Author's Note:

Ugh...sorry about how long this took. I am unbelievably busy lately with school. And also, I might have gotten into Pokemon Sun, but honestly, school is the main reason. Oh, and also YouTube. I started a YouTube channel if you're interested. Link is on my Twitter page, since FanFiction won't let me post it on my profile...at least I think. Anyways, you're opinion of me, if it isn't already bad, might get worse, but you know...if you wanna roll the dice.

Anyways, as for the chapter. It was fun to write, but it's a bit weird with the whole class thing. I might've gone overboard with Ash being the mind wandering guy who slightly pisses off the teacher. And having all these characters get nervous is a bit much, but I think they are getting nervous for good reason. Remember, school is a weird concept for these people. They never go to school, so it's a crazy new adventure. Whatever, off to the chapter, because you've been waiting long enough.

Chapter 10: Get Your Ash to Class

When Clemont woke up, he could already hear Ash moving around outside of his room. He quickly sat up and grabbed his glasses which he'd placed on the floor next to his bed, and then sighed, still feeling quite tired. They'd had the weekend off after the screening battles and orientation on the first day, but Clemont was still feeling the exhaustion of not only the first day, but all the preparation before that. His friends had seemed to notice as he'd been pretty quiet during the time they'd been spending together during the weekend.

It wasn't like the others weren't tired as well, though, and the group of seven, occasionally including Marie, hadn't been doing too much. They'd mostly been exploring the campus and checking out some of the classrooms. Clemont had been particularly impressed with the classrooms for Levels and Experience, along with the Pokemon Breeding class. There were all kinds of diagrams on the various starter Pokemon of each region, some of them being ones Clemont had never seen or at the very most, had seen once. In the Pokemon Breeding classroom, they'd seen quite a few books on caring for eggs and raising young Pokemon. There were even a few eggs locked in cases near the front of the class.

The group had also checked out the training facilities the school had set up. Students were permitted to use the fields that were in place for the screening battles, but the official training facilities were much nicer. They had a small theatre that could hold about fifty people where performers and coordinators could practice their routines and appeals. There were also battlefields that were designed for both coordinators and standard battlers. The fields included water, grass, ice, rock and plain dirt. Nothing fancy like the Kalos League, but Clemont and the others were sure impressed.

Ash had already gone to the training facilities a few times, accompanied once by Dawn and Tierno and another time by an eager Marie, who was desperate to learn from the more experienced trainer. Clemont was actually a little suspicious that Ash was planning on heading over there this morning, as he'd hinted about it the night before, so the inventor quickly decided to hop out of bed and get ready. He couldn't let Ash be late for the first day of class, even if the best he could do was just make sure his friend was collected by Serena at breakfast.

Once Clemont had gotten changed and sorted out his bag for his first class, he stepped out of his room, looking over to his right and seeing Ash in the small lounging area with Pikachu, the two of them looking somewhat panicked. Clemont couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Ash sitting there on the floor with his backpack open and a pile of notebooks, pens, pencils and even non-school related items like old pokedexes, empty pokeballs and even a huge pile of underwear. Clemont had no idea why Ash would need so much of that, but decided to ignore the thought as he headed over to Ash.

"Good morning Ash," Clemont greeted his friend with a little wave as he stopped in front of the pile Ash had made.

Ash glanced up and gave an embarrassed smile. "Uh...hi Clemont," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about the mess. I kind of left my backpack organization till the last minute. I was hoping to get over to do a bit of training before my class, but all this stuff was...messy."

Clemont laughed, glancing at the pile Ash had in front of him. The raven-haired trainer was definitely right about the fact it was messy, but Clemont was used to this kind of thing. He wasn't exactly a neat-freak himself. "It's no big deal," he told Ash honestly. "You should see my little workshop at Prism Tower," he said, kneeling down and picking up the pile of notebooks. "I've got blueprints and inventions all over the place. You can barely walk in there." He quickly picked out five different-coloured notebooks and handed them to Ash. "This should be helpful for remembering which one is for each class," he suggested as Ash took them.

"Awesome, thanks Clemont," Ash said gratefully, carefully sliding the books into his backpack, before grabbing a couple pens, pencils and pencil sharpener that was designed like a Poliwag. He put it all in the backpack, zipped it up and swung it onto his back, before leaning back down and grabbing his pile of remaining items. "I'll just throw these in my room. If you're ready, why don't we head down. Serena and Shauna will probably be down there."

"Sure," Clemont agreed, heading off to the bathroom as Ash and Pikachu scooped up a couple more of his things and then made their way to their room. After a few minutes, both trainers were ready, and they made their way out.

As they began to make their way through the hall and towards the elevator, they stopped briefly at Serena's and Shauna's room, but realized the two of them had probably already gone down when there was no answer. They then continued on their way to the elevator, Ash pulling out his schedule as they walked. "I wonder what Pokemon Health will be like. I hope Nurse Joy isn't too tough of a teacher."

"What has Marie said about her?" Clemont asked, trying to think of what he knew of this specific Nurse Joy. "Other than them being related I mean."

"Just that she seemed nice the few times they met at family get-togethers," Ash said, still looking at his schedule, then turning his head up to look at Pikachu. "Well the good news is that Pikachu gets to come to class with me. I got a message saying I'd need a small Pokemon with me for the class."

"That's good," Clemont said happily as the two rounded a corner and made their way over to the elevator. "Just like with the screening battle, you two are starting a new journey together."

"Pi-pika," Pikachu squeaked happily, clearly liking the sound of that.

Ash nodded, looking just as happy at the idea. As the elevator opened up and the two trainers walked in, he gave a confident fist pump. "I'm not just gonna be a Pokemon Master, but also a Healing Master as well! Isn't that right, Pikachu?"

"Pi...ka," Pikachu muttered hesitantly, exchanging a quizzical look with Clemont, who didn't know whether or not he should be laughing at the moment.

It turned out Ash was only joking, though, as he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Nah...I guess I'm more suited to the battling, huh?"

Clemont shrugged, thinking of how often he'd wished he'd known more about how to deal with an injured Pokemon, even if just with minimal knowledge. "I think it should still be a useful class, though," he pointed out, glancing up at Pikachu. "You never know when you'll need to care for your Pokemon and sometimes it's not easy to get to a Pokemon Centre."

"Yeah," Ash nodded in agreement as the elevator door opened and they stepped out into the lobby of the building. A few students walked past them, already heading out, despite the fact there was still about an hour before classes began. "Come on," Ash said excitedly, turning towards dining hall. "I'm starving," he added, as his stomach growled loudly. Pikachu's even rumbled a little, although it was much quieter.

When they entered the dining hall, they were quickly called over to a table near the front, where Serena and Shauna were sitting. Each of them already had empty plates out in front of them, clearly having been sitting there quite a while, as they each looked to have been organizing their books.

"Hey guys," Shauna greeted as Clemont and Ash sat down across from the two girls. Shauna seemed to be putting her books in her bag, almost as if preparing to go. She must have noticed Clemont looking a little confused, so she quickly explained as she stood up and shouldered her bag. "I'm meeting Dawn and Tierno at the Chesnaught building since I've got my first class with them. I think Trevor and Marie are heading over here. You've got your first class with Trevor, right Clemont?"

"Yeah, Levels and Experience," Clemont answered, wondering why there couldn't be a better name for that class. He supposed it was too late for anyone to change it now, though.

Shauna nodded, stepping back from her chair and looking at the group. "Well make sure not to let him take pictures the whole time," she said jokingly. Clemont laughed a little, assuring her that he'd do his best.

"Well good luck with your first class, Shauna," Serena said, sounding a little nervous, as if she was the one in need of good luck wishes. "Hopefully Tierno doesn't flirt with you and Dawn too much."

Shauna giggled, waving her hand dismissively. "He's too busy trying to hide the fact that he wants to be a Coordinator. We'll be fine," she assured her friend. The brunette then took a deep breath and turned. "Well, I'm off then. Good luck, guys." The trio remaining at the table bid her farewell and then Shauna made her way out of the dining hall.

As he watched Shauna go, Clemont couldn't help but let nerves begin to get to him. It was all so real all of a sudden. Really, the idea of going to a class seemed like a fun little event in the future before now. Now Clemont knew it was far more than that. It was his life. At the very least, it was a crucial part of it. He had so much to learn from these classes and he needed what he was going to learn, so that he could be a better Gym Leader, better inventor and better person. The reality of those goals being tied to this new journey that started today, was quite nerve-wracking.

"Hey Clemont, you gonna eat?" Ash's voice suddenly called out, causing Clemont to jump up and turn around. He was surprised to see Ash already eating his breakfast. He must have tuned out so much that he hadn't noticed Ash going to get food.

"Oh, right, yeah I should do that," Clemont muttered, pushing his chair back, about to stand up.

"You all right, Clemont?" Serena asked, looking at him cautiously. Even though she had looked nervous earlier, Clemont realized his own nerves must have been showing much more, as both Serena and Ash looked a little concerned. He knew he needed to snap out of it. If everyone else here was managing to get themselves ready for their new journeys, Clemont could as well.

"I'm fine," Clemont answered with as much confidence as he could muster. "I'm a little nervous, but I guess we all are."

"Yeah," Ash agreed, smiling at Pikachu who was licking up some ketchup on a small plate next to his trainer's. "I'm a bit nervous too, but I'm also pretty excited. We all chose to come here, so we might as well give it the best we've got and never give up."

Serena opened her mouth as though she was going to say something, but stopped and just smiled at Ash, before looking back and nodding at Clemont, signalling she was in full agreement. Clemont supposed there couldn't be much argument against Ash's words. They'd chosen to be here, so they had to do their best, because this was the path they all believed could help them to their goals. And never giving up would be tough at times, but clearly that belief had worked for Ash until now, and Clemont would make it work for him as well. As long as none of us give up, we'll do well. This school is a perfect opportunity for me. I should know that better than anyone else.

Dawn and Tierno were waiting just outside of the Chesnaught Building, waiting for Shauna to arrive. They still had plenty of time until classes began, but it was clear that she and Tierno were pretty anxious to get going. Their eagerness only increased as they watched students continuously pass them on their way to their classes. Trevor and Marie had left a few minutes earlier, so Dawn and Tierno were hoping that Shauna would be arriving fairly soon.

As they waited, Tierno brought up the subject of their first class. It was clear the two of them were a little nervous, but Dawn supposed that was the case with everyone. "Do you know anything about our teacher for this class, Reggie?" he asked, looking at Dawn expectantly. "Ash mentioned he was from Sinnoh, so I was wondering if you've met him before."

Dawn shook her head, glancing down at Piplup as she tried to think if she'd ever heard anything about Reggie. "I haven't met him before, but I think I might have heard about him when I was travelling through Veilstone City. He used to be a pretty successful trainer himself, I think. Seems like he was fairly well known there."

"Ash seems to like him, so he must be a good guy," Tierno said, looking hopeful. "I wonder if we'll get to see any Pokemon eggs hatch. It'd be awesome to get a Pokemon that I could teach to dance as soon as it hatched from its egg."

"Uh, I wouldn't get too far ahead of myself when it comes to that. We don't know everything Reggie's going to be teaching us," Dawn warned, smirking at Tierno's excitement. "Hatching eggs isn't going to be the only thing he teaches us."

"But it's gotta be part of it," Tierno argued, eyes lighting up in excitement, "and I can't wait for it. If I can learn about this stuff, I can teach a bunch of Pokemon all the best dancing techniques right from birth."

Dawn was about to answer, but just then a voice caused both her and Tierno to turn around. Running up the sidewalk towards their building, was Shauna, looking a little embarrassed and also a little tired. "Sorry I'm late, guys," she panted, coming to a stop in front of them. "I got a little lost, after I noticed someone with a Bulbasaur. It looked so much like Ivysaur back when she was a Bulbasaur. I think it was actually the teacher for the Levels and Experience class that Trevor and Clemont have. Looks like they're talking about starter Pokemon at first."

Dawn and Tierno quickly greeted Shauna and then the trio began to walk, heading down the sidewalk towards the stretch of buildings which held most of the classes. "So how are the others handling today so far?" Dawn asked Shauna.

The brunette shrugged, looking back as though the others were still in sight. "I think they're a bit nervous, but they'll be fine. Clemont's a bit like Trevor, so they'll be fine with their class together and Serena should be able to keep Ash sorted out. And they're lucky to have Marie in their Pokemon Health class."

"Yeah, I wish she was in our class, right Tierno?" Dawn asked jokingly. "I don't know too much about that stuff," she admitted, looking guiltily down at Piplup who was waddling along next to her.

Tierno shrugged, seemingly okay with the whole thing. "I'm sure Professor Sycamore and Nurse Joy know that a lot of us don't know too much about that kind of thing. We should be able to learn the basics and then I think we'll be fine."

"Yeah, no need to worry, I guess," Dawn said, looking up at one of the buildings to their left, where she could lights going on in one of the classrooms. It was almost time for their first class.

They finished the rest of their short walk in silence and came to a stop outside a small building, which was among a line of four small buildings, called the Shinx Buildings, where most beginner classes and the Breeding class would be held. The other sections of the classroom buildings on campus were called the Luxio and Luxray Buildings, which held the intermediate and advanced classes respectively, along with a couple other classes that weren't classified as such, like the Breeding class or Pokemon Health.

Dawn led the way as she, Tierno and Shauna headed in through the main entrance. There was a large lobby at the entrance, but Dawn could see a large group of students gathered at the side to her right, all in front of a door with a picture of a Pokemon egg on the front. She knew that was their destination as they'd already toured the university grounds before. Once they'd made their way over, they stood behind a group of girls who were excitedly talking about the possibility of seeing Pokemon eggs.

"I hope we get to see one hatch!" one of the girls, a red-headed girl in a beanie similar to Dawn's, squeaked out excitedly.

"I really want to see a baby Pokemon!" one of the others added, almost jumping from her own excitement.

Shauna joined in on the conversation, surprising Dawn a bit when she spoke. "Isn't there more to Pokemon Breeding than just eggs and baby Pokemon?" she asked. She didn't ask it in a rude way, but the last girl who had spoken, a girl with long, blonde hair, narrowed her eyes, looking irritated at the question.

Before the angry girl could respond, though, a voice came from behind Dawn and her friends. "That's exactly right. Us breeders definitely need to be capable in raising young Pokemon from eggs, but our work isn't even close to being finished at that point."

Dawn and her friends, along with many of the other students, turned to look at the speaker as he said this. He was a tall man, not actually too much older than his students. He was wearing a what looked like a peach-coloured dress shirt and beige pants. Overtop, was a light turquoise apron. He had long, purple hair, tied in a ponytail at the back. He looked a little amused as all the students continued to turn and look at him. It was fairly obvious who he was.

"Well, good morning everyone," Reggie Wayland greeted the line of students as he began walking up towards the door of his classroom, pulling out a key. "I'm Reggie Wayland, your...um...Professor for Pokemon Breeding." He quickly unlocked the door and then held it open, gesturing for the students to enter. "Go ahead and take your seats and we'll get things started in a moment."

As the students started filing in, Dawn looked excitedly at Tierno and Shauna. "He seems cool so far," she said hopefully.

"Yeah, well we've seen him for a whole two seconds so, let's not get too excited," Tierno told her, raising an eyebrow as they started walking along as the line moved forward.

Dawn was tempted to kick her new friend in the shin, but suppressed the urge as the trio finally reached the front. "Hi Professor Wayland," Dawn greeted politely, smiling at the man as they approached.

"Hello there. And please, just Reggie," he said, laughing as they all stepped into the classroom, being the last ones in the line. "Good work there, by the way," he said to Shauna, stopping briefly at the back of the class. "I have to admit, it's a bit frustrating to be a Pokemon Breeder and have everyone assume I just hatch eggs for a living."

"Oh, well it was pretty much just what our friend Ash told us about you that made me think of that," Shauna said honestly. "Apparently you've met?"

Reggie laughed, looking quite happy at the thought. "Oh yes, I have definitely met Ash. I was surprised to find out he was attending this school, but it looks like he's got some good friends already, so I guess it makes sense." He gave a quick nod to the group, before heading up to the front of the class, which had a large desk, in front of a screen, which Dawn could see a projector for on the ceiling in the middle of the class. To the left and right of the screen were two glass cases with Pokemon eggs in them. Around the room were pictures of all kinds of various Pokemon. There was even a picture near the front of the class that looked like it had Ash in it, battling against a guy with purple hair, an Infernape and Electivire between the two trainers.

Dawn took a quick glance towards her two friends and then gestured to the desks, deciding they should take a seat. There were three columns of desks, going ten rows back, each desk seating three students. Luckily, nobody was sitting in the middle back desk, so Dawn, Tierno and Shauna all managed to sit there.

As Dawn, along with everyone else in the class, placed her bag down in front of her and under her desk, she couldn't help but think about how bizarre this situation was. Even Reggie seemed weirded out by it all as he sorted things out at his desk. He even looked slightly amused by it all, like he thought it was funny that he was about to teach a class.

It took a few minutes for Reggie and the students to get ready, and a few more students filed in as Dawn and the others waited. Eventually, though, it was time to begin, and Reggie made his way over to stand in front of his desk and looked ahead to the students gathered in front of him. Dawn was surprised at how quickly everyone quieted down, as a lot of people had been talking while waiting. Maybe it was the fact it was the first day, and nobody wanted to get on the bad side of their first teacher, maybe it was the fact that the topic of this class was interesting to the students, or maybe it was just that Reggie had a look about him that required enough respect to listen to what he had to say.

"Well, everyone, welcome to your first class at Lumiose University," Reggie began, smiling as he looked at the class. "I know you all must be so excited to have an early morning class to come to every Monday and Wednesday for the next few months." The class chuckled at that, as it was clear Reggie was joking. Dawn was glad that she'd have at least one teacher who understood the difficulties of early morning work. It was one thing when you were travelling on a Pokemon journey, but getting up early for a class was already not an exciting prospect for her. "So," Reggie began again, leaning back against his desk as he spoke, "I think today, we'll start off with a simple little exercise to see what you all know about Pokemon Breeding."

There were many nervous whispers and looks around the room by the students. It was clear that a lot of people were thinking that was a code for a test. Dawn couldn't help but feel a little panicked as well, and glanced at Shauna and Tierno to see them looking slightly uneasy as well. Finally, one student raised their hand and Reggie pointed to them. "Are we having a test?" he asked nervously, everyone listening closely as many were obviously wondering the same thing.

"No, don't worry. We'll keep things fairly casual for the first day," Reggie answered, looking a little amused. "So, I'll just ask you all a few questions and see what you can tell me and then we can see where it goes from there," he informed the class, getting a relieved sigh from nearly every student. "All right, first off, can anyone tell me some of the duties of a Pokemon Breeder?"

As students began to answer and as Reggie confirmed or corrected the responses, Dawn could see some people rapidly noting down what was being said, while others listened closely, just interested in what Reggie had to say. Others seemed to just stare off into space, while some just seemed confused. Shauna and Tierno next to her, seemed to be doing a mix of taking notes and just listening, while Dawn felt more comfortable just hearing Reggie's explanations and answers to some of the questions. For her first class, she had to admit that it wasn't that bad, and the topic seemed quite interesting to her. I can get used to this, she thought to herself, smiling. No need to worry.

Serena, Ash and Marie all headed into the small classroom in the Luxio Building, where their first class of their university experience would take place. Ash was quick to lead the trio to an open desk right at the front of the classroom, which Serena wasn't too thrilled about, but she went along nonetheless. Ash was probably just too eager to get a seat that he wasn't thinking about how it might be awkward to be right up in front of Nurse Joy as she taught the class.

The class was fairly small, at least smaller than some of the lecture classes were supposed to be. Serena supposed it was likely due to the fact that it would be easier for the students to learn this particularly important material in a smaller class setting. There were three columns of desks, each desk seating three people, and there were ten rows going to the back of the class. As Serena took her seat next to Ash at the front left desk, Marie sitting down to her right, she could see little packages that looked like first aid kits.

Before Serena could say anything, Ash reached out and picked up the kit in front of him, holding it up close to look at it. "Huh...what's this?" he asked, tilting it around as he examined it. He finally noticed the little, red cross symbol on it and nodded. "Oh, it's a first aid kit. I guess that makes sense."

"Please be careful with the first aid kits I've placed on all your desks," a woman's voice suddenly announced from the back of the class. Serena did her best not to laugh as Ash quickly shoved his hand forward and put his kit back on the desk. He wasn't exactly doing the best job of looking casual as they watched Nurse Joy make her way to the front of the class. Pikachu wasn't helping with his chuckling. "Well," Nurse Joy began, once she was standing in front of her desk, "good morning everyone. I hope you're all ready for your first Pokemon Health class. Today will mostly be an introduction to the course, but we'll try a small exercise to give you a chance to try doing what I do for a living."

"Are we going to be using these?" Ash asked suddenly, reaching forward and picking up his first aid kit again, holding it up and waving it a bit, already forgetting Nurse Joy's warning, apparently. Serena pursed her lips and exchanged an amused look with Marie as he did so, after noticing Nurse Joy look slightly alarmed.

"Careful with the first aid kit, please, Mr. Ketchum," Nurse Joy said quickly, walking over so she was standing closer to the front of their desk. Nobody seemed surprised that she knew Ash's name. His success in the Kalos League had given him some notoriety, particularly at this school. "Yes, today I'll be having you use these first aid kits in a small exercise. The items inside are carefully organized, though, so you must be careful with them."

Ash gave a slightly embarrassed look towards Serena. "I think I heard stuff shaking around in mine," he whispered, eyes widening a bit. "If anything's broken, can I-"

"Mr. Ketchum, please pay attention," Nurse Joy interrupted, eyebrows raised as she looked at Ash. She didn't look angry, but it was clear she wanted everyone to be quiet as she spoke, and obviously Ash wasn't doing too well on that front at the moment.

"Right, sorry," Ash muttered, folding his hands together and putting them on his desk. He was blushing a little from the embarrassment of being called out twice.

Nurse Joy gave a quick nod and then made her way back over to the middle desks to look at the class as she spoke. "So, as you all know, this is a mandatory class, meant to help you to understand the basics of Pokemon healthcare. Professor Sycamore has recruited a number of us to help with the teaching of these classes, but I will be the head Nurse Joy and will be teaching most of the time. For each year that you are at Lumiose University, you will be required to take the Pokemon Health class, and you will be learning more advanced methods of healing in the later years. There's no need to panic, though. We understand that you're here for other reasons. You will just be required to learn the basics and the classes are not designed to make you fail, but to learn."

Nurse Joy continued for another few minutes, formally introducing herself and describing some of the things that she, along with some of the other nurses, planned to teach the students. Luckily Ash was able to stay quiet and listen, so it was easy for Serena to understand what would be going on throughout the semester. It seemed that it would be reasonably simple to start off with, as they'd be learning basic first aid techniques to help a Pokemon out until being able to get them to a Pokemon Centre. It did seem that it would get a little more complicated in the future, but from what Nurse Joy was saying, the hope was that everyone would able to adjust as they went along and eventually be able to keep up with some of the more difficult lessons.

Finally, once she'd wrapped up her introduction, Nurse Joy went around to stand behind her desk and pulled out her own first aid kit and placed it out in front of her. "Now, I think we should keep it simple for the first day, and for our first exercise, we'll learn how to bandage a leg or wing, in order to keep it still. This way, you can ensure that your Pokemon don't hurt themselves further, before you are able to get them to a Pokemon centre, or at least somewhere where the injury can be properly treated." She then looked around the class and turned towards Serena and her friends, eyes going to Ash. "Would everyone please let out their Pokemon that they have brought for today's class? Preferably a smaller one such as Ash's Pikachu, here. Just so we can have enough room," she said, gesturing to the electric mouse.

After Nurse Joy said that, the class spent a couple of minutes getting out their pokeballs and getting their Pokemon sorted out. Serena had decided that Pancham would be her best choice for this exercise, so she released her little panda-like Pokemon onto the desk in front of her, while Marie released her Jigglypuff as well.

"Hi Pancham," Ash suddenly greeted, leaning forward and looking closely at the Playful Pokemon. "We haven't really properly met. I'm Ash, and this is my partner Pikachu," he said, gesturing to himself and then Pikachu.

"Cham-pancham-pan," Pancham replied, turning to Ash and standing up straighter. It looked a little like he was sizing Ash and Pikachu up, but after a glance towards Serena who nodded encouragingly, he gave Ash and Pikachu a smile, as though accepting them.

"Pancham's really good in performances," Serena told Ash proudly, as Pancham and Pikachu started to talk in Pokelanguage. "He was my first catch and he's been a crucial part of the team ever since. I think he was a big part of the reason why I decided to become a Performer."

Ash nodded, glancing at Pikachu and smiling. "You never forget your first catch. Mine was a Caterpie way back when I was ten, right at the start of my journey. I already knew back then that I wanted to be a Pokemon Master, but I think catching Caterpie really made me think that I could reach that goal someday. Eventually he became a really powerful Butterfree, and I knew I was on the right track."

"How's Butterfree now?" Serena asked, interested in hearing about some of Ash's other Pokemon. She'd only met Pikachu and Greninja and the others she'd seen were the ones he'd used in the Kalos League."

"I haven't seen him in a long time," Ash answered sadly, exchanging a look with Pikachu who was looking at his trainer, having heard what he and Serena were talking about. "He met a female Butterfree and I decided he'd be happier going with her."

"Oh..." Serena whispered, feeling guilty about asking that question and bringing a sad memory back to Ash. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"It's okay," Ash assured her quickly, turning to look at Serena and smiling. "I know Butterfree's happy and that makes me happier than winning a battle. I want to be a Pokemon Master, but I would never do it at the cost of my Pokemon being unhappy."

"That's so sweet, Ash," Serena told him. She could see that he meant every word, just by the look in his eyes. There weren't enough trainers with that kind of determination just to make their Pokemon happy, even if it was painful for the trainer.

"Maybe you'll see Butterfree again, someday," Marie chimed in, clearly having been listening to the conversation as she stroked the tuft of fur on its head. "He might have heard how well you did at the Kalos League and want to come back and fight again."

Ash laughed at that, turning to watch as Nurse Joy raised her hand to get the class's attention. "Yeah," he whispered, "maybe."

"All right, class," Nurse Joy called out, as she gestured to a small Fletchling sitting on the desk in front of her, "so for this exercise, as I mentioned, we'll be learning how to apply a bandage on a Pokemon's leg or wing, in order to keep it stable while it is transported to a Pokemon Centre." She quickly picked up her first aid kit that was on her desk, and then carefully opened it, revealing the bandages, ointments and other various medical supplies inside. "For this exercise, we'll be assuming that the Pokemon has either sprained or broken the appendage and there is no cut that will need to be cleaned," Joy explained, as she pulled out the needed materials, including the bandages and a pair of scissors.

As Nurse Joy began to demonstrate how to securely tie the bandage around the injured leg, using Fletchling's small leg as an example, she explained not to do it too tight for this exercise, but that it would need to be tighter if actually in a situation where it was needed. It was fairly straightforward, and once she showed the class how to tie the bandage, she showed them how to tape it or clip it and then the proper way to carry a Pokemon to reduce movement of the injured leg. She said it was sometimes better not to put a Pokemon in their pokeballs in these cases, as this way you could better keep an eye on its movements.

Once she was done with the demonstration, Nurse Joy called for the class to begin their own attempts at tying bandages on their Pokemon's legs, as she went around to see how they were all doing. Not surprisingly, as Serena, Ash and Marie began to work, Serena could see that Marie was going about the exercise quite easily. Her bandage was perfectly tied around Jigglypuff's little leg, and even though she hadn't tied it too tight, the Balloon Pokemon could barely move it.

On Serena's other side, the sight was also fairly predictable. Ash must have accidentally been tickling Pikachu's foot, because the electric mouse was rolling along the desk in laughter, while Ash desperately tried to grab his foot. "Come on, Pikachu!" he complained, alternating between frustrated expressions, but also laughter. "Gimme your foot. We're gonna fail if you don't let me try this."

Serena bit back a laugh and then turned her attention back to Pancham and her own attempt at a bandage. "Pain, pain, go away," she whispered jokingly as she finished tying the bandage, thinking of that day at Summer Camp. It wasn't as good as Marie's, but Serena was fairly proud of what she'd managed to do. As Nurse Joy came over to look at their work, she praised Marie's as being perfect work and then looked at Serena's work, giving a couple small pointers, but telling her it was excellent for a first try. She then asked Serena and Marie to help out Ash, once seeing that he'd somehow managed to tie Pikachu's tail to his foot, and noticed a few sparks shooting out of the electric mouse's cheeks.

As the two girls began to help Ash with damage control, Serena thought to herself that things were going very well so far. School isn't so bad, she told herself. And I'm already getting the hang of this Pokemon Health class. She was also happy to be able to work with Ash and Marie. Ash wasn't having the easiest of times at the moment, but Serena was more than happy to help him out and knew he'd get the hang of it eventually. So far, so good.

Well, that didn't go perfectly, but it was all right, I guess, Ash thought to himself as he and Pikachu waited outside of their Levels and Experience class. He was thinking of how he'd butchered his attempt at bandaging Pikachu's leg, but from what Nurse Joy told him, it was normal to struggle at first, especially with a Pokemon like Pikachu who was used to moving around a lot. Ash had still been unhappy with how it had gone, though, and he and Pikachu had gone back to their dorm room after class and he'd practised a few more times before lunch and then heading over for this class. It wasn't too great, but it wasn't as bad as it was at first.

Now, however, it was time for yet another class, and this time, Ash didn't have any of his friends to accompany him, which made him a little more nervous than he'd been with his first class. Not to mention, he'd never really liked the idea of Pokemon having levels, so this class wasn't too appealing of a subject for him. It was required for the Battling Program, though, so he supposed he would just have to get over it and see what he could do. Maybe there will be some battling with this class, he thought hopefully.

Eventually, after a few more minutes of waiting, the doors to the room opened up, and Ash followed the rest of the students into the class. When he entered, Ash was shocked to see that the class was completely different from Nurse Joy's. He toured the campus a bit and had seen some lecture halls, but he supposed that seeing one after being in a more standardized class was a bit jarring. It was kind of set up like a movie theatre, with rows of seats rising up from a mini stage near the front of the class, with a podium in front of a screen, which was likely connected to a projector that hung above the aisle in between two sections of seats. There were tons of pictures around the room of various Pokemon, mostly starter Pokemon, including pictures for the three Kanto starters at the front of the class. Ash could see a man near the front, with short, blue hair, who was wearing a white lab coat. He seemed kind of familiar, and a moment later, Ash remembered seeing the man when he visited Professor Rowan's lab in Sinnoh. I wonder if I've met all of my teachers here, before, Ash said to himself with a laugh as he found a seat near the left side of the class.

As Ash waited for the class to start, he just watched some of the students coming in, wondering if he'd know any of them. Unfortunately, it seemed as though he'd be separated from the group of friends he'd made so far. It also seemed like most people were sitting in groups already, and anyone on their own seemed to prefer sitting alone. Ash continued to be as social as possible, but by the time everyone was seated, it seemed as though people were either sitting alone, or already had groups of friends to sit with. That's fine, Ash told himself, as Pikachu hopped into the empty seat next to him, I've got my best friend right here.

Once everyone was seated, it appeared that it was time for the class to begin, as the man in the white lab coat approached his podium. "Good afternoon, class," he greeted, giving a small, awkward wave as he smiled towards the students in front of him. "I hope you are all enjoying your first day of classes. I'm sure it's fairly stressful, but hopefully the fact that you're all learning about Pokemon and how to be better trainers is enough motivation to keep pushing through." Ash nodded to himself, completely agreeing with those words. It was a new way of reaching his goal of becoming a Pokemon Master, but he was sure that this school would help him be a better trainer. "Well, without further ado, I think I should introduce myself," the man said, bringing Ash's attention back to the front of the class. "I am Yuzo Konishi, and I've been an assistant at Professor Rowan's lab in Sinnoh for many years, researching evolution. And, among that research, is the very topic that we will be learning about in this course, Levels and Experience."

A student near the front row then raised her hand, and Yuzo pointed to her, nodding to signal for her to ask her question. "Excuse me, sir, but I'm not sure what the point of this course really is. I know some researchers believe Pokemon can be categorized by levels, but I've seen plenty of battles that make me think otherwise. I'm just wondering why if you could further explain what we'll be learning about in this course so we can better understand that."

"An excellent question," Yuzo replied happily, stepping out from behind his podium and standing near the middle of his stage, closer to the front rows. "Pokemon levels are a complicated area of Pokemon research, and usually only come into play during simulations to predict the likelihood of a Pokemon's success. It's a good way to come up with strategies to win a battle if you are aware of a significant power gap. However, in real life, it is clear that the level, or power, of a Pokemon, is not necessarily a guaranteed sign of victory. An increase in power will often come out of a Pokemon gaining experience in battle, but you never know if that Pokemon is gaining bad habits while they battle. In simulation, that won't come into play." Yuzo paused here and looked around the class, seeing many confused faces looking back at him. Ash wasn't confused at all, though. In fact, he was already liking this class much more than he thought he would. Yuzo seemed to know what he was talking about. "See, the trainer and how they train their Pokemon is always the most important part in winning a battle."

Without even realizing it, Ash raised his hand, immediately getting Yuzo's attention. The former assistant of Professor Rowan nodded, smiling encouragingly at Ash. "So, would you say that you don't believe in the idea of Pokemon having levels?" Ash asked, looking down at Pikachu, and thinking that if Pokemon were guided by levels, Pikachu would have to be at a ridiculously high one by now.

"I think that they do, but I don't think they are guided by them as strongly as some researchers and simulations make it seem," Yuzo answered, nodding at Ash's question. "As I mentioned, battle experience will make a Pokemon grow and thus, their level will increase, which is why some Pokemon are able to evolve." He then pulled out three pokeballs from his pockets and tossed them out, revealing three brown bird Pokemon of three different sizes. Ash instantly recognized them as a Starly, Staravia and Staraptor. "Could someone please tell me about these Pokemon?" Yuzo asked the class.

Nobody raised their hand, so once again, Ash raised his, almost reflexively. He did know these Pokemon fairly well anyways. He'd trained his own. When Yuzo saw Ash was the only one volunteering to answer, he pointed to him and nodded, signalling for him to go on. "The smallest is a Starly. It's the first of the evolution line. Next is Staravia, who's a little faster and stronger. Finally, there's Staraptor, who is very fast and very strong, even against rock types if it knows a move like Close Combat like mine does." There was a bit of excited murmuring from a few groups of students when Ash mentioned his own Staraptor, as though they were quite impressed that he had one.

"Yes, that's quite right, Mr. Ketchum," Yuzo said, giving a thumbs up at the answer. "Well, mostly right, but definitely on the right track. In general, yes, the power level of these Pokemon would go up based on their evolution, but of course some Pokemon can be stronger if not evolved, such as your Pikachu, there, who could probably beat most Raichu that he went up against." He paused, walking over to his Starly and picking it up gently, before holding it up for the class to see. "What if I told you this Starly was stronger than this Staraptor?" he asked, pointing to the Staraptor behind him. Everyone in the class stared at him in shock for a moment, until he laughed. "It isn't, but believe it or not, it is possible. Starly can be stronger if it battles and gains more experience, essentially levelling up. Or, it could overcome its weaknesses by fighting with a talented trainer that can use its small size to its advantage, or force a more powerful Pokemon like Staraptor to make mistakes and underestimate its opponent."

With that, Yuzo recalled the three bird Pokemon to their pokeballs and Ash turned to Pikachu, who was actually watching the lecture with clear interest. "This class seems pretty good so far, don't you think, Pikachu?" Ash asked excitedly.

"Pika," Pikachu answered with a nod, looking over to his trainer and nodding.

Before Ash could say anything else, Yuzo had gone over to his desk at the side of the stage and was placing down the pokeballs for the three bird Pokemon, before picking up three other pokeballs and walking back to the middle of the stage. "Now, one of the most intriguing things about Pokemon levels, is how it relates to beginner trainers and the starter Pokemon they are given to use when beginning their journey. This will be the focus of the first few weeks of this course." He then opened up the three pokeballs that he had in his hands, releasing a Charmander, Bulbasaur and Squirtle in front of him. "Does anyone know who these Pokemon are?"

Before Ash could raise his hand, a student a few seats ahead of him did so, and Yuzo signalled for him to answer. "Charmander, a fire type; Bulbasaur, a grass and poison type; and Squirtle, a water type. They're the starter Pokemon generally used in the Kanto region, although some trainers also receive them here."

"Yes, that's correct," Yuzo said, smiling at the answer. "Does anyone know why these Pokemon are good for beginning trainers? Or even why any of the typical starter Pokemon are selected for beginning trainers?" At this, he reached into his pocket, pulled out some kind of remote, and pointed it up at the projector, which lit up and then displayed an image on the screen at the front of the class. It showed the starter Pokemon for Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos and even another region that Ash had never heard of, called the Alola region. For this one, he could see an owl-like Pokemon called Rowlet, a feline Pokemon called Litten, and a sea lion-like Pokemon called Popplio.

As Ash was looking at the unfamiliar Pokemon up on the screen, he could hear a student answering Yuzo's last question. "These starter Pokemon are specifically bred to be easy to control for younger trainers, but also capable of becoming much stronger if both they and their trainer work hard."

"Exactly," Yuzo said, clapping at the answer. "And this is why raising one of these starter Pokemon will be one of your projects throughout the semester. As advanced trainers, you will need to take what you learn from my class, and the other classes, and raise your Pokemon to be at a level where it is able to defeat Clembot in battle by the end of the semester."

Author's Note:

Hmm...I wonder what Pokemon Ash will get assigned with for his Levels and Experience class. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that. With that Levels and Experience class, I was just trying to make it like the games world of Pokemon was very different from the anime or...fanfic world. Levels matter, but not as much I guess. I don't know...hopefully it made a smidgen of sense.

As for the other classes, well not too much to them I guess. A tiny little amour moment for you in the health class, so hopefully you liked that.

Next one won't be out until next week unfortunately. Lots of essays to write. I'm gonna be getting to write a lot more very soon, though, so we can look forward to that. So bye for now and hopefully it won't be too long before the next one is up.