Savoir faire. [sav-wahr-fair;Fr.sa-vwar-fer] n. knowledge of just what to do in any situation, the instinctive ability to know how to deal with any situation that arises; tact. Origin: 1805 – 15; French: literally, knowing what to do. Synonyms: adaptability, adroitness, discernment, skill, ability.

A soft, gentle breeze smelling faintly of hydrangea and lemongrass caressed a girl's cheek and forced a few strands of her hazel hair to dance in the wind. The girl yawned. She shifted her position from lying on her stomach and playing with the surrounding grass onto her back, where her hands were laced behind her head and one of her legs was casually bent as the other relaxed straight on the ground.

A few dozen yards in front of her was the edge of the cliff that she rested on, one undoubtedly a fatal drop. A short distance behind her, the mountain ascended again. The day was nice – hardly considered warm, but certainly better than the frigid weather usually was at this time of year. Gray clouds dominated all of the heavens above, and there was hardly even a patch of cerulean sky.

Peacefully, she shut her eyes. The brunette reveled in the quiet, because she knew it wouldn't last for long.

Inside the protected, closed campus, there were small fields and gardens where students were free to roam, but she had never been satisfied with those cramped places. Too many people, not enough space. Plus, she couldn't see the sea in there. She could see it out here over the cliff, though. The water, sky, and horizon were all beautifully limitless and vast. It was a shame though, that technically, the academy didn't allow its students outside its enchanted, stone walls. In this world, that was jeopardy.

The girl had discovered over the years that that statement was more of a strict rule that grew more lax the older you got and the more trustworthy you appeared to be to the professors. If the headmaster ever caught you, though, what with his phenomenal memory and cryptic intelligence…

He was a funny man, he was. There was a possibility that Headmaster Dippet was the queerest man the girl had ever met in her sixteen years of life. Eccentric? Perhaps. Wise? Definitely. Sane? Well… Really, who in their right mind would've essentially hinted that they were alright with a fourteen-year-old girl sneaking out of the academy building? As long as nobody caught her?

Well, of course, it was for the students' own safety, too - what with the war and such going on. The King held too many cards in his hand and prohibited anyone else from drawing others. Even in his prime, Headmaster Dippet couldn't have taken the King on. All the headmaster could do was open up a secret academy on the other side of the world from the King's base, in hopes of teaching young, energetic, future rebel Riders, who, hopefully, would someday overthrow the dictator.

The brunette sighed, wondering if there was ever going to be a day when all of it was going to be over. When the world would, once again, be safe and right. Since the King had seized power, the entire planet belonged in the palm of his dark, sinister hand. And despite the countless attempts, no one could overthrow his rule.

With her eyes still shut, the brunette relaxed her entire being into the grass beneath her. Perhaps she was dirtying her uniform, but she didn't mind much. For this time of year, the ensemble just consisted of a black skirt, "suitable footwear", and a thin (albeit flatteringly fitted), knitted gray sweater with a plunging v-neck that revealed a white, collared shirt and silk tie underneath. Her tie, in particular, was a warm shade of cerise - and it effectively reflected the fact that her dragon was a Psychic.

She smiled softly. Her dragon. Lithium.

Perhaps it was a bit strange that her dragon would've been named Lithium, of all things. (After all, a substance directly from the periodic table of elements?) In the years, she had certainly received a few mocking comments. But she had brushed them all off, because what they said didn't matter. All that mattered was that, at the time, her baby dragon had thought Lithium was a good name, and she had thought so too. And really - nobody even had any say in the naming process except for the gods themselves, bless them.

Lithium was a stunningly beautiful and majestic silver-scaled beast. Sometimes, people would comment on how the dragon's face was actually rather cute. Lithium's muzzle wasn't large or particularly small, but it was angled in all the right places and that resulted in a rather attractive female dragon. The rest of Lithium's large body curved softly. Her scales shimmered whenever she moved. Her tail was long and thin, and her wings were powerful and majestic and beautiful.

There were seventeen (known, as the researchers would enthusiastically point out every time, because there were very likely more undiscovered ones) types of dragons, and for the most part, each type has their own unique ability special to only them. Fire dragons breathed particularly scorching flames, and some could even envelop their entire bodies in fire without harm. Dragons categorized as Flying were particularly swift and agile, especially in the air. Steels had phenomenal natural armor, and could repel even the most scalding of temperatures. The list went on.

Psychics like Lithium were particularly good at developing powerful bonds with their Riders through telepathy, and with practice, can take advantage of a mindnumbingly powerful set of psychic abilities. From hatching, with a bit of focus, they are able to levitate small objects. As an adult, they can eradicate the same said small object from existence with no more than a simple thought.

At the academy, the students were introduced to their dragons at a young age. Thus, the bonds would develop quickly and would end up the strongest they could be. Personalities would quickly adapt and, usually, even grow to resemble each other quite a bit. In the brunette's case, that process had been quick and painless. To some extent, all dragons and Riders had the power of telepathic communication, but telepathy between Psychic dragons and their Riders always came much easier. The students had a total of seven years at the academy - from the ages of ten through seventeen - before they were officially graduated as adults.

The girl laid there for a few minutes and was comfortably drifting asleep when a sudden shout stirred her from her dreamy daze.

"Leaf!" a voice hollered.

She cringed. And there went the peace and quiet.

"I'm down here, May!" she called back, sitting up. Might as well, she decided. May's going to drag my butt up there, anyways. That, or send Alkali to roast me alive... and then drag my butt up there.

Leaf's sharp brown eyes watched May as she expertly slid down the side of the steep slope, eventually landing on Leaf's flat, grassy plain-cliff.

May Maple was, obviously, another attendee of the academy. She was in the same year as Leaf, and the two had been close friends since the start of their first year. The color of her locks certainly resembled Leaf's, and yet her hairstyle certainly did not. The girl often bore a fashionable red bandanna on top of her head, and her hair softly stuck out from the sides of her head by a force which denied gravity (as well as Leaf's comprehension). She donned the exact same uniform as Leaf, with the exception of her tie. May's dragon – Alkali – was a Fire, and thus, the girl's tie was crimson and she lived in the Scorched Plains dorm. Luckily, Leaf's dorm – Aged Chamber – was right next to Scorched Plains, which made many of the duo's nighttime escapades possible.

A somewhat cross, exasperated expression was planted on May's face right now.

"Leaf," she scolded gently. "What are you doing out here? You know today's important."

Leaf scowled. "It's stupid. The two of us won't be paired up together or anything, and I don't like working with guys. I'd rather do missions alone."

"Leaf Green," she began, placing her hands on her hips, and shifting her weight onto one foot sassily. "You will come with me right now, whether you like it or not."

"Or what, Mother?" mocked Leaf.

"Well, Alkali's been working on her firebreathing accuracy a lot, lately…"

"Well, I mean, Lithium's still a nerd… "

I heard that, human, came a growling voice in Leaf's mind.

I love you too, Lith, responded Leaf. 'Sides, being nerdy – a.k.a. smart – is a good thing. Psychic types are all mind over matter, right?

Perhaps it wouldn't be such a terrible idea for you to receive some of these "mind-over-matter"s yourself…

May chuckled, "She's a beautiful dragon, if that's what you're saying."

"Of course," said Leaf, grinning. Heard that, Lith? Geez. And no thanks. Where are you, by the way?

"So are you going to come in or not?" demanded May. "Leaf, let's not be late for this. Please? Missions are the first time we actually get to do things outside of school… that we have permission to do so," she said, emphasizing the latter part when she noticed Leaf about to open her mouth in protest. Probably to input something about how they already sneak off campus every now and then anyways.

The cove about a mile directly beneath you, love. There's excellent fish leaping around here today…

Leaf grumbled something about "just because of a chance to pair up with a certain grass head" before reluctantly standing up, dusting herself off, and trudging over to May's side.

How are they?

Lithium sent Leaf a fleeting sense of the slick scales sliding down Lithium's throat, the fresh, delicious scent, the way the fools were all happily leaping so high out of the water...

That seems delicious, but I'll stick to filets. Excuse me as I try to get rid of the enlightening sensation of swallowing a raw fish whole down my throat.

May's eyes softened when she saw that Leaf was actually abiding by her wishes and had agreed to come with her. The girl grinned. "Oh, stop it, Leaf," she said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes. "You're being dramatic. It won't be that bad. It'll even be fun!"

Under her breath, Leaf muttered something else about "jerk of an olive brain".

"Hm? What'd you say?"

"Nothing." Leaf grinned. "Nothing, May. Don't worry about it."

With a few skillful maneuvers and dexterity unmatched by most of the other students in their grade, Leaf and May cleared the academy's protective physical walls and invisible magical barriers. The latter really weren't much of a fight, though – those were constructed so that they, very carefully, only let registered students, faculty, and their dragons through. If the magic sensed that the intruder had malicious intentions, a series of spells would lunge for the intruder's figurative throat, disable them, and put the entire campus on high alert. The academy was located at a very unforgiving location – halfway up the side of a mountain, in fact. Sometimes, the occasional unlucky traveler would accidentally stumble upon the place. More importantly, though, the barriers had never been forcibly bypassed.

The entire academy was protected by an illusionary image of what appeared to be just another natural bulge in Mount Ephinarious. When touched, the outermost barrier looked and felt like mountain. This effectively protected the academy from all who would've accidentally stumbled upon its location, although the said stumbler would never have noticed.

The two girls quietly landed in the Main Garden, and casually began making their way into the building.

"I'm serious, Leaf! You have got to stop sneaking out alone like that… What if something terrible happens to you? Plus, it forces me to come after you," complained May.

Leaf rolled her eyes. May, the ever-worried brunette (who, ironically, still liked to defy some school rules every now and then with Leaf, as long as they didn't get caught). Her heart was always in the right place, though.

"That's your problem," retorted Leaf. "Besides, I've always got Lith within a quarter mile of me."

"That's not the point!"

"Calm it, May," said Leaf, laughing. "I'm not going to get hurt. People can't find us up here, anyways. Bugs don't even live here."

May's eyes narrowed. "But dragons can. And I'm sure the… King," she spat. "…can too."

The two had now officially entered the castle-like stone walls of the academy. They walked the length of a short, dimly lit hallway to the lobby, and from there, descended a flight of stairs to the Auditorium. That particular eloquent room was where the school's ceremonies, important announcements, and other certain special events took place.

"He doesn't care about this area. Nobody even lives around here. His closest grunts are probably, what, at least a hundred miles away from here at any given moment?"

"Leaf…" sighed May exasperatedly, although she didn't push that particular point of the matter further. "What about class? You were cutting," she accused.

"It's not my fault music was so hilariously boring today," said Leaf, shrugging. "Imperfect cadences, May. Imperfect. Cadences."

"Obviously, I take music, not art, and I know what those are," replied May, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"Alright, well, still, May-"

But Leaf was interrupted by a sudden newcomer, who had appeared behind them and greeted in a low, smooth voice, "Hey."

Neither Leaf nor May particularly took the time to slow down, so they simply turned their heads around to see who it was. Upon his identification, Leaf blatantly scowled.

May smiled and responded, "Hey, Gary."

Gary was another sixth year, like Leaf and May. He was known as one of the heartthrobs throughout the school, and had the looks to back it up. Every now and then, his eyes shifted between deep viridian and smooth grey, but smoldered either way. In a forward motion, his auburn hair swept from the back, and the style gave his locks the impression of being spiky. His facial proportions were... well, attractively proportioned. He wore the male version of the uniform, which was essentially the same outfit as the female, with the exception of a pair of black slacks instead of a skirt. His tie was black, indicating that his dragon was a Dark type, and that Gary himself spent his nights in Darkness Ridge.

Leaf said nothing. Her only response was an increase in the speed of her gait.

"Green," drawled Gary. A smirk was etched on his lips. Leaf could've sworn his mouth was permanently paralyzed in the cocky sneer. "How're you feeling?"

Leaf twitched. Surely, this was an attempt to somehow mess with her.

"What?" she asked curtly.

"You told Professor Marisol you didn't feel well," he said. "Of course, my personal guess is that you skipped class to play around outside with your weak little dragon again."

Leaf abruptly stopped walking, and whirled furiously on Gary. He was a head taller than her, but her narrowed eyes stared defiantly into his, anger burning hotter than an adult Fire dragon's heart in hers. She clenched her teeth. May had stopped walking as well, and watched the two warily. Leaf's tongue was ready to lash at him with a dozen different insults and curses. She could put up with his cocky taunting, shots to her personal pride, but this was a first. Her eyes narrowed threateningly.

"Gary Oak," she seethed through clenched teeth. "Did you… just… insult… my dragon?" she hissed menacingly, poison seeping from her every syllable.

If he had said something about her personally again, she would've taken it in stride and eventually forgotten it. This, however… this was Lithium. What reason did he even have to put down Lithium? The mere fact that she was Leaf's dragon could in no way be a sufficient reason.

The brunet seemed a bit intimidated by the unmasked fury that was overtaking Leaf's very being. The smirk was beginning to melt off his face as he grasped how truly angered the girl really was.

Leaf, stop. He's not worth it, she heard Lithium insist.

Don't tell me that now, Lith. It's too late. The bastard's had it coming for a long time, anyways…

And with that, Leaf Green punched Gary Oak in the face.

As she and May made their way into the Auditorium, Leaf was still fuming over Gary's insult to Lithium. However, she felt much better after she felt his face under her knuckle. After the punch, she had walked away, leaving a shocked Gary Oak behind. May had stayed with the boy for a more few moments, presumably to ask Gary if he was okay, and apologizing on Leaf's behalf (not that Leaf had wanted her to. She had no intention of ever apologizing to Gary for that). The brunette had then quickly caught up to Leaf, and proceeded to gape at her in astonishment.

"He had it coming, May," was all Leaf said to defend her actions.

The two bid each other "see you later" before splitting up to get to their seats, which were alphabetically organized and forced the girls to sit at opposite ends of the room.

The Auditorium was a rather grand place. Today, rows and rows of comfy black seats faced the focal point, the stage. When unnecessary, though, the seats could be moved, and thus would reveal a spacious floor. The walls were intricately painted with gold and silver designs against a dark backdrop, and the ground was laid with gray marble.

As the minutes passed, more and more sixth years began entering the Auditorium. Eventually, all fifty waiting chairs came to be occupied. Conversations and laughter filled the Auditorium. Leaf soon found herself enthusiastically engaged in conversation with Ash Ketchum, another sixth year whose seat was diagonally behind hers. He was a bubbly, confident personality with loyalty and kindness to match. He had jet black hair that was often hidden under a cap, and his brown eyes always sparkled with happy warmth. His tie was colored a light lavender, indicating that he had a Flying dragon. And he did – Mosh, an agile gray reptile with an appetite and naivety as prominent as his Rider's.

A hush quickly overtook every student when the general lights suddenly dimmed and the headmaster stepped onto the stage, flanked by a few professors that Leaf recognized. Their arrival was greeted with a scatter of polite applause by the students.

All of the present faculty watched and smiled kindly at the antsy teenagers. Leaf, however, slouched unimpressed in her seat. She really didn't care for all of this. She just wanted it to be over.

"Good afternoon, sixth year," said Professor Dippet, a kind, crooked smile curving his lips. "I trust that most - if not all - of you know what we are gathered here today for."

Whoops and cheers and "aw yeah!"s rose from the students.

The professors chuckled lightly. "For the few that may be in the dark, I will elaborate," said Professor Dippet. "As I'm sure all of us in this building are aware, the world is currently caught in the midst of a struggle between itself and the man who wishes to singlehandedly rule it with a dark, sinister hand. Vesuvius."

A deathly silence fell over the entire room as the name was spoken.

"He is half the reason as to why this academy exists. The other half is to teach you to bond and connect with your dragons, your surroundings, and yourselves in ways you may never have imagined before.

"We are one month into the new year and the new semester. You all have already gotten a taste of what sixth year combat and studies will require. At this point, as many of you know, is when you will begin executing missions.

"In this war and personal resistance against Vesuvius, we must all pool our energy and resources to selflessly help each other and our community. This academy can not get by without the help of our sixth and seventh years, and the conducting of these missions. They are imperative for the survival of this academy, and in turn, our part of the resistance against Vesuvius.

"These missions are not to be taken lightly. All of them will require you to leave academy grounds, and quite a few may require you to go places so far that, should something fatal occur, there is a chance that neither myself nor the teachers may reach you in time. Such is the nature of war. In your time here, a few of you may be asked to accomplish tasks that may put your very life at risk. In these missions, you will have an option whether or not to refuse.

"To aid you in your missions, you will be assigned a partner. Your partner will be a person whom myself and your professors have concurred to be a worthy complement to you and your personal abilities and attributes. Your partner will be of the opposite gender as you. This is to encourage the two of you to pool your strengths and cover up each others' weaknesses, such that personal or biological limitations do not hold you back. Your partner's dragon's type will also be different from yours, perhaps vastly so. This is for much the same reason as the opposite gender rule. As far as your partnerships, your dragons have also been taken into consideration. You and your partner will be expected to cooperate and work efficiently together to the best of your ability. There will be no partner swaps or changes to our decisions. The partnerships are final. Please do not disappoint us, or your peers.

"I, as well as your other teachers, will decide which missions and what degree of difficulty you can handle. You will always have the option of declining a mission - we can not force anything upon you. However, please know that these missions are more important than you may think. Therefore, please treat each refusal with much consideration and thought. Unless otherwise stated, you will always have three days' advance notice until the commencement of your mission.

"These missions will range from gathering nearby water and food to infiltrating Vesuvius's inner systems. Be aware that these missions may either last for an hour to, possibly, months. Be aware that these missions may either take place a few steps outside the academy walls, or on the other side of the world.

"One last thing before we begin the announcement of the partnerships - as you may or may not be aware… all partnerships are connected by a special object." The headmaster then accepted a felt pillow from one of the aging professors next to him, on which there was a necklace. It consisted of a simple silver chain and pendant. The pendant appeared to be a small, smooth, white stone set against a silver ring. "Each pendant of each pair - as you and your partner will receive today - both hold the essences of you and your partner's dragon inside. The essences of your dragons also contain a sliver of the physical bonds and contracts that were promised between you and your dragon. To put it simply, by your dragons, you and your partner are now bonded in a similar way to the way you are bonded with your dragon." He chuckled at the expressions on some students' faces. "Only not nearly as strongly," he elaborated.

"These are to protect you. On a mission, their purpose is to tell you whether your partner is near or far. They will tell you whether your partner is fine or wounded. They will tell you whether your partner is on the brink of death, or already gone.

"And with that... I will announce each partnership. When you hear your name called, please come to the stage. Once you have received your pendants, return to your seats."

Leaf could practically feel the anticipation in the room. As silent as it was, the air was still buzzing with excitement. However, she wasn't quite as excited herself. Perhaps she would be, if they gave her a mission to infiltrate the King's ranks.

The first pair was announced. An Abernathy Jerome and Mariella Niseria - two people whom Leaf recognized. After all, after having spent five years with the same fifty people, it didn't take a genius to at least know all their names.

The second pair was announced. Then a third. And a fourth. Eventually, Leaf found herself dozing off a bit, her mind wandering...

…until it was snapped back to reality by the startling calling of her name.

"Leaf Green."

Standing up with a jolt, she hurriedly made her way down the length of the auditorium and clambered up onto the stage, smiling sheepishly. She stood there for a moment, facing the audience. Her friends and classmates watched her and the professors next to her, curious to know who the grade's rebel's partner was going to be. Despite not having been particularly excited for this whole thing, Leaf was now a bit nervous and, yes, excited to know who her partner might be.

It might be fun if it's Ash or someone. I wouldn't even mind, say, Paul. Then she paused, a thought having struck her. She quickly asked Lithium, Hey Lith, how'd they even get your essence, anyways?

From the spit on the guy who they sent to get my essence's face.

That's my girl. Hey, do you know who your essence got mixed with?

Er... I have an idea, was the immediate response.

Who?

A pause. Then, ...You'll see.

The telepathic conversation took place within the span of one brief moment; such was the efficiency of Leaf and Lithium's communication.

Huh?

Lithium didn't respond.

Leaf furrowed her brow slightly. Who did Lithium think her partner was going to be? And why was she being so mysterious about it? It was a bit concerning, actually. Lithium never held anything back from Leaf, not unless it hurt her. And even then…

When she noticed Professor Dippet's mouth open once again, Leaf began releasing a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

Then the next two words that came out of the man's mouth forced that breath to stop right in its exhaling tracks.

"Gary Oak."

Hi, it's Apheleia. :)

So, here's the basic rundown:
Looks like I'll be taking the odd-numbered chapters and AquaStarlight will be writing the even-numbered chapters. (Much) more likely than not, we'll update every weekend. If you can't tell already, it's going to be a (really epic) story about dragons, rebellion, adventure, action, and romance, so... If you liked this chapter, stick around, because there is much more (and better) to come. ;)

Thank you for reading, and we'd love to hear your opinion in a review. :)

-Apheleia