia asked, smiling warmly at her Zorua. Ruka nodded her head rapidly, her eyes wide with amazement.

"I think that's a yes," Blake laughed.

Elaina smiled as well. It wasn't as clear as when she connected with her own pokemon, but she could sense a wave of joy coming from Ruka, and that resonated with her harmonia. She could feel her own worries easing as well.

"Well now that all that's been settled, come on, Ruka! There's more fun to be had!" Cynthia gripped Ruka's inner tube and gently tugged her deeper into the pool, eager to show her pokemon how much fun the waves could be. Ruka was reluctant but she trusted Cynthia now that she'd actually gotten into the water, and didn't fight the other girl as she led her to the deeper parts.

"Caelia, how are you doing?" Cynthia asked, bringing the two inner tubes up next to each other just as a slightly larger wave lifted them all up a little. "Are you enjoying the water?"

She looked hopefully at the other girl, wondering if Caelia was feeling anything from the ups and downs of the waves. But it didn't show on her face if she did.

Caelia didn't say anything as another wave rolled over her, she just stared blankly at Cynthia as if she didn't hear the question. For Cynthia, that was enough of an answer, and her face fell. But only for a second.

"Well, that's too bad!" She laughed. "But don't worry, I'm sure you'll feel something really soon! We just have to go out to the deeper parts of the pool, where the waves go even higher! What do you think? Sound good?"

Blake wasn't sure that was a very good idea, and neither did Ruka. But Caelia didn't make any objections, letting Cynthia grab the handlebar of her inner tube with one hand while holding Ruka's with the other, and dragging both of them deeper inwards to where the waves were really getting high up in the water. Ruka looked back with a scared expression, and Blake didn't really know what to say back to her.

That just left Blake and Elaina. And Elaina was absolutely not going any further into the water, not while she still didn't know how to swim.

"So what do you want to do?" Blake asked, swimming over to her. It looked like it was taking all she had to keep herself above the water, and he was starting to get worried.

"I'm not going any further," she said adamantly. "I got in like I said I would, but if I get washed up in those waves then I'm going to drown for sure!"

Blake thought that was a bit of an exaggeration. Staring at Elaina in her current state, kicking fiercely to keep her upper half above the water while her water wings and large chest were sharing the burden, it was easy to see that she was weakening. But drowning? No way.

"That's not what I meant," he laughed, shaking his head. He wanted to keep things light, so that she wouldn't panic or get worried. "I was just asking if you'veyou're your fill of the wave pool yet, that's all. Cynthia's going to be pretty occupied with her Zorua, so if you want to go back and relax outside the pool, that would be totally fine.

Elaina glanced at the pool's edge and was tempted for a second. The churning waters were making her stomach do flip-flops, like a lighter version of when she overused her harmonia and had to vomit. Or when she saw Blake.

But she didn't need to get out right now. She wasn't as tired as she was pretending to be. Maybe because it was finally her and Blake alone, or maybe she just didn't want to waste all the courage she'd built up getting into the water, but she didn't want to leave just yet.

"Um… it's fine," she mumbled. "The water's nice, and I can stay for a little longer. …I've got my wings, after all," she added ruefully. As a trainer who specialized in flying pokemon, referring to the rubbery things wrapped around her arms as "wings" felt rather ironic.

"Well, if you're sure," Blake said. "To be honest… I'm not much of a swimmer myself," he admitted, which startled Elaina.

"Really? I never would have guessed," she said, shaking her head.

"When I was little, I had to go through a lot of physical therapy," Blake explaind. "Luckily I was adopted by a rich family so I spent some time in the family pool, getting the use of my legs back. But I wasn't exactly swimming marathons, you know? My little sister hated getting I the water, and I was more interested in spending time with her. So even though I knew HOW to swim, I just never did it, you know?"

Elaina nodded. She could understand that.

"I guess that makes more sense than me," she sighed. "I'm from the ALOLA Region. We're SURROUNDED by water, EVERYONE there knows how to swim. Everyone except me, I guess." She sighed again, staring at her reflection rolling over the waves.

For a moment, Blake thought about Ayame, and hesitated to ask more. He felt like getting closer to Elaina could be a betrayal of his girlfriend, and unfair to Elaina as well, since it felt like he would be leading her on by getting her to open up to him.

But that hesitation only lasted for a moment. He wasn't leading her on by being there for her as a friend. He was caring for her and bonding with her. That's what Aya would say, right? He reminded himself. He couldn't control Elaina's feelings. He wasn't responsible for them. Pushing her away now, when she needed someone to open up to, because he didn't want to hurt her, that would be putting the cart before the horse.

Elaina needed a friend, and Blake was going to be that friend, just like he wanted to be there for his sister.

"Is there any reason why you didn't ever learn how to swim?" He asked curiously. Elaina was startled by the question, not expecting him to care more about her past. She glanced up at him.

"W-Well… if I had to say, I guess… no, never mind. It isn't a guess. The reason I didn't ever learn how to swim is because I was afraid of people," she explained with a sigh. "By the time I had reached the age when the people at the orphanage were teaching us all to swim, I had already alienated everyone I knew with my powers. I just locked myself up in my room, because… I was afraid of exposing myself. Going out with the others, being with them, and yet not… it was too much for me to bear back then, so I just… hid. And ran. And then Gerard found me, and, well…"

Her voice trailed off and she looked away. She didn't want to talk about Gerard if she didn't have to, sh knew all too well what Blake's opinion about the boy was.

"…After that, swimming just never seemed to be important, that's all- whoa!" Elaina had been a little closer to the far side of the pool than Blake, and neither had noticed that the waves had slowly been pushing her closer to him. It wasn't until the last one, when the waves nearly pushed her right into his arms, did they finally realize, staring into each other's eyes in flustered surprise.

"Uwaa! Sorry!" Elaina exclaimed, and began to thrash. She wanted to get out of Blake's grip as soon as possible, but as she'd just finished explaining, she hardly knew the basics of swimming. She flailed about like she was drowning in a storm, smacking Blake in the face for good measure. The one upside was that she was so flummoxed her harmonia hadn't even manifested, and it wasn't long before the two were quickly separated and catching their breath.

"S-Sorry," Elaina spat out, holding her hands over her face. She still wasn't comfortable with being looked at when she lost her cool. Blake also felt a little uncomfortable himself, not sure what to do or say to make the awkwardness disperse.

"M-Maybe we should be a little further apart," Elaina suggested, pathetically paddling for the edge of the pool. She knew Blake had a girlfriend. And in spite of her feelings for him, she didn't want to be the one to ruin things. So she was happy to take his advice and get out of the water.

"No, it's fine," Blake said, stopping her before she could get out. "Just an accident. Happens between friends all the time."

Elaina's boobs had been pressed right into his chest. He could still feel how soft they were. His heart was racing and his face was bright red, and he knew that anyone could tell he was flustered himself. But he wasn't going to let something small like that get in the way of helping Elaina through her issues.

In his flurry of confused thoughts, a gem crossed his mind.

"What if I help you?" He suggested.

Elaina blinked, letting go ot the bars on the side of the pool and slipping back into the water. She paddled over to Blake. "Help me? What do you mean by that?" She asked, confused about his suggestion.

"Well… you said you don't know how to swim, right? Well, I do," Blake said. "So why not let me help? Maybe then, the next time you come here you won't need those water wings."

Elaina blinked, touched by his kind gesture. She smiled.

"I-I would like that… are you sure?" She didn't want mor awkward moments. But by the time she asked, Blake had gotten his feelings under control, and assured her with a smile.

"It'll be fine. I can't say I'm a great teacher, or that this is the best place to learn, but I can at least get you in better shape than you are now," he assured her.

This was the kind of thing he knew was the right thing to do. It was what Ayame would have done, offer to help.

Elaina smiled gratefully at him and nodded her head, eager to learn how to swim.

Meanwhile, across the pool, another girl was having the time of her life.

"ZORUA!" Ruka cheered, bracing herself as another wave rolled towards her. She clung onto the sides of the inner tube as the water level rose, lifting her up higher and higher into the air. All without ever needing to leave the pool!

She sank back down, clutching her chest. The tingly feeling in her belly was back! It came every time she went up and down a wave, and it was the best thing ever!

Ruka turned to her trainer, splashing the water to get Cynthia's attention. Like a small child desperate to show off to her mom, Ruka wanted Cyntha to see that she wasn't afraid of the water anymore, and was starting to enjoy herself now.

Cynthia smiled, happy herself that Ruka seemed to be having so much fun.

"That's great, Ruka!" Cynthia cheered, not needing sign language to hear what her pokemon was trying to say. "Now hold on, there's another big one coming!"

"Zor!" Ruka said, nodding sharply as another wave came and lifted them up again. As the rose over it, Cynthia turned towards Caelia to see how she was enjoying the pool.

The whole point of this trip to the water park was to get Caelia some fun in the sun without her actually needing to go swimming in the ocean. And Cynthia had brought her to the wave pool because she hoped the rises and dips would cause a fluttering sensation in Caelia that would have nothing to do with the state of her body.

Unfortunately for her, it didn't seem like her plan was having the intended effect. If Caelia was at all pleased by the feelings, it wasn't registering on her face.

…Heck, as far as Cynthia could tell, there might not have bee any change at all. The plan had been a total failure.

But she wasn't going to let it stay that way. She swam over to Caelia, grabbing onto the edge of her tube for leverage, being careful not to knock her off.

"How's it going, Caelia?!" She shouted over the cries of joy from the other people in the pool. "Are you having fun?"

Caelia didn't say a word, and didn't even give Cynthia a nod. But Cynthia wouldn't be discouraged that easily.

"How's it feel when the waves hit?" She tried again. "Makes a weird sensation in your belly, right? I just love it!"

Caelia glance her way, and for a moment, Cynthia swore sh could see the slightest glimmer of recognition in the brunette's eye.

But if Caelia had anything to contribute, she planned on keeping it to herself. Even as another wave came and lifted them both up again, her face remained an emotionless mask, completely ambivalent to the fun of the water park.

Cynthia sighed. She was really hoping this one would have gotten even just a small smile out of the other girl. But Caelia was playing hard to get.

But she wasn't done yet. SOMEthing at this water park was going t give Caelia the time of her life; Cynthia just had to figure out what it was.

As Ruka howled with excitement off to the side, Cynthia began to formulate a plan.

Uh-oh. Cynthia and plans have traditionally not been the best combination. What could she be planning? Will it be good for Caelia, or will it go horribly wrong? Will Elaina be able to control her feelings when she's being taught how to swim by Blake, or will she make the mistake Cynthia almost has several times? As for Ruka, well… at least she's having fun, right?