Please spare my soul!

Okay, so this was sent to me by Luanastar. First things first, I've been really busy sorting my life out at the moment. Don't worry, however. It's nothing too serious. Although, this means that I haven't necessarily been able to post much on Fanfiction as much as I would like, resulting in the unfortunate TU Discord server being totalled. But Luanastar on the other hand… Yeah, she's got all the time in the world. XD But, it was her sharp mind that led her to think of this little story. I do believe it's a one-shot, but that could change. She did not want it to be posted on her account, however. What you're seeing here is 100% her work, so please give credit where it's due.

Luanastar doesn't own Pokemon. Beta-read by DegenerateFluffington.

This was just a little idea that I came up with in the shower… Don't ask. XD

Your eyes fluttered open, with your brain concluding that you were in a bed. The sun peered around the curtains, and lit up the room whose color you had decided yourself upon that day where you and your had family moved in. Speaking of family…

"(Name)!" came a booming voice from beyond your room. "Get your lazy butt up and ready for school! Imagine missing out on your first day! Your mother won't be happy at all."

Rolling your eyes (although you did fear the wrath of your angry mother), you stood up from your bed sheets, and followed the commands of your father. Showering didn't take long at all, nor did the general self-clean up procedure. Finally, after no more than ten minutes, you were ripe and ready to get going to school; the one out of the two situated in the West Latias Province, of course, were all the smartest and most athletic Pokemon combined to form an institution for breeding greatness. You weren't quite excited for school, but at least this was your final year before you headed off for college. Better make it count.

Stepping outside, the cool breeze of the suburban area rushed to your cheeks as if it were from a fan. The desolate roads and unpopulated streets made you huff a sigh of nostalgia. These streets weren't anything like the ones back home.

When you had begun your journey, you saw a red figure walk on the other side of the road. It looked like a Blaziken wearing a hoodie… Wait a second… You recognised that person from TV - the ever famous Brendan Bursyamo, one of the best battlers the world had to offer. You weren't too hyped up on battling and all, but when it came to celebrities, it's always okay to be well-rounded in terms of knowledge.

"Excuse me!" you shouted, chasing after their slightly brisk walk. Thankfully, they trekked on the exact same route that you had to use to get to school.

Your yelp caught their attention, as they turned around, your eyes lighting up as you got within talking range of the well-known Blaziken.

"Hello? How may I help you?" the Blaziken said, albeit with a very unfamiliar voice as opposed to the one you remembered on television. "Or, did you think I'm Brendan Bursyamo, and wanted an autograph?"

Shamefully, you nod your head. Although, the Blaziken did let out a chuckle.

"That's fine! We get confused all the time. That man you're looking for is actually my father. I'm his son, Barrágan Bursyamo, but you can call me Barry. Nice to meet you!"

The Blaziken stuck out a talon, to which you shook with glee. It was always great to meet someone as friendly as this fire-type: Him being related to someone famous was just a massive bonus, of course.

"Nice to meet you too, Barry. I'm (Name), but you can call me (Name)!" you semi-joked. You know, depending on what you decide to put inside those brackets.

"(Name)... That's quite a schmancy name! Is it foreign?" Barry questioned, putting his talons in the pockets in his hoodie. You could obviously tell that he was comfortable talking with you, just as you were comfortable talking with him.

You teetered your hand/paw from side to side, as if to say 'sort of'.

"Right, right." Barry said, before finally realising the direction in which the both of you walked in tandem. "If you don't mind me asking, (Name), where are you headed off to at this time in the morning?"

You had completely forgot that you were still on your way to school. "Oh. I'm going to school. What about yourself?"

"Me too. Are you going to Everlast High school? Because that's in this general direction." Barry questioned. You were glad to see his smile widen as you shook your head yes. "Wow, what a coincidence! I am too! This is your first day, right? Is it alright if I show you around?"

"Okay, yes please!" you replied, returning the same smile that the Blaziken gave you.

Seeing the fire-type skip for joy really plastered a big beam on your face. Something about his giddiness reminded you of yourself when you were a youngster.

Only five minutes' worth of walking more, and both of you found yourselves at the school building. Barry ushered you through the gates, where you could see the hundreds of Pokemon rush about the hallways with different intentions. One particular pink Pokemon ran over to the both of you. You recognised them to be a Sylveon.

"Hey Barry, I'm coming over to your place after sch- oh." stopped the Sylveon, as soon as their eyes met yours. "Hello. Is this your friend, Barry?"

Barry grinned and nodded. "Of course! I met them on the way to school. Turns out they're in our year too. This is (Name). (Name), this is my cousin, Anais."

You wore a bashful twinkle on your lips, and gave the fairy type a minor wave. Anais, on the other hand, threw up her eyes in surprise.

"That's not a name from around here is it? Oh well. I didn't know there were gonna be new students this late into the year. But hey, great to see you, (Name). I reckon we'll share some classes, too."

You nodded, now perceiving that Anais was a lot more calm and cool in contrast to her nice and jolly cousin.

Barry now intervened. "So (Name), I guess I could take you over to your form room. You'll probably know which one it is, since you would've received it beforehand."

You nodded once more. Wow, quite a lot of nodding today. "Yeah, I did. Room 237." you stated before noticing that Barry's smile intensified. You must've had the same form room as him! Lucky!

"Woah, that's a huge coincidence, (Name). That's our form room too." said Anais, turning around on her heel. "So, we may as well get going there right now."

Once you all had agreed to get a move on, you did exactly that, navigating through the very extensive and monotonous hallways to get to your destination. While you did that, though, you saw Barry slightly decrease his speed. Probably so he could stay back with you to speak out of earshot of Anais, who led the way.

"Hey, sorry about Anais, if she gets a little bit hot-headed sometimes." slightly whispered Barry into your ear. "She'd never mean it, though. Unless she got really mad… Don't let that trick you; she's a really nice person, honest!"

Although Barry's little warning muddled your opinion of the Sylveon a little, you dipped your head in acknowledgement, and kept the journey going.

Eventually, you came to the door along with Barry and Anais as escorts. The teacher, who was an Alakazam, beckoned for you to come over to them, while your acquaintances took seats on different sides of the classroom. As you walked to the Alakazam, you felt the gazes of the masses of students poke you in the side. Finding a safe place to sit in this room was going to be a little tricky.

"Good morning." spoke the Alakazam. "I do take it that you're the new student, (Name)." You nodded your head. Something told you that your neck was going to pain a lot today. "Alright. I'm Mr. Telepo, and I'll be your form teacher for the remainder of the school year."

"Okay sir." you meekly said, slightly bowing to show a bit of respect.

Mr. Telepo then stood up, and cleared his throat. "Please listen, everyone! Here, we have a new student enrolling today. (Name) here hopes to make a good impression, so please make them feel at home here at our school."

The classroom uniformly nodded their head.

"Good. Now, you may take a seat, (Name)."

Nervously, you looked around in hopes of a free seat where you could enjoy your adventures in singularity. Barry and Anais had grabbed their own seats, sure, but there were no unoccupied chairs anywhere near them. However, there was one next to a Lopunny, who incessantly tapped her digits on her phone. Sitting next to them didn't sound too bad, right?

You stepped over to the empty seat, and sat down in it. The Lopunny did look up from her phone, giving you a friendly smile.

"Oh, hiya. Sorry, I wasn't concentrating. Are you new?" asked the normal type, sounding and looking a lot more feminine as you maintained eye contact with them.

"Yeah, Mr. Telepo just introduced me right now. I'm (Name), nice to meet you." you told the 'Bunny, trying to sound as nice as possible.

"(Name)? Oooh, that sounds tropical! I like it! I'm Lola P. or just Lola. At least, that's what all my friends call me, so you can call me that too!." spoke Lola, spinning her phone within her paws. "Also, I saw you walking to school Barry earlier today."

You did catch her eyebrow raise a little as she said that. "Uh, yeah, we were. I met him on the way to school and we talked all the way. He's quite a nice person."

As you talked, you couldn't shrug off the very obvious stare that she gave you with extreme teasing flavours.

"Ooh, is that right (Name)? He's quite the gentleman, isn't he? The kind who'd let you snuggle up in his arms, and slowly caress your face as he did so, no?" dreamily described Lola, winking a little more than what was considered enough to make you feel uncomfortable.

Although you couldn't necessarily keep the blush off your face, you still had to put up an argument of some sort. "No! It's not like that, Lola. I've only just met him today! There's no way you can assume that I like him, because I really don't. We're only just friends."

Lola smirked and leaned back in her chair, pulling out her phone. "Well, I suggest you act soon, (Name). Otherwise, I may just have to bag him for myself."

You let out a fake chuckle, before the bell rung. Something about what Lola said didn't make you feel too easy. You flicked a glance at your timetable, noticing that you had gym class first thing in the morning.

"Right. Lola, I have gym class right now, but I'm not too sure where the gymnasium is. Do you mind if you show me?" you politely asked. Lola cheerfully wagged her head like a very obedient pet and stood up with you.

"No worries, (Name). I've got gym class too. It's a really good way to socialize with the other moronic, and not-so moronic students in our year." crudely commented the Lopunny, leading you out of the classroom, and into the hallway. Before you exited the room, however, you did catch a glimpse of the pretty Anais, chatting away with a very handsome Ninetales. What an unforgettable face that fire type had.

"Hey, hey! (Name)? Are you on this earth? You sorta just zoned out there." spoke Lola, snapping you out of your trance.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry." you excused. Lola shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"No worries. Anyway, just straight through here, and you're at the gym. The left is the cafeteria, which is my fave place, by the way~" sang the Lopunny. You duly took note of this, as well as her very angelic voice. "You look like an athletic kind of person to me, (Name). Just look at that bod you have!"

You giggle anxiously, not too sure if you were exactly the fittest person in the world. "Aha, thank you, Lola. You have quite the figure yourself." you complimented, but that didn't go without a blush on your own face.

Lola pulled a seductive pose, making you pay a lot of attention to her hips especially. "You think so? I mean, I have been working out my legs as of late, too, so…"

You laugh, as Lola guides you through the doors of the gymnasium. As you would've imagined, the gym had a very large interior, with a wall of glass that let the morning light through. Bleachers were on the opposite side of the main entrance. There was a desk and chair tucked in the corner of the gym, but it was vacant.

"Hey, where's the teacher?" you asked Lola, who took you over to the bleachers to sit down.

Lola shrugged her shoulders without a care in the world. She crossed her legs and leaned backwards a little. "I'm not too sure. Generally, when the teacher isn't around, we just fool around and do whatever we want for the lesson. You know, like battling, basketball, whatever."

You smiled on the inside. "Then I'm glad, since I'm getting a free period on my first day! What do you usually do when something like this happens?"

"Well, (Name), it's about time I introduced you to the wonderful concept known as 'Gossip'." stated Lola, leaning forward and closer to you, so no one could hear her speak. "Days like these - which happen quite infrequently, mind you - I'd talk to my closest friends about the hottest gossip of the school. For starters, do you know who Anais Breon-Solian is?"

You wagged your head up and down, under the assumption that Lola spoke of the Sylveon who encountered earlier today.

"Mkay, and you definitely know who Nester Queueneufs is, right?"

"No, I don't think so." You muttered, a little curious. That sort of stumped you; neither Barry nor Anais ever talked about a Nester being around in this school. At least, one that was worth knowing about.

Suddenly, Lola's jaw fell as if her hinges were made of rubber. "WHAT?! Boy, are you out of the loop if you don't know who Nester Queueneufs is! Surely, you saw him in our home-form room, right? He's the smokin' hawt Ninetales. Did you not see him?"

Then, and only then, did it snap in your head; the particularly visually-appealing Ninetales you spotted before during registration. "Oh, oh! Yeah, I've certainly seen him before. What about him?"

Lola gave you two flicks of her brow, alongside a grin to convey her innuendo. Your mouth formed an "O" when you pieced it together in your head.

"So they're a couple?" you asked, becoming more and more curious about the enigmatic Ninetales, and his association with Anais.

"So-so, (Name). Anais has the complete hots for him, but has been having some difficulty getting it out, you know?" explained the Lopunny, reaching being her long, floppy ears to give them a scratch.

"Oh, okay. Well, I hope things work out for her." you told Lola. She smiled and agreed with you.

"For sure. One second, (Name). I'm gonna visit the little girls' room." snidely told Lola, who hopped off the bleachers. "Oh, but before I go, can I ask a quick question, (Name)?"

"Sure."

"Have you ever been a relationship before?"

The critical question asked so casually caught you off guard, making your face flash red like a traffic light. "W-What? W-Why do you ask?"

Lola winked playfully at you, but that didn't help much to rid your blush. "Oh, no reason!" she finally sung, before sashaying across the gym.

Once your normal-type companion left the room, you got a better look at the inhabitants of your surroundings, looking for any familiar faces, whilst hoping that your red-painted face would disappear quicker. There was Anais, the majorly-pink Sylveon that you had yet to talk to a little more. However, she was with the Ninetales that Lola had spoken to you about. Not to be blunt or anything, but you did think that he was quite the handsome hunk.

You're telling me.

You looked around worriedly, wondering who on Earth could've said that, but it didn't seem like there was anyone near you. Eventually, you shrugged it off, and rested your head in your paws. Before you could think of the remainder of waiting for Lola's return to be eventless, you spotted Barry in the corner of the gymnasium, performing complex exercises.

Happily, you skipped over to him to engage in conversation. The Blaziken seemed to be your closest friend in the school so far, with Lola as a close second. Of course, that was subject to change at any time.

"Hi Barry!" you yipped, catching the Blaziken in the middle of a push-up.

"Oh! Hello, (Name)! How are you finding gym class so far?" Barry quizzed, getting up from his previous position. "I mean, I know it's been a little boring, but have you been occupying yourself well?"

You cocked your head a little bit. Now that you saw Barry being so productive, you felt quite ill-equipped to answer his question. "Uh, yeah, I was talking with Lola, the Lopunny, just now before she left for the bathroom."

Barry nodded, understanding completely. "Fair enough. Oh, by the way, (Name), there's a buddy of mine that I'd love for you to meet. His name is Raidon, and he's really nice. He's the Luxray that's coming toward us right now, actually."

You turned around, and you did indeed saw a Luxray walk toward you with a smile on their face.

"Hey, Barry." greeted Raidon, before his gaze eventually fell upon your own. "And you are (Name), right? That's a name I don't think I've heard around here."

You giggled, as soon as you saw Barry's eyes light up.

"Oh, yeah! (Name) said it was foreign, right?" the Blaziken (quite literally) chirped. "I think it's really nice."

"Yeah, it sounds quite exotic, (Name). I saw you during registration. How are you enjoying your stay so far?" Raidon said, taking a seat on his bottom as he spoke. His gleaming eyes were certainly… eye catching.

"Oh, it's been great, thank you. So far, everyone's seemed to have been very kind to me." you admitted, beaming at the Luxray. He reflected your smile, and for a while, the two of you initiated your own little impromptu staring contest. It was just so hard to look away from his bright, brilliant-blue and yellow eyes amid his jet black fur.

However, the silence was shattered when a high pitched sneeze came from Barry's end, startling you heavily.

"Sorry, sorry! One of my feathers snuck up my nose." shamefully confessed Barry, before he looked at you, an idea giving him a grand grin. "Oh, guys! How about we all have lunch afterwards? The food is really nice, (Name), so I reckon you'd be in for a treat!"

"Yeah, that sounds like a really good plan, Barry. I didn't grab breakfast today, so I suppose I'm a little peckish." you divulged, nervously itching your neck.

"Same! I could eat a Rapidash!" joked Raidon, laughing along with you. "But, I'll have to complete my exercise regiment first."

A pattern was triggered in your head about the duo of Raidon and Barry as soon as that was said. "Hey, are you two like, really hyped up on keeping fit? You both seem like you'd be extremely athletic."

Both Barry and Raidon nodded, but only Raidon responded.

"Yeah, we're both on the school's battling team, so we need to ensure that we're always in tip-top shape, you know?" elaborated the Luxray, with Barry concurring in tow. "Plus, you'd always want to keep in shape, right?"

No wonder. To your eyes, their bodies were, without a doubt, toned and shaped to that of a battler. Although Barry didn't look too beefy, and Raidon looked like he could do with some work around his arms, you could see just where all those hours of exercise went to.

"Wow, I couldn't imagine working that hard to battle. You guys must be pretty good." you complimented. Although, Barry and Raidon looked at each other and chuckled, before they looked back at you.

"Sure, I guess you could say that!" humorously told Raidon. "But what about you, (Name)? Do you do any battling at all?"

You weren't too sure what to say to answer that question. You've certainly had your experience, but nowhere as near as these guys in front of you. "I uh, yeah. I guess I've done a bit of battling myself. But, I'm probably not as good as you guys, that's for sure."

"Well, there's only one way to find out, ri-"

*BRRRIIIIINNNGGG*

Thankfully, Raidon's challenge (that would've otherwise, left you cold-footed) was cut off by the intervention of the school bell, signalling for a break.

"Oh well. At least we can go and grab some grub, eh?" said Raidon, excitedly.

"Sure!"

Raidon gestured for you to follow him, while Barry stretched out, before joining the fray also. When you left through the gym doors, you saw Lola, brushing the back of her ears as she walked towards your group.

"Hiya, guys! What are y'all doing?" asked Lola, putting her brush behind her back, to which it spontaneously disappeared. You had to blink twice to believe that one.

Barry replied, although a little dumbfounded. "What do you mean? Gym class finished just now. Where were you?"

Lola made quick eye contact with you, as you were fully aware of where she went during the period. However, it's not like it was your place to say anything to her about it.

"I, uhm. No no, I knew that gym finished. I just went to grab my break food early, y'know?" told Lola, grinning profusely as if to mimic the monsters from the manga you had read last week, Attack on Tirtouga.

"Oh, right." said Raidon, excusing the Lopunny's truancy. "That's a shame, because we were heading to the cafeteria right now, actually."

Lola looked at you once more. Then, she looked at Barry, before returning the focus back to Raidon.

"Well, going for seconds wouldn't hurt, right guys?"

Heartily, you all laughed as a unit. Lola was then accepted into the party of three, now making it four, as you trekked to the cafeteria. The four of you took a right somewhere, and then found yourselves in the school's canteen. Your senses were in for a ride on the wild side as soon as you smelled the waft of the food being cooked within the area - absolute ecstacy, to say the least.

"Wow!" you exclaimed out of habit. "The food here smells amazing! I can't wait to try!"

Raidon's eyebrow raised, while he smirked smugly. "You'd deffo be surprised, (Name). After the first week or so, you'll find that the food doesn't taste any better than… I don't know, cereal?"

You didn't let Raidon's comments get your ambition's down, however, as you dashed to be first in line. Lola and Raidon came along also, but Barry hung back to secure a table for the four of you. You took notice of this with your sharp vision, and felt a little bit dejected due to the general sight of the Blaziken being on his lonesome.

"Hey, how comes Barry isn't coming to eat too?" you questioned the duo of Raidon and Lola. "He's going to be missing out, right?"

Lola looked back, seeing that you were right for sure. "Oh. Well, from what Anais told me, he's not really too hot on eating, I suppose. Ooh, also! Did you know that Barry and Anais were cousins? Crazy, right?"

"Yeah, I knew that already. But, maybe I could get something for Barry, you know? We can't all eat without him eating too." you murmured, plucking two sets of burgers and fries for yourself and your companion.

"True, I guess."

Once you had all finished picking out the foodstuffs that were soon to be munched between your jaws, you returned to Barry, who was there twiddling his digits together. The cute image of the Blaziken just made you feel so much sympathy for him.

"Hey, Barry." you begun, taking a seat next to the Blaziken. "I saw that you didn't get anything to eat, so I figured that I may as well get you something while I was there."

Barry's eyes illuminated, and a great smile evolved from his emotionless frown. "Really? Thank you so much, (Name)!"

You smiled and pushed your plate of food towards him, so you could both eat from the same plate. You had never seen the Blaziken so elated before, let alone from your own generosity. This was a side of him, you'd like to see every day.

"It's no problem, Barry." you assured him, putting a few fries into your mouth. However, it only took 10 minutes to see where Lola was coming from earlier; Barry had barely finished his fries, while the rest of you were just about to finish your meals.

From the left, you saw Anais come from the main doors, a slightly sullen look on her face. She sat across from you and Barry, and in between Lola and Raidon.

"Hi, guys." mumbled Anais, throwing her head into her paws, as she spotted Barry's unharmed burger on your shared plate. "Are you gonna finish that burger, Barry?"

Barry put his talons up. "I don't think I will, but that's not technically mine; it's (Name)'s, but she got it for me."

"Oh, right. Sorry 'bout that, (Name). I usually impose myself on his food." explained Anais, accompanied with nods of concurrence from your other peers.

"That's okay. I guess if Barry won't have it, then sure." you said. However, by the time that all came out, Anais had already taken the burger, dissolved it in her insides, and was now playing with the wrapper between her paws. "Uhhh…"

Anais shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? I'm a fast eater."

The table roared with laughter, minus yourself, of course, due to the confused look on your face. You could nervously scratch your head and laugh a little too.

You were just glad to find some friends.

I'm ending it here, for the sake of wanting to upload it ASAP. I knew it was going to be rushed, however, so I called up the help of my main man, Degenerate Fluffington, to beta read this for me. Credz! Credz credz credz! Now, I may have gotten a tiny bit of inspiration from Doki Doki Literature Club, but similar to the game, the decisions of (Name) (AKA, you, the reader!) will likewise affect how the story unfolds.

Well, that's all I have for you! Thanks for reading! If you ever want to tell me your opinion, do tell! In the form of a review, of course! Thanksies!

-Luanastar