Excellent, the reviews are back! Just in time, because I think this chapter is quite a good one. Or maybe that's just me. Still, 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

Tambry96bj: Interesting guess. Wait. Have I established that Valon knows about Blake's past?

Hellraiserphoenix: Problem is, Ayame doesn't remember what Caelia tried to do. She was hopped up on hospital-grade morphine, so she was barely conscious. What scraps she did retain she dismissed as a crazy drug-induced dream.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 230

"Fucking bitch…" K muttered, rising to his feet and glaring at Caelia from behind his bangs. He stepped forward and grabbed her by the collar. He brushed his bangs up and swept them back, staring at her directly, before they fell back over his face. Caelia didn't really respond to his attempt at intimidating her.

"How'd you like it if I popped that other eye out?" K hissed. Caelia didn't flinch. She raised her lighter to press against his neck.

"Try it…" she murmured. "Careful… can't feel the button… finger might slip…"

"Okay, okay, that's enough."

Caelia began glowing, and the expanding light pushed out from her body, forcing K off of her. A solid barrier stood between the two trainers.

K's eyes shot to Sylvia, and he scowled at her. Dusk was hovering behind the ghost trainer, arms raised, conjuring a light screen (or maybe a reflect, it wasn't entirely clear) to separate them. Sylvia's expression was remarkably serious.

"Now as much as it would amuse me to see you two work out all this aggression, that isn't the way we do things around here," Sylvia stated. "So let's see if there isn't some way we can work this out, okay?"

Neither party said a word. K was glaring at Caelia from beyond the barrier, and Caelia's expression was as impassive as always. Her Vulpix, Willa, on the other hand, was snarling angrily at K.

"…Looks like that's a no. Well then, Caelia, I will tell you this, I don't think that K is the one who set Blake's boat on fire. I mean, you saw how he reacted to fire, right? The guy's too much of a wuss to ever go near the stuff."

"What was that?" K asked, glaring at Sylvia.

"You heard me, Cakes," Sylvia cooed. "What a cute little discovery I've found."

A twisted smile crossed K's lips, and his eyes gleamed with intensity.

"Careful, Murasaki Kanou. I can only be pushed so far."

Sylvia smiled back.

Caelia considered the point Sylvia had raised. As someone who was subjected to intense burns, she had no qualms with fire. She knew K did. Could he get past that? Seemed no. Not him? Then who did it? Had to be someone. Someone who wanted to hurt Blake. Had to know. Had to find them.

"Called. Set appointment. Not K? Who?" Caelia demanded, turning her attention to Sylvia as well.

"Not sure~" Sylvia purred. "But it is quite the quagmire… K, any thoughts?"

"I don't care," K scowled. "I already told you, Caelia, I'm done with you. Get out of here, we don't need you here."

"Not leaving. Get answers," Caelia replied. Sylvia was annoyed. Caelia was pretty damn insistent, and there wasn't really a reason she could think of to be.

"And you're sure?" Sylvia asked.

"If not K, Valon. Take me. Now."

Sylvia snorted.

"Like that will happen," K scoffed. "The Phantom has no intention of speaking with you, especially not about some useless trash like that Blake Harker."

Caelia's eye twitched.

"Not useless," Caelia said. "Blake. Special."

K rolled his eyes.

"He's just some freshman nobody, like you. I don't get why the Phantom wants you so badly. We wouldn't do a damn thing to someone like Blake. He isn't important in the least."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," a voice with a hiss like a snake came from the doorway. Sylvia's eyes widened in surprise.

Richard Valon stepped into the room, his pale green eyes taking a survey of the surroundings.

"What? Boss, I thought you said you were busy?" Sylvia asked, confused. Richard narrowed his eyes, peeking out from under his white bangs.

"I always have the time to talk with a dear old friend like Caelia," Valon replied, taking a few steps closer to her. "I wanted K to simply… pass the time with her, let them get a bit more reacquainted."

Valon's eyes left Caelia, turning to K.

"As for you, I'd advise you not to be so dismissive of Blake's importance."

"Oh?" K inquired, his eyebrow raising inquisitively in a gesture that went unseen due to his bangs. "What makes you say that?"

"You're a decent judge of character, K, and I value your input to my organization quite a bit. It's true, the boy himself is nothing special. What is of great value, however, is that there is a certain monster who is quite enamored with him. So don't dismiss him so lightly."

"Wait, are you talking about-"

Valon brushed his questions aside with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"I only wanted you to rile her up a little, as I knew you would. I'm done with you for now, go off and do whatever it is you do with your spare time."

"Hey now, don't try to cop an attitude with me, Richard," K scowled. "You aren't the boss of me."

"Indeed. But it's not like you need to be here any longer either, right? Your entertainment is done. You can go."

K muttered something, the light screen dispersing. He shoved past Caelia and stormed towards the door.

"Oh, K, before you go, there's something I need to remind you of," Sylvia called after him. K glanced back at her with a sickened look on what could be seen of his face.

"I'm not quite sure who this 'Murasaki Kanou' person you mentioned is, but you'd best be wary," Sylvia informed him with a smile. "You see, when you speak a ghost's name it has a tendency to bring it towards you. So unless you want to be haunted by a vengeful spirit, I think it's in your best interest to not speak about Murasaki Kanou anymore, okay?"

K said, nothing, stepping out of the testing room. Valon turned back to Caelia.

"Well, now that he's out of the way, shall we go have our discussion?"

Valon glanced at Willa, the Vulpix shivering and scurrying behind Caelia, looking up at him with trembling eyes.

"…Fine," Caelia nodded. She looked down at Willa, and recalled her to her pokeball. She put her lighter back into her jacket pocket.

"Let's head to my office then."

Valon turned and headed to the exit, Caelia following after him. He paused at the door, and addressed Sylvia without even bothering to look in her direction.

"Sylvia, you can go now. Your work here is done, thank you for escorting Caelia here."

Eh… Sylvia blinked. So that was my role in all this? Just to be a damn tour guide? Fucker…

Sylvia sighed, recalling Dusk. She stood awkwardly, waiting for the two to leave. When they left, she quickly fled as well, Specter floating after her.

"Well, let's get down to business," Valon said, smiling. He entered a rather large room near the back of the Sandbox. It wasn't as big as the testing rooms, but as far as an office was, it was pretty nice. A large desk and bookshelves, and several computers. A small refrigerator was next to the desk, a few armchairs in front of it, and one other piece of office equipment that was essential, Misato Daisan standing in the corner.

Valon walked around the large oak desk and sat down in the comfy armchair on the other side, interlacing his fingers as he looked at Caelia.

"Would you like to take a seat?" He asked, smiling. Caelia didn't reply, but sat down in one of the chairs. She never took her eye off of him.

"Can I get you anything?" He offered, glancing at the small refrigerator. "Water, perhaps?"

"No need," Caelia replied.

"No, you aren't the 'type' to want water," Valon mused. He chuckled at Caelia's stoicism. "Oh, come on now, that's funny. You can laugh."

Caelia blinked.

"You know, seeing you like this, it really does remind me how empty you are, Caelia," Valon said. His piercing green eyes looking deeply into her single blue one. Caelia didn't mind him searching her for anything deep. She really didn't have anything worth mentioning inside her heart. "That's why I didn't mind you refusing my offer to join my organization when you came here. I was content to just let you waste away in that room of yours until I could find a use for you, like the Fall Festival Tournament. But now…"

A cruel smile stretched over his lips.

"It looks like you've begun to come out to play every now and then. How nice for you."

Caelia gave a faint nod, not shying away from Valon's piercing gaze.

"Now, Caelia, I'm a rather simple sort of man," Valon said. "For me, people are either problems, or they're solutions."

"Problem," Caelia had to guess.

Valon cracked a jovial grin, pointing his finger at it and shaking it up and down.

"Right you are! You're quite the prolem. But you see, that's no reason to be concerned. Every problem has a solution. For example, Sylvia and Keahi, they were both problems. But I found solutions, and now we're all happy."

Valon cleared his throat.

"See, I'm a problem-solver by nature. People want things, and sometimes those things are in conflict with what I want. And that's when we get problems. But with the right bit of tinkering, I can get anyone to go from being a problem to being a solution. Take Sylvia. Sylvia's greatest desire is 'entertainment'. She can't be bought with money, or promises of power, or status, or rare, valuable pokemon. So the solution to my Sylvia problem is very simple. I offer her assignments and tasks that will keep her entertained, in exchange for my loyalty. It's all about finding the right solution, see? Keahi is the same way. He doesn't believe in authority, or following orders. He's a malicious and disruptive element, but his talents are of great use to me. So I let him retain his independence, and work with me as a collaborator rather than as a tool. At the same time, I offer him funding for his inventions and research that he could otherwise not get. So with the money to keep him loyal, I let out his leash so he can feel enough freedom in his life to not seem like he's being kept subordinate. So when I ask him to do favors, I can offer him a bit more money, and everything works out fine. You see?"

Valon gave Caelia a winning smile, but Caelia wasn't biting. Valon's face took on a more austere air.

"Then there are people whose solutions are a bit more problematic. People like Marion and Alden whose wants are so simple and basic, I can't readily sway them to my side. And then there are problems like you."

Valon eyed Caelia closely.

"Before, I thought you just wanted nothing. And someone with no desires is not worth anything to me, Caelia. You understand." Valon smiled.

"Well… almost nothing," he reminded her. He reached across the desk, brushing her hair out of her face. He traced his finger across the lining of the white mask that covered the right side of her face, gingerly, even though Caelia could not feel his touch. Caelia narrowed her eye.

"So as long as you weren't in my way, I was content to let you do as you liked. But now, you've become… a problem. Wandering around campus on your own, following boys, picking fights, all sorts of things the old you would never have bothered doing. I have no concerns if you plan to lock yourself away for the rest of your life, Caelia. But now… you're a wildcard. I don't know what you're going to do next, and you've proven that to me. That makes you a problem that I have to solve now. So tell me, Caelia, how should I go about solving this problem?" Valon narrowed his eyes, staring at Caelia quietly. He let the question sit there for a while, just to see what she'd decide to do with it.

Caelia didn't respond. She just kept her vacant gaze fixed on him.

"I see…" Valon nodded. "Well, then there's another issue that needs to be brought up."

"You still have not told me," Caelia hissed. "Blake. Now."

"I'm getting to that," Valon assured her, shaking his head. "But first, it's come to my attention that you recently acquired something that I am very interested in. I'm sure you're aware of what that is?"

Caelia gave him a small nod. Valon smiled.

"Lovely. Then we're on the same page. Did you bring it with you?"

Caelia shook her head.

"Clever. But I'm sure you know how important it is that I get my hands on that Oracle. I don't know where you found it, digging around on that mountain, but it's quite essential that I take it off your hands. I'm sure that won't be a problem with you?"

"Answer?" Caelia asked.

"Yes, yes, perfect," Valon smiled. "A nice little bit of quid pro quo between old friends. See? This is how solutions work, Caelia. I give you what you want, you give me what I want."

"Then yes," Caelia replied.

"Very fast, I like a girl who knows what she wants," Valon smiled. "Remember Caelia. This is as much in your interest as it is mine. Assuming, of course, restoring your body to its previous state is still something that interests you."

Caelia said nothing. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Good, I'll retrieve that later. Next, on to that thing you were so concerned about. Who was it that burned down Richard Harker's boat? That was me."

Caelia's eye flickered at this, and a thin gasp of surprise slipped through her lips.

"Don't look so shocked, Caelia," Valon chuckled, even though her expression was still as composed and flat as usual. "What, did you expect someone else? That's why you came here in the first place, right? Because you knew I had to have been up to something? Or one of my subordinates? Well, surprise! It was me. You can stop searching."

"…Why?" Caelia hissed, her eye flashing with anger. Valon smirked, pointing his finger at her again.

"That's why," he said. "Because you, Caelia Auburne, with your empty and meaningless existence, have found something other than your mission to be passionate about. Blake Harker… that boy is quite the influence on you, isn't he? You bought him a present? You fought Alcea Vermeil for his sake? That isn't like you. So I found myself wondering what it was about him that's so special. What caused that empty shell of yours to start moving for your own sake?"

"Blake is-"

"He's special, isn't he? Special to you, anyway."

"Blake… my heart, it…" Caelia looked down, holding her burned right hand over her heart. The three fingers on it sank into her chest, but she didn't feel their pressure in the least.

"I see…" Valon nodded. "You're in love with him, as I expected."

"Then why-?!"

"As a warning, of course," Valon scoffed, like that should have been obvious. "That little rampage of yours against one of the Eight Leaders? People were all over that shit. If I had control over the Pokemon Newspaper club as I'd intended, things would have been different. But now, you're the talk of the school, and that makes me very uncomfortable, Caelia. Especially since I have no idea what you plan to do next. I said it before, you're a wildcard. And I don't like having a piece on the board when I'm not sure how it's going to move. So if you won't move, then I will compel you to move."

"You… for that…"

"It was just a boat," Valon scoffed, dismissing the fact that he'd nearly killed three people and even more pokemon. "I was sending you a message. Calm. Down. Keep your obsession to yourself, and stop taking it out on those around you. If you don't, well…"

Valon's voice trailed off, his open mouth closing into a smirk. He left the threat hanging in the air. Back off of Blake, or there might not be a Blake to back off from.

Caelia was seething, but her face remained calm. She hadn't been like this since her match with Alcea. Which admittedly wasn't long ago.

"Now, I want to make myself clear, Caelia," Valon said. "You going around, with no self-control, attacking people you have issues with, that sort of behavior will no longer be tolerated, understand? That was what the 'warning shot' I fired over that boy's bow was all about. As long as there is a chance that your feelings for Blake may cause you to turn against me… that makes you a problem. So? What do you think of my solution?"

Caelia didn't reply. A reply was clearly neither needed, nor wanted.

"Now, Caelia, I'm sure you know I'm a reasonable man," Valon said. "As long as you're willing to comply with my demands and get to the program, then there's no reason we can't both benefit from this. You're worried that Blake will be transferring out, yes? Well, you probably won't need to worry about that anymore, not after what's happened. A marriage is the last thing on anyone's mind right now. And in the meantime, you just have to do exactly what you've been doing."

For the first time in a very long time, Caelia wanted to scream. But she didn't. She remained quiet, staring blankly forward.

"There's a good girl," Valon smiled. "And don't worry, I don't mind if you want to continue following Blake, keeping tabs on him, whatever you wish. But the threats and the attacks? No more of that. We're in the middle of a very delicate transition period, and it won't do if you burn down the island in one of your temper tantrums. Do we have an agreement?"

What, exactly, was she agreeing to? Complying with his wishes, to avoid Blake being further injured, or even killed? She nodded her head. It was the only thing she could do, after all. As much as she wanted to set the man in front of her on fire, she couldn't.

"Good, excellent," Valon said, smiling. "And for being such a good sport about all this, I won't even kick you out. There's still that hope of yours, Caelia."

His smile grew wider.

"You know I'd never take that away from you."

Her dream for a normal life. A shallow, empty dream. An impossible one. But still. A body that could touch. A body that could feel. A body that could give and receive the love of another. Before, it had been a pipe dream. When it was offered to her previously, she'd rejected it. But now, being with Blake… the thought that her body could be fixed somehow through the power of pokemon and science… It was so, so close. Valon had found his solution. Give her what she wanted for her compliance. And if she didn't do as he wanted, then Blake would bear the burden. For so very long, Caelia had been empty. Once upon a time, his words were hollow and meaningless, just like the rest of her life.

But now… now she had something to lose.

Well, we've cracked the case. But things are only looking worse and worse for everyone.