Of Graduations and Grass-Types

This one is super-duper short, but it's very important. Lots of things happen that cause the rest of the story to be like it is. I didn't want to overdo the fight scene, in favour of having a touching moment between the main characters. Gotta love how adorable they all are together.

I don't own Pokémon or Pokémon Ranger, but that's a given.


Mom and dad seem to get closer and closer every day. They've moved to Chicole Village already! They want to see our graduation.

That's not surprising. We are their only son, after all.

Graduation is today. Are you nervous?

Of course not! The real action begins soon! None of this carrying around picnic baskets.

We have our last class with April. She gives us a free period to say goodbye to anyone or anything that we need to; as if we didn't have enough free periods already, what with the fainting the other day.

But this time it's voluntary.

We're not going to Fiore either. We're off to Vientown to work with Barlow and the rest of that strange lot.

Keith and Rhythmi are Fiore-bound, though...

Don't sound so sad. You'll get over them.

It's hard to get over your best friend!

You don't exactly have much of a choice. Is there anywhere or anyone we need to say goodbye to?

Not really.

Shall we climb on the roof again?

Why not?

Off I trot. The sky is overcast again, an impending thunderstorm looming on the horizon, the chill becoming more evident the higher I climb. We'll probably have to have the graduating ceremony inside. I can't decide if I would prefer that or not. I quickly clamber onto the window sill, trying not to linger in case I draw attention to myself and get into trouble. I grab onto the drainpipe to the right of the window and begin to climb upwards, until a voice calls out to me from one of the windows near my feet.

"Light! What are you doing?! You're going to get yourself KILLED!"

Rhythmi sticks her head out of the window, the personification or pure horror. I shrug at her, pointing up to the roof. She gets the idea.

"No way! Get back in here mister! Don't kill yourself on the day you're supposed to graduate!"

Watch out! She's lethal!

She reaches out to grab me and drag my sorry butt back inside, but she doesn't get a good enough grip on my ankle. She pulls me off the drainpipe and I hit the ground below.

...

I wake up to Keith shaking me like a rag doll. I slap him, wanting him to get off before he breaks something!

If we haven't broken something already. Our back kills!

I sit up gingerly, half expecting to be paralysed after falling two storeys off a window ledge. Luckily, I'm only slightly bruised. I have the worst headache ever conceived, but I can just suck that up and bear with it. Rhythmi shows up, throwing her arms around me, apologising again and again for almost killing me.

Hey, it was an accident. Way to start the last day of school, huh?

I'd like to see the end of it, too. I pull myself to my feet, with a little help from Keith, and straighten the cricks out of my back. I landed pretty hard; my head is ringing.

"You know... This could be the last time we see each other..." says Rhythmi pensively.

She has a point.

Good riddance, I say.

What! Don't tell me you haven't grown a little bit fond of them?!

... Oh, OK then. Maybe it is a little bit sad. Rhythmi looks like she's going to start crying. I roll my eyes – to show that I'm reluctant in my gesture – and open my arms towards them.

What a sissy!

Keith smiles and is the first to hug me back. He's more enthusiastic about it than I am, but it's the thought that counts. After sniffling a bit, Rhythmi cuddles up too. It feels like an eternity spent in quiet serenity with them. My head is still pounding furiously, but at least I have something to hold onto through the pain.

The bell goes up above us, sending flocks of frightened Taillow twirling away into the sky. I quickly push them off me and cross my arms, eager to move on and get this day over with. Keith laughs and slaps me on the back, obviously expecting this kind of response from me at this point. The three of us straighten our uniforms and leg it off to the school building before Kincaid starts on a war rampage to find any late students.

We don't want to be late for our own graduation!

The hall is full of bouquets of flowers from all over the region; banners and streamers decorate the ceilings and banisters. I can smell cake and confections coming from the kitchen, making my mouth water. Can't we just skip the formalities and get onto the food? All the students are lined up in rows facing the main stairwell, and all the teachers are present.

They really went to town with this thing. Let's just make sure we don't faint on anyone.

We've already been unconscious one time too many today. Besides, my headache is starting to fade.

"The Ranger School graduation ceremony will now commence," announces Kincaid, chest sticking out like the whole event is for him. "First our Principal's congratulatory remarks. Principal Lamont, if you please."

"Blah, blah, blah!"

Wow. He didn't even get a word out and you're already ignoring him.

What? This is the boring bit. Can you blame me? He tells us to keep smiling, which is a bit hard on our behalf, as I never smile much anyways.

Don't worry. I'll smile for you.

My lips start to curl up at the corners, but I quickly fight it down. Would you cut that out? I hate it when you do that.

Hehe!

He finally shuts up, only for Kincaid to start up on his own monologue. He calls upon Isaac, the guy we met on the bridge, to be the 'valedict-something-or-other.' Isaac starts rambling on about how we will never forget the teachers and the school and some other soppy stuff before finally taking his place again. I can see Keith yawning behind his hand out the corner of my eye. At least I'm not the only one of the verge of suicide here.

Why is he nudging us?

Huh? Representative? Us?!

Go on! Before they realise we weren't paying attention!

I go to 'step up', so to speak, when a tremor shakes the ground. Students and teachers alike end up sprawled all over the floor in the aftermath of the quake. My perfect balance and posture keeps me upright, of course. Can't be seen lying around on my arse in front of my peers. Rhythmi says something about the basement, and Kincaid goes to check.

He's coming back!

That's not him! Two very angry Tangrowth emerge from the depths, shaking their vines around and screeching for no apparent reason. They jump up and down, creating more tremors that threaten to shake the school down. Janice wouldn't like the mess.

I think she'd be more concerned about getting out alive.

Keith and I team up, the only ones that aren't in a mild state of shock; possibly because we've had to do so much Capturing the past few days. He takes the Tangrowth on the right, and I take the one on the left. I don't think either of us could manage both at once. Maybe I'd have a try, but it probably wouldn't end well, especially with my pounding head.

Good luck, Light! Don't show us up in front of the whole student body!

No pressure then. The Tangrowth attacks before I can make my first move. It sends poison powder at me; clogging up my lungs and making me feel queasy. Not wanting to show myself up in front of the rest of the school, I fire the Capture Disc anyway. I get a few loops drawn before it does the same thing again. I have to abandon the attempt or risk getting badly poisoned.

This happens a couple of times. It's getting harder to breathe, and I can hear Keith panting to my side. I turn to look at him to see how he's doing when I'm smacked in the face by a vine. I fly through the air and collide heavily with a wall, and all turns black.

Not for me! I take over, waking from the second brief moment of unconsciousness this day to Rhythmi yelling at me to get up. The Tangrowth is fast moving in on me. I smirk, readying myself for a shot at the Pokémon. Light and I fight differently; the Tangrowth won't know what hit it!

I can't stop coughing, doubling over in pain, leaving myself open to attack. It takes another sweep at me with its vines, which I dodge until it becomes annoyed enough to send one straight at me. I wait for it to get within a foot of me, and jump, landing on the thick part of the vine near the base. From there I hop onto the Pokémon's head, where it has trouble reaching me. It screeches, flailing around like a bucking bronco, trying to shake me off. I hurriedly make the final loops before get sent flying.

"Yes! Capture Successful!" Ah, at least Keith isn't dead. We release the Tangrowth and exchange manly high-fives... before unmanly hugging. My legs are shaking and the pain in my head has returned full force due to my impact with the wall, but I'm mostly unharmed. Rhythmi joins in, glad to see her friends still in one piece. Or so she thinks.

Can you hear me in there?

...

Light?

...

Never mind. Kincaid drags himself up from the basement, which is probably in ruins; he's a bit shaken, but is better in health than Keith and I are. I feel like vomiting. The ceremony continues, with or without Light. Kincaid returns to his spot in this shindig and April speaks up.

"I would like to call upon one student as the representative of the graduating class. Light. Step forward, please."

Please don't make me speak! I do as she asked, still rasping heavily from the poison in my system, stupid Grass-types, and I stand in front of Lamont Splendidocious.

"Light and Keith. Thank you for coming to the protection of everyone!" Hurry up! I need to rest! "It was very impressive to see you calmly go about your captures with no panic." Don't faint. Please don't faint! "You've provided everyone with a good example of taking charge in a crisis." Urrgh! My head... "Now, as a representative of the graduating class, I confer you this certificate."

He hands it over, and I get back to my position, barely managing to avoid blacking out. I'm feeling very out of kilter. The poison and the two bumps on the noggin begin to take heavy effect. My legs already feel like jelly. I keep my fingers crossed that I can at least make it through to the end of the ceremony before passing out.

"And finally... The time has come for all of you to set sail into the vast horizon that is your future. In closing, I will say this once again: 'Please don't forget to smile.' Congratulations, grads!"

"Hey, Light? We're real Rangers now! Cool, huh? …Light?"

It occurs to me that my parents never came to the ceremony, before I hit the floor.