A/N: Chapter four! For all my stories! So excited, because I'm officially up to 10 reviews on this story. Getting into the double digits now. Still move-in day, just so you know.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything. Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Gamefreak.

Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Why?

Paul

The train station was packed with people, all either getting on, getting off or waiting for their respective trains.

I walked off of the train with my bags in tow and started towards the entrance. It was almost overwhelming, the amount of people in this city. Sure Veilstone was just as big, but the citizens there weren't nearly as... busy. Everyone here seemed like they had somewhere to be. They were all walking fast and speaking over each other. It was starting to give me a headache.

Once I reached the entrance of the station, I saw a few men in black suits holding up signs that had peoples' names on them. What I didn't expect to see was someone holding up a sign with my name on it.

They sent me a car? I wondered. Man, this school really is rich.

I walked up to the man and nodded my head, silently letting him know that I was the one he was looking for. The man nodded back.

"The car is waiting for you Mister Shinji," he said to me. He took some of my bags, but I stopped him from taking my guitars. I always felt more comfortable carrying them myself. We walked over to an expensive looking black car and put my bags and instruments in the trunk. I went to get in but he beat me to it, opening the car door for me.

I am never going to get used that, I thought to myself. I slipped into the back seat of the car, having the driver shut the door behind me.

I was not one to be pampered. And if life at this school was anything like how this driver was treating me, then I knew I wouldn't be getting used to it anytime soon. We drove in silence, something that was usually comforting to me, but seemed strangely foreign being in a new city all alone. I decided to drown out the silence by distracting myself. I lifted up the black and silver headphones that hung around my neck to cover my ears. I took out my iPod Touch from the pocket of my black hoodie and pressed shuffle, settling in to some Skillet song. I couldn't help myself from staring out the window.

The buildings that passed by the moving car were all either made out of grungy looking stone or clean looking glass, contrasting each other yet oddly enough still looking like they belonged together. There were huge television screens that hung from between the buildings, playing different advertisements over and over again. Everything here was just so vivid.

Bright and colorful; those were the two words I'd use to describe Hearthome city. But as the car drove on, the sights and sounds of downtown started to fade away as the buildings became smaller and more elaborate. The school was in one of the nicest neighborhoods' in the city, and I had to say that I was a little impressed.

We approached a large, cast-iron gate that surrounded a sizable property that I could only guess was the campus. The gates opened upon the driver's identification, and we proceeded to drive up the paved section of the campus. There were hills and greenery everywhere, as well as cement pathways and seated areas built amongst them.

The car stopped in front of a tall ivory building with wide windows and many students loitering outside. I paused my music and pulled my headphones back down around my neck. I exited the car myself, not waiting for the driver. After all it was just a car door, not a block of cement. I was pretty sure I could handle it myself. I went around to the back of the car, intending to get my bags from the trunk when two men approached me wearing black and white uniforms who I assumed worked for the school.

"Help with your bags sir?" one of them asked, obviously confused as to why I wasn't letting them handle my bags for me.

How stuck-up were the people at this school? I thought snidely.

"No. Thanks," I told them dismissively. I grabbed my stuff from the back, and briskly walked past them. It was then that I noticed the stares.

The students who had been standing in front of the school, as well as those who were just passing by, were staring at me like I'd just grown a second head. Like they couldn't believe I was carrying my own stuff into the dorms instead of making the staff do it for me.

Like I care, I thought. If you asked me, these guys were pathetic to think that carrying your own things was such an alien task. If they wanted to stare, let them. I was the last person on earth who cared about what other people thought of me. I ignored all of them while I walked through the glass doors, like I was the only person on campus.

I walked up to the girl at the reception counter.

"Hello! Welcome to Valor Hall, how can I help you?" she asked me cheerily. Well, at least she didn't think I was insane.

"Can you tell me what room I'm in?" I asked politely. I drew out the piece of paper from my duffel bag that was supposed to be my identification until I got a student ID. She took the piece of paper from me, and then proceeded to type some things into her computer.

"Oh I see! You're the transfer student. I have your key card already set aside," she said as she went off to get it.

The transfer student? What, is that my title now? Is it really so rare for people to transfer here?

She returned a few moments later.

"Here you are," she said, handing the blue plastic card to me. "This is your official room key card. Besides opening your dorm room, it will let you into this building after the doors have been locked at 11:00 pm and it operates the elevator, as they are also key card oriented. You room number is 515 on the fifth floor. And in case you have any further questions, my name is Mary," she concluded.

I nodded my thanks and made my way towards the elevator. I pressed the button to go up, and the doors immediately opened, allowing my entrance. I noticed a key card scanner in place of a list of buttons for the floors, and swiped the blue plastic card 'Mary' had just given me. Instantaneously, a panel lit up beside the scanner and gave me a list of three floors.

How rich is this school? I thought to myself. I touched the option for Floor 5, and the elevator started to move. I looked around the small space, with not much else to look at. It had metallic walls and a black and white checked floor, similar to that of the lobby.

The doors suddenly opened, leading me to an empty, white washed hallway with black trim and a matching white carpet. I thought back to my conversation with the receptionist and looked for the room number 515. It was near the end of the hall, each floor having exactly 20 rooms to my understanding. I swiped the card into the reader and pushed open the door.

It was a normal looking room. The walls were white and the furniture was dark brown. The only thing that confused me was the semi-circular portion in the middle of the back wall of the room that was slightly raised up and resembled a stage. Well it is a performing school.

I put my bags down near the back of the couch and took off my hoodie, glad to finally be here. It wouldn't take long to put away all my stuff, so I just took a moment to relax.

"GARY, I SWEAR TO GOD!" I heard someone scream from the hallway over to the left of the room. So much for relaxing. Oh yeah, I did have a roommate, didn't I?

"If you came in here to-" his voice cut off when he came into the room and saw that I was not in fact this so-called 'Gary'. He had on a grey and white plaid shirt with the sleeves pushed up and jeans. The most interesting thing about his appearance though was his hair, which was a bright grassy green and matched his eyes. Although with naturally purple hair, I really couldn't judge.

"Oh, sorry man, I thought you were my obnoxious friend," he apologized. "Long story short, he's an idiot. And he wants my PS3."

I glanced over at the flat-screen television in front of the couch to notice said PlayStation 3 plugged in. Nice.

"So who are you?" he asked, obviously curious as to who the stranger was standing in his dorm.

"Paul Shinji," I responded.

"Cool. My name's Drew Hayden, aaaannd you're my new roommate aren't you?" he drew out the last part, just figuring out why I was there.

"Looks like it," I said.

"Well, nice to meet you man!" he responded, offering his hand which I shook. I would be living with this guy for a year after all, best to act civil.

"My last roommate graduated last year so I was wondering who they'd get to replace him. But you don't look like a freshman."

"Transfer student," I concluded. Apparently, those two words explained everything.

"Really!? That's rare for this school. You're only allowed to apply once, and usually everyone applies for their freshman year so.…" Drew trailed off. Well that explained a lot.

I didn't really feel like making conversation with Drew right then, so I just stayed silent. He seemed nice enough, but I didn't know anything else about him. And I did not feel like learning his life story on my first day.

"So, you here for guitar?" he asked, noticing the cases.

"Yeah."

"Cool. I'm a pianist, but recently I've been learning a little bit of base. Acoustic or electric?" he questioned.

"Both," I responded.

"Nice. Anyway, the rooms are back there. I've already finished with all my stuff; your room is the one at the end of the hall."

"Kay' Thanks," I concluded, picking up my stuff again and heading back to see for myself.

I got to the end of the hall and noticed one door on the right side and one at the very end. I opened the one at the end and looked around. It was a rather large bedroom for a dorm, more wide than long. The bed was directly across from the door and had plain white sheets set on it. The walls were a pale blue and it had hardwood floors, like the living room and hallway. I closed the door behind me and set down my stuff. There was a dresser on the left side of the bed from where I was standing, and a closet on the far left wall. A door that I assumed led to a bathroom was on the left side of the door to the hallway, and on the right side was a desk with a rolling desk chair. A large window that covered half the wall and went from the floor to the ceiling was on the right wall, and it had a white curtain covering it.

Not Bad, I thought to myself.

It only took half an hour to put away all my stuff. Clothes went in the dresser, hoodies and jackets in the closet, toiletries in the bathroom. A small black case set by the lamp on the bedside table next to my alarm clock, and then I plugged in my laptop, iPod and phone to charge on the desk. Then I made the bed with the white sheets and a navy blue blanket. Lastly, I set up my guitars on two stands by the window. I didn't have a whole lot of stuff, but what I did have was mine. And it certainly made this dorm room 2000 miles away from home feel a little more comfortable. I fell backwards onto my bed, like I used to do at home, and threw one of my arms across my eyes to block out the sunlight coming in from the window.

Well, I did it. I was here. I did it and now there was no going back. Truthfully, all I wanted to do was rest, but my thoughts wouldn't let me. They all just traveled back to her. How happy she'd have been if she knew I was here. How proud I'd have made her by getting into this school. She had always wanted to come to Hearthome city and see if she could make it as a musician. It was always her dream, and her wistfulness had been contagious. Ironic how that now I was miles away from the place where everything reminded me of her and I still couldn't shake her presence inside my mind.

Her absence made my heart ache. Hollow and endless, like an echo inside a tunnel. My thoughts faded to a memory as reality slipped away.

It was a sunny day in Veilstone, and summer was at its peak. This day seemed like it happened a long time ago, but did it really? It was like any other day, but after a while, they all started to blend together. Those were peaceful days.

It had just been her and me. The memory was fuzzy, blurring out most of the image of her face, but I knew it was her. In her arms she held her guitar, beach colored wood against her pale skin. Her slender fingers strummed against the nylon strings. I watched her playing, mesmerized.

I couldn't remember ever hearing something so beautiful, so pure. Her music, it came from the heart. It made me want to be able to create something just as meaningful. That was a time when I was truly happy. Just listening to her play, basking in the warmth of the sun. That was when we were both truly…..alive….

*Knock, knock, knock*

My eyes jolted open, my arm having shifted from across my eyes to my forehead. I glanced over at my alarm clock. The numbers 3:00pm were lit up in red. I must have fallen asleep, as it was two hours later. The door opened up to reveal Drew.

"Hey, you had me worried that you'd died on your first day," he told me, obviously joking.

"I fell asleep," I told him, sitting up and trying to shield my eyes from the light coming from the window.

"Well, that saves me a lot of trouble. Would hate to explain that one to the principal. Anyways, it's almost time for the welcome assembly, then after that we go to get our schedules. Coming?" he asked.

"Yeah, just give me a sec," I told him, planning to run a brush through my hair before I left. I grabbed my black hoodie again and slipped it on before heading out the door to my room. Strangely enough, Drew was waiting at the door.

"We've got a little time before it starts. C'mon roomie, I'll give you the Hayden tour while we walk," he remarked as he exited the dorm room. I didn't really have a good reason to deny his offer, so I just followed behind him.

We rode the elevator down and exited Valor Hall. We started down the cement path towards north of the building.

"The campus is set up in a U-shape. All of the buildings are arranged that way, with the main school building being at the top. All of the dorms are set up beside each other on the right side of the school, along with the studio building. Down near the south wall is Acuity Hall and coming up on our right is Verity Hall. Each dorm holds about 200 students, give or take."

We came up to a building that wasn't as tall as the dorms, but was twice as wide. Unlike the dorms though, the walkway wasn't lined with trees.

"This is the studio building. Studios are assigned to a group of about eight students. We basically use them as practice space," Drew explained, continuing on.

"And this is the main school building," he said as we stopped in front of the biggest building so far. The architecture was that of a castle, as it was mainly constructed with square shaped stones, and had tall, arch shaped windows. The front entryways looked like that of a church, with tall, spike like towers and elaborate glass-work for the windows. The whole building was a clean white.

"Yeah, it's pretty impressive the first time you see it," Drew commented, noticing my staring. He pointed the left side of campus.

"Down there is all of the show-room buildings. There's a theatre for the drama students, an art gallery for the art students, and all of the fun buildings."

"What?" I asked, confused at his last statement.

"You know, things like restaurants and places to hang out. We even have our own club, for the music acts to perform at. And lastly, the center of the campus is the courtyard, where in the spring we set up a huge outdoor concert stage," he pointed to the south of the school, where the ground slopped downward and all of the cement pathways connected to a large, park-like area.

"And there you have it! The Hayden tour of wonder is now complete. No need to thank me," he flipped his hair with his hand. My roommate seemed rather arrogant, but hey, if he had the talent to back it up then he had every right to be.

"Now, let us proceed inside. The sooner the welcome assembly is over, the sooner I can introduce you to the greatest people you will ever meet," he assured as he walked ahead of me.

His behavior confused me. I mean, I knew I was his roommate and everything but why was he being so nice? He had no reason to be; I had done nothing to deserve it. Growing up in Veilstone where fading into the background was as easy as turning off a light switch, I was not used to anyone going out of their way to help me. But never the less, I followed him into the school.

We made our way through the hallways until we reached what Drew called the Showcase theater. Apparently it was the biggest stage in the school, and where all the important stuff happened. It looked like an opera house, with balcony seating above us and on either side of the stage. The actual stage itself was cloaked in a deep red curtain. Drew and I found seats near the middle of the theater, not too close to the stage yet not too far. People poured in through the main entrance and filled the balconies within minutes. Suddenly the lights dimmed, and the huge curtains opened. A woman with long blond hair wearing a blue shirt and black dress pants appeared on stage.

"Welcome back, students of Hearthome Academy!" she greeted. The the whole theatre erupted with applause. "For those of you who do not know, I am your principal. My name is Cynthia Veil, and as most of you already know, I was once your Sinnoh League champion."

Applause again. This woman was champion? I asked myself.

"But as you all know, being a trainer takes a serious amount of training and years of schooling to become a licensed battler. I spent many years studying and working in order to attain the rights to possess more than one Pokémon, and to battle the respective gym leaders, and defeat the elite four in battle. But going through all that schooling, I also obtained all the necessary qualifications to teach if I ever decided that battling wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. And I was right. I gave up battling a long time ago, because I wanted to go after another dream. A dream to teach others, and make their dreams come true. This is why I stand before you today. You are all young, incredibly talented people, and you have proven yourselves worthy of entry into this elite school. And I must say that I am honored to be your principal. Together, I hope we can make this year even better than all of the past years put together, and reach new heights in our journeys to be the best that we can be.

"Now, along with the many competitions we hold at this school to test your abilities, our biggest and most prestigious award goes to the winner of the end-of-year Hearthome Showcase. Only the best of the best win that competition, and for the first time in HPA Academy history, last year a freshman happened to win. So without further ado, I present to you the winner of the last Hearthome Showcase, and this schools beloved Pop Princess, Miss Dawn Berlitz!" she ended her announcement before leaving the stage.

Suddenly, the lights became dark around the theater, and the stage started filling with white smoke. Colorful lights flashed from the stage, as three silhouettes appeared through the darkness. The music started up, as the lights shone brighter, revealing the faces of the ones onstage. The attention was mainly focused on the one in the middle, who even from this distance looked strangely familiar.

Oh no, I thought back to the incident a few weeks ago that inevitably lead me to sit here in this theater. I knew who she was. She was the girl from the video that Reggie had on that morning. She had midnight blue hair and matching eyes, and she wore a pink and black outfit consisting of shorts and an extremely tight fitting shirt. I thought about her name announced just moments ago.

Dawn Berlitz, I thought, the name of the girl with the empty song.

I wondered vaguely how and why a girl with a song like that could've managed to win this so called prestigious competition.

Well, I though, guess I'm about to find out.

A/N: Next chapter will be the last of move-in day. Then we can get on to more character development, and DRAMA! Stay tuned for the next chapter guys!