Here it is, the moment we've all been waiting for. After finally setting foot on the Pokemon Academy again, Blake must confront his most difficult challenge. The girl he loves has forgotten him. How will he react to that? Will he cry? Break down? Get angry? This is a very difficult position for him to be in, I hope he manages to make it through okay.

KedharS: Oh yeah, very awkward.

Venoms Cross 2: They're definitely one of the more interesting ships, that's for sure.

Jjjdunk1: Yep, big drama time here.

Arbiter8991: Ruka is a breath of fresh air. She's so innocent and bright for a Dark type, you wouldn't believe it!

Tambry96bj: I guess we'll have to see.

Hyphenman: Yep that's exactly it, I wanted some warmth and lighthearted wholesomeness before Blake had to confront Ayame. I hope I suitably eased the tensions without causing the mood to collapse entirely.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1250

The tension on the bridge was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Everyone held their breath as they watched Blake walk up to Ayame.

Ayame stared him down.

So this was him. Blake Harker.

Her supposed boyfriend.

She didn't see it.

What the heck was past her thinking? Okay, yeah, he was a little cute, but seriously? Why would she date a guy like that?

If anything, she was relieved. She'd gotten nervous because… what if there had been a spark? What if something WAS still between them? She might have ended up getting roped back into the relationship, which would be the dumbest thing imaginable!

No, this was better. She'd shut him down, ask for her Goomy back, and if he tried anything, then she'd pound his face in and dump him in the river.

Yes, the perfect plan.

So why did she feel all queasy in her stomach? She couldn't actually be worried about what was going to happen, could she?

She took a sharp breath and narrowed her eyes.

What was his play gonna be?

"Ah, Ayame, hey there!" Blake cracked a grin.

Cynthia's jaw dropped in shock. How could he react so nonchalantly? She glanced at Sango who was likewise stunned.

But Ayame was the most caught off guard. She hadn't been expecting him to be so… casual about this whole thing.

She coughed and cleared her throat.

"You heard, right?" She snapped, narrowing her eyes. "About what happened to me? You know that I don't-"

"Ah, who cares about that?" Blake waved his hand dismissively. "The important part is that you're okay, right? You're not hurt anywhere?"

He leaned in close to check and make sure she wasn't injured. It was unnerving. She took a step back out of reflex to put some distance between the two of them.

"I-I'm fine!" She snapped, feeling her face heat up. "I don't need you to worry about me!"

Blake paused. "Well, alright then, if you're sure," he said.

Ayame cleared her throat. Why was she the only one feeling awkward about this whole thing? Then she remembered the reason she'd come here in the first place.

"That's right!" She half-shouted. "My Goomy! Do you have him or not?"

"Smiley? Of course I do!" Blake laughed, taking the pokeball and handing it over without hesitation. "The little guy's adorable, and so well-trained! I'm not surprised though, given how skilled you are at raising your pokemon."

Ayame blinked, taken aback. But then her chest swelled with pride and she smirked, placing her hand over her heart. "Of course he is!" She boasted. "All my pokemon are amazing, because I take such good care of them."

"It's only because you're so amazing," Blake murmured.

"…Well, of course," she said, her eyes flashing proudly. She could tell just by the way he was staring at her how easily she must have won him over. A simp like this had probably been falling head over heels to date her.

Well, too bad for him, because that was the last bit of tenderness he'd ever get from her. Poor guy. But she had more important things to deal with than dating boys.

"You really are great, Ayame," Blake said, stepping closer to her while she was busy patting herself on the back. "From the moment I met you, I knew it. But now, seeing you like this, so proud and strong and beautiful… I think I fallen in love with you all over again."

"…Hanh?" Ayame squeaked, her brain shorting out momentarily.

"I know you don't remember me anymore… but to me, you're unforgettable. So that's why… I won't let things end between us like this," Blake promised her.

Without another word, Blake took her hand into his own. Then before she had the chance to say anything, he kissed it.

Ayame's body froze.

"Ooooh?!" Cynthia gasped, holding her hands over her mouth as her face turned red. Sango's eyes bulged out in shock.

"Wheeeeew," Olivia whistled, suppressing a snicker. When did Blakey boy get such skill?

"Uweh? Abuh-! I-!" Ayame stuttered out, momentarily broken by the chivalrous gesture. Then Blake moved up and kissed her wrist next, laying kisses against her arm. When he reached her elbow he stopped, knelt down, and clasped her hand with both of his.

Even Olivia was starting to feel a little steamy. Whoa, this is going better than I thought, she smirked, enjoying the show. Ayame's defenses were dropping faster than a pokemon being screeched at and she was right here for it.

"You may have forgotten me, Aya, but that doesn't change my feelings," he stared, staring up into her eyes. "I still love you, no matter what."

"B-B-B…" Why was her brain not working?! She should be kicking his face in, not feeling her heart dance like crazy like this! He'd completely thrown her off and now she was totally lost!

"I-I… I already told you!" She managed to stutter out. "We're done! I'm not dating you anymore, do you fucking get it?!"

"Of course I do," Blake said, shooting up to his feet and leaning in, reaching up to brush her hair past her ear. "And believe me, I won't try to make you do anything you're uncomfortable with. I would never hurt you, Aya. Because you're someone precious to me."

Ayame felt her heart give out. "O-Okay…" She murmured blissfully, no longer fully aware of the situation.

Blake smiled.

"As long as you're happy, that's good enough for me. But I promise, however happy I made you in the past, I'm going to work twice as hard to bring you happiness now," he assured her. She could see the honesty in his eyes.

"That… that's…" God she was really losing herself in those eyes of his. For a moment, she hesitated, and then…

"N-No! I already told you, we're done!" Ayame snapped out of her fugue state and shoved him back. She was hyperventilating at this point, her pupils dilated and her heart pounding out a beat. She felt her face heat up with a mixture of shame, embarrassment, and…

NO! NO WAY!

She turned and sprinted off the dock, desperate to put as much distance between herself and Blake as possible.

Everyone on the beach watched her flee with varying levels of shock. Olivia doubled over with laughter while Blake just remained where he was without showing any sign of distress.

It was Cynthia that broke the silence.

"Dude, what the heck was that?!" She exclaimed, storming over to him. Her eyes were wide with awe. Sango was quick to get on this as well, coming over to join them.

"That was… what even was that?!" She was just as flummoxed as Cynthia.

On the trip over here, Blake had been a wreck. Then he got off the boat and all of a sudden he was Casanova?!

Blake exhaled and then collapsed.

"That was more stressful than I thought it would be," he sighed, holding his hand over his chest. Olivia walked over to him with a smirk on his face, leaning down.

"Well, looks like our lover boy here brought out the big guns! I gotta say, I couldn't have planned out a first meeting better myself!"

Blake raised his head and looked to her. "Well, it's Aya," he said. "I know a thing or two about handling her."

"Yeah, but I'm just surprised you took it so well," Sango said. "I mean… I guess I thought you'd be all depressed and everything."

"If this is your way of handling rejection, sign me up," Cynthia whistled, nodding in approval. "Spicy, Blake!"

"Well, I spent a lot of time thinking about it," Blake said, standing up and looking in the direction Ayame had fled in. "And yeah, I could have spent all my time letting my depression swallow me. I mean, it's Aya. The fact that she would shoot me down like that… it really stings."

"I'll bet," Sango nodded absentmindedly.

"…But then I thought about it some more," Blake continued. "And I imagined what Aya, my Aya, would want me to do if she lost her memories."

"Oh? And what's that?" Olivia asked, raising her eyebrow. From what she'd just observed, she guessed that Blake's thought process was pretty similar to the one that she had gone through when she thought about Ayame's wishes.

Blake flashed a smirk. "Completely break down her resistance and make her fall in love with me all over again, of course."

Olivia nodded, her eyes glittering with approval. Oh yeah. That's what we're talking about! She was thrilled that Blake was exactly the kind of guy she'd hoped he was. The kind of guy that Ayame needed in her present condition.

"Are you sure this is such a great idea?" Sango asked worriedly. "I mean, Ayame seemed pretty upset just now…"

"Ah, it's fine. She's that sort of person," Olivia said, dismissing Sango's concerns with a nonchalant wave. "Aya's the most stubborn girl on the planet. But once she's put on the defensive and you find the weak point in her armor, she crumbles like a sandcastle."

Sango wasn't sure if that was a good thing to say about your friend. She looked to Blake, and saw that he was nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, Aya's mad now, that's obvious," he agreed. "But I mean, back when we first met it was like she completely despised me, remember?"

Sango thought back to their first meeting in the restaurant at the celebration of Cynthia making the semi-finals of the Fall Festival Tournament. It had seemed like a lifetime ago, but she could still vividly remember the way Ayame had nearly taken Blake's head off with that kick.

That had been the day when she first became aware of her own feelings. It was a rather bitter irony, she had to acknowledge. It's like this was all meant to be, or something…

She sighed. "…Okay, yeah, she really didn't like you, did she?"

"Eh, actually, Aya was super crushing on you hard even back then," Olivia snickered. "She couldn't keep you out of her head!"

"Oh, is that right?" Blake raised his eyebrow. A smirk that would make Cynthia proud spread across his lips.

Olivia nodded eagerly. "And that's why this is the perfect strategy!"

The two of them high-fived, united in their course of action.

"I'm not worried," Blake explained to the others. "I was really broken up about it at first, sure. But Ayame already fell in love with me once, right? And that was without even trying. Now, I won't be pulling my punches."

A shadow crossed his face as he chuckled wickedly. "So what if she doesn't remember me? I'm going to make her fall head over heels so fast she won't even know which way is up!"

Well… Sango could admire his resolve, if nothing else.

Cynthia was laughing right alongside him.

"Oh, this is just perfect! I want to help. Give me some front row seats for the whole dang thing!" She was shining mischievously. A conspiracy to get Blake and Ayame back together was the perfect thing in her wheelhouse!

Sango sighed. She wanted to help. But at the same time, she couldn't stop the feeling of guilt welling up in her chest.

After all… part of her even now wanted to end up with Blake. She knew it was wrong to hope that the two of them would break up, but…

How could she help how she felt?

Maybe if it was just that, she could push it down and smile, pretending to be happy. But there was something else there, too, something that worried her.

"…Aren't you sad, though?"

It was Elaina who put words to the doubts Sango had been feeling. She gasped and turned to the girl standing at the end of the dock, and she wasn't the only one.

"…What do you mean?" Blake asked quietly. His face had returned to a more pensive expression upon hearing Elaina's statement.

Elaina gasped.

"O-Oh, I just… I didn't mean to make you think- I just…" She was really having a hard time getting the words out now that she was the center of attention. It was moments like this that made her wish she could still hide behind her mask.

But this was for Blake. She had to express her fears for his sake, not just hers.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling the wind start to shift around her. Not good. Her emotions were getting unstable again.

Elaina stared Blake in the eye.

"I just know… if it was me… and the person I loved most had forgotten about me completely… I don't know if I'd be able to keep smiling like you are, that's all," she said.

Blake frowned. Sango could see the pain leeching into his face and it broke her heart.

"You're not wrong," he agreed. "Yeah, part of me does feel awful. I mean, how could I not? Even if Aya and I do get back together… she's still lost her memories. She'll never be able to get back all that time together we shared."

Olivia didn't comment. She hadn't shared her plans to spark Ayame's memory with anyone else. She didn't want to give Blake false hope.

"But… even if she never gets those memories back… that doesn't matter," Blake said, staring adamantly into Elaina's eyes. The resolve she saw in them made her heart skip a beat.

"If she doesn't remember me, then we'll make new memories together. Better memories. This isn't where we break up, I'm not gonna let it. This is just the beginning," he stated. The firmness in his voice made it sound so much more certain.

A sigh escaped Sango's lips. Oh, how she wished she could be the target of such powerful feelings? But Blake didn't even know how she felt.

"Well, this is all nice and all," Alden cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention. Olivia turned and glared at him. She hadn't even invited the oaf, and he was ruining a good moment.

"But, uh… you know that girl ran away, right?" He said, pointing down the trail back towards the main campus. "Don't you think it might be a good idea to go after her? I mean, if you're serious about winning her over and everything."

Blake smiled, shaking his head. "No, no, this is fine," he assured the Commander. "In the end… I'll outrun Aya and catch her, just like last time."

The maniacal laugh he gave might have just been an exaggeration, but to Sango it still sounded like a villain.

Meanwhile, Ayame was still running through the wilderness, covering her face in her hands as she screamed in shame. And somehow, she was able to avoid crashing into anything.

While all this was going down, someone else was having a pretty important reunion as well.

Ange walked through the faculty offices with her head held high. She had a proud smirk on her face, which was rare to see. It was too much like a smile to have a home anywhere on the usually sour-faced girl.

"Come in," Professor Reinhart said as she knocked on his door. Her heart skipped a beat and she pushed the door open, refraining from throwing herself into her adopted father's arms.

"Professor!" She gushed. "You won't believe it! It's the best news in the world!"

"Ange, are you okay?" The professor asked. "I heard what happened in the Orre Region… they said students were injured? What happened?"

Ange frowned. "Are you really asking me that?" She sighed. "Come on, professor, I just got back yesterday, let's not do the serious stuff now."

Aurore blinked. "Wait, yesterday?" He asked, fumbling for his calendar. He checked the date and went cold and quiet.

"I-I forgot… darn it!" He groaned. "I was going to go pick you up myself, to make sure you were okay! I'm so sorry! It's just… I had this research paper to write, so-"

"It's fine," Ange said, raising her hand. She smiled. "Trust me, I'm used to it. You're that sort of guy, after all."

Her smile grew wider.

"And plus, I know that you give everything to your research anyway," she continued. "So yeah, I'm not upset, don't worry."

Aurore sighed in relief. "And you're sure you're okay? No injuries or anything like that?"

Ange rolled her eyes. He could be so annoying sometimes! But still… she did like having him fawn all over her, showing her how worried he was. So she could forgive him.

"I'm fine, dad. Really."

He sighed in relief. "Oh, that's good. Sorry, but… ever since what happened, you know I… well, you know."

Ange nodded. Yeah, she knew all right. It's not every parent that has their child pop disappear in her sleep, and then come back half-dead with four years' lived experience in a savage region tucked under her belt.

With everything that had happened to her growing up, her father had earned his paranoia.

"Anyway, that's not why I'm here," she said, shaking her head. "And sorry I didn't come yesterday. I was busy trying to keep the Phantom under control."

She said his name with such venom. But he wasn't important now. The only thing that mattered was the present she'd gotten for her father. She walked over to his desk and set her bag down, gesturing for him to come join her. He followed her over from the bookshelf and watched in awe as she carefully opened the bag and removed the contents.

Aurore's eyes widened. He didn't have to ask for confirmation. He knew what it was in an instant.

"It's the Ground Oracle, isn't it?" Ange asked.

"It… it is," Aurore said. He glanced at her as he reached for it, as if asking permission. Ange gave it without hesitation, nodding sharply.

The professor took the light brown crystal, turning it over in his hands. "It's so beautiful," he whispered. "I can't believe you actually found it. And you found it in the Orre Region?"

"That I did," Ange said, smiling proudly. "I used some of your notes to try and track down the location! It was buried in the Under, so I went to dig it out myself! What do you think?"

Aurore turned to her, a complex expression on his face.

Then he slapped her.

It wasn't hard, or very loud. But it stung. She stared at her adopted father in shock and disbelief, nearly attacking him out of reflex. Why would he do such a thing?!

"What are you thinking?!" Aurore exclaimed. "Why would you do such a thing?!"

Like father like daughter.

"I did it for you!" She sputtered. "For your research! The more corroborating evidence the better, right? That's what you taught me!"

"That doesn't matter when we're talking about your safety!" Aurore exclaimed. "You said you went down to the Under alone to get this? In the Orre Region? Do you have any idea how reckless that was? You could have gotten mugged, or abducted! Those ruins could have collapsed on your head! You need to be more careful than that!"

She was getting angry. But at the same time, she knew that he was so mad because he was worried about her, which made her feel a lot better.

"Okay, first off, I wasn't alone, I had my pokemon with me," she reminded him. "And second off… you know I'm tough, right dad?" She asked, sounding genuinely gentle. She placed her hand on his arm. "I can handle myself."

Aurore sighed, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Yeah, I know," he admitted. "It's just that… well, there are bad people in the world, Evangeline. I just want you to be safe."

"I know all about bad people," Ange seethed. "The kind of human scum who steal more and more of your money just so you can learn how to increase the size of your bag… it's disgusting. But like I said, I can handle myself."

The two met eyes and shared a laugh.

It was good to be home.

Well, after the emotional roller coaster that was Blake and Ayame, I thought it would be better to pop in and see how Ange is doing! Meanwhile, it looks like Blake's got a pretty solid plan. Even if it might not get her back her memories, I can say that Blake winning over Ayame a second time probably isn't going to be that difficult.