ECHELON
CHAPTER 1
Stretching across a vast area of over five kilometers was the East Hoenn University - known for its marvelous campus and wealthiness. It has easily become the most successful university in the whole world, beating the University of Kanto. It hosts over ten thousand students and has facilities more than anyone can imagine. It is rather easy to get into the university, which is one of the reasons why there are so many students. East Hoenn University was opened in 1934, and it is still standing proud.
It was the month of February and a new semester was just about to begin. A crowd gathered around an old building made of red brick with vines hanging down the side of it. It looked rather old but well maintained with it being painted over a few times. Furniture inside were also replaced, but a select few such as bookshelves stayed. There was also an auditorium on the top floor - which is where our story begins.
Kala Lockhart, an eighteen-year-old redhead originating from Lilycove City was sitting right at the front of the hall - crossing her legs but still finding the urge to move around. Perched stiffly by her was a stranger, but a smart-looking one. The redhead swiftly turned her whole body and smiled brightly at the young stranger. The stranger had dark hair and eyes and was a tad bit shorter than her. "Hiya! I'm Kala, where are you from?"
"Um...Kanto, why?"
"Kanto? Cool! What's it like there? Oh yeah, what's your name?," Kala asked.
"Mariko, you? And it's fine."
"Just fine?! What about those stories about epic adventures people take? Have you ever done that? Oh, and it's Kala," Kala replied who was just about to slide off the edge of her seat.
"I don't really think those are true - just mere tales made up for children to believe in. But nothing wrong with liking them! I like them too. I always wanted to go on an adventure, which is one of the reasons why I came here. Oh sorry, I'm rambling."
"No, no! It's fine! I actually really like listening..-and talking. I read this one book about a guy from a place called Pallet Town and he went on to be champion! Or something similar, I don't know..-I don't remember much of what I read. Anywho, it's nice to meet you, Mariko!"
"Nice to meet you too! I think the event's starting."
Kala slid back to the back of her seat and glanced up at the stage - where a man approaches a podium wearing a blue suit with white stripes and a red tie. He tapped on the microphone with his index finger twice before speaking.
"I'd like to welcome all our freshmen to East Hoenn University. We here strive towards excellence..-and that is what we expect from each and everyone of our students. My name is Doctor Jones, head of academics here at this university. Now, there are a couple of rules..-"
Kala released an exasperated sigh and leaned over to Mariko who was closely listening to the speech. "Ugh, boring. Hey Mariko, you want to go do something fun?"
"I don't think we're allowed to leave the hall. Besides, after this there'll be a freshmen initiation which I heard will be fun."
"Oh, really?! What's going to be in the event? Games? Activities? Ooh, I hope there's a scavenger hunt! I heard The University of Kanto does those every semester!"
"I think on the itinerary it does say say scavenger hunt, but I'm not too sure."
"...-And finally, I'd like to hand you off to our lead shareholder, James Baldwin."
A subtle applause mingled through the audience as another man came up onto the podium. This man was around his late forties with flecks of grey hair on his head. Suit and bowtie with a coat. He cleared his throat and wasted no time.
"I just have one rule..-don't mess things up."
And on that remark Baldwin fled the stage and out the hall abruptly. Doctor Jones then came back up onto the stage again.
"That concludes our freshmen meeting. Please proceed outside into the park where you will take part in our freshmen scavenger hunt. Enjoy."
As the rest of the crowd begun to make their way out of the hall, Kala swiftly grabbed hold of Mariko and dragged her along. "What's the rush?", whispered Mariko.
"The sooner we get there the earlier we can start!"
"But don't they have to wait for everyone?"
"No! We can just steal the first clue and be on our way, hehe!"
"Wait..-we? I guess I could be on your team."
"Then it's decided. Hey, while we're at it..-we can be friends too! Or even roommates!". One of the things Kala has been fond of is being too comfortable with someone too soon - which is the case with Mariko. But she had a fondness of the younger girl, she thought they'd make pretty good friends.
"I guess so..-I don't have a roommate yet," Mariko replied. Kala happily skipped along with a big grin on her face as she gestured for her friend to hurry.
As Kala was ahead it gave Mariko some time to stare at the flamboyant girl in front of her. She had not notice it before but Kala does have a sense of style. Since they were at the university they aren't required to wear uniforms anymore - which meant fashion would come into play.
Mariko was dressed in the simple t-shirt and cardigan combo with the sleeves rolled up to just below the elbows. She wore a skirt with leggings followed by simple shoes. Kala on the other hand had on a stylish top which she recognized out of a fashion magazine, a short skirt and fancy shoes. Beautiful, Mariko thought.
Mariko had a thing for redheads, extra points if they were feisty like Kala. She took no interest in guys as most of them were loud, rude, and obnoxious. Women on the other hand were much better, clean, hygienic, feminine. Well, some of them anyways. Mariko preferred girls to guys, and Kala was going to be her target.
The park took up about sixty percent of the university's campus - it is one of the biggest parks in the whole of Hoenn. Right in the middle of it was a giant tree where all of the students gathered at. Speaking was one of the prefects.
"Welcome to the scavenger hunt, freshmen. Scattered around this entire campus are clues you will need to collect to get to the final prize. Now, the rules are simple; you must college all the clues, do it in teams of three, and have fun! And yes, the clues will be numbered. There are ten in total. Collect all ten and you win! Alright, I'll give you five minutes to get into teams of three!"
Kala and Mariko immediately looked at each other and smiled, then rotated around the space trying to look for the last member. Approaching Kala from behind, a dude with a somewhat small mesomorphic body and blonde hair tapped her on her shoulder. She turned and her eyes met his gaze. Green eyes, perfect smile.
"Uh, hey. I think you need a last member."
"We do! Would you like to join us?" Kala suggested.
"Sure! I'm Archer," Archer replied as he extended out his hand to offer a handshake. Kala accepted it almost instantly.
Mariko gave a small wave. She didn't like guys, especially not his type.
"I'm Kala, nice to meet you! Oh, and this is Mariko," Kala said pointing to her friend standing next to her. Again, Mariko gave a wave and a forced smile. Archer smiled back but decided against shaking her hand.
"So, where are you guys from?" Archer politely asked, ruffling his hair before crossing his arms. This seemed to get Kala all pumped up.
"I'm from Hoenn! And Mariko is from Kanto."
"Oh, Kanto? What part?"
"Pallet," Mariko replied hastily.
"Oh! My mother's from there as well. I've only been there twice, though," Archer continued. Yeah, like that would help soothe the tension between him and Mariko.
Just as Archer was going to continue saying something, a voice interrupted him. A feminine voice.
"Archer! How have you been?" the voice asked. A figure appeared from behind the two girls. It was another girl that looked older than both of them. Blonde hair, green eyes, she looked like a female version of Arthur, but sexier.
A huge grin appeared on Archer's face as he walked towards the girl. "Aurelia..-it has been quite some time!"
Aurelia swung her arms around Archer and gave him a huge hug, clinging on for quite some time. He hugged back, smiling as he felt over the moon. They had known each other for a long time and over the years they might have developed feelings for each other - but neither of them were brave enough to spill their guts.
Mariko glanced over her shoulder at Kala who was just about to explode in her head. Grinning, she leaned over to whisper something into her ear. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Kala replied as she turned away, clearing her throat at the same time. Mariko had this cheeky smile on her face because she knew Kala had close to zero chances of going together with Archer. And this made her happy for some reason.
When Aurelia finally decided to let go, she fixed her outfit before noticing the two girls. Kala tried her best to avoid eye contact with her by looking to the ground or the sky.
"Oh, I do not believe we have met before. Archer, who are these girls?" Aurelia asked rather snarkily.
"This is Kala and Mariko, we decided to team up for the hunt. Kala, Mariko, this is Aurelia. We've known each other for a long time."
"A really long time," Aurelia added, hand still wrapped around Archer's arm.
"How long?" Mariko asked.
"Since we were..-five? So about thirteen years. We lived about five minutes from each other!" Archer replied. He had not yet realized how Aurelia had been clinging onto him.
"That sure is a long time. Are you guys a couple?"
And with that question, both of their faces turned bright red. "No, no! Just long time friends," Archer replied. As much as he hated it he was telling the truth - they had not gone out once before on a real date. Was there still something between them?
"Well, it was fun. The event's starting..-let's go," suggested Kala who dragged Mariko along.
Archer turned to Aurelia and smiled - looking down into her eyes. Aurelia was a tall female, but Archer made her look like short. She had to look up at him to see his face. But that's just one of the things Aurelia liked doing, it made her feel safe in a way.
"I guess the event's starting..-I'll see you around?" Archer softly asked.
"You know I could always boot a guy off the team, maybe you could come join me?"
"I can't..-I already joined their team so…"
"No, it's fine. Next time maybe. Good luck in the event!" Aurelia said, parting ways afterwards. As she was walking away she raised up arm and waved goodbye - though not looking back.
"You too!"