Ume looked up at the large stone arch, struggling to swallow around the heart in her throat. Broadcasted across the impressive architecture in thick brass lettering was "Arboretum's Academy for the Gifted", followed by the school insignia; two golden A's stacked diagonally across an ornate copper pokeball. Dragging her eyes away from the imposing structure, she clenched the straps of her backpack with her sweaty hands. The gates were open. All she had to do was step inside. Ume tried again to swallow.
The frail, dark-haired girl had never been more horrified.
Ume had the aspiration to become a Pokemon trainer since long before she could remember. It was a passion that consumed her, filling her dreams and fantasies with adventure. The thought of being free, by herself and on the road was a driving force that got her through the graceless years of pre-school, the uncomfortable years of preliminary-school, and the awkward years of secondary-school. Upon graduation, she should have been preparing to set off into the unknown, one foot in front of the other, headed towards a glorious future, alone-
Instead, the No Trainer Left Behind Act passed. One declaration, and her whole destiny was turned on it's head. She would be forced to attend a Battle University if she ever hoped to be able to own and train Pokemon. That meant two more years of instruction. At yet another school. With people in it. Strange people. Terrifying, panic-inducing, people. The exact creatures Ume had been excited to never have to see again after secondary-school ended.
And yet here she was, standing just outside the tall grass, except now it was people who would lurk within the shadows before her.
That being said, for all the contempt Ume held for the NTLB Act, for all her shattered hopes and dashed dreams, for all her fear and all her anxiety, Ume knew she would do this. She would graduate this school as she had all the others, because if she didn't , she would never be a Pokemon trainer. She would have to pick up a trade, and unless that trade was professional hermitage, she would never be able to escape people, either. Pokemon were her only chance for a peaceful existence where there were no toes to step on. She could say whatever she wanted and there would be no ears around to misunderstand her. There would be no judging eyes to give her weird looks, or cruel mouths to make her world dark. She would finally be safe, and, thanks to the academy, with a full team of pokemon as a cherry atop the shit cake! Yes. Ume would run the gauntlet once again.
Glaring uncertainly at the arch, Ume shouldered her bag, shuddered, and took an unsteady step towards her own personal hell.
"Miss Ko, I believe you have some understanding as to the preliminary tests we are about to conduct."
Ume's head bobbed as she sweated in the vinyl chair. She squirmed. Her legs held fast to the material of the seat. The woman across from her had introduced herself as Dr. Beech, and sat leaning forward with her hands folded in front of her. She had graying hair pulled up into a loose bun on top of her head, drawn away from her sharply angled face, where a pair of spectacles sat atop her nose. Her undivided attention made Ume highly uncomfortable.
They were sitting in a minimalistic room (Ume assumed it to be Dr. Beech's) that overlook the courtyard. Battle courts were lined up in neat rows around a grassy center, and tiny people buzzed from place to place. Classes had apparently ended for the day.
"These tests will occur over the duration of your underclassman year. They will occur at the first of every month, and serve to continually determine which Pokemon will make up your graduating team. Preliminary tests are used to decide which Pokemon will be the first under your command."
The stern woman paused, regarding Ume with her sharp hazel eyes.
"We do not believe in teams of a single type. It is impractical and illogical for strategizing. As such, even in an instance where a Pokemon has multiple types, each type has the chance to be represented only once in your team. Is that clear?"
Again, Ume nodded, swallowing.
"Good. There will be two tests today; one to gauge strengths and weaknesses, and another to gauge your skill. We will conduct both tests starting now, unless you are for some reason unprepared. Are you ready, Miss Ko?"
No, Ume thought, as she mumbled "Yes?"
The questionnaire was at least fifty pages long, each one nearly black with ink save for the crisp margins. She agreed, agreed strongly, disagreed, and disagreed strongly for almost three hours.
You are a generally happy person.
You believe in astrological predictions.
You do not work well in a group.
You like to be creative.
You typically put on your right shoe first.
You believe in the existence of secret societies.
The questions went on and on, twisting and turning over themselves. Some questions were completely bizarre, some painfully obvious, others reworded a dozen times- by the end of the examination period Ume was feeling flushed and light headed, words running a thousand miles a minute in her head. When a voice over a loudspeaker finally told her to stop, it was all she could do not to collapse in relief.
A young woman swept through the door of the stark, white walled room, and greeted Ume with a polite smile. Her face was smooth with high, flat cheekbones, and she possessed a pair of glittering ebony eyes. She appeared to be a Native Kalosian, as her skin was the color of tea with milk.
"Hello," she said, "my name is Allegra. I work as an assistant under Dr. Beech."
With a grace worth envying, she reached to collect the scattered papers on the table in front of Ume, who suddenly felt very self conscious.
"I'm going to take these for assessment now- you've got an hour break before we begin the skill test." She shot Ume a sympathetic look. "I know this can be very stressful. If you need anything, just let me know, okay?" Ume was taken aback for a moment. This was the first non-professional she had met today, and the connection, no matter how brief, was welcome.
"Thank you," she stuttered, hoping Allegra could tell just how much this meant to her. But the golden-skinned woman simply smiled before turning, ponytail swishing as she walked out the door.
"We will now begin the skill portion of your preliminary exam."
Dr. Beech's voice rang out over the loudspeaker, echoing around the walls of the battle arena. The wall to wall seating was thankfully devoid of spectators with the exception of Dr. Beech and a few other individuals (probably teachers) standing at an observation deck to her left. They must use this area for tournaments, Ume thought. Her palms were sweating ferociously.
"This examination will test your proficiency as a trainer, and will give us a chance to gauge your potential at this university."
Far across the packed dirt floor of the court stood a blonde, staring blankly ahead. Her jaw worked on what Ume assumed to be a piece of gum.
"The preliminary skill test is a Pokemon battle. We will provide you with a Pokemon of equal level to your opponent, and with a type advantage. Good luck."
Ume bit her lip, anxiety taking over her heart and lungs. Someone placed a pokeball in her hands before running back towards the sidelines, leaving Ume to flinch at the contact. Her hands began to shake, her thick red beanie making her scalp itch horribly. She couldn't take her eyes off the blonde girl. Who was grabbing something from her necklace. A minimized pokeball.
She pressed the center to enlarge it, and cast it up and out.
" Dunny-do, lets go."
Red light exploded from the orb, and as it receded a stubby, yellowed Pokemon appeared on the arena floor. It's eyes were ringed in a beautiful teal, which also ran in two lines across it's back. Ume noted the small, vestigial wings, and finally recognized the Pokemon as a dunsparce. Even in her panicked state, she loved the nickname it's trainer had come up with.
Feeling the hard circle pressed within her clenched fist, Ume snapped out of her daze and remembered that she was in fact the other participant in this battle. She fumbled with the pokeball for a moment, just managing to enlarge it before it slipped in her sweaty grasp. She bobbled the sphere, smacking it forcefully away from her.
Dead silence on the floor.
Out of some act of universal mercy, the ball fell onto it's face, and the pokeball opened. Inside was a small black and white Pokemon. A small green leaf poked from it's smirking mouth. Ume would be battling with the fighting-type pancham. They hadn't lied about the type advantage.
"Trainer Ko, are you ready?"
Startled, Ume managed to squeak, "Ready!"
"Trainer Pigglocama, are you ready?"
"Mmm-hmm" Her opponent drawled.
The referee raised his green and black flags. Ume was visibly trembling, but a strong will to win was growing in her chest.
With a powerful downstroke, the referee yelled, "Battle start!"
The blonde didn't waste a moment. "Dunsparce, screech!"
The stubby serpent surged forward, letting loose an unholy shriek that bounced around the enclosed space. Ume's temporary pokemon grimaced and placed it's paws over it's ears, never letting up it spirited glare. That was more that Ume could say for herself, cringing and crying out in pain. Gritting her teeth, she prepared to call out a command-
Before she remembered she didn't know any of pancham's attacks. She looked frantically up at the observation, thinking there had been some sort of mistake. Meeting Dr. Beech's hard gaze, she decided otherwise. This was part of the test.
Okay. Go generic. What move do most Pokemon know?
"Pancham, use tackle!"
The bear launched itself forward, eagerly meeting the dunsparce mid flight and slamming it back across the ground. The pancham's grin widened. Okay. Good. That was one attack. What were the other five?
"Dunny-do, rollout!"
Capturing it's momentum as it was thrown backwards, the dunsparce threw itself into reverse, picking up speed as it circled back to face Ume's pancham. Other moves, other moves, other fighting moves-
With incredible speed the dunsparce rocketed forward. Unable to think in her panic, Ume shouted, "Dodge it!"
The pancham had no chance. It took the full force of the blow, flying back as the dunsparce circled again, rolling faster. Ume had no time. Bulk up, counter, uh, seismic toss...why could she only think of seismic toss?!
Comet punch
Something inside of her whispered.
Comet punch
"Pancham," Ume said, dazed, "use comet punch."
Pancham's dark paws began glowing, and the ursine Pokemon pushed itself forward. When Ume was certain it was going to be blown away by the tumbling dunsparce, pancham released it's arms in a flurry of golden punches that stopped the serpent it it's tracks. It staggered away, stumbling over it's own tail before falling on it's back.
Karate chop
There was that voice again. Ume frowned in confusion, wondering if this was some kind of trick. She again looked to the observation booth. The people inside were talking excitedly amongst themselves. Only Dr. Beech stood apart, looking even more firmly at Ume. Unnerved by her stare, Ume's anxiety returned.
Out of options, Ume stuttered, "Use karate chop!"
Pancham's paw began to glow once again, and with a few steps he was on the struggling dunsparce. Ume glanced up at the opposing trainer, wondering if this would end the fight. The look on the blonde's face told her no.
"Dunsparce, rage!"
A moment before pancham's extended paw made contact, the fallen pokemon began to thrash wildly, striking pancham about the face with it's head and tail. As Ume's pokemon lost concentration it was forced to step away, and the dunsparce righted itself.
"Dunny-Do, use yawn!"
Oh, no.
A pink bubble pulsed from the opened maw of the yellow serpent, hitting pancham full in the face. It staggered and rubbed its eyes.
Ume hardly dared breathe. She had one move before her pokemon would be out cold, and the battle would end with swift finality. She had one chance. Imploring, she asked the voice in her head to come back.
Arm thrust
This time Ume didn't need to be told twice.
"Pancham, use arm thrust! Give it everything you have!"
Something akin to surprise appeared on her opponents face as pancham shifted himself into a low stance. Her light eyebrows shot up, the beginnings of a command just forming on her lips when Ume's hardy pancham let loose a ferocious barrage of open-palmed blows. The dunsparce jerked violently under the force of the onslaught before the final hit struck it square in the forehead, knocking the poor serpent back and out. Ume was shocked. Triumph bloomed in her heart, but she resisted the urge to smile out of respect for her opponent.
As the referee raised his flag and proclaimed Ume the winner, her pancham promptly fell asleep.
At the conclusion of the battle, Ume was swept away by Dr. Beech and two assistants. She had just enough time to watch her temporary pancham be swallowed again by a pokeball, taken, she hoped, to be healed. She wondered if she would see it again, but Dr. Beech's firm hand on her shoulder stole her away before she could ask.
Towed along, Ume was funneled through an entrance which Dr. Beech had opened with her identification tag. It was distinctly colder group weaved and turned through a series of hallways extending away from the arena, metal walls lined with doors and no decorations. When they passed a room with the door slightly ajar, Ume identified beakers, test tubes, and a chill running down her spine. Where were they taking her? This area of the school hadn't been on any map she had seen in the brochures.
After another minute of walking, the group stopped at a door. It stood at the very end of a particularly long corridor, and printed in an arc of silver across the face were the letters 'PSYU'. Ume took a step back instinctively, but she was ushered inside with little more that a squeak of protest.
"Ume Ko, seventeen years of age, grew up in Santalune City before moving to Aquacorde Town for your father's research. Average academically, substandard socially."
The terrified girl was blindsided as she was thrown into the room, stumbling over her shoes before a hard edge caught her momentum. She flinched at the sharp pain, never letting her wide eyes stray from Dr. Beech's face. Transfixed, she watched the silver-haired woman continue to rattle off facts about her life, her weaknesses, and her few strengths.
" You are deathly afraid of human interaction, rejection, failure, and heights. Dream to become a pokemon master was born out of a desire to escape, not for a love of pokemon. You are oblivious to the social norms you try so desperately to conform to. Your natural fear of people drives them away from you. For all your lack in interpersonal abilities, you do have a natural tendency towards understanding. You are kind, driven, and with the proper training you could overcome your rampant anxieties."
"Why- why are you telling me all this?" Ume blurted.
Dr. Beech closed her mouth slowly, regarding the hunched figure, the shaking shoulders from behind her sharp glasses. With a twist of her mouth and a slight relaxing of her stance, the woman said,
"I apologize Ms. Ko. I was overly eager and I appear to have scared you."
Eager? Ume thought. That's eager?
"The reason I am telling you 'all this'," she continued, "is because you have one other strength worth noting. It is a strength that you, with your lack of contact with pokemon, have only just realized."
Ume was confused, until she wasn't.
"You mean...the voice?" She whispered.
Dr. Beech's body tensed up once again, and she quickly leaned forward.
"Yes, Ume. Precisely. The voice."
The professor straightened and moving with purpose around Ume and deeper into the room. As she passed, Ume was finally able to turn and take in her surroundings. The space in which she stood was a small, windowless room. She had bumped into a large table with maybe ten chairs, above which a projector was mounted. It pointed towards the far side of the room, where the floor and far wall were coated in a solid white plastic. Two other projectors were mounted on both sidewalls, and all were directed towards a fixed point. Dr. Beech had stopped on the other side of the table pulled out a chair. As she took a seat, Ume tentatively did the same.
"Ume Ko." She started, " You are one of a select few individuals that have been gifted with a special ability. At this school, we specialize in molding and enhancing this ability- though this is not a practice we are publicly known for."
The screen behind Dr. Beech came to life, projectors whirring and spinning. Ume gasped, amazed, as she forgot her fear for a moment. Holograms were forming pictures over the stern doctors shoulder. A human brain, rotating slowly and with certain areas highlighted, floated in the air behind her head.
" You, Ume Ko, are an empath. You can communicate with pokemon."