Here's another chapter! Let's catch back up with Blake, and see what the condition of his father is. Remember to 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: Like they ever help. The police in Kanto can't spot a Team Rocket grunt loitering around in the backyard of the house he robbed.
Pokemonking0924: Valon certainly has use for Blake. Just no direct use. He's useful leverage, though.
Epifanio Therion: I thought the chapter pretty handily cemented Valon's status as an evil, villainous bastard. Quite the antagonist in the making, when we start to see more of his big picture.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 231
"You sure ya wanna do this?" Ayame asked, glancing worriedly at Blake. Because his injuries weren't severe and his care had been provided, he'd be checking out of the infirmary soon. He'd been granted permission to walk around on his own, and had changed into normal clothes again. In a couple of hours, he'd be able to be back in his bed. Even his cough had gotten better as the day had gone on.
He took a deep breath, which still stung a little. But he pushed through the pain, focusing on going to see his foster father. He was worried about his condition. The doctors said he was stable, but in fairly poor shape. What that meant Blake didn't know, but he still knocked on the door regardless. He had to see for himself.
"Come in," a woman's voice came from inside the room, Blake recognizing it as Sephiria. Of course she wouldn't have left his side after being discharged.
Blake walked into Richard's room, Ayame trailing behind him. She'd come as moral support, but she still felt out of place being around Blake's family. So she hung back in the doorway and watched over him uneasily.
Richard Harker was lying in bed, wearing a ventilator mask over his face. His eyes were closed. Sephiria was sitting at his bedside reading a book, one leg crossed over the other.
"How…" Blake's voice caught in his throat. Whether it was due to worry or smoke damage, he wasn't sure, but he still felt an ache in his chest. "H-how is he?"
"He…"
"He can speak for himself…" Richard Harker's wheezing voice came out, his body moving slightly. He propped himself up on his elbows and reached up, pulling down the mask from his face. Blake winced, seeing his foster father in this condition. While Richard may have been getting on in years, he had always projected an unassailable air of confidence and strength that made him seem unquestionable.
But in front of him now, forcing himself to sit fully upright, was a man who looked weaker than Blake had ever seen him. Richard's face was tired and ashy, and his facial hair had been shaved to better attach his mask. He was taking small breaths that seemed to make him tremble.
"Father, are-"
Richard glared at Blake after being referred to as "father", but the glare was far less intimidating than the ones he'd given before. Blake coughed, and continued.
"Are you okay?"
"It's nothing…" Richard rasped, his voice a hoarse, choking cough. "According *cough* to them… it's only a mild scarring."
Whatever it was, it didn't look mild to Blake's eyes.
"Sir," Sephiria said quietly, glancing at Richard. "Would you like me to speak on your behalf?"
Richard nodded his head, his coughing growing heavier. He affixed the respirator back to his face, pumping oxygen into his lungs.
"According to the doctors, there's some scarring on his lungs. He's taken medication and they're administering him oxygen, though he refuses to be intubated. Fortunately, there won't be any need for serious treatments beyond that." Sephiria took a deep breath. "A full recovery seems unlikely, but with proper aftercare he should be able to regain up to 80-90% of his respiratory function. We plan to have him transferred to a mainland hospital for to monitor his progress, once his condition has stabilized enough. It would be unfortunate if he had breathing problems in transit."
"It seems I'll be spending quite some time here," Richard interrupted, Sephiria shooting him a dirty look. Blake also looked rather concerned. "I'll need something to pass the time."
"You shouldn't be talking," Blake advised him. "You should be getting some rest."
"Bah," Richard coughed, shaking his head. "I may look weak, but right now…"
He raised a finger and tapped the side of his head.
"My mind's blazing as sharp as ever… I don't even feel the least bit exhausted."
"Still, you should refrain from expending too much energy," Blake replied.
Richard smiled wryly behind his mask, unseen to them.
"A pity, my goban is probably ashes in the bay along with the rest," he murmured. "It would have been nice to have a game."
Richard glanced at Blake.
"Are you okay? I heard your condition was not that serious…"
"I'm fine," Blake said, nodding. "Just a mild cough and some soreness… as long as I don't exert myself it should go away on its own. I'm free to leave right now, in fact."
Richard smiled and nodded his head.
"That's good…"
"Ahem."
Ayame cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the room to her.
"U-um…" Ayame swallowed. She'd spoken up, but now was feeling a little unsure about what she'd say next.
"Oh, you're Blake's girlfriend…" Richard remembered, Ayame's face flushing. She shook her head frantically, even though she liked the idea.
"She's just my friend," Blake corrected him. "All that the other night was just my friends messing around."
"I see…" Richard nodded, staring at Ayame with an inspective glance. "And? You have something to say?"
"U-um, well, I just meant that I have one of those things you mentioned," Ayame replied. "A, a goban. It's back at my place. I-if you want, I could bring it over? Maybe?"
Her eyes shot between Blake and his foster father.
"Ayame, you don't need to-"
"No, no, it's fine, really!" Ayame said, smiling, part of her just a little happy to get to duck out of the room for a little bit.
"That would be lovely, thank you," Richard said, nodding. "When was the last time we had a game, Blake?"
Blake shrugged. It had been quite some time.
"I'll be back before you fucking know it! You just chill out and get to know each other better! See ya!" Ayame was already backing out the door, flipping Blake off.
"…Vulgar girl," Richard murmured, raising his eyebrow as Ayame rushed out of the room.
"You get used to it," Blake laughed, coughing. "She's actually pretty great."
Half an hour later, Ayame skipped back into the room, her clunky goban in her arms, the wooden bowls rattling on top of it. She looked around. Blake and his foster father were sitting in silence, and Blake had an uncomfortable look on his face. She scowled. What had they been talking about?
"You can set it down here."
Richard pulled his legs back and gestured to the bed, where Ayame sat it down. It was a hunk of solid wood about the size of a small suitcase, so it was a lot heavier than it looked.
Richard reached out and removed the lid off of one of the bowls, picking up a handful of black stones and raising them up, running over their smooth surfaces as he let them slip through his fingers and clatter back down into the bowl.
"Not bad at all," he murmured, glancing up at Ayame. "Thank you, young miss."
"Just Ayame's fine, fucker," Ayame smiled, the venom in her voice apparent. It was clear that even though he was in this condition, she hadn't forgiven him for making Blake leave in the slightest. Sephiria glared at the impertinent girl, and Ayame glared right back at her.
Blake sighed. This is why he didn't want to bring Ayame with him. She was really confrontational around people when she didn't like them (and even, apparently, when she did) and that spelled trouble. He was about to ask her to leave, when Richard turned to him.
"How about a game, Blake? We can continue our *cough* conversation."
Ayame narrowed her eyes and was about to say something, when a voice chimed in from the doorway that made Blake's blood run cold. He felt his breath catch, definitely not soot this time.
"What's that? A game? Is it exciting? Can I play?"
Ayame scowled, spinning around to see Sylvia propped up in the doorway, leaning on one arm, her blue eyes shining.
"Sylvia Driscoll," Ayame scowled. She could feel her knuckles cracking in anticipation. She still had some things to repay the girl for from back during Olivia's Pokemon Day party.
"I was just coming to pay my dear Blake a visit, when who do I see walking by with a big smile on her face?" Sylvia purred, winking at Ayame. "I just had to come see what all the fuss was about."
"…Another girlfriend, huh?" Richard dryly asked, glancing at Blake.
"No, god no, never," Blake said, shaking his head frantically. Ayame felt hope burgeon in her chest for a brief instant at that, before remembering that while he might have been repulsed by Sylvia, her "never" was just as certain.
"That's so hurtful," Sylvia sighed, strolling into the room, Specter floating in beside her. Sephiria rose to intercept her, Sylvia glancing at Blake, her eyes tearing up.
"Do you want me to leave?" Sylvia asked.
"Yes please," Blake said automatically, Ayame crowing with joy inside, unable to stop the smile bursting across her face.
"But don't you want to hear what I have to say about your little… 'accident'?" Sylvia asked, batting her eyelashes and raising her pinky to her cheek, tilting her head to the side.
Oh no. Blake knew where this was going. Sylvia was the kind of woman where if you gave her an inch, she'd shove it up your ass and play with you like a puppet until you were worked into compliance. The kind of woman where you stayed away.
"What?" Richard asked, narrowing his eyes. Sylvia smirked.
"I heard that the fire… may not have been an accident," Sylvia replied. "Any takers?"
"Sephiria," Richard replied, Sephiria nodding. She stepped aside, Sylvia skipping forward and plopping down next to Blake, batting her eyelashes at him. She placed her hand over his wrist and leaned in close to him, Blake pulling back.
"Please stop," Blake replied.
"Oh, come now, we've been closer than this," Sylvia purred. "We've gotten up to all sorts of things in bed."
Sylvia's eyes shot to Ayame, flaring challengingly. Ayame had to resist the urge to punch the bitch's teeth in. It was really damn hard.
"I agree, please stop," Richard said.
"Oh? But I'm so into him!" Sylvia cried.
"I don't see a trace of honesty in your face," Richard replied. Ayame snorted, and Blake resisted the urge to burst out laughing. Sylvia scoffed, and rolled her eyes. She shrugged, slinging back in her seat as her Shuppet floated up beside her.
"On to business then?" Sylvia asked, her eyes shooting to the goban. "That looks fun. Can I play?"
Richard raised his eyebrow.
"Come on, we're talking," Sylvia purred. "Can't we talk while we play?"
Richard glanced at Blake. Blake sighed, and shrugged his shoulders. Sylvia was just that sort of person. When she was doing her thing, you sat back and waited until she lost interest. It was all they could do.
"…Very well, then," Richard said, gesturing her over. Sylvia scooted her seat over to the bed, looking over the board.
"So what are the rules?" Sylvia asked. Richard glanced at Blake. They shared a look.
"You don't even know how to play?" Richard asked, a scowl crossing his face.
"It's fine, it's fine!" Sylvia said, waving her hand. She lifted the lids off of the bowls. "I'm smart, I'm sure I can figure it out. Ooh, so is it like Othello?"
Richard looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel. Go was a game that he loved, something he took very seriously, and this girl…
Blake glanced at him and shook his head. As much as blowing up would feel good, it wasn't worth it.
"…Fine. Then we shall play teaching Go." Richard decided. "You'll take black."
"Well, obviously," Sylvia smirked, her eyes shining at the glistening black stones.
"Black plays first. The goal is to fill as much of the board as possible. You can place a stone on any intersection on the board." Richard gestured to the grid of lines. "We'll play on a 9x9 space."
"What? But that sounds so boring!" Sylvia scoffed. "Let's use the whole board, come on!"
"…Fine," Richard scowled. "If that's what you want. Next, about capturing stones…"
As Richard explained the basic rules of the game to Sylvia, Ayame went over to Blake's side.
"You think she's telling the truth? That someone really did set your boat on fire?"
"First Alcea had her doubts, now Sylvia," Blake said, shaking his head. "Not a coincidence."
"I see…" Ayame nodded. Blake glanced up at her.
"You want to sit down? I mean, you're still injured, so-"
"Dude, fuck that! You just got out of the fucking hospital, you take the seat!" Ayame said, waving her hands. "Unless maybe, you wanted to… share it?"
"Ahem."
Sephiria coughed, the two teenagers turning to her. She pointed to the seat she'd been using.
"R-right!" Ayame said, taking the chair and carrying it over to Blake, setting it down next to him. They watched the first moves of the game being played.
I thought she was just hustling him, Blake noted, staring at Sylvia's playstyle. Even with Richard playing moves to show her how to play and give her opportunities to take, it was sloppy and filled with classic beginner mistakes.
"Is she any good?" Ayame asked.
"No, she's awful," Blake said, Sylvia shooting him a dirty look. "It is her first time after all. Look how she's holding her stones."
Sylvia was holding the stones pinched between her thumb and index finger, clumsily plopping them down into position. It was clear that either she'd never played this game before, or she was the world's best actress and was playing a long hustle, for some reason.
Honestly, Blake couldn't quite be sure which one of those was more likely.
"…Wait, that's how I place my stones," Ayame realized, giving him a look.
"I know, it's adorable. That's why I never corrected you."
Ayame scowled at him, but Blake had no regrets. Richard, in contrast to Sylvia's clumsy play, elegantly placed his stones by pinching them between his index and middle fingers, an action he'd performed so many times it was natural to him.
"So what about your dad?" Ayame asked.
"He's better than I am," Blake replied. "A lot better. Pro level."
"Pro?! Geez!" Ayame gasped.
"Tournaments aren't my thing," Richard replied to her, catching Ayame off guard. "Go need not be about prestige. Just a board and stones are all I ever need."
Ayame nodded her head, that sounded very profound.
Even though she was losing, Sylvia was enjoying herself. She hummed as she looked over the board. She was getting a hang of this game really fast, if she spoke for herself.
"What about… here?" Sylvia wondered, placing her stone next to one of Richard's.
Richard raised his eyebrow, intrigued. He'd left several spots for the girl to play that he would be able to use as teaching examples, but she'd ignored his indicators and placed somewhere else entirely. It wasn't something he'd never seen before, he tended to let people take liberties (but encouraged them to leave two liberties open where they could) when they played, so they often made some of their own moves. But this was a strange move to make, pushing into his territory in this manner.
"You're sure?" Richard asked.
"It feels like the right thing to do," Sylvia hummed. "A pretty fun thought popped up!"
Richard shrugged, and the game continued on.
"The fire?" Blake coaxed.
"Later, later," Sylvia scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. "I'm thinking right now."
Ayame was intently watching the game. Richard was a much better teacher than Olivia or Blake were, and he seemed to be a much better player, as well.
As they reached the midgame, Richard began to feel surprised. This had gone past the point of teaching go some twenty moves ago. Sylvia was already at the point where if he tried to play like teaching Go, she'd be able to beat him. This girl… it didn't feel like a hustle. It might look that way on the outside, but seeing the way she looked at the board, the way her eyes considered the stones… the ways that she was improving… Those small, random moves that she had made were actually becoming an annoyance. They'd helped her make inroads into his territory that otherwise wouldn't have been feasible, and forced him to cede more than he would have liked. If she wasn't playing from a losing position, he would actually feel like he was being pressured.
Richard clouded his stern scowl with a cough. She hasn't played before. But she's smart. She's smart and she learns quickly.
He felt sweat pile up on his brow. In his many years of playing, Sylvia was far from his toughest adversary. She was actually a rather poor player. But this was her very first game, and already it seemed like her level was comparable to Blake's. On her first game. That level of improvement, so fast… it was inhuman. She said she was smart, but this was something else. "Smart" wasn't enough to be good. Experience and study were essential to mastering the game. How smart could someone be to challenge him this quickly, with just a cursory knowledge of the rules.
What sort of monster is this girl? Richard wondered as they entered the end game. He was playing for real now. A couple dozen moves later, and the match was over. They divided the board into sections and counted the stones. Richard had won, with a rather sizeable gap between him and Sylvia. Taking it seriously, her inexperience had let him overwhelm her fairly easily. But that didn't mean much. Having to play seriously against a girl, for her very first game, was quite a blow to his pride.
What was truly unnerving, though, was the game itself. When Ryoko first taught him to play all those years ago, she'd explained that Go was a way to communicate with someone without words. He'd taken that to heart. Cynthia had, as well, and they'd encouraged their children the same. But this girl… when he played against her, he didn't feel anything. Beginners were often difficult to really communicate intent (they seldom had any in their plays) but Sylvia… it was like a different person was playing each move she made, every time. He couldn't feel any cohesion from her playstyle. And yet she was still somehow able to catch up to him that quickly.
"Oh, poo," Sylvia pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I lost. But it was a blast! I think I'm really getting the hang of this, especially in the end."
"Well, usually when I end a game, we go over the moves and discuss them," Richard said.
"Nah, that sounds boring," Sylvia yawned. "I already know how shit went down, let's play again."
"…You said one game."
"C'mon, that wasn't a real game, not with all that teaching! Now that I know all the rules, let's play for reals!" Sylvia said. "How about this? If you win, then I'll tell ya everything I heard. Sound like a plan?"
"…You're betting on this now?" Richard scowled.
"Well, it's not really a bet, you know?" Sylvia shrugged. "I mean I'm a beginner! Think of it as a reward for playing me seriously!"
"…If you like," Richard said. "Then place your handicap stones. How many would you like?"
"Well, you're certainly way better than me…" Sylvia mused. "We're not even close to being equal."
Sylvia paused for a while to consider how many stones she'd need. Even with her vast improvement over the course of the last game, jumping from a rank amateur to comparable to Blake, her inexperience warranted a significant handicap in Richard's eyes.
"Handicap stones really that important to think this hard?" Ayame asked Blake.
"I play you with a handicap of 4 stones," Blake replied. "It makes a difference. At our skill level, each stone is about worth 15 stones at the end of the game. But at Richard's level, each stone could be worth significantly more."
"I'll take 3!" Sylvia decided. Now THAT was a surprise, that was far fewer than Richard expected.
"You're sure?"
"Yeah, I think I'm really starting to get the hang of this game," Sylvia said. "There's so many moves to play, I don't think I'd ever get bored! Chess is like so predictable when you know what you're doing, but this… whew, boy, I haven't found anything this exciting before! Anyway…"
Sylvia's eyes flashed and she looked up from the board, her stones already placed.
"We never said what would happen if I won."
There was no shortage of confidence in this girl, clearly, Richard noted.
"Oh? You want to make this into a real wager?"
"Well, I mean, it's not like that, right?" Sylvia laughed. "Mr. 'I don't need to go pro' it's not like you'll lose, right? So just go with it!"
"Oho, quite bold," Richard smirked. "I think I'm starting to like you, young lady."
Sylvia giggled, turning her head to Ayame, mouthing the words "parental approval".
Ayame rolled her eyes.
"How about this?" Sylvia asked, tapping her index finger against her chin, pretending to think of what she wanted, as though she didn't know exactly what she was going to ask for if she won. "Oh, I know!"
"How about you call of this whole engagement nightmare and let Blake stay? That should be fine, right?"
"What?" Blake's mouth fell open.
"Uh…" Ayame glanced at Blake, then at Sylvia. She didn't want to root for Sylvia, but…
"Hm… I see…" Richard coughed, adjusting his mask. He held his chin as he considered Sylvia's offer. "You seem to think your chances of winning are quite high, I suppose."
Sylvia shrugged.
"Can't blame a girl for trying," she purred. "Besides, I'm sure I'll play much better with the proper motivation."
Her smiling face turned into a smirk.
"And like I said, it's not like I'll actually win, right?"
Richard smirked right back at her.
"Agreed."
Ayame and Blake's mouths fell open. Seriously?
"Then let's start!" Sylvia said, nodding. Richard reached into his bowl, withdrawing a white stone and placing it down on the board.
So, will Sylvia be the savior? Will she manage to defeat Blake's father, and win his freedom? Or will she be defeated? We'll have to find out!