A/N: Okay, so I'm warning you all now.. this is my first Pokémon fanfic and I'm not entirely entitled to write it because I haven't been watching the episodes recently. ;A; My apologies if it's not what you hope it to be. It should (hopefully) get better as we go along! (note the nervousness in tone) All the characters will be rather OOC because I'm not as familiar with them as I'd like to be… especially Leaf and Gary, who will make their appearances soon, as I know those characters the least well. Leaf will practically be an OC.
This author's note is dragging on for far too long. Read and review, but no flames please! Thank you all. c:
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, nor am I affiliated with the organization that does in any way.
A cobalt-haired, bright blue-eyed girl raced down the old cobblestone paths, heading towards an impressive-looking building.
"I'm late for my appointment!" she gasped, running as fast as she could in a pair of high-top pink boots. She nearly ran over a lilac-haired boy, who looked none too pleased as he narrowly missed the collision.
"Oops! Sorry about that!" she called back, not pausing in her sprint. He glanced over his shoulder at her in disgust, before shrugging and continuing his unhurried stroll.
The girl gasped for breath, standing before the double doors of her destination. She straightened her black tank top and checked to make sure her white beanie was in place.
"Perfect," she smiled before opening the door and walking in at a leisurely pace.
"Are you Dawn LeNoir?" a young, smiling secretary asked brightly.
"Yup! Sorry I'm late; I got a little lost on this big campus," Dawn said with a sheepish grin.
"No worries, we get that all the time," the secretary responded. She hastily scribbled something down onto her notepad and pressed a few keys, signing Dawn in. "There we go. Here's your registration packet, Dawn. Principal Rowan's office is right around the corner. The door has a nameplate. He will review the contents of this packet with you and provide further instruction."
"Thanks," Dawn took the folder.
"Congratulations; you're on your way to becoming a student with us here at Lumiose Academy," the woman smiled warmly. Dawn beamed at her, nodding confidently.
"Thanks again!" she called before hurrying around the corner, glancing at the brass nameplates fastened onto sparkling glass doors. "This place is so professional…"
She quickly found the door to Prof. Rowan's office and cautiously rapped on the wooden frame.
"Come in!" a brisk voice called. Dawn slowly opened the door and walked inside.
"Why, hello, Dawn," Prof. Rowan nodded in recognition. He was the man who had given Dawn her Piplup when she was ten. Now at age fourteen, she had traveled through Sinnoh, Hoenn, Johto, and part of Kanto. Piplup had stayed with her the entire time.
"Hi, Professor Rowan," Dawn greeted the elderly professor. "It's great to see you again."
"You will address me as Principal Rowan here," she was reminded. "It's for the sake of other students, who do not recognize me as their professor."
"Oh, I understand, Principal Rowan," Dawn nodded.
"Do take a seat," Principal Rowan motioned to the chair across from his desk. Dawn sat down, placing her registration packet before her.
"Good, Roxanne gave you the information packet," the professor-principal nodded in satisfaction. "Open it and let's take a look."
Dawn slid out the contents of the folder, which even included a card-like key.
"To your room, as you will be boarding with us," Principal Rowan answered her unasked question. "You will share it with another girl your age."
He showed her a map of the school, went over some registration and class placement forms, and everything else a new student would need to at least be partially successful and know what she was doing at an academy this big. He highlighted the arenas and buildings in which her classes would be held.
"Lumiose Academy is a very large campus," he warned. "It is easy to become lost, which is why we have these."
He reached into the drawer of his desk and handed her a silver device.
"No way!" Dawn gasped. "I-Is this…"
"It's a Kalos PokéDex, multifunctional and complete with mapping guides like a Nav," the professor responded. "A full map of the school and the entirety of Lumiose City has been pre-programmed. There is a navigation function should you need it outside of Lumiose. With this new Pokédex, you will be able to research and identify the multitude of Kalos Pokémon. I assure you; they are quite different from any that you've ever encountered in Sinnoh."
"Wow…" Dawn breathed, sliding open the device. "Thanks so much, Principal Rowan!"
"You are very welcome, Dawn. I wish you a happy year here with us at Lumiose Academy," Prof. Rowan gave her one of his rare smiles. "Now, move along. The next student should be waiting."
"Yes, sir!" Dawn responded immediately, gathering her things and hurrying out the door. She promptly crashed into a black-haired, black-eyed boy.
"Ow…" he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head where he'd hit the wall. Dawn grimaced as she was thrown back by the impact as well. She mentally kicked herself. This was the second person she'd ran over in a day.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" she apologized immediately. The boy flashed her a white grin.
"No worries," he answered cheerfully. "I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, and this is my partner Pikachu!"
"I'm Dawn Berlitz, from Twinleaf Town," Dawn replied with the same enthusiasm. "Are you here to see Profe-Principal Rowan?"
"You bet," Ash grinned. He indicated to a yellow mouse Pokémon who was sitting to a side, clearly unamused. After all, his trainer had just been run over by a hyperactive blue-haired ball of energy. "Me and Pikachu are gonna train hard here so I can become a Pokémon master!"
"Wow, you aim high," Dawn mused. "I'm trying to become a Top Coordinator, just like my mom."
"You too," Ash smiled. "Well, I'd better get goin'. Nice talkin' to you, Dawn. See you around!"
"Yeah, you too!" Dawn replied. Pikachu hopped onto its trainer's shoulder and flashed Dawn a peace sign as Ash strolled purposefully into the principal's room.
"He probably should've knocked," Dawn sweat-dropped, guessing the professor's not-so-pleased reaction. Professor Rowan was a big believer in formality. "Now let's see… why don't I let Piplup out? I'll bet he'll want to see this campus. Piplup, come on out!"
Tossing a red and white Pokéball into the air, Dawn waited for her blue Penguin Pokémon to appear.
"Pip pip lup?" Piplup shook its round head and glanced around the hall.
"This is the office of Lumiose Academy, Piplup," Dawn bent down next to her partner.
"Lup!" Piplup remarked, clearly impressed.
"I know," Dawn smiled, standing up. "Let's check out the dormitories. We need to meet in front of the office at three for our pictures and student ID's."
Piplup nodded and jumped into her arms. Dawn walked out of the office, waving goodbye to the secretary. Outside, she pulled out her new PokéDex.
"Let's see. Where are the dormitories for girls?" she wondered aloud. Opening up a map of Lumiose Academy, she found her current location marked with a blue arrow. Dawn selected the location "Girls' Dormitories" from the list of places on campus and found the quickest path marked with a dotted yellow line.
"Cool!" she exclaimed. Following the directions given on her Dex, she soon reached the dormitories.
"Piplup pip pip?" Piplup looked up at Dawn.
"I'm in room 48A," Dawn answered. "That should be on the second floor. You should go back into your Pokéball now."
She headed up the mirror-plated elevator after returning her penguin partner and winded up right outside the door. Removing the card from her yellow backpack, she unlocked the door to her new home and turned the handle.
"Hi there!" a cheerful voice called from inside the room.
"Huh?" was Dawn's only reaction upon seeing someone sitting on one of the twin beds, swinging their legs casually. She hadn't expected anyone else to be there.
"Sorry if I startled you," the girl gave a friendly smile. She was a slender redhead with sparkling cerulean-hued eyes that were a striking contrast against her pale skin. Dressed in a pale yellow vest over a deep red leotard and a pair of pale blue denim shorts, she seemed to be composed of entirely primary colors.
"No need to worry!" Dawn regained her composure and returned the grin. "I'm Dawn LeNoir, from Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh."
"I'm Misty Waterflower, from the Cerulean Gym. It's in the Kanto region," the girl introduced herself. "So I guess we'll be rooming together."
"Yeah," Dawn nodded. "48A?"
"48A!" Misty replied.
"Do you know why they split the rooms into A and B?" Dawn asked as she set her bag down on the other bed.
"Well, it has something to do with floor competitions and group battles. I'm not too sure," Misty answered. "Which bed do you want? I thought I'd better wait for you to get here before I picked."
"I'm fine with this one," Dawn smiled, smoothing down a corner of the sheets.
"That's great, because I just love the view from the window!" Misty's eyes brightened. Dawn noticed how much they sparkled when the ginger-haired girl was smiling. She joined her roommate beside the bay window.
"Whoa…" Dawn breathed. They were staring out past the leafy branches of tall berry trees to a grassy field. As it had just rained last night, the pale green of the grass shone with droplets of water. There were several dome-shaped stadiums at the edges of the fields. Dawn assumed that those were where battling and coordinating classes were to be held.
"That's right. Are you a gym battler or a coordinator?" Misty turned to Dawn.
"I'm a coordinator. I want to follow in my mom's footsteps and someday reach the top!" Dawn gave an optimistic grin. "What about you?"
"I was the gym leader in Cerulean City," Misty smiled. "I specialize in water-types, so you could say I want to be a Water Pokémon master."
"That's so cool! My partner Piplup's a water-type," Dawn tossed out Piplup's Pokéball. "Out you go!"
"Piplup!" the blue penguin landed neatly on the carpeted ground after performing a somersault midair. Noting that he had an audience, he added a spin and a bow as a finale.
"Wow! I've never seen a real Piplup before," Misty bent down and rubbed Piplup's head. The penguin chirped approvingly as she giggled.
"Attention, ladies. I'm Viola, your dorm manager. I'm a gym leader here in Kalos and a specialist in bug-types. Welcome to Lumiose Academy! This is just a reminder that you need to be down in front of the main office before three o'clock with your rooming group of four to receive your student ID cards. If you have any questions, feel free to message me on your Dex! You should momentarily receive instructions on how to set up an account, as well as list of the admins' contact information here."
"I've heard of Viola," Misty commented, standing up and shuddering slightly. "She gives out the Bug Badge to trainers who defeat her two Pokémon.
"Are you okay?" Dawn asked carefully, seeing tremors shake her new friend's body.
"I hate bug-types!" Misty cried out.
"I-I see…" Dawn stammered, not quite sure how to deal with this now raging girl. Her red hair was standing on hand, her arms were waving around, and she was vividly providing description of why she despised bug-types.
"They're one of the three things I'm scared of," Misty explained. "Bugs, carrots, and peppers."
"I-I see…" Dawn repeated, forcing a smile.
"I tend to get carried away whenever I see or hear one of those three things," Misty calmed down, seeing the rather nervous blue-haired girl before her.
"Pip!" Piplup nodded in enthusiastic agreement. Just then, a knock came on the girls' door.
"Coming!" Dawn called back, rushing to open it. There stood two brunettes, one with shining sapphire blue eyes and the other with shy brown.
"Hi there!" the blue-eyed brunette said. "We're from 48B."
"Oh, hi!" Dawn smiled back. "I'm Dawn LeNoir, from Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh. I'll be staying in room 48A."
"And I'm Misty Waterflower, former gym leader of Cerulean City in Kanto," Misty hurried to the doorway. "It's nice to meet you!"
"You're from Kanto?" the doe-eyed girl brightened up noticeably. "So am I! I'm Leaf Green, from Pallet Town."
"And I'm May Maple, from Petalburg City in the Hoenn region. I'm taking coordinating classes here," the other brunette introduced herself.
"You're a coordinator too? That's so cool!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Say, is that your Piplup?" May bent down to see the blue penguin that had waddled up to see what all the fuss was about.
"Yup! Piplup's my all-time partner," Dawn responded.
"My partner is Combusken, but the Pokémon I use most frequently in contests is definitely Beautifly," May said.
"A bug-type," Misty shuddered. "I specialize in water-types, and since I was a gym leader I wouldn't exactly say I have a partner, but Starmie and Staryu are the most experienced battlers I have."
"Bulbasaur's my partner," Leaf smiled, straightening out her green skirt. She was dressed simply in a white T-shirt with a green Pokéball pattern on it, a dark green tennis skirt, and white and green tennis shoes. A black felt wristband with a green (yet again) Pokéball pattern was around her left wrist. Lots of green. It probably wasn't a coincidence that her last name was Green, either.
May wore a red shirt with elbow-length sleeves and a dark blue collar, a white miniskirt, and dark blue bike shorts. Her hair was arranged into two dog-ear like ponytails covered with a red bandanna. She wore blue and white gloves and running shoes.
"Should we head over to the office?" Misty stepped back into the room to glance at the clock.
"Well, we were thinking that maybe we could go get lunch at one of the school's restaurants first," May grinned. "We have plenty of time."
"That sounds like a great idea," Dawn nodded. "What do you think, Misty?"
"Sounds fantastic," the redhead said cheerfully. "Leaf?"
"I'm all for it," the brunette smiled slightly. "Let's go."
A/N: This is it! Chapter one. Please tell me if you liked it, hated it, give me ideas… I might throw in some OC's. Not quite sure yet. But stay posted for Chapter two!