Kori's POV:

It's the last day until vacation ends. I feel like I could've spent it better than reading books that were gathering dust on my shelves and watching TV, but there wasn't that much to do, it never got old though, especially the books. I think some of the books I have were from the Celebi High's library, but never bothered to confront me about it when it was overdue. Though I'm pretty sure I returned what I took.

I realize that my life is kinda empty without school, maybe I would've liked it more if I didn't have to wake up so early. Not that it matters though, I actually prefer it this way. I never understood outgoing 'mons and how they seemingly are okay with not having times to themselves. It's a good thing I got accepted to that university I applied to, I wouldn't know what to do if I was reject, probably go apply for another honestly though. Now that I think about it, my life is still pretty empty with school, not that I care anyway.

I was doing what I usually do to pass time until Rook dropped by, likely trying to see how much information he can bring home today.

"So wait." He began. "We have to go to Chansey tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah, but it's still a week before anything really starts. You just have to get there for registration."

"At what time?"

"Registration starts at six. If I were you, I'd leave at four."

"Tromble City is that far way? Hell naw. I can't do that."

"Just do an all-nighter like you always do."

"And then walk for two hours? Nah man."

"How about coffee?"

"That…" He stopped, "That actually could work." He padded inside and into my kitchen, which really isn't a legitimate one, since there's no stove and dishwasher because I don't cook. It has everything else though. "Got any like, coffee powder packets anywhere that I can borrow?"

"I have some in one of the cupboards, and how are you gonna borrow them?"

"Well I mean, I could go to the bathroom after and-"

"Nevermind." I sighed. "How'd someone as thick skulled as you get accepted?"

"It's easy to get into Chansey man. You literally just need to get into the honor rolls and you're set."

I rubbed my eyes. "Can you go now? I'm getting pretty tired."

"It's legit noon right now. You're like a koala man." He opened the cupboard with the coffee packets. "Holy fuck. Why do you have so many?"

"I needed some when there were upcoming tests and stuff. And there was a lot of them."

He helped himself to using my coffee maker. "Well, before I go. Tell me how's it been going between you and that chica you've snagged yourself."

"Nothing significant."

"Bullshit. She seems like someone who would push you to your limits, you know what I mean."

"I hate to agree with you, but yeah, fine."

"So, what happened?"

I explained what I could remember when we hung out. I didn't mention how I felt about it though.

"The beginning of summer? That's like two months ago. Was that it?"

"Well, she did drop by a couple times, but I was able to suppress her cheery physical demands into just talking."

"She dropped by? Here? Dude, that's like, kind of a big deal."

Sure. And barging in my home in the most inappropriate times hasn't gotten annoying yet.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nevermind." He figured out how to use the coffee maker and the brown liquid started to dispense into a ceramic mug that I'm hoping he's not going to take as well, because that mug is my backup when for whenever I lose my favorite one. Only for it to end up under my couch or something. I realize he does ask for a lot of stuff, other than answers on the homework he forgets at school, but it's not anything major enough for me to care. "So, what did you talk about?"

"Why do you keep asking me this stuff?"

"Because man. I wanna hear all about my little boy growing up." He took a sip out of the mug, and then tried to hide the fact that he burnt his tongue.

"That doesn't help."

"Fine, be that way." The Bayleef mocked. "But you gotta take things into the next step."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Like, the next time she comes over after finding out your dorm number. You could like… invite her in, ask if she wants anything, then slam her onto a table, and-"

"Get out."

"Your coffee doesn't do jack shit." Rook moaned, stumbling into view.

I stood by a tree across from the mouth of my den, with a packed shoulder bag and ready to head towards the city. It was still dark out, so I didn't see the Bayleef's sorry ass until he commented on my favorite beverage. I could only make out the outline of his droopy figure, I easily recognized him because he wears a backpack. Most quadrupedal Pokemon wear shoulder/messenger bags, but Rook chooses to use backpacks instead, which makes him look like he's wearing a saddle.

"It does for me."

"And it tastes bland."

"That's because you didn't put any sugar or cream into it. Have you ever had coffee before?"

"Rarely."

I started walking westwards before I had the urge to give him lessons on how to brew up the most perfect caffeine-rich drink ever. The wilted grass-type followed suit.

I've never done a night walk before, but I find it a little unnerving to me, the soft rustles of the trees were the only soothing thing to me. It's like I'm in one of those tests of bravery that my middle school did when it was Halloween, except the school staff was sleeping on the job instead of popping out of bushes with their unconvincing costumes. I don't exactly know how they go, but that's what Rook told me, since he tried it.

At the same time, I felt like I could get used to night walks in the forest if I start doing it. There's chilly breezes, and no one is usually out and about. Though today, I recognized a few groups of students from Celebi who must also be heading towards Tromble. They disappeared and reappeared behind trees and tall shrubbery like they were playing peek-a-boo. without even trying. They didn't seem to notice us due to that likely.

At this rate, the walk to Tromble shouldn't be as bad as I thought if we don't run into any problems. The only annoying thing so far is Rook's occasional complaints of how tired he is.

"Dude, hold on. I need to piss on something." Rook said suddenly.

Maybe I spoke (or thought) too soon. Nonetheless, I complied and waited as he left. I leaned onto a tree and took the time to really breathe in the fresh air, as well as admire the night sky. I would have a clearer view of the sky if we had just walked a few more yards. We're at the edge of the forest now, and we were just starting to go through a big open prairie. The spot where I am now is okay though. I really started to consider taking night walks, it would be quite beneficial to my stress. I'm probably going to miss this tranquil place, the city sure sounds like a shithole.

A few minutes had passed, and it made me wonder how long it took for Rook to have some quality time with his urine. I eventually heard some rustling from afar, and I waited until the sound got closer before I expressed my annoyance. "The hell took you so long? How long does it take to take a-"

I looked in the general direction of the noise to see a pink Pokemon staring at me. It donned on me that she was wearing a similar looking shoulder bag as my own, except there were some flashy stickers pasted onto it, along with stitched words spelling out "Sylvia".

Fuck.

"Kori? Is that you?"

"Uhh…"

"Oh wow! I didn't expect to see you here! You're going to Tromble City too right?"

"Umm… yeah."

"Well, what are you doing here then?"

"I'm… waiting for a friend." I held back the urge to say "temporary companion", even though it's more fitting.

Just at the end of my sentence, rustling came from the same place where Rook disappeared, who then came into view a few moments after, along with a long and pleasured, "Ahhhhhh…" escaping his mouth. He immediately noticed the elephant in the room.

"Hey, who's the chick?" He said casually. They both exchanged confused looks. Then his face lit up and he seemingly regained all his energy from the realization (unless the coffee kicked in) "Oh, you must be Sylvia! That right?"

"Uhh…" She regained her usual composure. "Yes! Yes I am!... But uhh... what's your name?"

"Why, it's Rook! We're in the same grade. Nice to meet you." He caught him steal a glance at me. "Kori has told me all about you!"

Oh, nice. Real nice.

"... He… he did?" The fairy-type stuttered.

"Why of course he did! We're best friends, it's only natural he'd tell me."

When I was sure Sylvia wouldn't notice, I elbowed Rook. Hard. He winced but forced a smile in front of Sylvia.

"Oh umm, cool!" She stuttered. "Say, since we're both heading for Chansey, why don't I tag along with you guys?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but not a single sound came out before Rook interrupted. "Sure you can! We'd gladly enjoy the extra company, it'd be more fun this way."

"Cool! Thanks!" And then the Sylveon bounded ahead.

I cursed aloud at Rook when Sylvia was out of earshot.

"Hey, I'm just speeding things along."

"Except there's nothing to speed along, dumbass."

"Hey, what's the hold up guys?" Sylvia called out far ahead of us, waving a paw. "C'mon! Chansey's not going to get any close with you guys standing around!"

The egg-headed Bayleef gave me a little nudge. "Best not keep the mistress waiting."

The rest of the trip really tried my patience. It was mostly due to the fact that Rook would suggestively nudge me when our newest travel buddy wasn't looking, which gets really annoying after the first few times. Oddly enough, our said travel buddy wasn't talking as much as I thought she would. I noticed her staring off into space sometimes. I'm not complaining though.

"Hey Rook, I'm sorry to ask, but how come you're here?" Sylvia suddenly brought up.

He grinned, "It's no big deal, really. Our mutual friend here just needed a-"

"He doesn't know where Tromble or where Chansey is. He's just here so he doesn't get lost." I cut off, shutting down Rook's pride. I would consider this a small part of my revenge for what he said earlier.

There was a small, awkward silence after that, which made me kinda regret saying what I said. Maybe it's because Sylvia is just surprised to hear me say something out of character like that, I know I would too.

"Oh, okay." She said.

The walk went back to normal after that. That was one problem dealt with. The other one was that the sun was starting to rise, which is really going to suck if we stick around here any longer, or else I'm going to get baked in the sunlight. Oh, the pains of being stuck inside a Glaceon's body. I had to admit though, the horizon was starting to transform into a near surreal state. A gorgeous hue of violet, orange, and red painted the sky. Just looking at this scene makes me feel warm inside, and not the kind of warmness that ice-types tend to dislike. I have honestly never seen anything quite like it before thanks to my shutend-like personality. It's decided, night walks are now going to be a thing for me.

"Whoa." I let out in awe. Despite it being in the tone of a whisper. Sylvia heard it loud and clear, not Rook though.

"Beautiful right?" She walked right up to my side. "This is sight I can never get tired of."

Two things happened at about this point. First thing was that Tromble City started to come into view, and the second thing was that I tuned out all of Rook's snide remarks.

We finally arrived at Tromble, which was nice, but the sun was now somewhat high in the sky and I could already start feeling the heat, which was bad. It's a bit of a shame that today was a sunny day as well.

We were met with the sight of myriads of 'mons hustling through the streets in vehicles and bikes and walking through the sidewalks. Even so early in the day, voices echoed through buildings and were probably just as loud as it would be if it were noon. I want to get through this maze as soon as possible before I melt. Unfortunately, Sylvia kept getting distracted by stores along the pedestrian walkways which displayed various kinds of accessories. We'd probably be closer to our destination if she hadn't tagged along. There was a time where I didn't notice that she stopped and I was still going. I might've ditched them completely (which I'd be totally okay with) if Rook wasn't always on my hide.

At a point where I'd like to think that we were almost there, Sylvia noticed how much I was sweating and offered me a huge sombrero-like beach hat from her bag. She said it was from her mom and that I could borrow it. She put it on me even though I declined. I was going to take it off but I stopped myself when I immediately felt like I was cooling down. I ripped it off in the end and gave it back after I got some strange looks from male passerby.

With squinted eyes, clenched teeth, and sweat-drenched fur, we finally made it to Chansey University. The place was built on a giant and heavily cared for plot of land. It's located at the approximate center of the city, which gave it the feeling that Tromble was built around the place.

The building was huge and white and had two main sections according to the exterior. It basically looked like a rectangular box attached to a barrel, and the walls of the "barrel" were mostly windows, which doesn't seem like a good design choice to me. The rectangle part looks better, because there are barely any windows. The was a big sign above the entrance in the shape of the upper body of a Chansey (go figure) with rainbow colored words at the bottom which spelled out Chansey University".That should give a rough idea of what the building looks like. (A/N: Still trying to make the building look like the Pokemon HQ Lab in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness :P)

The entrance was very crowded with other students trying to register, there were what looked like to be staff members wearing white hats trying to organize the rushing crowd (maybe it there wouldn't have been so many 'mon if Sylvia didn't stop at nearly every single store). As we approached, one of the staff, a Blissey directed us to a line that lead through one of the three sliding glass doors into the building.

The lines moved way too slowly, and by the time we finally reach the inside. I was pretty sure my sweat had soaked through my shoulder bag and probably ruined all my papers and even my laptop in it. I'm hoping that that's not the case. The was someone when we got inside who passed out little pamphlets which included information as well as a map of the place. So I at least had something to read as we waited. I was quite disappointed to learn that we have to share a dorm with a roommate, though I shouldn't be surprised.

Did I mention I was really thirsty as well? Well I am and I need a drink. Badly. When I caught sight of a bathroom with water fountains next to it, I asked if Sylvia and Rook could save my spot in line and I went. I ended up going to the bathroom as well, since I kinda needed to when I started thinking about it. When I tried to get back to my spot, I was stopped by another varsity employee who directed me into another line. I was pissed since the line was even longer, but fortunately it wasn't long enough for it to go back outside. My travel buddies witnessed what happened, so at least they won't chew me out for not coming back. I did notice that there were three Pokemon behind them that I didn't remember being there before, but Sylvia sure seemed to enjoy their company, maybe she let them cut in line. The 'mons behind them didn't seem to assent to it though.

The end of the line led to a desk with a Togekiss clerk manning a desk. She handed me a pen and paper for me to fill out for verification purposes. I went through it carefully but also quickly so I wouldn't hold up the line. She then went tippity-tappity on her computer, handed me a blue card, and called for the next 'mon in line. I went out of line and followed where everybody else was going after they finished registration. Which is seems to be the lobby. I met back up with Rook there. He said that Sylvia left after a Cinccino, Clefairy, and Buneary came along, had the most giddy meet-up he'd ever seen, and went off to where the dorms were. According to the pamphlet, there were apartment buildings the university owned and were located in the upper-right corner of the big plantation and not that far of a walk from here.

The college owns twenty-six apartment buildings, each holding eighteen floors, and sixteen rooms in each floor (the bottom floor in each building is the main/lobby floor, which obviously doesn't include any rooms). The four-digit number on the card I got is 0688. After crunching down the numbers, I roughly estimated that I'm in the third building, eighth floor.

Rook got 0664, which should be a floor below me. He observed that our room number numbers are determined by the order of when we enroll, which means that I was the 688th 'mon to sign up and that Room pretty much gets to live right next to Sylvia. Which, fortunately for me, also means that I won't be near their crazy shenanigans. He overheard that Sylvia's friends ended up with back-to-back room numbers are live next to each other as well. There wasn't really that much of a point for him to tell me that other than it making me more glad that I'm away from them. I guess being stopped by that Clefable outside the bathroom was a blessing in disguise.

I told him that I'd be leaving soon to go check out the dorms and catch up on some lost sleep after I cool down a bit, to which he replied saying that he has the same idea, the coffee's effect must've ran out.

The lobby of the building had tan walls, cactus green carpet flooring, potted plants scattered around, and a glass sliding door. I imagine that these are the interior designs that I'm going to have to get used to for the next four years. There was a Lickilicky manning the reception desk who gave us a hearty greeting as we came in.

"Welcome! How are your impressions of this place? Horrible? Disgusted? Not up to par?" He laughed. "I kid, I kid. Names Mr. Depo (DEE-poe… or just say the second word of Home Depot) by the way. What can I do you two for?"

We showed him our cards and asked where exactly we were assigned.

"Eighth floor for you, Mr. Ice Pop. And you, my big lad, just snagged yourself a nice place below him."

We thanked him and proceeded to the elevator to our left. We split once we reached the seventh floor. Hopefully my roommate isn't in there already, so he/she won't taint the first sight of seeing the dorm. And hopefully they have a lot of respect for privacy.

My dorm ended up being the very last one at the very end of the corridor. The lock on the door was of course one of those ones that needed a card swiped through it. My first few steps inside was a dimly lit room with the light coming through the only window in the apartment. There was a big air conditioning unit that blocked the bottom half of it, so I won't be getting nice views of the brick wall belonging the second apartment building anytime soon.

The dorm was very reminiscent of my den, at least to me. It has the TV-coffee table-couch combo and a second room that was instead just the bathroom that was pretty tiny. The main room was like a combination of a living room and the bedroom. The bottom portion had the triple-combo and some drawers, and the top portion with the window had a writing desk with a lamp on it and a bed. The place was pretty small, but I kinda prefer it that way. Plus you can't argue with free dorms with air conditioning and cable.

What was interesting was that there was only one bed, immediately leading me to believe that I just scored myself a single dorm, which these apartments do have. I wanted to race back down to the lobby to ask Mr. Depo if it was true, but I was just so tired and hot at the moment, that I just hung my drenched shoulder bag on the coat rack next to the door, turned on the AC (which unfortunately produces an obnoxious rattling sound), and passed out on the mattress almost as soon as I hit it.

To veteran readers, this is where the original stopped... but you know, it's not in twelve chapters. The bulk of the story is going to be in college, not the stuff before it. I took a lot of things out of the original and sped things along. I did this so that the first three chapters were introductory, if anything. You understand. Now, the real stuff begins! :D