The opening chapter to my second Pokémon fanfic series, The West Class. As it implies, this series goes along with the Unova/B&W story arc and takes place in the West. It focuses around a new set of characters based off my Parties in the games, and is partially influenced by the story and mythology of B/W, but they are not referred to as Pokémon in the story or whatever, and I use a lot of creative licensing down the road (Victini is a God of Luck, for example).

I'm not sure if it will EVER get finished but I might try and make it into a novelette or something and keep it around 100-ish pages, because that seems to be where I drift off. I'll be keeping the chapters shorter for this series than I normally do (as opposed to my 10-15 page long Yu-Gi-Oh! chapters) so I can post more regularly.

Put this as romance/humor but it's got advanture and angst in it, obviously. Wasn't so sure what to count it as.

Main characters/gijinkas (in this chapter): Sazz - Hydreigon / Otis - Haxorus / Jack - Gavantula / Guise - Zoroark / Henry - Serperior / Cynric - Chandelure / Kaalthe - Jolteon / Ares - Braviary

Art of the characters can be seen at my deviantart page, username akarui.

Hope you enjoy it! Comments welcome 8D!

Pokémon X: The West Class

Class I: Back to school

Otis was seventeen, it was late summer, and classes were starting again. He was a Junior in a private High School and that year promised to be a good one. Unlike others his age, going back to school was something he looked forward to because it meant he was kept busy. Summer was great and all, but doing the same stuff every day could get boring—of course, that didn't mean that he looked forward to bullies or homework.

Luckily, he didn't have many bullies to content with; most people liked Otis and he even considered himself at least mildly popular. The only real exception was an older student named Ares, but Ares hated pretty much everyone, and Otis didn't expect a few months between seeing one another would have changed any of that, so the red-eyed teenager just went in expecting his flying peer to scowl and turn his nose up when they saw one another in Homeroom.

One of the few perks about attending the school was getting to see his two best friends, Guise and Jack, both of whom normally lived too far away for him to visit. Guise would probably be fashionably late (still hung over from a party or clubbing the night before, no doubt), and the more responsible Jack would beat Otis to their first class. (No matter how hard he tried, and he'd given up trying a long time ago, Otis could never seem to beat Jack to anything.) His blonde friend was speedy and suited to planning ahead. It was probably ironic that of the three of them he was the most responsible, especially considering he was a raver.

The school was located in the heart of Black City, and Otis had to take a bus from the outskirts to make sure he got there on time.

"Name?"

Cynric was the school's unsympathetic Ghost/Psychic/Magic teacher and strict Librarian. He only appeared to be about sixteen years old, but the tiny genius' appearance was fooling. Because he was in the Phantom class he didn't age very quickly. He was a few hundred years old already, and those years were mostly invested in reading and practicing magic, making Cynric one of the most smartass magicians in the area.

He was looking especially 'whatever' that morning, staring up at Otis with his pale yellow eyes from under his short and layered raven-black hair. He could be a creepy-looking boy sometimes, and Otis wasn't exactly sure made him so popular with the rest of the boys. It was an all-boys-school and more than a handful of them had become bi-curious just to release some tension. There wasn't much leaving the campus without permission, and living in close quarters together for months at a time seemed to have some interesting effects on a few hundred teenage boys with raging hormones and no girls to release them on. Things like magazines and movies were restricted, but that didn't stop them from sneaking the contraband in.

Otis just wished they could get conjugal visits or something. He planned on staying straight, even though both Jack and Guise were both bi (moreso Jack than Guise, whom was something like 95% gay).

"Come on, man," Otis whined. If Cyrnic kept him too long, he'd be late to English! "I've been coming here since I was a kid!"

Cynric's expression, or lack thereof, didn't change. "Name?"

"Otis," the teenager sighed. "My name is Otis."

The Victorian-dressed boy pulled out a nametag from a carefully organized, antique wooden box to his left and handed it to Otis. "Your lanyard will be given to you tomorrow."

"Stupid old fart," Otis mumbled under his breath as Cynric waved him away to move on to the next student in line.

Otis was the last person to arrive to the class. He'd gotten there just in time to see the ritualistic first-class-desk-dance. A teenager with thick, layered crimson and black hair was dancing around on his desk, their teacher just watching with a defeated expression.

The blonde approached, sitting his bag in his familiar chair before shaking his head and chuckling at his friend's antics. It had taken about ten years to get used to Guise's…ways.

Guise was seventeen, sexually promiscuous, loud, pervasive, and just maybe a little obnoxious. He was also incredibly popular. He was dressed in the same outfit Otis had seen him in since last year: a black, fur-trimmed jacket that exposed his chest and stomach and cut off just below the ribs, and black flares that were far too tight for most straight guys to be comfortable with. Guise was a beautiful creature with a slender shape, long body, skin that was just kissed with the gold of a tan, bright teal eyes, and insane hair. His hair was probably his most distinctive characteristic: it was crimson and in layers, long and thick, tied in a very low tail with a turquoise band. His hair flew around as he sang and danced to a song his iPod blasted into his furry black ears.

Yeah. This year started like every other.

"Guise," Otis laughed, trying to get his friend under control. He or Jack were usually the ones to do it, but Jack wasn't in the classroom (probably running an errand for their teacher, whom didn't even bother at that point to pretend like he could control Guise) so it was his responsibility that morning. "Guise, dude, chill. It's time for class."

He stopped to look down at whom had stopped his dancing, prepared to deal damage, before seeing that it was Otis and then flashing his friend one of his sharp, toothy grins. "OTIS!" he screamed, leaping off his desk onto his blonde friend.

Otis wailed and hit the floor, laughing as he was molested while the rest of the class just watched. This scene was just too familiar for anyone to be surprised. "Good morning, man. It's nice to see you, too. Have a good Summer?"

"Holy shit, yes! I got laid so much! You don't even know!"

"I'm glad for you. Now how about we get ready for class?"

"But that's so boring!" he pouted once having been shoved off.

Otis chuckled and got up, offering Guise a hand. "Come on. Class has to start sometime."

Not especially eager to agree, the red-head stared at his friend's hand for several seconds before accepting the inevitable and getting up.

Once his friend was in his chair, Otis moved his bag and took his own seat, smiling apologetically to their gentle-natured teacher. "Good morning, Mr. Henry. And so starts another year, right?"

Mr. Henry was their English and Homeroom teacher, as well as one of their most recognizable. He'd been teaching them the same course for the last several years, but he never seemed to get used to Guise. "Yes," agreed the dark teal-haired teacher. "Yes, I suppose that it does."

"Where's Jack?"

"He's running an errand for me. He should be back soon."

"Ah. I figured as much," the bronze-haired teen smiled, pushing one of his red-tipped bangs back from his eyes.

"Did you have a good Summer, Mr. Ono?"

Otis nodded. "It was decent. Got a job. Been doing well."

"I'm glad," smiled Mr. Henry.

He was concerned because, as far as everyone knew, Otis lived on his own. The year before, his stepfather had been murdered in their home and the teenager now lived alone in the very same house. They didn't know that he was not in fact alone, but lived with his best friend, Sazz.

Otis had met him when he was just a child and they'd been close ever since, but his friend requested his existence be kept a secret. Sazz was a suspicious being by nature and didn't trust anyone. He was also overprotective and it had been a pain in the ass for Otis to get out of the house that morning. More than anything, his blue-haired friend wanted to attend the school and keep an eye on Otis, but because he was obviously an adult and had no past record of his existence, even, there wasn't a chance he'd be allowed in the school. Besides that, a student had to pass special tests to gain entrance, so Sazz was instead being forced to wait for Otis to return to his dorm where he'd check on him every evening.

Having a clingy monster for a best friend was sometimes challenging.

Well, maybe 'monster' wasn't the right word to describe Sazandora, but Otis didn't have enough time to allow his thoughts to drift. Class was beginning and he needed to focus. English wasn't his best course and it required a lot of attention to pass. Not being as carefree about his grades as Guise, Otis was prepared to work.

Just as Mr. Henry had risen to take role, the door to the class opened and Jack and two taller boys walked inside. "Back!" Jack smiled, ignoring as one of the other boys that came in with him shoved past him to strut to his seat in the back corner. "And I bring friends!"

"Shut up, Denchura," frowned the largest of the two as he shoved past him to get inside.

Ares was one of the larger, older, more intimidating members of the class. At six-foot two he towered over the five-foot seven Otis and had at least thirty pounds of muscle on him. Ares was from one of the upper-class, meaning he was well-bred…meaning he had money, lots of money. That and he thought he was better than everyone else—which was mostly true, anyways.

Breeding or not, Ares was a beast. He moved fast, hit hard in battle and was an expert flier. There was no question that he was attractive, either. The winged peer had been blessed with sienna-brown eyes, tanned skin, and opaque-white spiked hair with crimson bangs that sort of stuck up and out in controlled chaos. His frame was built but still had the slender feel of a teenager, and his features were sculpted and handsome. It wasn't any surprise that he had a beautiful girlfriend, but the whorish Guise didn't like him at all, the only reason being that they pretty much hated one another's guts. One might pick that up when Guise flicked the winged teen off as Ares walked past his desk.

"Prick!"

"Whore." Ares sat at his desk, leaned back, and pulled out a book to read. He hardly ever paid attention in class, mostly because he never had to. In addition to being rich and attractive and strong, he was also incredibly intelligent.

That just made it worse. Guise snarled and folded his arms, sticking his tongue out at the other boy before frowning towards the chalkboard.

Most everyone had ignored this exchange and were busy staring at the two blondes in the doorway.

One of them was a familiar face: Jack, one of Otis' closest friends, had been attending the school since childhood. Jack was a tall and slim boy with fair skin, violet eyes, and blonde hair with mauve streaks in the back. He wore a yellow jacket with blue-violet fur trim and a purple bug-like symbol on the back. His washed out flare jeans weren't much better than Guise's when it came to their fit, and the fact that he wore a mesh belly-shirt didn't help hide his fabulousness very well. His oval face was decorated with a pair of glasses that were light-sensitive, changing to dark blue when it got brighter, and everywhere he went he wore at least one iPod bud in a pointed ear.

Jack was well-known for his being a raver and clubber, and if there was any question about his partying habits, one could take a hint from the glow-stick around his neck or the stamps on his hands or the wristbands with neon paint flecks. Even so, Jack balanced his partying with a cool and collected mind. Between the three of them, he was always the thinker. When the rash and excitable Guise or Otis leapt in to things without much thought, Jack was always there asking if it was a good idea and was always the one to clean up their messes. He was a good student, too, and many of the teachers—including Mr. Henry—counted upon Jack to keep the class together when they were out of the room and to help them with minor chores, like fetching other teachers, which is what he'd been up to that morning.

"Thank you, Mr. Denchura," the English teacher smiled gratefully, motioning for the blonde to take his seat. It only took about three or four strides for his long legs to reach his desk. Mr. Henry moved his red-orange eyes to greet the man left standing in the door.

"Holy crap!" cried Guise. "You're gorgeous! Shit!"

Jack chuckled, leaning forward in his desk to laugh at his wide-eyed friend. "You're just now noticing? I figured you could smell him coming, or something."

Guise's expression was something akin to a woman having just received a wedding ring with a rock the size of her fist. "How did I not see him? What the hell?"

Mr. Henry tried his best to ignore the banter, his face tingeing pink as the handsome blonde reached out and shook his hand. The contact tingled—whether or not it was because the new teacher was simply gorgeous or the fact that he was an Electricity user, Henry wasn't sure, but tingle it did, and his body shivered in response, causing Guise to roar with entertainment.

'Attractive' didn't seem to cover the staff's newest addition. He was tall, lithe, and pale, with large blue eyes that had the power to paralyze anything they settled upon. His shaggy blonde hair looked like it could use a brush (Otis thought to himself that it looked like the blonde had stuck his finger in a light socket), but besides that he looked very well-kept. He wore a blue tank under a yellow jacket with thick white fur trimming, and his long legs were hidden under tattered and well-worn black pants. He carried with him a silvery staff that was etched all over with strange markings and designs Otis didn't recognize. But it wasn't just his appearance that was attractive, it was his energy. The blonde's almost overwhelming presence could be felt even from where Otis sat several feet away. This was no ordinary man. He hadn't felt anything near that since the first time he'd met Sazz in the forest.

Who was this guy?

"Good morning, Mr. Kaalthe," he greeted as steadily as possible, attempting to keep his eyes from darting away from the other's intimidating gaze. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Henry. Welcome to the West Class."

Kalthe nodded politely at the quivering Henry, hoping to soothe the other man's anxiety. He was accustomed to people being nervous around him but it was important to Kaalthe that he and his peers got along. He'd have to work for Henry's trust, but he was all right with that. "A pleasure."

Guise whined from his seat behind Otis, sinking in his seat.

Not the sort to be appreciative of such nonsense, the blonde turned his strong eyes towards the red-head, tightening them only enough to express light disapproval. It was, however, enough tension to make Henry turn green. "You there."

Guise didn't seem to be affected by the new teacher's tone as much as the rest of the people in the classroom were. Rather than whimper and retreat, he immediately sat up, his ears perking upright. "Me?"

Kaalthe matched the student in his power of ignoring people's energy. "Yes, you," he grunted. "This is a place of study and education. Contain yourself. And where is your shirt? It's not proper for a student to wander the halls half naked."

Guise stared, keeping their vision locked for several seconds before responding, "Please touch my ass."

Otis covered his mouth to stifle a snort.

Kaalthe returned his bright eyes towards the again pink-faced Henry. "Does he always act like this?"

"For the most part," the darker-haired teacher stammered, feeling a little ashamed that he couldn't keep his own students under control. "I apologize for his behavior… But he's always been like that."

Kaalthe just smirked, keeping his eyes on his fellow teacher and making Henry's face turn a shade redder. "I see."

Unable to tolerate the tension, and already embarrassed by having turned bright red at the other's expression, Henry broke his eyes away and turned to address his snickering class. "Everyone, this is Mr. Kaalthe. He's going to be our new Agility teacher. He came all the way from The East Class to be with us this year, so all of you be on your best behavior."

"Hell, I'll let him spank me if I'm naughty," snickered Guise, earning a low growl of disgust from Ares in the back corner. Guise just raised a middle finger and smiled crazily, not even bothering to turn and glare back at him.

"Dumbass," Ares snarled.

Kaalthe studied the room of teenagers for a long second before he bowed to Henry, who attempted to bow back, his face flashing pink again. He wasn't used to Eastern customs and it would take a while to learn them. He made a mental note to drop by the library and as Cynric for some books on Japan. "I shall be ready for you all after lunch." And with that Kaalthe let himself out, shutting the door quietly behind him and leaving Henry to his work.

Several silent seconds passed until the clown broke the silence. "I'm gonna tap that so hard," Guise snickered, hitting his desk with excitement. "Damn!"

"Now, now," Mr. Henry laughed, coming back to his senses and grabbing his book. "Settle down. It's time for class to begin. Welcome to the new year, everyone."

Otis and Jack exchanged grins.

Yeah. This would be a good year.

See? Short. I have the next chapter written but I figured I'd wait and see what you guys thought before posting it in the next day or two.

I enjoy writing Guise far too much. You don't even know.