The Jacks: Tony
"Here we are. Home sweet home..."
The outside of the dormitory was not exactly spectacular but it was much better compared to the inside. The common room consisted of two old sofas placed underneath dusty windows, a standard television, and a wooden table. The floors were creaky and there were cobwebs in various corners of the room. It was obvious that the place was not well maintained. Thankfully, the connecting kitchen appeared to be clean, if a bit small.
"This is where we Jacks stay," Rob told Dan as the latter took in his new living quarters. "Least noticed, least funded, and least important. I like it that way though. Lets me do what I want without being bothered. All you have to do is win a few more battles like you did today and you'll be saved by one of the other groups."
"I'll be sure to do that," Dan remarked. "Where do I put my stuff?"
"Down the hallway," Rob answered. "First door on the left. Including me and you, there are only five Jacks in total, so we all get our own rooms. Go unpack and get yourself situated. The bathroom is at the end of the hall if you need it. I'll introduce you to the others after you're finished. They should be back by then."
Dan thanked Rob before heading down the narrow hallway. He entered the room and was pleasantly surprised when it was not as bad as he expected. It was basic, having only a bed, closet, dresser, window, and desk but that was all that Dan required. The walls were bare as were the floors, but the air inside was cool and refreshing. Dan thought that the room had a relaxed feel to it and figured that it would definitely be better than the barracks he would be sleeping in when he enlisted in the military.
It did not take long for Dan to unpack. Moving around time after time as a child had conditioned him to be extremely quick when packing and unpacking belongings. His clothes were hung up neatly in the closet with everything else placed on the dresser or in one of its drawers. After taking a fast shower, Dan returned to his room and released Luxray from his poké ball. He took in his surroundings before lowering his guard and jumping on the bed.
"It's been a day to remember, huh?" Dan said to him.
Luxray let out a yawn before curling up on the bed. He was obviously still worn out from the battle with Kidd Rex, so Dan thought that it would be best not to disturb him. Making his way to the common room, Dan saw Rob talking to two other trainers while another one was fast asleep on the sofa.
The first trainer was a young man with ice green eyes. He was a bit gangly, but had a noticeably lean and athletic build that suggested that he participated in some type of sport. From his neatly kept strawberry blond hair, lightly tanned skin, and nice clothes, he appeared to be something of a pretty boy, but Dan was smart enough not to underestimate any trainer regardless of what they looked like.
The second trainer was a fairly short girl. She had short, light blonde hair and green eyes hidden behind a pair of black-rimmed glasses along with pale skin and a wiry build. Dan did not know exactly what to make of her, but to be fair he did not truly know what to make of the other trainer or even Rob yet.
The third trainer had his back turned and Dan could hear his light snoring, but he decided not to disturb him.
"What took you two so long, Tony?" Rob chastised.
"The line for the food was unbelievably long," the male trainer, presumably Tony, answered with a sigh. "You were the one who wanted to eat out in the first place and we haven't seen you in hours. Where have you even been?"
"I was out nailing your sister," Rob taunted coldly. "I had the Queen of Grovens calling me her king."
Dan arched an eyebrow in surprise at Rob's insult, but Tony's exasperated sigh told him that this was a usual occurrence. He wondered why Rob was not trying to be careful at all as it definitely appeared like Tony had the advantage in a physical altercation between the two.
"Hey, uh, Rob," Dan called out hoping to get his attention.
"Oh, you're finally done," Rob said, turning around to face him. "Let me introduce you to everyone. Dan, eyelashes over here is Anthony Streb. Tony, this is the guy that kicked Kidd Rex's ass in the courtyard today."
"Nice to meet you," Dan greeted as he shook Tony's hand.
"Congrats on your victory," Tony told him. "I'm pretty certain that Rex wasn't exactly a graceful loser, was he?"
"Not at all..." Dan answered.
"And this lovely Jill over here..." Rob continued, cupping the female trainer's chin. "Is Deirde Royce. She's our little turtledove."
Deirde blushed for a moment only to frown when Rob decided to thump her on the forehead before moving to the other side of the room. Dan was sure to shake her hand, noticing that she was a bit more approachable than Tony.
"Good job putting Rex in his place," Deirde remarked. "If anyone deserved to be knocked down a peg, it was him."
"He deserves to be knocked down a flight of stairs," Rob added before delivering a hard kick in the back to the trainer that was asleep on the couch. When the trainer did not move, Rob grabbed a chunk of his auburn hair and yanked.
Immediately, the trainer jumped up. He appeared to be a few years older than the rest of them and certainly taller. He had a thin build with a noticeable scar on his temple. His eyes were a smoky blue-gray color and they were glaring directly at Rob.
"How many times have I told you not to touch my hair?" he mumbled.
"Dan, meet the most washed up trainer in the entire school," Rob stated. "This is Everett Fallor. He was once a Premier, the best at Grovens, but that was years ago. Now he's a pathetic shell of his former self. He's like nineteen or twenty and he's still here lazing around. Talk about lame."
"Well..." Everett replied. "Can't argue with that, but at least I was a Premier. What's your excuse, Robbie?"
Deirde let out a snicker and Dan could not help but grin as well. Rob did not seem fazed and Everett quickly returned to his slumber without acknowledging the new trainer.
"Alright," Rob said, turning his attention back to Dan and the others. "Danny-boy has gotten himself into trouble with the Anarchists, so he's going to need our help."
"Not really..." Dan told him. "I'm not scared of some moron who calls himself Kidd Rex."
"Oh no, it's more than just Rex," Rob replied. "By now, word has gotten back to the Warlord. Knox is going to do everything in his power to make your life a living hell especially since Rex was one of his favorites. In a place like this, you're going to need every ounce of help you can get. Understood, army boy?"
Dan sighed. "Fine, I'll go along with whatever is best."
"Good," Rob stated before turning to Tony. "Tony, show him around tomorrow before classes start. I want Dan caught up on all four groups and their leaders. Make sure he knows who he can take on without causing too much trouble for the time being."
"Why?" Deirde asked. "I mean, why are you acting like 'Captain Friendly' all of the sudden?"
"Just helping him adjust," Rob answered innocuously. "When it's time for him to pick a group, it'll be easy for him. That's all I'm trying to do."
"Right..." Tony said. "Regardless of what you're up to, I'll do it. It's only fair if Dan has time to adjust before people try to get him thrown out."
Everyone dispersed and Dan was left trying to figure out what was happening. It was one battle, that he in all honesty considered unmemorable, that was having this much effect on the events that were going to transpire throughout his time at Grovens. He was thankful for Rob's aid earlier, though he did not care much for his demeanor. However, if this was how things worked at Grovens, Dan was definitely going to need to accept any and all help that came his way.
Tony considered himself to be quite adept at reading people. It was quite simple with his sister, Deirde, Everett, and everyone else he came across. The only exceptions were Rob Vincent and now, Dan Robbins. However, the reasons were quite different between the two trainers.
In Rob's case, none of his emotions ever seemed to be completely genuine. It was as if joy, anger, anticipation, and every other emotion of his was set at fifty percent and Rob could dial them up or down at any given moment depending on his mood. No one ever knew what he wanted. They were all skilled enough trainers to be considered for the other groups, but Rob never even demonstrated a desire for leaving the Jacks. Whatever his motives were, they were either too simple or too complex for Tony to figure out.
Dan was different though. The reason that Tony could not read him was the simple fact that there was nothing to read. It was obvious that he was someone without secrets, ulterior motives, or anything of the sort. Even his history was nothing too complicated. His father was a high-ranking officer in the military and Dan was hoping to follow in his footsteps. Even so, that did not mean that he was not interesting at all. Though Tony was not one for much talking, he enjoyed listening to others.
"So, this is basically my last stop..." Dan finished telling his story. "Didn't know it would be this crazy though. So, what's the deal with everyone and these groups?"
The two of them were on their way to the courtyard before class. Tony could see battles forming already, but the morning were not nearly as bad as the afternoons. He led Dan to the small balcony outside of the gym's second floor that overlooked the entire courtyard.
"There are five groups at Grovens," Tony began explaining. "The Jacks, the Lunars, the Royals, the Anarchists, and the Premiers. The Jacks consist of newly enrolled trainers like yourself, undecided trainers like Rob, Deirde, and myself, and trainers who have been kicked out of other groups like Everett. It's really a temporary placement until you join a group or get expelled, so there's no actual leader or anything because it's not exactly a real group. For every person kicked out of Grovens, another applicant takes his or her place shortly afterward so that the school doesn't run out of students."
He paused to see if Dan was following along and was relieved when it appeared that he was. He gestured to the group of trainers causing the least ruckus. They were reading from several stacks of books and comparing notes on their readings.
"Those are the Lunars," Tony continued. "The smartest of the groups. They're the ones that are going to become the top Pokémon researchers and scientists in the future and in their words, usher in a new era in science. See that girl standing up answering questions?"
He pointed out a tall, willowy girl with waist-length black hair and tanned skin. Her honey-brown eyes were shielded by a pair of thin frame black glasses and she had a lab coat on, but Dan's eyes were glued to her steel toed military boots.
"I see her," Dan remarked with a smile. "The cute one with the nice taste in footwear. She's their leader?"
"Miyuki An," Tony said with a nod, slightly amused by Dan's attraction to her simply because of her boots and not because of how pretty she obviously was. "She's probably the smartest person to ever come into Grovens. She has professors from around the world contacting her to intern at their labs. Maybe she can help you with your studies? You better hope she likes you as much as you appear to like her."
"Never hurts to at least talk to her," Dan said confidently. "Beauty and brains makes for a perfect combo in my eyes, but anyway, those are the Lunars, huh? They don't seem too bad."
Tony shifted his attention to the next group. Trainers dressed in expensive clothes were having their Pokémon groomed and catered to. Most of the Pokémon amongst them appeared to be quite rare and a few of them were dressed up as well.
"The Royals," Tony started once more. "A lot of these trainers are from some of the wealthiest and most influential families in the world. Definitely future world-class coordinators and breeders. Don't underestimate them though, they have to win battles just like everyone else and can be surprisingly tough."
"Yeah, well money can't buy skill," Dan said. "But I guess you're right though. They wouldn't be here right now if they weren't tough in some way."
"Julian Rhodes-Leighton IV is their leader. I'm sure you can identify him."
The tall, golden blond, emerald-eyed boy wearing an expensive dark blue blazer over a pale pink, designer shirt stood out amongst all the others. He was holding a Flareon in the air and smooching it on the forehead while the other Royals pampered their Pokémon in a similar fashion.
"Reminds me a bit of the fan club in Vermilion City..." Dan thought aloud.
"Julian's father donates more money to Grovens than any other alumni. That's probably one of the reasons that nothing ever really changes around here. Anyway, the Lunars and the Royals aren't even an issue unless you directly antagonize them. The Anarchists though..."
"Yeah, I've gotten the memo," Dan finished for him. "So, what's the point of having them here? It seems a bit weird to have a group that's based on nothing but causing trouble."
"I said the same thing," Tony replied. "Apparently the founders of this school liked their 'strongest only' approach. It fits in this type of environment. Most people here think that members of the Anarchists are pretty much set to become criminals and join up with organizations like Team Rocket. Honestly, their leader might have a screw loose, but in reality, most of them are just posing. Kidd Rex is a prime example. They are a nuisance though, so my advice is either avoid them or do what you did against Rex and win."
"Understood," Dan said with a nod.
"Lastly..." Tony started once more as he pointed to the large tower against the west wall of the courtyard. "The Premiers. They're the smallest and most exclusive of the four main groups. Future gym leaders, elite four members, and champions. They're the strongest at Grovens and their leader, the Ace, is the strongest of all..."
"The Ace, huh?" Dan said. "I bet he'd give me an awesome battle."
"Actually, the Ace is-"
He was interrupted by the sound of the first bell ringing loudly. The Lunars and the Royals below began scattering to their respective classes as the Anarchists emerged from the shadows. Most of them hardly ever went to class despite the fact that decent grades lessened your chances of having to participate in demotion or expulsion battles. Tony and Dan headed to the main building, the former in particular feeling the eyes of the Anarchists on them and hearing the whispers.
"Is that him?"
"Yeah, he's the one the beat Rex."
"He's dead once Knox gets his hands on him."
However, none of them dared make a move and Tony knew why. The Premiers were heading to class as well and it would be idiotic to cause a commotion with them present this early in the morning. Dan did not seem flustered at all and even if he was, he was good at hiding it. He seemed to have something else on his mind, but even Tony did not expect him to actually approach the Premiers.
"Hey," he greeted. "You're the Premiers, right?"
They all looked at one another, obviously stunned that someone outside of their group had actually approached them and was making friendly conversation. That did not tend to happen often. Most of them seemed to be present and despite how vastly different they were from each other, the strength that they all possessed glued them together. Tony spotted the killer smile of Catriana Santoro, the cold and distant stare of Althea Gilroy, the indifferent expression on Oswald Wyman's face, and Fantine Fallor's charming gaze that was different from her brother, Everett. Only one of them seemed to be missing and it was the Premier that Dan had decided to approach that made the situation a bit more unpredictable.
"Yes, we're the Premiers," the young man answered.
The young man was Duncan Hale, grandson of the headmaster. He was tall with a muscular, athletic build and shaggy jet black hair that contrasted with his fair skin and deep blue eyes. He had a particularly cutting smile, but Dan only smiled right back.
"You must be the leader, then," he told Duncan as he extended a hand. "I'm Dan Robbins. I just enrolled."
"Robbins?" Duncan uttered as he shook Dan's hand. "You're the guy that beat Kidd Rex, aren't you?"
"That's me," Dan said with a nod. "But that's not really that important to me at all. I just wanted the leader of the most powerful group at Grovens to know that I'm on the map, but it seems like you already do."
"Well..." Duncan replied with a sigh as he signaled the other members of the group to head off. "You got the right attitude. You just have the wrong person. I'm not the leader of the Premiers. I'm the...second-in-command. My grandfather has a lot of skills, but proper reasoning isn't one of them."
"Then who is the leader of the Premiers?" Dan asked curiously.
Duncan looked past him and focused his attention onto Tony. The younger boy did not like being put on the spot like that, but it was inevitable when it came to this topic. Duncan's sore spot about not being leader of the Premiers was well-known throughout Grovens. He had the skills, the looks, and even the connections for the position, but in the end there was someone better.
"Why don't you let your buddy, Tony, answer that one for you?" Duncan suggested.
"Alright," Tony said. "Dan, the leader of the Premiers is a girl named Emily Streb..."
"Streb?" Dan started. "Wait, you're related to the Ace?"
"She's his older sister," Duncan added.
"Is that what Rob meant by that 'Queen of Grovens' line last night?" Dan asked.
Tony nodded his head as a shadow suddenly formed over the three of them. They looked up to see someone riding on a Dragonite closing in on them. The dragon Pokémon quickly landed and the Ace of the Premiers dismounted. Tony caught a glance at Dan's expression and was not surprised to see him slightly taken aback. Emily was striking in both appearance and personality. Her eyes were a mint green, more potent in color than his own, and they seemed to take in the world around her and everything within it. Her strawberry blonde hair was tied in a ponytail and the nonchalant way she looked at Dan made it appear as if she had just spoken with him five minutes ago.
"Took you long enough, Your Highness," Duncan mumbled.
"No..." she told him sternly, effectively ending the argument before it even began.
"Anyway..." Duncan said in an irritable tone as he shifted his attention back to Dan. "This is the Ace, Emily Streb. If it's acceptance into the Premiers that you want, it's going to take a whole lot more than beating Kidd Rex."
"So, he's the one?" Emily remarked, the neutral expression on her face remaining unchanging. She turned to her younger brother. "Is he a friend of yours, Tony?"
Tony looked to Dan as if he were waiting for a confirmation that they were in fact friends. In the end, he gave his sister a nod if only because Dan was genuinely friendly and made much better company than Rob.
"Dan Robbins," he introduced himself, hesitant to get too close to Emily's fierce looking Dragonite. "I haven't really made up my mind as far as joining groups go, but I definitely wouldn't mind battling you one day."
"Dragon rush!" Emily suddenly commanded.
Dragonite immediately flew up into the sky as a blue aura enveloped him. He crashed into something and it landed on the ground behind them. Upon inspecting it, Tony realized that it was a Hydreigon and from the way it quickly got back in the sky told him who it belonged to. He knew that there were not many Pokémon who could take a hit from Emily's Dragonite and simply shrug it off.
"Sharp eyes you got there, Streb. Dragonite would have been taken out if Hydreigon would have caught him off guard. Aren't you just so damn lucky...?"
A young man with piercing blue eyes, tan skin, and dark red hair stepped onto the scene. He was alone without any of his subordinates, but did not seem to show any fear despite being outnumbered. The young man raised his hand and Hydreigon returned to its trainer. From what he had said, if Hydreigon had actually managed to hit Dragonite, Emily would have likely been harmed as well, something that did not go unnoticed by Duncan.
"What's the deal, Knox?!" he shouted. "Too scared to face us, so you had to try a sneak attack, huh?! You Anarchists are pathetic!"
"Duncan, calm down," Emily told him.
"That's right, Duncan," Knox taunted. "Obey your master and sit."
"What do you want, Roddy?" Emily asked him clearly.
"I'm not actually here for either of you," he answered. He pointed at Dan. "I'm here for him. Do you know who I am?"
"No," Dan said. "But obviously you know who I am."
"You're the one who beat Rex yesterday," Knox continued. "Unfortunately for him, he's going to be scrubbing floors in our dorm for the next month. Losing to a fresh Jack is unacceptable. I should have had him thrown out of the Anarchists, but lucky for him, I'm in a good mood."
Roddy Knox was the Warlord of the Anarchists and was genuinely threatening unlike many of his subordinates, who were more irritating than anything. Everyone knew that he frequently suffered from insomnia, which made him even more erratic. Tony was certain that he was at least as strong as Duncan and could likely give Emily a challenge if he were to ever battle her.
"Maybe instead of punishing him, you should teach him some strategies," Dan told Knox. "Just using overwhelming force in a battle is always stupid even if it worked for him as long as it did. Sooner or later, someone's going to find a way around that. It just happened to be me and even then, I still got pretty lucky. I don't know why everyone is making a big deal out of me beating Kidd Rex."
"You just don't know how this damn place works, do you?" Knox responded. "You won't be here long with that attitude, boy scout. You might wanna watch your back because I'm putting a target on it."
"Is that a threat?" Dan remarked, taking a step towards Knox.
"Absolutely," Knox replied before looking at Emily. "After I'm done with him, I'll be coming for you. I hope you've enjoyed your time on top because by the end of the year, you'll be gone from Grovens and the Anarchists will become the top group."
"Is that all?" Emily asked with a sigh.
Knox smirked before giving her the middle finger and skulking off with Hydreigon. Duncan seemed ready to explode, but Dan did not seemed fazed at all. It was plain to see that he was acting more like a soldier than anything else. While that could be useful in many situations, Tony knew that the new student was going to have to adjust his mindset frequently if he wanted to navigate through Grovens unscathed. Simply rushing in like a Rhyhorn would be counter-effective.
"Man, I hate that guy..." Duncan growled.
"Don't let him get to you," Emily told him. "That's what he wants."
"Whatever," Duncan shot back. "I don't need your opinion..."
"Anyway," Emily said to Tony and Dan. "You two should probably get to class."
"Right..." Tony stated. "Dan, are you ready? Rob's probably waiting on us."
"Yeah, I am," Dan answered. "Nice meeting you two. Maybe we'll get a chance to battle eventually."
Dan certainly made it a point to establish himself. Tony found that admirable despite the fact that it would most likely make things even more difficult for him. After all, the only way to move ahead at Grovens was to make yourself noticed, something Tony still struggled with. The only consolation was that his sister was the Ace of the Premiers and he was a decent trainer himself, so he was not completely ignored. He knew things were about to change, for better or worse.
Next Chapter: The Jacks: Deirde
And things are kicking off into high gear already. So, we have two more Jack chapters before we move on to the next group, so it'll definitely be a wild ride.
As always, come to the forums and discuss this or any other stories.
Later!