It's Blake's birthday! What will people get for him? How will they help him celebrate it? And most importantly, what will Ayame's gift to Blake from the bottom of her heart be? What's something meaningful that she can give him, that no one else can? Review!

As for the Best Girl nominations, still going strong. Anyone else left to add?

Currently Nominated: Sango, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Dakota, Ayame, Marion, Kitty, Serefina, Madison

KedharS: Destiny? Fate? Nah, whatever I think will cause the most romance drama obviously.

Tambry96bj: Well, I think Ayame's gift, at least, will be rather meaningful.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 203

"She's late."

Blake stood in front of the Blastoise Fountain and checked his phone. Ayame had invited him out today, on his birthday, and she was already late. He hadn't gotten any birthday wishes from his family, either. Of course, they wouldn't even acknowledge today was his "birthday" after all, so why would they bother celebrating it? Between that, and the fact that he knew that today he… he would have to break things off with Ayame, for good… it was shaping out to be another poor birthday.

9:12. She still wasn't-

"Blake!" Blake looked up to see Ayame walking towards him, waving him down. She got close to him, and Blake did a double-take. It had been a couple of weeks since he'd seen her, but she wasn't…

Was she this hot before?

Blake had no way of knowing this, but Ayame had taken out a favor with Olivia to turn her into the bombshell standing in front of him. Her handsome features were accentuated by touches of makeup to turn her from an 8 or 9 out of 10 to a solid 12, drawing the eyes of the students passing by. She had tight blue jeans to accentuate the curve of her hips and her long legs, and a sleeveless white shirt. Normally, the cut of the shirt would reveal her midriff, but due to the wrapping over her wounds Blake could only see bandages underneath. Over her shirt, she wore a unzipped black day jacket with a dark fur collar, and at her side was a shiny black designer bag. The ribbon in her hair bounced with each step, keeping her perfect hair framing her lovely face. Her golden-hazel eyes were shining with joy at seeing Blake for the first time in what felt like forever. In her hands, she had a shopping bag.

"Ayame," Blake smiled, meeting her halfway. "Hey, it's good to see you."

"Happy birthday, Blake," Ayame said, pulling him into a hug. "Easy though, my ribs are still messed up."

Blake made sure not to hug her too tightly, and the two separated.

"Aren't you a little late?" Blake asked. Ayame grinned, batting her eyelashes at him as she leaned forward, tilting her head to the side.

"Well, I had to make sure I looked my best, didn't I? Besides… it's not like I could run here, after all."

"That's true," Blake admitted.

"Plus, on my way here, I passed an arcade," Ayame smirked, her eyes glowing with a challenge. She lifted up the small shopping bag in her hand and passed it over to him. Blake took a peek inside, and rolled his eyes. He smiled ruefully at her as he reached into the bag and pulled out the stuffed Snivy.

"Happy birthday," Ayame replied. "I saw it, and I thought it would be perfect for you."

"Thanks," Blake said, setting down his backpack and pulling the adorable Tara replica inside it. "I can actually show my gratitude for a gift, though."

Ayame smiled flirtatiously down at him as he stood back up, looking at her appraisingly.

"What is this?" Blake said, gesturing at her clothes. "The clothes, the stuffed Snivy, what…"

"All in good time," Ayame winked. She reached out and took him by the hand. She interlaced her fingers with his, and headed towards the main campus building and the row of small shorts and cafes inside. "First, let's get some coffee!"

Ayame led Blake to the coffee shop where they'd gone for their first date, and after they ordered they sat down at even the same table.

"I thought you didn't like coffee? Or caffeine?" Blake asked suspiciously. "At least that's what you said last time we came here. That's why I made sure we didn't go to any coffee shops on our next dates?"

Ayame's cheeks turned pink and she glanced aside, a little embarrassed.

"That… that was a lie," she admitted. "I don't mind it that much… I just… I was being a bitch. Just a dumb fucking bitch who was so insistent on having a bad time that I… I said all that stuff."

"You weren't that bad," Blake said. "I had fun either way."

"No. It wasn't fair to you," Ayame said. "So… that's gonna be my gift to you."

"Huh?"

"First Date, Take 2," Ayame giggled. "I wanted to give you the first date experience you deserve, with the real Ayame Toujou. The Ayame Toujou who wants to spend today giving you the best date in the world."

Blake smiled, honestly touched by Ayame's gesture. He had planned… he was going to tell Ayame the truth today, come clean and admit that he couldn't date her, that he wasn't in love with her and couldn't promise her he ever would be. But he couldn't bring himself to do it now. He could see the eagerness in her eyes. This date… today meant the world to Ayame. And he wasn't about to ruin it for her with something that serious. He leaned back in his seat, and resolved to embrace this date with an open heart, and enthusiasm. He was going to enjoy this for what it was, and make this the best date for the both of them that he could as well..

"What now?" Blake asked, leaning in and finishing off the cinnamon bun he'd been snacking on. "If memory serves me, after we had coffee, we went to go see a movie, isn't that right?"

Ayame smirked, and reached into her purse, withdrawing a pair of tickets.

"Olivia got these for me," Ayame said. "They're for that movie 'Running Spirit'. I can't wait!"

"What's it about?" Blake asked.

"Running, duh," Ayame said, rolling her eyes like it was obvious. "Ready to go?"

As it turned out, "Running Spirit" was not about running. It was about a spirit. A ghost that would jump from body to body and slaughtered teenagers one by one, while the flesh of the girls she would inhabit would slowly decay and rot away.

"Uwaaaaah!" Ayame screamed, jumping out of her seat as the decomposing monster girl dropped down from the ceiling onscreen, opening her mouth wide and spitting blood on the teenagers who were having sex. She raised her arm and lunged forward, piercing through the chest of the boy. The girl tried to run, but the spirit's head twisted around to look after her, and her body shifted to follow the girl. She pinned her to the floor, ripping open the back of her body and climbing inside of her, sowing her up like a skin suit.

Ayame HATED horror movies. Hated, hated, hated them. EVERY scare that occurred, she would scream, yell, and flail around, grabbing Blake tightly just to ensure that she was not alone.

Blake wasn't a big fan of horror movies either, but he could tell at just a glance that Ayame was REALLY bad with them. She was practically peeing herself with terror at every scare, and her body was on a razor's edge. She was trembling. Blake reached down and placed his hand over hers, wrapping their fingers together. Ayame looked at him with tears in her eyes, her lips quivering.

A scream rang out from the screen and Ayame jumped again, burying her face in Blake's shoulder. Blake bit his lip. Ayame clearly wasn't enjoying herself, but she'd tried so hard that Blake couldn't let her efforts go to waste.

Actually, it wasn't as bad as Blake had thought. True, Ayame was watching the movie with her eyes closed, but getting an excuse to hug Blake tightly was working wonders for her enjoyment levels.

This isn't that bad, right? Ayame asked herself. There's nothing wrong with me hugging him like this, right?

So Ayame snuggled up to Blake while Blake watched the movie with uninterested eyes, holding her tightly to keep her from getting scared. This went on for a while, but then something happened. It was just another scene transition to another stock-horror movie gore scene, but…

The spirit was onscreen, standing in the center of the burning warehouse as three more victims were screaming, the flames consuming them offscreen. As the fire burned around her, a wide smile spread across the haunt's rotting face, as she delighted in the flames consuming all around her. The flames licked up her body and she ignited as well, her most recent host burning along with the other teenagers.

The woman, bathed in flames… He'd seen her before. Or had he? Those images… black flames wrapped around the body of a woman, her body cast in shadow… only her wicked smile could be seen as she walked closer to him, her sharp teeth glinting as she held out a hand to him, her golden-red eyes glistening through the darkness…

Ayame looked up. Blake was… trembling? She saw his face, lit up by the fire on the screen. His face was pale and sickly looking, and his eyes were wide with fear. Not just fear… terror. She could see the terror in his eyes, his body trembling as he looked up at the screen… She clenched his hand.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Ayame shouted, shaking Blake out of his trance. He glanced at her, stunned.

"Blake, it's too scary, let's go!" Ayame insisted, leaping from her seat and pulling him up.

"Uh, what, are you-"

"Too scary! Let's go!" Ayame snapped, Blake following her outside. Blake shook his head as she dragged him along with her, the haze of memories clearing from his thoughts as he pushed those nightmares down.

They walked in silence for a while, Ayame refusing to let go of Blake's hand as long as she could feel him shaking. She dragged him through the mall and the two of them entered the elevator, heading up to the roof for some fresh air.

"Are you okay?" Ayame asked, glancing back to them as they stepped out into the rooftop garden.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Blake asked. "You were the one so scared you had to leave."

Ayame sighed. He was still shaking a little, but they were almost like aftershocks. He looked kind of shaken, but seemed rather composed, at least. It must have just been a bad experience.

"I'm doing better," Ayame said, smiling back at him. She let go of his hand, and the two strolled through the garden. "But seriously, what was that, giving me horror movie tickets! She knows that I can't stand horror!"

She glanced at Blake and grinned, her cheeks turning pink.

"I guess… it wasn't all bad."

"I did enjoy you clinging to me," Blake smiled, equally eager to put the whole movie mess behind them.

"So much for my great date plan," Ayame sighed, staring at the rose bushes with regret on her face. "I was really hoping we could watch another good running movie and joke around like we did before…"

"Well think about it like this," Blake said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "We had a blast with the movie we saw on that date, but this one sucked. So let's pretend that the movie from back then was part of this perfect date, and the movie today was just a bad memory from our first date, sound like a plan?"

Ayame blinked, holding her stomach and bursting out laughing.

"Ha! What the fuck's with that fucking shit?!" Ayame cackled. "That's so fucking dumb and lame, Blake!"

"Is it as dumb as a second date to try and fix all the problems with the first one?"

She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at him.

"Fair, it looks like we're both idiots trying to change the past." Ayame raised her hand and brushed one of her side-locks behind her ear. "Come here, there's something I want to show you."

"I don't remember us going to the garden last time."

"Well, we left the movie early, so we've got some time to kill before we go get lunch," Ayame laughed. "I wanted to show you something. It's a spot I like quite a bit."

Blake blinked, and followed after her. Ayame walked down the tiled walkways with different plants and flowerbeds flanking her, before arriving at a large bed. From the planted dirt, long green stems grew, tipped with wide-blossoming flowers made of blue and purple petals, their centers streaked with yellow. It was like a small forest of blue and purple, a perfect little bushel of royal coloring that gently swayed with the wind.

"What do you think?" Ayame asked, turning to face Blake, flashing him a handsome smile as pretty as the flowers. "They're beautiful, right?"

Blake walked up beside her, looking down at the flower bed. They really were pretty. Alcea and her girls had done great work in planting this small field. The gardens themselves were always beautiful, whether the large and expansive Roselia Gardens that was practically a labyrinth, or the smaller and more tightly arranged gardens on the roof of the mall.

"What kind of flowers are these?" Blake asked.

"The Kantonian Iris," Ayame replied, kneeling down next to the flower bed. She picked up a fallen blossom from the ground, looking sadly at it. She rose to her feet and tucked the stem over her right ear, the royal blue blossom standing out against her dark hair and bringing out more of her beauty.

She smiled at Blake, brushing her hair aside so the flower stood out clearer.

"It's also called the 'Ayame'," she explained. "It's the flower I was named after."

She held her hands behind her back and leaned forward so she could smile up at him.

"Even a handsome face like mine looks girly with a flower supporting it, right?"

Blake smiled.

"I think you look rather girly all the time, even without a flower in your hair," he replied.

Ayame baulked, her face turning bright red. She stumbled back, glancing aside, completely flummoxed by Blake's aggressive compliment.

"Er, that… don't say stuff like that so fucking easily! My heart can't handle it!" Ayame protested, jamming her finger into his chest to aggressively poke him back. "Fucker!"

She really is adorable, Blake appraised.

"I was just telling the truth though. Your face is pretty as it is."

"Enough!" Ayame wailed, holding her hands in front of her face. "L-let's go! Enough flower-viewing, it's time for lunch!"

Ayame ran away, the pain in her chest no match for the pounding joy in her heart at Blake's compliment of her appearance. Not a lot of people called her pretty, or girly, she'd always get 'handsome' or 'cool'. There was a reason she was known as the boyish prince of the track team, damn it! And that fucker had to come out and say… that!

Blake joined her in the elevator, which didn't do a whole lot to help her regain her cool and composure. She was a flustered and embarrassed wreck all the way to Giorno's Italian Experience, much to Blake's amusement.

The two were all smiles when they ordered their food, joking around and laughing. They'd gone there together a few times since their first date, so they were a lot more comfortable here than, say, the movie theater. Ayame reached into the small cup in the center of the table and withdrew a blue crayon, beginning to draw on the white paper covering the tablecloth. She drew an imitation of a set of gallows, with eight horizontal lines beside it.

"Hangman huh?" Blake said, raising his eyebrow. Ayame flashed him a flirtatious grin.

"Pick a letter."

"A."

Ayame nodded, writing the letter "A" above the first line, and then again over the fifth line. Blake smirked, glancing at Ayame. Her smile grew wider as they shared a knowing look.

"D."

Ayame wrote a D.

"O. R. B. L. E."

Ayame wrote the letters as he listed them off, completing the word "ADORABLE".

"Wow, a perfect game," Blake said, mockingly patting himself on the back. "I'm just the greatest."

"Well, it's the truth," Ayame scoffed, setting the crayon down. "I wanted to play a game with you, that's all."

"I'm just surprised you remembered," Blake said. "You weren't so happy about it last time."

"We've established that," Ayame chuckled. "But, you know, it was nice to be told that I was adorable."

The two played some more games of hangman, using it to fire compliments at each other. After another few games, their food finally arrived. Keeping with the spirit of "First Date 2.0", they'd ordered the same dishes as before, whole-grain spaghetti with meatballs on the side for Ayame and creamy penne pasta for Blake.

"Meatballs on the side as usual," Blake noted. Ayame nodded, using her fork to lift one of the chunks of meat out of the small bowl and set it down on her plate.

"Of course," she shrugged, slicing it in half with her knife. "It's easier this way. Besides, this way, I can do… this!"

Ayame pierced one half of the meatball with her fork, and lifted it up across the table, offering it up to Blake.

"Say 'ah'!" Ayame giggled, blushing. Blake smiled back and opened her mouth, eating the offered piece of meat.

"Wow, these are amazing!" Blake gasped, surprised at how delicious the meatballs at this restaurant were. He swallowed it down completely before he continued talking. "I've got to get these next time we come here!"

Ayame's eyes widened with joy as she retracted her fork.

"Next time?"

Blake blinked.

"W-well, you know, whatever," he said, turning back to his food to shift the topic. Ayame giggled cheerily as she scooped some sauce over the pasta and began digging in herself. The two enjoyed their meal in peace. Blake was willing to split the bill once again, but Ayame shook her head.

"Not a chance. This is your birthday, remember? I'm going to pay."

Blake shrugged. "If you say so, then I guess I'll be fine with it."

Ayame smiled, and included her card with the bill for the payment. When everything was done, they rose from their seats and headed out, talking about where they should head out next.

"Well, the track's gonna be out of the question for tonight, due to… this," Ayame said, holding her side. Her painkillers were slowly wearing off as the day went on, and her injuries were starting to act up again. "And we've got the party tonight. Let's just spend the rest of the day at the Floette Fields, sound good? Nothing too strenuous… but let's play with our pokemon and have fun, sound good? You can show me that new egg of yours, too!"

Blake nodded, following after her. Her long legs and resolute steps made her easily overtake his steps, the distance between the two of them drawing longer and longer. Blake quite appreciated that fact, as it let him admire her ass as much as he liked. He glanced up to see her staring back at him as she walked, a knowing smirk on her lips. He'd been caught.

Just as Blake decided to pick up the pace, Ayame pulled to a stop, and turned back to face him completely. The beautiful smile she wore actually made him pause in his tracks.

"I know this was for you, to celebrate your birthday," Ayame told him, her expression displaying a shyness that was rather rare for her. "And I really hope you enjoyed yourself."

"I did," Blake said, nodding in reassurance. "Honestly… it was one of the most fun birthdays I've had in the last few years."

So fun it made me forget about what I need to do later, he silently added.

"That's good," Ayame said, sighing in relief. "Even though it was all for you, to be honest… I feel like there's a weight off. Like I can finally move past my toxic, shitty fucking attitude towards you back then."

"Come on, you weren't that bad," Blake laughed.

"But now… I don't remember having this much fun before," Ayame beamed at him, holding her hand over her heart. "It may be your birthday, but for me, too… I'll treasure this date with you, now and forever."

That caught Blake off-guard. Ayame really was the kind of girl who could spout off cheesy romantic lines like that with a straight face. He felt his face grow hot.

"Shall we go?" Ayame asked, smiling, holding out her hand to him. Blake smiled, and nodded, but refused to take her hand, choosing to follow after her rather and walking at her side.

This chapter made me feel a little better about what we all know is probably coming. I thought that Ayame really deserves a loving and happy date, considering what she'll probably end up going through when Blake tells her the painful truth.