While Marion and Sango are fishing, they shared some life lessons with each other. But there are a lot of other issues to deal with… and some positives, too. Ayame and Blake, for example, are getting along pretty well. That's nice to hear! Hopefully they can get even closer while fishing together, it's worth a shot! Blake needs to find a way to connect with our little tomboy directly, and bring her out of her shell so she can be the cool, confident Ayame Toujou we all know and love!

The Elimination Round of the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Contest 4 has started! Make sure to get those votes in, we've only got a few so far! You can vote for up to 5 girls, so make sure your favorites have a chance to shine!

Nominated: Alcea, Ange, Ayame, Caelia, Callie, Chloe, Cynthia, Dakota, Donoma, Elaina, Gabrielle, Joyce, Kate, Maddi, Misato, Nikita, Rui, Sango, Sylvia, Vic

KedharS: It really seems that way, doesn't it?

Tambry96bj: Most moments between Marion and Sango are sweet moments, I thought that was clear by this point lol.

Hyphenman: Yep, they're really good for each other. No matter what happens, even separated by time and space, they remain friends. There's something really sweet about it.

AGuy: Who knows. We'll have to see.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1345

Sango stared out at the river with a heavy heart. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Blake talking with Ayame, his face alight with joy. Even when dealing with the tomboy in the past, he was happier than he ever seemed to be about her.

"Hey, Claire."

Sango perked up, turning the other way to look at Marion, who wore a concerned expression on her face.

"Um… yeah?"

"Are you doing okay?" Marion placed a hand on Sango's shoulder. "You seem a little upset about something."

"Oh! Uh…" For a moment, Sango's eyes landed on Blake and Ayame again, before they returned to looking at the river. But that moment was more than enough. Marion frowned.

"Do you want me to push him in the river?" She hissed, turning serious. "I'll do it, you know! The cheating bastard! It's what he deserves!"

Sango's jaw dropped. Wait, Marion thought that she and Blake were…

"Wait, no, it's not like that!" She whisper-screamed, shaking her head frantically. "W-We aren't… we… we're just friends, he's not cheating on me or anything!"

Marion blinked. "Oh! Phew!" She laughed, scratching her head. "I didn't want to say anything because I thought it might be rude. But really? You two aren't… you know? I mean, I don't know the first thing about love if I'm being honest, but seeing you guys together… sharing that tent… I kind of thought that you were… well…"

She turned red. Marion fucking Rivers turned red at the thought of Sango and Blake having sex. If it was possible for Sango to die of shame, then she would have.

Sango cringed internally at the sight. "We're just friends," she said again. "That's all. Nobody's doing anything wrong."

Marion frowned. She looked unconvinced. "…If you say so," she quietly replied, nodding. The way she said that made Sango wince again.

She knew. Marion fucking knew. With her crazy perception she had picked up on Sango's feelings immediately, and wasn't exactly good at hiding that fact, either.

That sent a shiver down Sango's spine. Wait… if Marion knows now… if she could figure it out this fast, then does that mean…

She considered Marion's smiling face in the future, and wondered just how much about Sango's feelings the other girl really suspected.

While Marion and Sango were talking with one another, Blake and Ayame were also getting closer. Physically, at least, if not quite there emotionally just yet.

"You're pretty good at this!" Blake said, surprised. Ayame's movements were definitely a little clumsy, but she was doing a decent job. Especially considering this was her first time fishing as far as he was aware of.

Ayame just turned red and clenched her fishing pole tighter. She couldn't help smiling but she COULD control her eyes, which she kept focused on the river in front of her.

If she didn't focus her stare so intensely she might have been tempted to glance at Blake. And that was definitely a no-no.

She wanted to reply to him so badly, but she couldn't find her voice! It was such a troubling situation to be in, because…

Ayame glanced down at her notebook briefly before returning her eyes to the river in front of her. She bit her lip.

Blake noticed that, and grinned.

"You figured it out, huh?" He made sure to keep his voice lighthearted and playful, so he would scare her off. Ayame might have been shyer and more withdrawn in the past, but he knew deep down inside she still had the same fiery spirit he loved her for. He just needed to draw that part of her out. He scooted a little bit closer. "I've tricked you! Now that we're fishing, you can't use your notepad, you've gotta use your real voice."

Ayame gasped. Her eyes widened and she turned to Blake, leveling what she considered to be a pretty strong glare his way. He smiled back at her and her expression softened.

"Come on. I want to talk to you for real," Blake said, scooting back to give her some space. Again, he didn't want to spook her. "I get you like using the notebook. But I'd really like to hear your voice, if you wouldn't mind?"

Ayame's face could only get so red. Truth be told, she hated using her notebook to communicate. But she felt like she didn't have a choice.

"Hah! Ayame's voice sounds so deep!"

"She's just like a boy!"

"Are you sure she's really a girl?"

"No, she's gotta be a guy, no girl is that tall!"

Just thinking of all those times she'd been teased for not being "girly" enough still made her shake. She'd prefer he think she was too shy than risk opening her mouth and having him tease her too. Especially when he seemed like someone who could be her friend.

The adamant way he looked her in the eyes, like he was staring into her soul… it made her feel so… she couldn't really describe it. But her heart was pounding and she had never been so grateful to hide behind her bangs as she was right now.

"Ayame? I'm sorry, if I've gone too far…" Blake pulled away a little more, and she gasped. Suddenly, her voice didn't matter to her. She didn't care if he thought it was weird, or too masculine. That wasn't as important as making sure he knew that he hadn't offended her.

"It's not that!" She cried, a little too loudly. Marion and Sango turned towards them and she quickly clamped one hand over her mouth, nearly dropping her fishing pole in the process.

"Oh?" Blake suspected he knew what the issue was. Ayame was very proud; but she had also been bullied terribly in middle school. He remembered holding her as she cried due to the fact that so many people had told her she was too much like a man. That had caused her to internalize the belief that she didn't deserve to wear "girly" clothes or like "girly" things, or even have the happiness of getting a boyfriend who loved her.

Those unseen bullies were some of the people Blake hated most. Right now, he was staring at an Ayame in even worse shape from all that bullying; a girl who walked with her shoulders slouched because she thought she was too tall, who hid her face with her bangs because she thought she was too boyish, and who hid her voice behind a notebook because she didn't want people to make fun of it.

The Ayame he knew was in there somewhere. He just needed to dig her out.

…Am I supposed to do this, though? He opened his mouth to comfort her, only to catch himself. What if this is wrong? Maybe I shouldn't. Maybe this is something Ayame needs to resolve on her own, without someone else's help. This could be messing up the timeline. Well, I mean, not really, since I can't actually mess up the timeline, but… maybe I'm not meant to say anything to her right now.

That hesitation lasted for about another two seconds.

"I don't think you should use that notebook anymore," he stated. He gave her a gentle smile. "At least, not around me."

Screw what I'm "supposed" to do. Ryoko knows me well enough to know that if I was brought back to this time, I wouldn't just sit by and do nothing. If I saw Ayame floundering, then I'd help her. Even if she wasn't my girlfriend. So that means this is what I'm supposed to do, tell her this.

"Wh-What?" Ayame was so caught off-guard that once again she didn't consider the fact that Nick could hear her voice. "Huh?"

"You have a lovely voice," Blake assured her. "It's actually one of your more charming qualities, in my opinion."

Okay Casanova, reel it in a little. You're laying it on a little thick. Blake cringed inwardly at how much of a sleaze he sounded like. He could easily imagine a pickup artist using this same exact line, especially on a girl he'd (technically) just met yesterday.

And yet, both he and Ayame could feel the electricity in the air. They both recognized that whatever was building between them was a lot more complicated than that.

"I, uh… what?" Ayame didn't know what to say. She couldn't believe that he actually found her voice attractive and had complimented her for it.

"You… like my voice?"

Not even Ayame liked her voice. No one had said something that nice about her voice since her family. Was Blake crazy?

"It's really deep," Blake nodded. "I like it, it's sort of got that kind of husky timbre to it, real rough and cool? I could listen to it all day."

That was the truth. Maybe not if it had belonged to someone else, but because it was Ayame's voice, there was nothing else he'd rather listen to.

Meanwhile, Ayame was in a haze. She didn't know what to make of any of this.

"But… you don't think… it's too masculine? I sound like a boy!" She wailed.

Blake shrugged. "So?"

So.

So.

SO?!

This guy was "so"ing her?!

"You… you really like it?" She kept asking, unable to believe his words. But he kept telling her the same thing over and over again.

"I really like it," he repeated for what must have been the hundredth time. "It fits you because you're such a tomboy, Ayame."

Oh. Oh. Of course.

"You're such a tomboy, Ayame. You're not suited for feminine things."

He was just complimenting her because she was like a dude. Which, admittedly, was better than a lot of other guys who insulted her for being like a dude, but when it came to Ayame, that was still painful to hear.

So she liked running and sports. So she had boyish hobbies like working out, playing games, and watching action movies.

That didn't mean she wanted people to treat her like a boy. She was a girl. And sometimes… sometimes she wanted…

"But I don't think you need to worry about it. Tomboys have their own charms," Blake continued. "See, I don't think every girl has to be the 'dress-wearing, makeup-doing' kind of feminine. You're feminine in your own way."

Ayame's jaw dropped. She nearly lost her grip on the fishing pole again.

"Liar!" She hissed, turning back to the water. She couldn't bear to show him her face. "Don't… don't tease me like that, I'm not-!"

"The way you used the notebook to communicate with me? It was the cutest thing I've ever seen," Blake assured her. "Believe me, you've got plenty of feminine qualities, Ayame, you're not just your voice and your height."

Ayame shook like a leaf. He was really laying on the compliments, and she didn't know how to respond to them.

Wait… is this… is this one of those "pickup artists?!" She finally realized what was going on. This guy… he wasn't being nice to her! He didn't believe any of this! He was telling her what he thought she wanted to hear, the same way Olivia did to all those girls she went on dates with!

And suddenly, the pleasant mood that had been building between them turned sour.

"Stop saying stuff like that!" Ayame exclaimed. This time Marion and Sango definitely heard her. Ayame threw down her fishing pole and stood up to her full height, towering over Blake. "I know what you're trying to do, Rei! You're trying to fucking win me over with your sweet words so you can get underneath my skirt! Well, it's not going to work! Just because I don't have much experience with boys, you think I'm going to fall for some slick words?!"

Blake stared at her, taken aback by her outburst. Apparently, Ayame's fire hadn't been buried as deeply as he'd feared. That was good.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Marion asked, frowning. "Rei's a pickup artist? What's that? Claire? What's she talking about?"

Sango was too busy fighting the urge to burst out laughing to answer any of the fishing enthusiast's questions.

Nail on the fucking head, Ayame! Way to go! Sango shook her head, hiding a smile behind her hand. Now, she knew that whatever Blake was doing, he wasn't "putting the moves" on the tomboy. He genuinely meant whatever sappy compliments he leveled at her, and that was what frustrated her the most. The sincerity of the bastard. But it was so amusing to see him finally get some comeuppance for how many women seemed to fall for him.

As Blake felt the heat of Ayame's glare on him, he considered that maybe Lana had a point when she accused him of being too promiscuous, even if he only had one sexual partner.

He was going to make efforts moving forward to try not to seduce women anymore. It was the right thing to do.

Right now, though, he had to deal with an angry Ayame. That was a bomb he'd diffused many a time before, but that was when she was a significantly more stable place emotionally. So in a sense, he was playing with fire here.

Either way, though, he couldn't just let her think that he didn't care about her, so he plunged right into the inferno regardless.

"I'm not 'trying' anything, Ayame, I promise," Blake assured her. "I really do like you. As a person, I mean. You're a great girl, and I think you have a lot of charming qualities. And I promise, I'm not trying to have sex with you or anything like that."

Not yet, anyway. Give it a few more years.

…

…Maybe Lana had a point. He could be kind of a cad.

"Yeah, he's telling the truth," Sango called. "He's not the kind of guy who would go around seducing women, I promise."

Well, maybe not on purpose, she silently added.

Ayame still wasn't buying. Her gaze was filled with suspicion and she glanced between Blake and Sango as if she didn't know who to trust.

"It's true, I like tomboys for who they are, I'm not trying to be rude about anything," Blake promised. "If I didn't feel that way, you think me and Claire would actually be anything?"

Ayame glanced over at Sango again. True, like Olivia had said, she did look like a boy. In fact, upon closer inspection, her boobs were smaller than Ayame's.

Maybe this guy was trustworthy after all…

Upon coming to the conclusion that he wasn't some scumbag just trying to get between her legs, the feelings Ayame had pressed down rebounded with a vengeance. She turned red and sat back down, avoiding looking in Blake's direction at all.

"…Sorry," she hotly muttered, feeling herself slowly die of shame inside. "I got a little… heated up over there. It's just… stuff happened to me in the past."

"That's okay," Blake said gently. "I don't blame you. It must have looked weird, a guy you barely know asking you all those personal questions and unloading compliments on you like that. I'm sorry for freaking you out."

"Y-You didn't freak me out!" Ayame exclaimed. She shook her head frantically. "I just didn't want to get my hopes up, that's all!"

Blake stared at her. "Get your… hopes up? What do you mean?"

"I-I mean…" Ayame turned pale, realizing what she was saying. And that was the point where she hit her limit. She dropped her fishing pole and grabbed her notebook, turned, and fled from the riverbank, running at top speed all the way back to Squirtle House.

Ayame burst into her dorm room, practically knocking Olivia over. The other girl was about to head out on her date.

"Ayame? Geez! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Olivia exclaimed. "What's the big idea, bursting in like that?! I know it's your room too, but at least give a girl some warning, would you? I could have been changing!"

Ayame didn't have time to concern herself with that. She was too flustered from everything that had happened.

"Olivia…" She piped up, her voice cracking. Olivia paused. Ayame hardly ever talked.

"…Yeah?" The blonde asked curiously. "What is it?" She frowned. "Hey, wait, why are you even here? Aren't you supposed to be fishing with Marion? Something didn't happen, did it?"

Her frown deepened into a full-on scowl. "It did! It was that boy, wasn't it? Did he do something to you?" She demanded.

"What?! NO! It's not like… err… I mean…"

Ayame's blush was speaking volumes, and Olivia wasn't pleased. She put her hands on her hips.

"What is it? Spill."

Ayame swallowed, too anxious to say anything. She knew if she opened her mouth, she would probably throw up all over Olivia's dress.

And then she'd be dead.

So to the relief of Blake's future self, she didn't do that. Instead, she scribbled frantically in her notebook and showed it to her roommate.

"I think I have a crush on a boy!"

Well, that was fast. Blake the manwhore does it again. Dude just can't help himself, he's too good at winning over the ladies' hearts. But then, Ayame's a bit of a special case. Hopefully things will work out okay. I hope that all this drama will pass. Maybe Olivia can give Ayame some advice on what to do to win over Blake's heart. Who knows? It might be easier than she thinks!