High School Union, Chapter 11
Okay, so no one has told me to scrap this idea yet…
Giratina; they're probably not paying attention to it, moron.
Palkia; why does it matter anyway?
Author; I'm trying to connect with my readers… maybe I should write out the penname…
Arceus; would that make any actual difference?
EmeraldDragon1; maybe, maybe not. I still like it, though. You know guys, there's actually a funny story behind my penname-
Giratina; that nobody gives a flying-
EmeraldDragon1; watch it!
Giratina; (rolls eyes) whatever. Noob.
EmeraldDragon1; Noob?! I have written 3 successful stories so far, thank you very much, and each one had at least two regular viewers!
(Rolls eyes again). Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you wasted so much of your time playing on a computer, pretending to be writing winning stories but actually wasting valuable time.
EmeraldDragon1; (rolls eyes). Whatever, I know I have the support of my valued, patient readers. Right guys?
(No crickets chirping; Arceus facepalms).
Arceus; Idiot, you have to wait until the viewers actually see this.
…
EmeraldDragon1; … I knew that…
A New Sisterhood
Most of the day passed along for Giratina without notice, but she was careful to listen through Mewtwo's class. Thanks to Arceus' tutoring, a lot more of what Mewtwo said made sense. She had even been able to answer a few questions moderately well. Mewtwo was still impassive about this, a rather extreme case of poker face. Creepy.
Deoxys' class was as eventful as ever, and Giratina had decided to give her a chance, but she still didn't quite see what Palkia saw. Choir was a break as they finally began singing for real, which Giratina had been excited to do. It was clear that Miss Reshiram was excited for the applied part of the class. Mespirit and Giratina walked together to the cafeteria again, and Giratina was thinking hard throughout. She didn't stop thinking as she sat at the table, and Palkia and Shaymin couldn't help but notice her despondence, even though Arceus had yet to arrive.
"Giratina, what's the matter?" Shaymin asked her.
"Yeah, you're real quite right now. Do you have… certain things on your mind?"
Giratina looked up, not in Palkia's direction, just out into space. No, he wasn't on his mind, but someone else was. Arceus showed up at his usual spot, and he greeted Giratina, who was still spacing out. Palkia motioned for Mespirit to kick her under the table, which she did, bringing Giratina back to her senses.
"Huh?"
Arceus, still smiling, repeated
"Good day to you."
"Oh, uh… good day to you too?"
Everyone laughed, and Giratina blushed a little at being put on the spot. She shook herself to recover and asked
"Hey Palkia, Shaymin, do you guys think we have some good friends here?"
Before either of them could answer, Uxie lowered his book long enough to say
"It's only been two days since you met us. That does not constitute a proper amount of time to determine whether or not an amount of friendship has been gained."
Azelf slapped his arm, which he ignored and returned to his book. Giratina rolled her eyes and said
"So, what do you guys think?"
Palkia thought for a second, then said
"Yeah, I think so. Why?"
Shaymin basically repeated what Palkia had said, and Giratina responded
"I think we should include the girls here into the sisterhood."
Palkia froze a bit, then put her hand to her chin in contemplation. Shaymin was silently explaining to Celebi what the sisterhood was. Mespirit leaned over to Giratina and asked
"What's the sisterhood?"
Turning to her, Giratina replied
"It's basically the group that Palkia, Shaymin and I have created. We have been best friends since, like, kindergarten, so we think of ourselves like sisters. It's been that way for a long time, but I've been thinking that considering the group we are now in, we should extend our hands out to the girls among us, even Latias if she'll join."
One said-mentioned red-head disengaged herself from Latios long enough to ask
"Join what?"
"Our sisterhood" replied Giratina, motioning to Palkia, Shaymin, and herself. Latias looked at them for a moment, then said
"Maybe. But I want to see what it'll be like first. Is that okay?"
Giratina nodded and said
"Sure. But I need to see what the other two think first."
Arceus chuckled and Giratina looked at him, asking
"What?"
Arceus smiled at her and said
"That's the longest Latias has talked around us since Uxie and I tried to pull them apart, remember that, Uxie?"
The blonde boy shuddered and said
"Don't remind me."
"Or us" said Latios.
Everyone laughed then, except for Uxie, of course, and Latias and Latios, who were back in each other's faces.
Finally, Palkia reached her decision and she said
"Sure, why not? It doesn't seem like a bad idea, and it would be nice to extend our group bit, wouldn't it?"
Shaymin nodded in agreement and said
"Yes, I agree. Let's do it tomorrow, okay?"
Giratina and Palkia nodded their heads, and Giratina sported a wry smile, saying
"Did you hear that Latias?"
She left her current kiss-off and said
"Someone say my name?"
Everyone laughed again (except Uxie, who only growled) and Giratina repeated for her benefit
"We'll try to induct the girls from this table in the sisterhood tomorrow. Will you be there?"
Latias looked at Latios, who nodded, then she turned back to Giratina and nodded her head, then went back to kissing Latios madly. Everyone rolled their eyes and continued with their meals. When Giratina finished, she waited for Shaymin, who was methodical in everything she did. Then she, Shaymin, and Celebi went to gym. When they arrived, they could see Jessica's group. It was obvious to them that she had been suspended, per Mr. Quaza's stipulation, and Giratina found herself relieved. She and the small, quiet couple (they weren't official yet, but Giratina thought they really did make a cute couple) went to the bleachers where some of the other students were sitting.
Giratina covered her face with her hair again and gave Shaymin and Celebi a bit of privacy but stayed where there could be power in numbers (even though Giratina could defend herself pretty well, and Shaymin wasn't much of a fighter anyway).
When the time came, they left for their various classes, and Giratina had only to face with history before going to work. She tried to create a positive attitude, using some of what Shaymin had listed off to help. She managed, and when the final bell rang she wasn't so apprehensive about going to work tonight. Palkia and Shaymin were talking about the induction of the girls at their new table for the whole of three days now. Giratina tried working out some of the details about how they would go about it, though Palkia and Shaymin thought her methods were a bit too… occultist.
When Giratina arrived at work, she changed into her uniform and met up with Angela again, who was still amazed at her singing. Giratina blushed, wondering how they could still be so obsessive over the birthday song she sung. She whizzed through her shift, barely noticing the time pass now. As she walked home, she reflected on how when she was so focused on her misery work would drag on. When she let her troubles go, things went smoothly. Maybe there was something to positive thinking. She would contemplate this further tomorrow.
The next day…
The morning passed quickly as Giratina geared up for the special induction she had planned. She and Palkia had stressed everyone showing up early to do it since lunch was their together-time. When everyone was gathered, Giratina started by saying
"Thank you, everyone, for being present to the, hopefully, extended sisterhood. First, what it is."
Everyone sat down while she remained standing so everyone paid attention to her.
"It was originally created by Shaymin and I. Palkia came I not long after because she was a close friend of Shaymin, and after getting to know her a little better, I agreed. It's a group exclusive to us. If this gets done, it might become like those little boy's tree house style. There will probably be some form of leader, but this isn't a guarantee. For the most part, it's a group of secrecy. The idea is we can unload how we feel to each other and not have to worry about it traveling to anyone else. This is because of a special pact we made, which we call the Sister Pact. It's a sort of contract promising to not divulge anyone's secrets, and even gives an incentive in the form of collateral. Palkia, Shaymin and I will give a demonstration to how this works."
Giratina nodded to Shaymin, who was the most formal and had really developed the system, but Giratina had the idea to add the collateral part. Shaymin wasn't too pleased with the idea, but as Palkia had pointed out
"You're not likely to spill secrets, especially big ones. So what do you have to worry about?"
Shaymin and Palkia stood, and Shaymin cleared her throat to begin.
"I call upon the Sister Pact so I may safely ease my mind about certain matters." Giratina interceded with
"You don't really have to say it like that, but you must make the declaration for the Sister Pact." Shaymin continued
"I now ask what my friends, the members of the Sisterhood, will present as a promise to keep my secrets hidden from those who are not members." Giratina spoke again.
"At this point you put something personal of yours up as collateral. The idea here is that most of the secrets we share in this manner have the potential to ruin the secret bearer's life in some way. We do make exceptions, of course. If someone here admits to murder, you're getting turned in. But since that's practically nonexistent here…" Shaymin picked up.
"Sisters, present your promise."
Palkia said
"My car."
Giratina said
"My neck band."
Shaymin nodded to Giratina, who turned to the rest and said
"Now we begin to share our secrets. We make sure all the details are received, unless the secret bearer doesn't wish to disclose them at all or until a later time, where the original pact can be left off. For the most part, the initiator is the secret bearer, but there have been other cases. Not many, and we don't want that to become a habit, so we try to keep the secret bearer as the initiator. When the secret has been revealed, and all the details necessary have been disclosed, the new secret bearers will touch hands and the initiator will close the pact after a reiteration of their promise, to be demonstrated."
She turned back to Shaymin, who motioned to both her and Palkia. They put their hands together and Shaymin began.
"The Sister Pact has been initiated and agreed to. The collateral has been placed, and the acknowledgments are as follows;"
"I, Palkia, acknowledge that the secrets that have been placed in my care are the sole property of Shaymin, and if I reveal the information above, I will lose my car."
The other girls seemed shocked at this part, but they didn't interrupt.
"I, Giratina, acknowledge that the secrets that have been placed in my care are the sole property of Shaymin, and if I reveal the information above, I will lose my neck band."
The other girls were suspicious at this, but still didn't say anything. Then Shaymin finished the pact; she placed her hand on top of theirs and said
"With the acknowledgement of this collateral, I trust you, Palkia, and you, Giratina, to withhold my secrets that I have placed in your care."
Giratina turned to the other girls and said
"It follows that we all will hold our word, one way or another. You cannot join if you aren't prepared to accept the consequences of your actions. Is anyone still interested?"
Giratina expected most of them to leave, but they all raised their hands. Giratina, Palkia and Shaymin were amazed at the acceptance these girls had displayed and were actually eager to induct them. Shaymin stepped forward and said
"Okay, then. For the purposes of induction, each of you must name the object you will put up as collateral when a Sister Pact is initiated. You must also give a reason why it is such a prized object. If we find the reason to be weak or invalid, it will not be accepted and you will be asked to try again or leave the induction. We all have confidence in each other that we won't lose our items, but if it becomes the case of losing items because of traitorous actions, the perpetrator will be put on a trial basis akin to probation from the Sisterhood. With that in mind, is everyone still willing to join?"
They all nodded and heartened the three for their fortitude. Then they began, with Shaymin saying
"We already know what we have put up, but with the induction of new members the items and reasons must be divulged to provide the example. We have had some changes over time as we grew, but we have only had one instance of one of our group losing their item."
Palkia spoke up now.
"That was me, and I had blabbed about Giratina's secret crush in middle school. I lost my favorite doll for that. Eventually, Giratina forgave me and returned it, but my item has changed for obvious reasons. I learned since then to keep my trap shut when it matters, and I hope no one goes through what I did."
Giratina stepped up and said
"There are only two exceptions to when our secrets can be revealed. One is if the secret bearer herself divulges the secret, or if the secret bearer gives release from the pact to one or more members. Realize, Latias, that this means you can't tell everything that goes on here to Latios."
Latias nodded and replied
"I understand, and I accept."
Shaymin went first.
"My item is my flower garden. The reason this is important to me is because the flower I cultivate can bloom all year round but takes six years of intensive care to tend and grow. These are the flowers I usually wear in my hair, called Gracidea flowers."
Everyone nodded and Palkia went next.
"My item is my car. It wasn't my original item, but after I got it, I admitted that it was a better incentive."
Giratina stepped up to the plate and told them
"My item is my neck band. Shaymin had given me this gold band for my eighth birthday, and the only time I take it off is when I shower or to clean it. One day I lost it on my bathroom counter, and I almost literally tore apart the house looking for it. My parents literally grounded me for a month."
The other girls laughed at this information, then Shaymin asked
"Who would like to present their item first?"
Mespirit stood and, while blushing, said
"My item will be my Nintendo 3DS. It was a gift from my boyfriend, Mew. He likes to play all sorts of games, and he can be very fun to play with."
Shaymin looked at Palkia and Giratina, who nodded, and she said
"We find these terms acceptable; your item shall be placed as collateral whenever a pact is initiated. Next."
Azelf stood and brought out her cell phone.
"My item will be my Samsung Galaxy. I really don't want to lose this, so I figure it would work."
Shaymin, Palkia and Giratina agreed, saying
"We find these terms acceptable; your item shall be placed as collateral whenever a pact is initiated. Next."
Latias stood and undid the clasp of her necklace and held it up, saying
"This will be my item. This originally belonged to Latios, even as the one he wears belonged to me. We swapped them to keep a piece of each other with us at all times."
The main three nodded and repeated the line of acceptance, then Shaymin motioned for their hands. They all came together and met their hands in the middle of the group. Shaymin finished the induction.
"With the acceptance of the collateral items offered by aspiring others, I now declare them members of the Sisterhood."
Everyone cheered as girls do when something exciting happens, and came together for a group hug.
Hehe. Come on, admit it, that was a good chapter. Anyway, hope to hear from you all soon!