A/N: Chapter 2! Happy New Year's!

Note: Momon Berry/Pecha Berry, Cheego Berry/Rawst Berry

Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal
CH 2: Hikari's Test

"Wake up, Hikaru-Kun." Cresselia shook Hikari awake. "Darkrai and I brought some berries for breakfast."

"I don't wanna get up…" she drawled. "Five more minutes…!"

"Get up, Troublesome Amateur." Shinji kicked her in the side. "You wanted to tour around Tobari Village, didn't you?" He crossed his arms, looking down on her. "Besides…" An evil smirk was plastered on his face. "This is the perfect time to train you for school."

Hikari didn't budge. She laid there, dozing off.

Shinji tapped his foot. A black ball of energy formed in his hand. "Dark Void."

"Gah! I'm awake!" With extreme speed, she scrambled away from Shinji to Jun's corner. "I'm up! I'm up!" She still had some trauma from yesterday. "Geez, there's no need to scare me like that, Shinji-Senpai."

"Oh really?" He rolled his eyes. "How else can I get you up then?" he asked sarcastically. "I'm sure I can get you to wake up like that by shaking you awake." The boy shook his head. "Really…"

Darkrai did a facepalm. "I can't understand how you'll be able to deal with him."

"Please shut the hell up, Darkrai." Cresselia gave him a frustrated smile. "I don't think I would want to fight you over this."

"Fight me? You can't even land an attack on me."

A vein popped in Cresselia's forehead as she approached Darkrai. "Can you please say that again, Darkrai?" She fluttered her eyes, smiling innocently. "When did I ever say that I would land an attack on you?" She giggled. "I mean, I know that I can't land one on you. After all, you're much too strong for me."

Shinji had a feeling that Darkrai already fell for Cresselia's Attract, because Shinji felt a chill going down his spine.

"D-damn…"

Cresselia broke into laughter. "I cannot believe you fell for that!" She sighed, glancing at Hikari. "It's too bad Hikaru-Kun cannot use it on Shinji-San. You two are male students, after all. Attract only works on the opposite gender…" But she knew that Hikari was a girl, so it would work on any boy. However, that would give her off very easily, so it was a move that shouldn't be used.

Hikari laughed along with Cresselia. "That was gold, Cresselia! Do you do that to Darkrai all the time?"

"Only when I have the opportunity, of course."

Shinji was trying to get Darkrai out of Cresselia's little spell. "Snap out of it, Darkrai." He slightly shook him. "You're only embarrassing yourself by remaining in this condition."

"Ugh… Thanks, Shinji." Darkrai perched himself on Shinji's shoulder, shaking an angry fist at Cresselia.

"Wash up and meet me at the entrance." Shinji stepped outside their dorm until Hikari called out to him.

"Wait, why do I have to meet you there?"

The plum-haired boy simply glanced at Hikari with a smirk. "I'm going to train you until you collapse."

Hikari's jaw hung open in anger. "I am not going to let you train me! Cresselia and I are planning to tour Tobari Village! I am never going to go with your plans!" Different scenarios began to form in her head. "Y-you might use Dark Void on me until I'm tortured enough; You might train me to the point I faint; You might even abandon me somewhere!"

Shinji blinked. "I'm not that harsh, idiot." He rolled his eyes. "That's not how a prince acts." He took another step and stopped. "… But two of those scenarios sound like what I would do to some people." Shinji chuckled and disappeared within the shadows.

The blunette's eyes were wide with fright. "Oh Arceus…" She shuddered and looked at Jun, who was sleeping by her feet. She smiled and petted his head. "Too bad you're already trained, huh, Jun?" She got up and went to the restroom to wash up.

~.~.~

Shinji was waiting on a large branch of a tree near the entrance. He was gazing at the Tobari Palace in the sunrise. Sighing, he leaned his head against the tree.

"Senpai?" Hikari called out. She tugged on Shinji's foot. "Is there something wrong?"

"How long have you been there?"

Hikari blinked. "I just came here." She pointed at her face. "I mean, you had a tense expression, so I thought there was something wrong." She scratched the back of her head. "Uh… Never mind, pretend I never said anything…"

Darkrai looked at the blunette in curiosity and descended from the tree. "… You just saw his expression and depicted that?"

"U-um… Y-yes…" She was slightly surprised. Darkrai has never spoken to her like this. Actually, when did he ever talk to her? "But aren't those kinds of expressions obvious to depict?" She tapped her lower lip, and then looked at the mini Darkrai. "Why do you ask, Darkrai?"

"It's nothing." Darkrai glided back to Shinji, staring at the unknowing Hikari intensely. He whispered, "That's impossible… No one – especially people like him – should be able to read you like that."

Shinji glanced at Hikari, wondering how she read him. He had a reputation of being a shinobi whom no one could read his face expressions. No one, except Reiji and Satoshi, was able to read him. He would always have either a blank expression, a scowl, or a calm expression. No shinobi or villager could tell what he's feeling because he's always like that.

But she was able to read him somehow. The prince was impressed and shocked. In Tobari Academy, he was called 'The Unknown Prince' because of his lack of showing expression. He usually does that on purpose, but how was a new student able to read him like that?

"You said you worked in a maid café in Futaba Town, didn't you?"

Hikari nodded. "Yes, of course!" She bit her lower lip, slightly looking away. "It's actually a bit embarrassing for a guy like me to tell you that I worked in one…"

"Well, we'll probably be going there in about… three months."

She laughed nervously. "I-is that so…?" Cresselia blinked and sweatdropped. "W-well, if you would like to come to our maid café sometime, you are welcome to."

Shinji sighed as he quietly jumped to the ground. "I'll train you while showing you around. There are a lot of things you can learn while wandering around here." He wanted to smirk when he saw the look on Hikari's face. "Tobari Village is not dangerous, Troublesome Idiot."

"Oh…!" Hikari exclaimed. "I just graduated from 'Troublesome Amateur' to 'Troublesome Idiot'!" She joked, giggling.

"You really are girly…" he murmured before heading off.

~.~.~

"Ne, ne!" Leaf called to her friends. "Did you see all the new students?" She squealed in delight. "They're all so cute!"

Kasumi sighed, petting her head. "Leaf, don't go all excited with them now. You already have someone you like, don't you?"

"Tsk, tsk, Kasumi!" Haruka chimed. "I should be the one saying that to you too! You like Satoshi-Senpai after all!" She leaned on Nozomi, who was organizing the herbs. "Hey, did you see anyone cute among the new students, Nozomi?"

The redhead shook her head. "Haruka, you know I'm not into those things." She looked at the shelves of herbs. "… but one of them kinda catches my attention." She turned around with a slightly serious expression on her face. "I don't mean he catches my attention in the way Leaf-Senpai and Kasumi-Senpai puts it, but this student is sorta weird."

The three medics tilted their head in curiosity. "Weird? What do you mean?"

Nozomi crossed her arms, trying to remember last night. "It's that dark blue-haired student, Hikaru Cresselia." She looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know why, but he doesn't seem like your typical male student in Tobari Academy."

"No way!" Leaf exclaimed excitedly. "You might have a crush on Hikaru-Kun!"

The room went silent as they stared at their bubbly friend.

"Leaf," Haruka slowly started, "You know that Nozomi isn't that kind of person…" She turned back to the redhead. "What do you mean by that, Nozomi?"

"The typical Tobari Academy students look more… stiff and a bit neutral to the things around them. Hikaru-San seemed more loose and carefree. Most of the other new students seemed… a little more restrained and nervous." Nozomi put her finger to her lip. "Maybe I'm thinking things too much…"

Kasumi giggled. "If you think Nozomi finally lost her mind, raise your hand." The three raised their hands, laughing. Nozomi also raised her hand, joining along. "I'm sure it's just your imagination, Nozomi."

"Well, I do have a few questions that I want to ask him. Just to confirm a certain identity." Then, as if this never happened, she went back to organizing the herbs, leaving the three medics clueless.

~.~.~

Satoshi came to Shinji's dorm and knocked. "Shinji, you there?" The door slid open, but Jun appeared instead. "Ah, Jun, is Shinji there?"

The blonde shook his head. "Nope, he went out to give Hikaru a tour around Tobari Village…"

"What? That doesn't sound like Shinji…"

"I'm not finished yet!" Jun interrupted. "Anyways, Senpai went to give Hikaru a tour… and train him."

Silence ensued. "… Yeah, that sounds like him…" Satoshi laughed. "You don't need to worry about the training part. His training sessions aren't harsh or anything. I also guarantee that he won't use Dark Void on him."

"Who said anything about me being worried?" Jun joked. "Just kidding. Well, as long as Hikaru's safe, it's fine with me." He suddenly thought of something. "You don't suppose Hikaru-Kun will sneak off to visit Tobari Palace, do you?"

Satoshi waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, if he did that, Shinji would be fast at catching him. Hikaru might even receive a little more extra time of training as punishment."

Jun cocked a brow. "What does Shinji-Senpai even do in his training sessions?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't know," Satoshi admitted. "I've seen his other dorm mates go with him for training, but they end up moving out of the dorm on the first day!" He looked at Jun, who had a horrified look on his face. "But knowing him, it's a test. You probably don't need to do it, Jun."

"Is that so? How?"

"Remember yesterday when you got hit by his Dark Void? You were the first to say that it was awesome, so he probably felt that it's good to have you around."

Jun's mouth was hanging open. "Isn't that a bit… selfish as a prince?"

Satoshi shrugged. "It is, but I can understand why he would do that." He sighed, looking around. "Personally, I want Hikaru to stay here. He can be such a great help for him."

"Well, you don't need to worry about that. If his training sessions are going to be like that, Hikaru's probably stronger than those other worthless students," he reassured. "Trust me on this one. I doubt he'll back out!"

~.~.~

Shinji and Hikari arrived to the outskirts of the village. There was a large field of grass and many trees behind it. Shinji stopped to train Hikari here. "Alright, I'm going to need Cresselia for some information."

On cue, Cresselia came out. "You called?"

He nodded. "What moves do you know right now?"

"For me, I know Confusion, Mist, Attract, Moonlight, and Psychic." Cresselia glanced at Hikari. "However, since Hikaru-Kun just started, he only knows about two moves."

Hikari scratched the back of her head. "To tell you the truth, I don't know my set of moves yet…" She groaned. "I only remember using Safeguard." She recalled back to the time when she used the move. "I couldn't tell how it happened. I just felt a really strong power overwhelm me and my mind just seemed to act on its own."

Shinji rested his chin on his hand. "No choice then." He took a few steps back, reverting to his Darkrai form.

"What do you plan to do…?" Hikari cautiously asked. Instead of getting a verbal reply, she received a deadly look from Shinji. She took that as the start of her first training session. "Oh Arceus!" She tried to run, but her feet were frozen to the ground! No! Move, Hikari! Move! Her body didn't move even a centimeter. "W-wait, Shinji-Senpai! Don't I need to get into my Cresselia form?"

"There's no need! That comes later!" He started gliding across the shadows of the trees faster and faster. "Better think fast, or, putting it accurately, feel it fast!"

Hikari was in panic mode. She didn't know what to do. What can I do? I don't even know my own moves except Safeguard! She felt the same overwhelming power inside and she put her hands out. "S-Safeguard!" The same sky blue barrier surrounded her.

"That won't work." Shinji suddenly stopped in front of her, making her expect a horrifying move. He pointed behind her and she looked. He smirked and murmured, "Faint Attack." He grabbed her leg and threw her across the field of grass. He chuckled smugly at Hikari's dumbfounded expression. "You didn't expect that, did you?"

"Expect it?" The blunette stomped over. "That was the most unexpected and out-of-character move I've ever seen from you, Senpai!" She did a facepalm. "Do you always use Faint Attack like that?"

Shinji shrugged. "Just on the amateur students. That's the basic variation of Faint Attack. You distract them and then you attack." He went back to the situation and shifted his attention to Hikari. "Did you somehow feel any other energy?"

She shook her head. "No… I only felt Safeguard's energy."

"Well, that's because your mind and body memorized it. You need to learn how to feel a different energy when you have the chance." Shinji paced back and forth. "It's hard to sense that other energy because it comes as a spark. It doesn't always come to you like how Safeguard did when I went out of control."

"Oh yeah, I want to know how that happened."

"That happened because you were in an emergency to protect. You have to try feeling the energy to attack too." He pointed at his head. "Don't think about it." Then, he pointed to his chest. "Feel it."

Hikari sighed. "So today's training session about battling me until I feel a different spark?"

Shinji rolled his eyes. "No." He approached Hikari. "This is a meditating training session."

"Meditating?"

"Yes. Meditating helps your powers. When you meditate, you are supposed to be in touch with Cresselia and your mind and only Cresselia and your mind. When you reach that world, a faint colored aura should surround you. However, this surrounding and anything else," he extended his hands out to give her the view, "cannot be in your world."

The blunette nodded in half-comprehension. "Okay… So how can I… uh… meditate?" She felt stupid for asking.

Shinji shrugged. "Any way you want. Everyone has their own way of meditating." He took a glance around him. "Your form of meditation also depends on the surroundings. It helps you focus."

"Well, I meditate in Lotus position in grassy areas like this. That's okay, right?"

"That is the basic form, after all."

Hikari nodded and got herself into Lotus position. "Okay, now what?"

Shinji sat down next to her, also getting into Lotus position. Darkrai sat on his leg. "Cresselia, you have to be perched on Hikaru's head."

"Um, I wish I could, but…"

A growl from Hikari's stomach was heard between them. That already gave everyone the clue.

"… Hikaru-Kun didn't have breakfast yet." She giggled nervously when Hikari shot her an embarrassed and frustrated look. "Darkrai and I brought the berries over so you can eat them whenever you're hungry or so."

"You two fought again, didn't you?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Darkrai sneered.

"We probably wouldn't last one day without fighting," Cresselia huffed. "He just gets on my nerve so much! The fact that he has a type advantage over me irritates me even further."

Darkrai smirked. "What can I say? It just shows how weak you are to be matched to go against me."

Once again, the two Pokémon got into another fight that left Hikari and Shinji watching them. Hikari grabbed a Momon Berry and took a bite out of the sweet berry. Shinji simply watched them take their anger and frustration out on each other.

Hikari held up a Momon Berry to Shinji. "Want one, Senpai?"

Shinji shook his head. "I don't like sweet things." He scanned the contents of the basket and grabbed a Cheego Berry. He took a bite, not minding the somewhat-bitter taste.

"Oh, is that so?" Hikari ate the Pecha Berry in her other hand after she was done with her first one. After her stomach was full, she got to work on splitting the two up. "Sheesh, I don't get how you two can fight like this…"

"Wait until you see them during the full moon or new moon," Shinji murmured. He grabbed Darkrai in his hands until he settled down. "Darkrai, we need to show them how meditating works."

The dark-Pokémon growled before settling down onto Shinji's lap. The two synched their breathing and their powers. After a few minutes of waiting, a faint black aura had surrounded them. Hikari was amazed by how focused they were. Then, the aura disappeared and Shinji glanced at Hikari.

"That's how you're supposed to do it. You cannot be distracted by any means." He then sat in front of her. "Now you try."

Hikari nodded as Cresselia perched herself on her head. She placed her hands on her knees and relaxed. She closed her eyes and tried her best to focus. They managed to sync their breathing already.

Shinji was impressed that she was able to do it quickly. He leaned forward to make sure she was focusing. After all, no one can focus for a long time unless they were trained. "Hey, Troublesome Idiot." Her brow twitched. "There we have it. You just got distracted."

"Well, how can I focus when you start calling me names?"

"That's all part of this training," Shinji replied. "Meditating is also supposed to prevent you from getting distracted. In Tobari Academy, there are going to be distractions beyond that basic variation of Faint Attack. You need to learn how not to be distracted."

She nodded, taking all of the information in. "Okay. I'll try again, Senpai." She once again focused and entered the world inside her mind. It was a world of colors and she found herself sitting in front of Cresselia. "Hey… I did it!"

Cresselia nodded. "But this is just the start, Hikari. I'm expecting Shinji-San to distract you again." They suddenly heard echoes around them.

Troublesome Idiot… Hey… Hmmm… Well, this is good progress so far… But she's going to miss the tour she wanted badly…

"I don't think I should listen to him." Hikari shrugged. "I guess I'll keep meditating and find some kind of attack move."

"Actually, now that you're here, you can find it without meditating."

Hikari blinked in confusion. "But won't I get distracted again?"

Cresselia shook her head. "All you need to focus on is finding the spark to attack. Just make sure not to give in to the echoes…" She murmured a few incoherent words. "Hikari, use Safeguard."

"Safeguard?" she questioned. She concentrated to gather the energy for Safeguard. Nothing happened. "I can't activate Safeguard, Cresselia!"

"Remember the feeling that you had when you used Safeguard. What did you want to do most?"

"I didn't want to get hit by the Dark Void, so I…" her eyes widened in realization, "I wanted to protect myself!" As Cresselia nodded, Hikari prepared herself to go through that feeling again. She remembered the fear that she had when she saw Jun clawing the air, screaming. She wanted to protect. Protect… protect…

The same overwhelming energy began to form and she extended her hands out. "Safeguard!" A sky blue barrier surrounded her. "I did it!"

Cresselia nodded in approval. "Perfect. Now all you need to learn is to feel the energy to attack." She glided backwards. "Hikari, I am going to attack you so try to feel a spark or anything!"

Hikari's mind had switched to panic mode again. "Wait, wait, what? I-I'm not ready!" But it was too late. Cresselia was charging towards her, preparing to simply tackle her. She was approaching faster and faster, causing Hikari to run. "Wait! Wait! Wait!" But her partner wouldn't stop. I need to attack! If I don't learn to attack soon, I'll be killed! She imagined Shinji using Dark Void again and she gasped.

Suddenly, it was like time had stopped for a moment. She felt energy forming in her mind and her eyes began to glow a bright pink. Finally, the words escaped her mouth.

"Confusion!" She wheeled around and caught Cresselia. Her partner was stopped in mid-attack and was lifted into the air as Hikari looked up. "Whoa… Is this…?"

"It's an attack, Hikari," Cresselia answered. "This is Confusion. You have the power to control your opponent's movements with your mind." She looked around her. "Um… Do you mind putting me down? You're lifting me awfully high…"

Hikari flushed, realizing how high Cresselia was. "Sorry…" She carefully placed Cresselia back to the ground. "Well, shall we go back to the human world?"

"It would be my pleasure." A light enveloped them and they returned to reality.

However, it was evening! Shinji was still waiting in front of Hikari. She opened her eyes, shocked at Shinji's patience and how much time had passed. "Senpai, how long were you waiting in front of me?"

Shinji shrugged. "I was here this whole time. You made good progress today." He slightly tilted his head, staring at Hikari intensely. "You're the first…"

"First…?"

His brows slightly furrowed for a moment, but he regained his composure. "You're the first to ever pass this without backing out." He stood up, dusting his pants. "Plus, you succeeded this training session."

Hikari's eyes gleamed with confidence. "Well, what can I say?" She pumped up a fist, smirking. "I'm a strong guy!"

"You're strange…" Without any more words, he brushed past her. That signaled Hikari that she should follow him or else…

~.~.~

Jun leaned in towards his childhood friend, who was setting up her futon. "So how was the training?"

The blunette smiled, nodding firmly. "It was a great training session, actually. I finally learned an attack move, Jun!" She crossed her arms, smirking. "If Shinji-Senpai has anything worse in store for me," she paused to hold up a fist, "I won't back out."

"Now that's the Hikaru I know!" They high-fived, laughing.

Shinji was watching his two new roommates chat. He rolled his eyes when Hikari kept bragging about her new attack move. "I want you to do at least four hours worth of meditation and train until you learn all five moves. Make sure to get it done by Wednesday. If you haven't learned the rest of your set of moves, you will be in trouble."

"I know, Senpai," Hikari huffed. She held up three fingers. "I only got three more moves left to go. I'm sure I'll be able to complete my set before Wednesday." She smirked. "Prepare to be impressed with my awesome set of moves!"

Jun laughed. "Hey, you got that from me, didn't you?"

Hikari stuck her tongue out playfully. "You rub off on me a lot, Jun." Then, realization dawned on her as if a ton of bricks had fallen on her head. "Aw, damn it!" She scratched her head, unaware of Shinji and Jun staring at her because she cursed. "I didn't have time to tour Tobari Village today!"

Shinji sighed. "I tried to snap you out of it so we can go ahead and tour, but you just wouldn't listen to me." He shifted his gaze to Hikari. "Besides, this was your first time visiting the world where only you and Cresselia can dwell. Reality is faster than your world on the first day."

"Listen to you? I thought you were trying to distract me again!" She groaned, falling on her futon. "Shinji-Senpai, you are so unpredictable…"

The plum-haired boy chuckled. "Actually, you're the one who's unpredictable…"

Jun poked his forehead. "Yeah, Satoshi told me that the students you trained before backed out on the first day." He nudged Hikari on the ribs. "Apparently, Hikaru just beat those other worthless students!" He looked at Shinji with determined eyes. "Whatever you throw at Hikaru, you won't be able to make him back out!"

"Actually, the rest of the training sessions are easy. The meditating training session was a test to see how well he could do." Shinji gave the two students a nod. "And… he passed. This was supposed to be the hardest session, considering how long it takes to focus." He smirked. "Although there are plenty of students that slack off here, if you are going to be part of this dorm, you will have to be on your feet."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "If that's so, then that's totally perfect for Jun." She pointed to him with an it's-so-obvious expression. "I've been his friend since childhood and he just loves to move around." She shrugged. "Fortunately, I also like to move around…"

"… except when you should wake up."

"Shut up, Senpai…" Hikari pouted, crossing her arms. "By the way, is it okay for a prince like you to be this selfish?"

Shinji blinked at her blankly. "For a while, yes."

"… You are not your typical prince, are you?"

"Hn."

~.~.~

Thursday…

Jun was running around to find Satoshi. "Ah! There he is! Satoshi!"

"Uh… What's wrong?"

"Shinji's gonna fight Hikaru!" Jun exclaimed, excitedly. "Hikaru finally learned his set of moves!"

Satoshi's eyes lit up in interest. "Is that so? I wanna see!" They quickly rushed over to the grassy plains, where Shinji and Hikari were having a showdown. "Oh man, this is gonna be good!"

Shinji was attacking Hikari with Dark Pulse and she managed to dodge everything. Her Safeguard was surrounding her, but she knew she couldn't hold him off like this.

When a Dark Pulse was coming face-to-face with her, she slid down low and hid inside the tall grass. She then whispered, "Double Team." Clones of her appeared and they all scattered throughout the grass, trying not to get noticed. One clone checked to see where he is. He was at the center of all of them. She nodded, signaling the real Hikari. "Now!"

"What?" he hissed.

All clones faced Shinji and a multicolored orb began to form before Hikari's lips. "Aurora Beam!" All clones shot a multicolored beam at Shinji. Unfortunately, he sank within the shadows, dodging the blows. "Damn it! That's not fair!" It was too bad that she couldn't activate her Cresselia form yet. The clones searched around, looking for any suspicious shadows. What they didn't expect was Shinji to dwell in their own shadow!

Shinji appeared behind a clone and threw her across the plains, hitting another clone. They vanished without a trace. There were now two clones and one real Hikari left. "I wonder where the real one is…"

"Confusion!" Their eyes glowed pink and he was lifted into the air. "Ha! What are you going to do now, Senpai?"

"… Weak." Shinji put his palms together. "Dark Pulse!" A beam of dark circles was shot at the Hikari in the middle. He knew that she was the real one.

Hikari didn't expect it. When she was hit, she was flung to the ground and her clones disappeared. However, since her Confusion attack was interrupted, Shinji fell to the ground. Unfortunately for him, he fell from a very high location.

"Ugh… Didn't see that coming…" he murmured, shaking his head to gain focus.

"Hikaru!" Jun ran over to Hikari. "You alright?" He realized that she was unconscious. "Oh geez… Shinji, Satoshi, he fainted…"

Satoshi came over, chuckling. "Well, he did use the majority of his moves and he did get hit by Shinji's powerful attack move." He helped Hikari onto Jun's back. "I would be more than shocked if he actually survived it." As they walked back to their dorm, he nudged Shinji. "So does Hikaru pass or no?"

Shinji took a look at the fainted Hikari and smirked. "He passed."

"Hell yeah!" Jun and Satoshi cheered, excited. They suddenly heard a growl from Hikari. "…"

"Can I please have something to eat?" Hikari weakly asked.

They laughed all the way back to the village. Satoshi gave her a berry to eat for now. They were going to eat in small restaurant that Satoshi knew very well.

~.~.~

The four ate onigiri* for lunch and bought a few berries to eat. They were on their way to the Academy from the shop.

"Did you see how you battled, Hikaru?" Jun exclaimed. "You did great! Of course, you'll never be able to defeat me though. It's much too impossible for you to do so."

Hikari's brow twitched. "Oh… Just wait until the full moon comes out." The corner of her smile twitched as she raised an angry fist. "That's when I'm going to kick your ass, Jun."

Satoshi grinned, giving Hikari a thumbs-up. "But isn't it great? You at least hurt Shinji once."

"I'd rather see that as an accident," Hikari muttered. "It's not like I did that on purpose anyways…" She pouted. "I couldn't even land one attack on him!" She fell on her side, sighing from the disappointment. She ate the rest of her Momon Berry.

Shinji rolled his eyes. "It's natural for you to be this weak."

"And there he goes again with his 'weak' comments…" Satoshi murmured.

Hikari stopped in her tracks and turned to Shinji with a glare. "Weak? Hey, I'm just a beginner!" she protested. "You, obviously, had experience, so you're stronger than me!"

"And there we go again with the argument…" Jun sighed.

That afternoon, Jun and Satoshi watched Shinji and Hikari argue without taking a break. They were impressed at how long they could go at it. Never has Satoshi seen Shinji argue this long before. As for Jun, he never heard Hikari curse at the prince so much before. They had to split Shinji and Hikari before they decided to go even further and start clawing each other's throats out.

"You two really resemble Darkrai and Cresselia!"

Hikari crossed her arms. "Hmph!" She stuck her tongue out at Shinji. "Whatever!" She stomped ahead. "I'll be going ahead. I just can't stand this right now!"

Shinji scowled. "I have some business to take care of with Aniki." He disappeared in the shadows and went to Tobari Palace.

"… They are complete opposites, aren't they?" Jun sweatdropped.

Satoshi nodded. "Yep…" A moment of silence had passed. "Wanna go somewhere?"

~.~.~

The redhead scanned the dorm rooms, trying to find Shinji, Jun, and Hikari's. She finally found it and knocked.

The door slid open and the blunette appeared. Her eyes widened to find… "Nozomi!"

"Hika…" Nozomi hesitated. "… ru…"

"So I was right! You really were a medic here!" Hikari exclaimed. "How were you, Nozomi?"

"We can't talk here," Nozomi grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the room. "Let's talk somewhere else." They hurried throughout the campus to the medical center. Then, they entered her dorm room.

Kasumi, Haruka, and Leaf were talking inside. When they saw Hikari, they gasped. Their Pokémon were also very shocked.

"Nozomi, what are you doing? You can't let a boy in the medic dorms!" Leaf whispered.

Haruka and Kasumi were speechless, their jaws hanging open. "What have you done, Nozomi?"

However, Nozomi denied it, shaking her head. "Shh! Keep this a secret …" She bit her lip and glanced at Hikari. "This is my best friend. She goes by Hikaru and has been Hikaru since childhood. But her real name is Hikari." Hikari stared at her friend with wide eyes.

Kasumi stood up, observing the blunette before her. "So… what you're saying is that Hikaru is actually a girl?"

"Yes." Nozomi turned to her best friend. "Don't worry. They won't give out a single secret. Trust me, Hikari."

Hikari sighed, pulling the hair tie that tied her long hair into a small pony tail. Her head was cut into slightly messy layers, so she didn't look the same as Nozomi remembered. She bowed. "My name is Hikari and I have bonded with Cresselia," she quietly introduced. "I apologize that I have broken the rules like this…" Then, Cresselia appeared. "This is Cresselia, my partner."

Haruka approached Hikari. "No flippin' way… I thought only males were able to become one with a Pokémon!" She looked at Cresselia.

"But… Cresselia's a legendary Pokémon…" Hikari murmured, "so it's probably possible that way…" She shrugged.

"What are you doing here, Hikari?" Nozomi asked. "You know that a female is forbidden in Tobari Academy, unless you're a medic." She sighed, concerned. "What do you plan to do when you've been discovered?" Cresselia floated towards Togekiss, Blaziken, Glameow, and Wartortle to talk.

Leaf came by. "No one probably knows. Arceus has never set any punishments if a girl enrolled. He just said that they're forbidden unless they're medics." She looked at Hikari with a worried look on her face. "But I really don't know what punishments are…"

Hikari shrugged again. "Cresselia and I are prepared for the consequences. If we are caught and receive a death sentence, we are ready for it." A determined spark gleamed in her eyes. "But we're not going to go down without a fight. Cresselia and I are going to convince Arceus that even a girl can survive."

"How are you going to do that, Hikari?" Nozomi hissed. "That is completely impossible!"

She smiled, not a single fear in her eyes. "No, I think it's possible. We're thinking of a plan as we go along." She tied her hair again, ignoring the shocked expressions of the medics before her. "My top priority is to act as a boy and not get caught until the end. Cresselia's top priority is to not get caught by Darkrai or Shinji-Senpai. Our top priority is to show that even a girl like me can survive no matter what."

Kasumi exhaled. "Are you serious? Do you know what they do to the students here?" She gritted her teeth. "They make them battle each other until the other faints or surrenders!"

"And knowing boys, they're never gonna surrender…" Haruka added.

"That's why we always get students that have horrible wounds and, once in a while, are on the verge of death!" Kasumi seemed angry, but her tone was actually covered with extreme concern. "We can't have you getting hurt so badly like that!"

Hikari blinked. "Um… Kasumi-Senpai, you don't need to worry about that really. Shinji-Senpai is training me, so I'll be okay." She gave everyone a double thumbs-up, grinning. "No need to worry!"

Nozomi did a facepalm. "… That's when I get worried the most…" She crouched down, petting Glameow. "Well, I hope your mission will go well."

"Thanks, Nozomi. I know it will go well." She smirked, fist pounding with Nozomi. "Gotta go. Bye and it was nice talking to everyone!" She went out the window and flew off.

Haruka looked out the window, impressed. "Wow…" She closed the window and turned to her fellow medics. "She's probably the first girl to ever do something like this." She then looked at the redhead, who was thinking deeply. "You're gonna protect her from being found out, huh?"

"Of course!" She stood up, crossing her arms.

"We became medics with the same goal as Hikari, after all."

~.~.~

The First Phase Has Just Begun…

~.~.~

A/N: A bit longer than the first chapter. :3 Anyways, Happy New Year, everybody! ^^ If you were born twelve years ago or so, Ichi and I hope you have a lucky year of 2011! It's the Year of the Rabbit! Now for the questions you can answer!

What did you think about the battle between Shinji and Hikari?
How do you think Nozomi and Hikari met?
What do you think the four medics will do to prevent Hikari from getting caught?
Where do you think Satoshi and Jun could be?
What business do you think Shinji has with Reiji?

This is an unedited version. If you have found any mistakes, please tell me~ :3