Perryapsis

Chapter 7 - Multiple Rendezvous

I'm sorry for the huge delay (is that two weeks?!). I've been doing watersports training and the writers' block finally hit me. This chapter went through at least ten different iterations. It was originally meant to be romance-centric, but I think the final version is a bit more refined. Oh, by the way, I'm just going to pretend Garchomp and Gabite have claws instead of... a claw, just for the sake of convenience.

As of this chapter's upload, Perryapsis has 540 views! Yay!

Thanks to Akira and Wubking97 for reviewing!

Disclaimer: i not own pokemanz git gud


Everything was dark. Pitch black, a dreamless night. Bleak, empty and vast.

Of course, describing the insides of Perry's eyelids as 'vast' would be quite an overstatement... They were literally only a few centimetres wide.

And not one-hundred percent opaque, either.

Which was why Perry was suddenly blinded by the harshest of lights imaginable as Lucas tore Perry's curtains open. The dreaded Thursday morning.

"Ugh... Lucario can't learn Flash," Perry moaned, three-quarters asleep.

"Well, it's not that bright," Lucas lightly teased, "Come on! A nice, relaxed morning to prepare yourself for the day ahead. I'm making Spoink and eggs, for your information."

"Hey, do you think it's actual Spoink?"

"Probably not. But it's almost as fatty, and that's all that matters."

"I swear you eat the fattiest food on this planet, and never put on an ounce," Perry muttered, as Lucas jogged downstairs to superintend the burning death of their breakfast. Perry slowly rolled off his bed and instinctively slapped the top of his alarm clock, even though it had been broken for six weeks. He gave a half-hearted attempt at one of those over-dramatic morning stretches they do in those crappy movies, and it felt good. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, trying to clear his vision of the dust and dried tears of the previous night.

The previous night.

He was sorry. Although Perry was hardly social, he knew the way he just broke... or snapped in front of them was unacceptable. He was going to atone for his behaviour directly. But on second thoughts... He didn't really want to. No, there was no way in the distortion world he'd do it without a consultation. But again, he was by no means a fan of conversation, so he only really had one source of help.

Perry stuffed a couple of books into his bag, with the aid of his timetable, and tiptoed downstairs. He walked into the kitchen to be met with the delicious aroma of cooking oil and bacon.

"Here ya go," said Lucas, putting a plate in front of Perry as he sat down at their small table. Lucas then took a plate for himself, as well as cutlery for the both of them. Perry tore at his wealthy subsistence and wolfed it down in a couple of minutes. It was only 7:50 AM according to the kitchen clock.

"Why did you get me up so early, dad?" he asked.

"I already said, so we could have a leisurely morning," he replied with a slight smile.

"Well..." Perry began cautiously, wiping his face with the back of his paw, "I need some help."

"With what?" his father said, raising an 'eyebrow'.

"Umm... Yesterday... Oh, you already know. Well, I want to- no, I think it would be good to apologize to my acquaintances, but I just don't know how."

"Well, you just go up to them all friendly and say s-o-r-r-y," Lucas replied, segmenting the last word.

"Oh, you know what I mean."

"You know how to be polite. Don't be aggressive, be calm and let them speak if they want," Lucas explained seriously, "Just be nice."

"Of course, I forgot, that's too easy," Perry said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, it is. Come on! You need to be independent on social things like this!"

"Perhaps I do..." Perry murmured gloomily, "Well, thanks for the breakfast."

"You're welcome. See, that was polite."

"Yeah, whatever."

Perry dragged himself upstairs. It wasn't even eight o'clock according to his watch, so he stepped into the shower. He hadn't had one in three days and now he stunk of not only sweat, but also a whiff of bacon and eggs too. He had a brisk, invigorating wash-off. He quickly dried off his skin which was glistening slightly and brushed his teeth. Slinging his bag on his back, he went downstairs and said a quick goodbye to Lucas, before setting off. It was only 8:10 AM, so he had over half an hour. He decided to head the same way as the previous morning, heading past the labs and to the site of his battle with the Grottle. On the way, however, he ran into somebody he was dreading.

"Hiya, Perry!" exclaimed April from behind Perry, "How's your morning been?"

"Er, fine actually," he replied. Here I go.

"Umm, April, I-I just have something to say," he began guardedly, "I'm sorry for my behaviour last night."

"Hmm? What behaviour?"

"Well, on the way-"

"Oh that, I thought nothing of it!" she semi-lied, "Don't worry about it!"

"Really? Oh, okay then."

"How about we walk to school together?"

Perry really couldn't argue now. They were in no rush and he'd just apologized for his behaviour. But he wanted a bit of a jog for exercise. "Er, can we run? I know it's early, but I just want to get my muscles warm."

"Sure!" April replied warmly as they set off. Perry forgot that April was actually quite athletic, as she demonstrated on her first day and she had no trouble keeping up with his light-footed jog. With each bound, the red spots on April's back flared up and spat out sparks and embers. Occasionally one landed on her face and she had to blow or flick them off. Perry couldn't help but find it quite cute, which he scolded himself for.

"Hey, Perry, look at this!" April said, stopping Perry.

"At what?" he asked innocently, but inside he was panicking. He didn't want anybody to know about his confrontation with the Grottle the previous day. He just thought it would leave a bad impression, somehow.

"At these marks, everywhere. Look at this weird burn mark all over the pavement, and this blast mark. Oh, and that house! It's got sharp leaves embedded in it!" she said, investigating her surroundings.

"I haven't the slightest," he muttered, trying slightly too hard to move on. April trotted up to him and pulled out Perry's right paw, which had deep scratches similar to the ones on the ground and buildings all around.

"Umm, yesterday, didn't you say you had a run-in?" April, suspicion in her voice.

"Er, n-no, no I didn't..."

"Why are you lying to me? You already demonstrated how capable you are at battling yesterday."

"I-I just don't want anybody worrying about me, or to give a bad impression, okay? I didn't just go up to some random Grottle demanding a battle, he was threatening a Pichu and decided to harass me 'cause I had a bag on!"

"So what kinds of moves did he use?" April asked, looking genuinely worried. Perry hesitated.

"Ugh, Solar Beam, Leaf Storm, umm..."

"Hey, you should really get yourself checked out!"

"But I was healed after my battle with Ferdinand, remember?"

"Yes, but what if you were hurt internally? Leaf Storm is a deadly move!" she cried, putting her paws on his shoulders, "You could be really hurt!"

"No, no, don't worry..." he said, distracted by their closeness. He could feel April's soft breath on his muzzle. It smelt pleasant, not overly perfumed, but sweet... I swear, if you don't get your brain in gear, I'm gonna gut you.

"Well... umm, just be careful. Please, for me," she whispered, frowning.

"For you?"

"Er, f-forget that bit," she stuttered, taking her paws off Perry's shoulders. Little flames kindled on her back. "Let's just get going."

The pair made it to the school in about five minutes and walked in through the main gate. They were among about ten Pokemon there this early. Perry saw a flash of blue and black entering the building via the main door. "Wait, I could've sworn I just saw- Oh, nevermind..."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing," Perry replied. He didn't want to seem like an idiot if he was wrong. "Okay then, I'm gonna head to the library to do some reading, so see ya at form."

"Hey, can I come?" April pleaded. Perry really didn't want any company, but again he was trying to be on good terms with April today.

"Ugh... okay then."

Perry led the way to the library through the school, which April didn't know, being new. On the way, they passed their form room, and to their surprise, Lucy was standing outside the room, confirming Perry's hypothesis of who he'd seen entering the building.

"Hiya Lucy!" April greeted with a wide grin.

"Umm, hi April," Lucy said, slightly deflated.

"So, who are you waiting for?" April asked, jumping straight to the point, although she already knew the answer.

"Uh, whadayamean?"

"Well, it's obvious you're waiting for somebody. Is it Sam?"

"No, no I'm not... I'm just hanging around, on my own..."

April gave Lucy a knowing smile, as Perry tried to break away from the group. "Can we please get going?" he asked, a little annoyed.

"Sure!" April said, following him as he started to leave.

"Hey, you're not doing too bad yourself!" Lucy called out behind them with a mischievous grin, heating April's cheeks.

April and Perry eventually made it to the library and had about twenty minutes to read. Perry went straight to the science section, delving into the shelves for space books. April tagged along, pointing out books which she thought looked interesting.

Perry had to admit, he was starting to enjoy April's company. There was a voice in the back of his head, reminding him she was annoying and constantly getting in his way, however, she clearly cared for the Treecko, and genuinely wanted the best for him. It would be cruel not to at least acknowledge her. But aren't you meant to be cruel anyway?

"So, can you teach me about space?" April asked curiously.

"Er, what do you want to know?"

"Well, what're you interested in?"

"Er, I like orbital mechanics and spacecraft design."

"Well, teach me about orbital mechanics!" April said, enthused. Perry pulled a book from his bag and opened it on a desk, pulling a couple of seats into position. The two Pokemon sat down, and Perry began to explain the basics.

Ferdinand Cane leisurely strutted into his form room, late by about two minutes. He couldn't care less.

"Excuse me, Mr Cane, but why exactly are you late?" his form tutor, a burly Krookodile, asked.

"'Cause I'm lazy, Mr Crook," he replied simply.

"Well, you're lucky I haven't taken the register yet," Mr Crook said, sighing.

"Lucky? Well, next time I better get here on time," he muttered, loud enough for the teacher to hear.

"So, class, today I'm introducing a new member of your class who couldn't quite make it for Tuesday, Miss Gnawson," he announced, beckoning for an attractive Gabite to come in. She walked into the room, wearing a sly smile as someone gave her a wolf-whistle.

"Hi guys and gals, I'm Gabby and I'm fifteen. I hope I enjoy my time here!" she said quickly, with a toothy grin (well, a land-shark can't give anything other than a toothy grin).

"Yup, please can we make her time as comfortable as possible, class?" There were various sniggers and at least one Pokemon yelled 'of course we will'. "So, where would you like to sit?"

"Umm, I dunno, how about next to the big monkey?" she said, going over to Ferdinand's desk and sitting in the empty seat to his right. Ferdinand gave her a wide smirk.

"Hey, big monkey? What's that about?"

"Well, I didn't know... Wait, you're an Infernape, right? Sorry 'bout that."

"Nah, just teasin'," he said, "So, what brings you to Sandgem?"

"Well, ya see, I've been living in Unova for most of my life, but my mom got a new job so we had to move."

"Ah, the accent gives it away. From the big parts?" he asked, putting on a western accent.

"Yeah, I guess, Castelia."

"Anyways, what do your parents do?"

"Well, my mom's a mountain guide on Mount Coronet, and she really enjoys her job. I've been up with her a couple of times in the summer."

The two of them, along with the rest of the class, continued to chat. Ferdinand earned a few dirty looks from his classmates as he and the Gabite got to know each other better. It disappointed Ferdinand a bit, that everybody seemed to think he was some psycho battler, but he had to assert his dominance. Eventually the time came for the first lesson of the day, so the class departed their form room and headed to the languages department.

"So, what's our first lesson?" Gabby asked.

"Umm, I think it's languages," Ferdinand replied with a sigh.

"Oh, cool!... I guess. I mean, languages are probably my favourite lessons..." Gabby said, before noticing Ferdinand's slight look of distaste. "Then again..."

The form entered the classroom, and sat down at their desks, with Gabby next to Ferdinand. Their teacher was a tall Furfrou who spoke with a strong Kalosian accent.

"Hello! Bonjour! Hola! Nǐ hǎo! Hallo! Konichiwa! Zdravo! Hej! Ahoj! And finally, bonjour!" greeted their teacher enthusiastically, "Je m'appelle Madame Fleury, et je suis votre nouveau professeur de langues."

Most of the class just sat their, scratching the backs of their heads.

"Would anyone care to translate?"

A mischievous Cacturne raised a thorny hand.

"Oui?"

"My name is Miss Furry, and you are my new language teachers."

"Excusez-moi, pourquoi vous êtes un retard?"

"Er, excuse me, why am I a-" Madame Fleury menacingly paced towards the Cacturne's desk. "Oh sorry, you didn't want me to translate that part."

The teacher evilly deadpanned, her sudden change of expression noticeable, while the rest of the class just facepalmed. "You will be wanting an extra-large dinner tonight, as you'll be missing your lunch for my office."

The Cacturne groaned, holding his head in his hands for a moment.

"Well done, Spiny," Ferdinand called out, rolling his eyes.

"There's space for two, pour votre information," Madame Fleury added, the tips of her mouth curled up.

"No, no, don't worry about it," he replied with a wave of his hand, Madame Fleury rolling her eyes.

"Are you sure? If you really want, it could easily be arranged."

From that point on, the lesson went quite smoothly, Madame Fleury introducing their new topic, L'histoire de Kalos. Gabby continued to receive attention, and the Infernape and the Gabite quickly became friendlier. Most of his class was surprised to see that Ferdinand actually wasn't a psychopath... at least for the moment. They weren't going to put it beyond him just yet. At the end of the lesson, the class had settled down a bit, and Madame Fleury was, surprisingly, quite pleased with their research into the Kalos War. They were dismissed and all but one Cacturne set off for the cantine.

"Hey, Ferdy, you wanna get lunch together?" Gabby asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Umm, 'Ferdy'? Who d'ya mean?" Ferdinand asked with a look of mock indignation.

"That's what I'm gonna call you from now on. 'Ferdinand' is three syllables, so it's a bit tedious to say."

"Oh, thanks. Great to see you're going the extra mile," Ferdinand chuckled, "Shall we gt going?"

"Sure."

The two of them set of for the cantine, passing through various corridors. On their way past the library, however, the pair ran into a small figure that looked as if it was carrying a mountain of books, at least, comparative to the size of the carrier.

"Er, hey, I appreciate you getting these for me, but you didn't need to get me all those books. I mean, I like space and all, but, well... I've got plenty of... more resourceful books than those," called out a raspy voice from within the library, to the figure stumbling around. That annoying voice Ferdinand recognised, and it belonged to Salyut. The Pokemon who, he hated to admit, nearly took him down during the battle try-outs the previous evening.

"Oh, right. Well, I wanted to do some reading on the subject too," replied a new voice that Ferdinand didn't recognise.

"Well, that seems a bit... over-enthusiastic," added a Dewott, just departing the library too, a Luxray in tow.


As the group were fumbling around outside the library, they didn't notice the two taller figures approaching.

"Hi there," greeted the shorter of the two, a Gabite with a feminine voice, surprising the group somewhat, "D'ya want some help with that?"

"Er," Sam said, as Perry began to unburden April, "perhaps."

"Umm, how do all these books not fall off your back?" Perry asked, exasperated.

"I'm holding them," April replied. Perry was able to lift a third of the books and cradled them in his arms.

"Here," said the Gabite, picking up another third with ease, "Where d'they want to go?"

"Well, maybe two-thirds could go back in the library, and April could hold on to the remaining third, if she wants," Lucy suggested.

"Alright," April sighed. She straightened out, dropping her books on the floor, and picked them up in front of her. Just as Perry was turning to go back in the library, he spotted Ferdinand just standing there, wearing a scowl.

"Go on," he growled.

"What are you waiting for?" Perry asked with a glare.

"I'm waiting for her," he replied with the same tone, nodding at Gabby.

"Hey, hey," Lucy butted in, trying to seperate the two, "Perry, go on." Perry went back in the library, Gabby following behind.

"Hey, aren't you the Shinx who lost to that dork?" Ferdinand asked cruelly, pointing at Sam, "I'm not taking any crap from you."

"Hey, Lucy's a Luxio, not a Shinx, and I'm not a dork!" Sam yelled, placing a hand on the hilt of his right scalchop.

Various heads turned around the corridor, noticing the confrontation. At that moment, Perry and Gabby walked back in.

"Hey, what's going on?" Gabby asked, confused. Ferdinand immediately backed down.

"Why don't you stay away from us, or I'll make your life hell," Perry threatened, fists balled.

"Don't you threaten me too," Ferdinand grumbled.

"Come on, let's just go," Gabby said, trying to break up the confrontation. She grabbed Ferdinand's wrist and pulled him away.

"Oh, thanks for the help," called after Gabby, referring to both the books as well as the potential scuffle.

"No prob," replied Gabby, looking back with a slight smile.

When the two had left, the tension in the corridor immediately seemed to dissipate.

"Wow. He is a true prick," Lucy said.

"Agreed," Sam muttered, sidling up to Lucy with his blade finally re-sheathed. Perry's fists were still balled.

"Does he ever bug off?" Perry growled. April dropped her books and but her hands on his shoulders, turning him to face her, just like the morning. Perry again found it somewhat pleasant.

"Come on, he's gone now. Why don't we just go get our lunch?" she said in a soothing voice.

"Ugh... okay," he sighed, shaking his head and rubbing his forehead.

"Is something wrong? Have you got a headache?"

"Umm, n-no..."

"Already like a couple," Lucy whispered to Sam, trying to lighten his mood. April just about heard it and feigned rubbing her cheeks so as to conceal the pink tint that was creeping onto her face.