Chapter One: Graduation

The brisk, ocean water gently swelled around my feet as a new wave broke upon the surface. A calm breeze swirled my hair around as the sun began peaking over the hills, casting its golden rays across the crimson and blush colored sky. I began walking into the water, the sand encasing my feet in a gritty prison, releasing them with each step as it slowly filtered between my toes. The heat of the sun worked its way through the blue fibers of my dress and gently warmed my back.

I tried not to let the hem of the dress skim the water as I waded knee deep into the ocean. I let the wind play with my hair, pulling it across my face and back again. After a few deep breaths, I made my way back to shore. I sat on a small rock and let my feet dwell in the rocky sand that was beginning to warm up. I sat there long enough to take in the view that I never knew if I would see again. Today was my last morning in Twilight Town. Soon I would begin my journey to join the war effort. After I graduated.

I was lost in my reverie too deeply to account the suns position in the sky. I quickly slipped on my heels and rushed off the sand onto the paved road. I looked up and saw three carrier pidgeys flying east at a manic pace with the Ignis symbol engraved in their tightly woven jackets. I shook my head and picked up my pace so I wouldn't be late.

After four blocks, I laid eyes on the large cement building that was crumbling on the end. It was the epicenter for the first bombing that Twilight Town received, and luckily it has held together for so long. The building used to be a Pokémon Gym, but that was more than 19 years ago and now it served the purpose of a town hall. I raced into the west entrance and saw twenty five more students all preparing themselves to get their assignments. There were few of us who were excited about our upcoming journeys, and the anxiety boiled inside me as I prepared to embrace whatever I was given. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Melody walking towards me, her coral dress flowing behind her.

"Belle!" She squealed in an enthusiastic voice, but even her smile could not hide the unease and concern that crossed her face. I grabbed her by the hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Hi Mel," I said quietly, "how are you holding up?"

"As good as I can be," she sighed as she spoke, some of her worry flowing out with her breath, "I just hope we get assigned to the same place."

I nodded in agreement, "The odds of that are slim, especially since there are only twenty six of us here and only seven nursing students at that."

"Be positive, you never know what could happen." I smiled as she spoke but I could not keep down the rising thought in my head. That's what I am afraid of.

I heard the ding of a bell and suddenly the two large, wood doors swung open revealing the Mayor standing in front of a podium and chairs lined up before him. There were few other civilians in the room, only the parents of the graduates. I saw my mother standing against one of the wood supporting structures. She smiled at me from across the room, and I got uncomfortable as I noticed that her smile bared the same distress as Mel's.

Surrounding the entire perimeter of the room were soldiers, dressed in black clad uniforms and large guns hanging from their hips. I noticed five wartortle along the wall, water gun ready in case of an attack and the Ignis insignia painted on their brown shells. There were other Pokémon there as well, including two arcanine and a pidgeot. I stared at the Pokémon sympathetically. They do not have a choice whether they want to fight, I thought as I looked up and make eye contact with Mayor Rodgers. But neither do we.

As I sat in my chair, second to last, Mayor Rodgers stood up and cleared his throat. "There comes a time in every person's life where they need to stand up for what it right. They need to be brave and let courage embrace them as they help their country in every possible way." He motioned to us in the chairs, "these outstanding 26 graduates have stepped up to the challenge and have sworn to aid the Ignis Region in the war efforts. We thank you, graduates, and wish you the best of luck as you embark on your quest to help save us all." As the audience clapped, Mayor Rodgers began calling out the names of the graduates. I watched them as they walked up and grabbed a piece of paper, folded and sealed with a gold band that contained their assignment. We were not allowed to open them until everyone had received theirs.

The mayor went through the soldiers, then the Pokémon trainers, the pilots, the boat captains, and finally the nurses. As Melody's name got called, she gently rose from her chair, gave me a small smile and walked confidently up to the podium. Mayor Rodger's handed her the sentence and he whispered something to her before she came back and sat down.

"Belle Dux!" My name rang out through the cavernous building. I swear it would've echoed if it hadn't been for the vast hole in the ceiling. I got out of my seat and tried to walk as confidently as I had seen Melody do, but I was shaking too violently to control my stature. I took a couple deep breaths of composure and corrected my walk as I neared the Mayor. He smiled as I approached and handed me my assignment. Quietly he whispered, "May Ignis light your way." I did not say anything back. I did not even look him in the eyes. I grabbed my assignment swiftly and walked back to my chair as I watched the last member of our class walk up to take his assignment.

This was the first time of the whole ceremony that I thought I was going to hurl. My hands were shaking so bad that I thought I was going to lose my grip on the paper that held my life. With a few more encouraging words, Mayor Rodgers invited the audience to stand up and clap as we exited the room. Once we were at the back, I exchanged a silent conversation with Mel and we both walked out of the building. After we got out I noticed that her hands were shaking as bad as mine.

"Are you ready?" I asked her.

With one big smile of all the courage she could possibly have in her, Mel nodded and we unfurled our assignments. It seemed to take an eternity for the gold ribbon to fall to the ground. I read my assignment and as my eyes came to last letter, all of the fear and doubt that I had in my mind became amplified and I felt as though it was going to engulf me in a swirling, black hole. It was hard to choke back tears as my eyes met Mel's. She seemed to be flooded with relief.

"I am going to a training camp," she spoke first. A training camp was easy. No one gets hurt, and no one dies. I could not utter a word and she reached her hand out to take my conscription.

She read the words out loud, "The Indigo Heights." She dropped that paper as she looked me in the eyes. Her brown eyes which were so calm were now leaking liquid fear. I had stopped trembling at this point because all of the nerves and muscles in my body had ceased working, my mouth was the only thing to move.

"I am going to the front line."