N-Black is back with the eleventh chapter of Pokémon Academy! Justin has succeeded in landing not just one, but TWO dates! (Like A Boss!) However he sees the time that Skyla wants with him as being time with a friend. Not only that, but now he feels guilty about what happened with Elesa. And what has happened to our volcano-headed friend? All this and more will be found in the eleventh chapter!

Chapter 11: The Poison of Words

That night was full of excitement, questions, and worrying. Justin had told Carlos and Ethan about the incident on the roof, how Skyla acts around him, how Elesa was apparently crying after coming down the elevator, Colress talking to him , and most importantly the news on Silver. Ethan scratched the back of his head since his hat prevented any other kind of contact.

"This is a lot to take in…" Carlos was rocking back and forth on one of the chairs and had his fingers pressed to his temples. He had his eyes shut in what was apparently deep concentration or he was trying to resist another gas attack. Carlos had a rather nasty looking Tamato berry sandwich and despite Justin and Ethan's warnings, he ate it anyway saying that it was packed full of essential nutrients needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. He was now suffering from the side effects of spicy Tamato berry; it was something Justin called the Electrode Effect. It was a simple theory that only consisted of the unexpected bouts of explosive gas that occurred every once in a while; much like an Electrode or Voltorb. Carlos was now sweating and Justin guessed it was the Electrode Effect taking place. Carlos got up and ran straight for the bathroom and shut the door. They wouldn't be going into the bathroom for the next two days unless they were in hazmat suits. Ignoring the grotesque sounds emanating from the bathroom, Ethan continued to speak, "So what I'm the most curious about is this Colress character and his interest in you."

"Yeah, I don't know what it is, but that guy has something off about him. I guess you'll see what I mean tomorrow when we all see him." The sound of the toilet flushing became louder when the door to the bathroom opened and Carlos came out seeming five pounds lighter. He took his seat and gave out a relaxed sigh.

"You know what has me worried? The disappearance of that volcano-headed punk." Justin nodded his head and remembered that burning desire to settle the score with Silver.

"I agree. It seems real dubious that Silver left without a trace." Ethan nodded with comprehension, but Carlos looked confused.

"Silver? Who's that?" Justin and Ethan were confused as well. Then Justin realized that they never said Silver's name in front of Carlos yet just in case Carlos wanted to exact some well-earned revenge.

"That's volcano-head's name." Carlos merely sat in silence and looked into space. Justin knew that Carlos hadn't forgiven Silver for his word's the last time they saw him. "Anyways, I guess we'll find out about all these occurrences in the future; news of students disappearing tends to travel fast anyways." With that said the trio went to bed, but none of them were able to get much sleep tonight… too much was happening on their small island and soon, more things will be happening…

Skylas's POV

Skyla pursued her best friend to try and comfort her. She went to the bathroom since it was a great place to vent emotions. She opened the door to the girl's bathroom, but saw no one inside of it. Frustrated, she went back to her room and had full confidence that Elesa was inside. She opened the door and ran inside. She looked at Elesa's bed and saw that it was empty and the only sound in the room was the water of the shower. Skyla thought about bursting into the bathroom, but if it was Lyra in there, things would be really awkward. Skyla knocked on the door and she heard Lyra's voice call back.

"Is that you Skyla?" How Lyra knew it was her, she would never know.

"Yeah, did you see Elesa?"

"She told me through the door here that she was going to spend the night in Flannery's room. Did something happen Skyla?" She looked down at the ground and quietly answered.

"Yeah…" She lumbered over to her bed and laid down. She didn't mean to hurt her like this. She never wanted to hurt her in the first place. They were best friends and now they seemed so distant. Lyra came out from the shower in her pajamas and sat down next to her. She had a worried look in her eyes and she had the presence of a concerned mother.

"It's something about Justin isn't it?" Lyra's natural parental instincts made it easy for her to pinpoint the problems of Skyla and Elesa. She nodded and Lyra let her shoulders sag. "That guy is trouble… but he doesn't mean to be. Trouble seems to find him. He kind of reminds me of Thomas…"

"Who's Thomas?" Lyra looked off into the distance and sighed.

"Guy I knew before. He was an exchange student from Sunnyshore City in Sinnoh." Lyra took a comb and was now running it through her hair. "I met him back in trainer school. He was a wild guy, but funny." She plopped the comb on the bed and turned around and kept speaking, this time with a hint of sadness in her voice. "But it was if Arceus cursed him with the ability to attract danger." Lyra got up and Skyla closed her eyes, preparing to sleep. So Lyra had someone that left her before as well… She hoped that Elesa wouldn't abandon her. After all… friends help friends…

Justin's POV

First period was Pokémon Battling 101 and Justin could hardly remain awake during it. He had gotten minimal sleep last night and he saw that Carlos and Ethan weren't holding up very well either. Justin's view was getting fuzzy and the only thing that knocked him back into real time was the sound of Brandon's voice.

"CLASS! FRONT AND CENTER!" The class congregated and there many whispering conversations going on about what could've made him angry this time. "Class, we have a visitor!" Brandon motioned to the doorway and Justin saw a rather slender woman with pale skin dressed in a lavender top with no sleeves that displayed her midsection. She had black slacks and wore a golden zigzag pattern belt with lavender high heels. She had fore arm length gloves of the same color as her top, black hair that had two streaks of red in them, and cheri berry red eyes. She was accompanied by Carmen and the mysterious lady wore an overconfident smirk on her face. The woman displayed a sense of power and seductiveness, but Justin knew that she was venomous. Brandon scowled and the lines on his face deepened. "Well if it isn't the illustrious Pike Queen Lucy! So my fellow Frontier Brain, what brings you to my class?" The woman looked highly uninterested in Brandon and she went to inspect her nails.

"I'm not interested in what you have to say Brandon." The exclusion of his title obviously made Brandon seethe. He spoke through gritted teeth, trying to restrain his temper.

"I called you by your title, so isn't it fair that you call me by mine?" The woman named Lucy scoffed at his remark and turned to look at Brandon with her red eyes.

"I dropped my title when I left the Battle Frontier and though I'm proud of my accomplishments, I'm by no means an egomaniac like you are… Brandon." She clearly emphasized his name to make him snap.

"AAAARRRRRGHHHHH! OH YOU SNAKE WOMAN! I SWEAR I'LL, I'LL…" Lucy and some of the class were now laughing at Brandon's frustration. Justin had to admit it was entertaining to see Brandon get put into his place like this, but he felt like something was going to go wrong.

"Careful Brandon, you don't want to do something you'll regret later." At Lucy's words Brandon immediately went white as a sheet. Justin knew that Lucy was obviously blackmailing Brandon and now he felt sorry for his Professor. Sure he was an egomaniac, but no one deserves to be blackmailed. "Now I'm sure you'll let me speak without interruption." Lucy stepped forward and was now facing the class. "I'm here for one reason students and one reason only!" She looked over the class and smiled. "To show you all that the girls that I counsel are not to be taken lightly!" She spoke with vigor and Justin wondered why she felt so convicted. "I want to show you how much talent we have and to show everyone that we are a force to be reckoned with! So will you accept my challenge?" The class murmured and she scanned the class once again. She locked eyes with Justin and pointed to him. "What about you Mr. Evoran? I've heard many interesting things about you." There were a few giggles from some of the girls and Justin guessed they were under Lucy's counseling. Just what kinds of interesting things did she know? A sudden jolt of fear shot through Justin. That sinking feeling set in and he wondered if she knew about the peeping incident. How many others knew about it? Just as he thought, this woman was poisonous and he was certain that he didn't like her. Brandon seemed to regain some of his old confidence and he spoke, but in a hoarse voice.

"L-Lucy… you shouldn't pick him. He's counseled by Scott; choose one of my students instead…" Lucy turned her head and gave him a venomous look.

"Silence! I'm tired of hearing your voice!" She took a deep breath and exhaled with impatience. "I am not one for idle chatter, now Mr. Evoran come forward and face Carmen in battle! Let us see which of you is more skillful." He felt as if he had no choice but to go up and battle Carmen. He looked around and saw that all eyes were on him and he felt his heart beat quicken tenfold. What made it worse was that she had called him out in front of all these people and if he backed down he would look like a complete wimp. Even if he chose to battle, he would be facing Carmen and if he won, Justin guessed that their possible date was going to be canceled. On the flip side, if he lost, he would be too ashamed to show his face around anyone and it isn't because losing to a girl would make him feel bad; when he was in Aspertia, Rosa beat him in battles a lot. His anxiety was because of Lucy. Should he lose, he had the upmost confidence that she would go around flaunting the news of Carmen's victory campus wide for the days to come. He must have remained in the same spot for a while and before he could walk forward, another voice sounded from within the class.

"Ms. Lucy, with all due respect…" The person who spoke came out of the crowd and Justin saw Jaret with a deadly serious look in his eye. "I can't let you do that to my counselor or Justin." Lucy was obviously angry at Jaret's intervention, but she didn't speak. "Sure Brandon is a little stuck up sometimes, but he's my counselor. He's done a lot for me and I'm not going to let you walk all him over like this without going through me first." Trent walked forward with the same expression that Jaret had.

"Jaret, let me talk to her." Jaret simply nodded and walked behind Trent. Lucy smiled with false astonishment.

"Ah Trent Black! Always a pleasure to see a former alumnus here at the academy! I heard that you were offered the position of assisting Brandon here with teaching." Trent nodded.

"Listen Lucy." A scowl appeared on Lucy's face; Justin guessed it was because of Trent's lack of formality.

"You listen to me boy! I will not be told what to do by a teaching assistant! You have no authority over me. I simply seek to challenge one of the students, is this not Battling 101?!" Justin could tell that Lucy was losing her patience. Before she could continue the bell for second period rang and the students bean to walk out to their next classes. Before anyone could spot him, Justin ran for the door with Carlos and Ethan. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Lucy was looking towards him with pure fury. Her red eyes were menacing and full of vile intent. The three of them stopped running in the hallway and caught their breath. Carlos was the first to speak.

"T-That was weird. What does that Lucy lady want with you anyway?"

"I don't know!" The three of them walked towards Technology and Pokémon and Justin's anxiety went up even further. He remembered who was teaching their next class and he wondered how much worse today could get. The class walked in and the Professor's desk was empty. Justin took the highest possible seat and put his head down on the table. Carlos was running his hands through his messy hair and shook his head.

"Y'know that Lucy lady would be pretty, but every Roselia has its thorns." Justin couldn't agree more. The class was rambunctious to say the least. Everyone was being wild and there was no order what so ever. However, everyone settled down when Colress walked through the door. His lab coat flowed behind him and his face carried a smile. He approached the console by his desk and dimmed the lights around the classroom except the ones by the teaching platform so that all you could see was him. The screen behind him lit up with an image of an ordinary Pokéball.

"My name is Colress and I'm your new Technology and Pokémon professor. Now that my introduction is out of the way I want to get right down to business." He pointed to the image of the Pokéball. "The Pokéball… it is the greatest technological link to Pokémon we have. It lets us capture Pokémon so that we may befriend them. How was such a device made though? Who had the idea to make the Pokéball?" He paced the teaching platform and stopped in the middle. "Science is fact and no experiment was done without a risk! Whether it is something as small as the loss of a beaker or something as big as your own life, science requires risk. The person who developed the Pokéball was under great pressure to make this miraculous device. If it wasn't for that single person taking the risk to correctly make the complicated system of the Pokéball, trainers, the Pokémon League, this very institution you are studying in would not exist! I tell you this because I want you all to reach your full potential as trainers and to do that you must understand why you are able to even train Pokemon in the first place!" Colress's speech was impressive and Justin understood what he meant. If it wasn't for the scientist risking their time and reputation, no one would be able to train Pokémon. "Now students, I will pass out a worksheet about the interior of the Pokéball and I want you to all label and explain the inner workings of the device." The class was hard at work and many were working in groups to complete the difficult assignment. Justin was working with Carlos and Ethan, but the three of them weren't able to get much of it done. The bell rang and they tuned in what they had to Colress at the end of class.

"Their last two periods went by fast and were easy and very laid back. Justin was glad; he didn't want any more excitement today. Lunch was surprisingly serene and Carlos avoided anything that had a Tamato berry in it. Justin felt so comfortable that he decide to eat underneath his least favorite tree. Despite the bad memories it held, Justin was in the cool shade and he understood why that troublesome Murkrow stayed here. He was still going to get his necklace back and exact some sweet revenge on that bird, but he didn't feel like doing anything. The day was getting better and it improved even more when Carmen decided to sit by him. He nearly choked on his food when she sat in front of him.

"C-Carmen! H-How are you?"

"Listen I'm… sorry about what happened with Ms. Lucy in first period today."

"Why're you sorry?" She looked away and kept speaking.

"Because it was uncalled for. Ms. Lucy wants to see her students be the best, but she's trouble sometimes… she doesn't mind doing whatever it takes to get her way." Justin nodded and understood what must've happened.

"So she put you up to battle didn't she?" She looked a little surprised and she nodded. Silence hung in the air and Carmen broke it with another question.

"So… what time did you want to meet up on Saturday?" Justin raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"So you're going on Saturday?" She grunted and stammered.

"I-I meant if I, uh, did go and I need to know, um, where as well…" Justin thought about it for a few seconds and knew that he would have to push it of later in the day so that he could go train with Cynthia as well.

"How about we meet at four in the central plaza clock tower?" Carmen got up and straightened her skirt.

"Okay then. You better not keep me waiting out there cause…" Justin raised a hand to interrupt her and spoke smoothly.

"I know, I know… because it's rude to keep a lady waiting." She chuckled softly and walked over to him. She gently grasped his chin and brought his ear to her lips. She spoke and Justin could feel the warmth of her breath tickle his ear.

"No it's not that… if you leave me waiting… I'll kick your ass." She released her grip on his chin and walked away. Justin felt like this day had a rough start, but it all turned out well in the end. He realized that he hadn't finished his lunch and by now it was cold. Justin was in a giving mood so he placed the remainder of his lunch onto a secure looking branch in his least favorite tree. He smiled and said to the Murkrow hiding within,

"Truce." He walked away and thought, "For now at least…" On his way back to his dorm, his Xtransceiver beeped. He opened it up and saw that he had a message from the school. He opened up the message and it read,

"Dear Mr. Evoran,

Ms. Lucy would like to have word with you in the counseling offices by on the fourth floor. She says that it is urgent and that Scott entrusted her with telling you the news.

-Thank You for Your Time, Samuel Oak, Headmaster"

This whole message seemed to be way off base and Justin wondered if Lucy had dirt on the headmaster as well. It was unlikely, but if this was from the headmaster he couldn't ignore it. He U-Turned like Gligar and went to the elevator. It climbed steadily and stopped in the counseling floor. The doors opened and he walked into the empty hallway. He passed Scott and Brandon's office and he finally saw the Lucy's office. He knocked, but there was no response. He tried again, but there was no change. He tried the door and it was open. He walked in slowly and shut the door and realized just how dark the room was. The only light was a faint glow up ahead. He walked slowly and cautiously; the feeling the room gave him was like he was stuck in a pit of Arbok. He finally made it to the source of the glow and saw that the light was coming from a few candles mounted on the wall. There was an ornate desk in front of him and he was startled by the sudden voice that came from behind a thin curtain in front of him.

"Lovely isn't it?" From the curtain came Lucy but she was in a lavender night gown. Her red eyes glowed like rubies in the darkness of the room. "I prefer candles to the regular lighting the school has given me. It's much more serene… much more… sensual." She walked slowly over to her chair and gestured towards Justin telling him to sit down. Justin sat down and felt trapped in the room. He felt constricted and he wished that he ignored the e-mail he received. Lucy placed her elbows on the table and let her head rest on her folded hands. "I called you over to tell you the news that Scott has relayed to me. Scott has told me that you are to report to me about any issues you may have, since he is busy dealing with a very difficult issue. He has sent most of the boys over to Brandon for the time being, but he requested that I handle your issues for the time being." Justin's internal red flags were raised and he knew that something was wrong.

"Uh, Ms. Lucy?" She looked at him softly gestured with her hand to continue. "What is Scott trying to do?"

"A good question! The staff has been trying to keep it under wraps, but they said that a student might have overheard their conversation." Justin guessed that it was about the disappearance of Silver. "What I'm about to tell you must not leave this room, understood?" He nodded and she relaxed. "You see, a student went missing last weekend and Scott is trying his hardest to find him. He's a soft guy and wants to see his students succeed. He's been working night and day to locate him so he doesn't have the time to help the rest of his students." She rose up out of her seat and poured some berry juice into a glass goblet. "Would you like some?" Justin's internal red flags were still raised and they told him to reject any and all food Lucy may offer him.

"I'm fine, but thanks." She returned to her seat without drinking any of the berry juice and swirled it around in her glass for a few seconds.

"Well then Justin… that's all there is to talk about, oh, and I must apologize for my behavior in first period. That wasn't a very good first impression for me to make. I just wanted to display Carmen's talents, but then Brandon stepped in, then that boy Jaret, then Trent Black… I'm sorry, I keep droning on and on. I need to give you this." She opened up a drawer in her desk and pulled out a file. "This contains the weekly schedule we will be meeting by; it also contains the topic we will be discussing. I' m going to make sure that you receive proper counseling and if there's anything you need… don't hesitate to ask." As Justin was going to pick up the file, Lucy grabbed his hand unexpectedly. "You're shaking Justin… and your palms are sweaty. Do you feel nervous about something?" He was indeed nervous and it was about having to meet Lucy in this dark constricting room every few days for who knows how many weeks.

"I'm fine… I'm just tired and I have homework to do." Her hand has cold and she still held his. She looked at him her red eyes and nodded her head.

"Very well then. Go to your dorm and complete your assignments." Lucy had a small smile on her face. "I look forward to our future appointments." Justin exited the room and was happy to see the lights of the academy once again. The very thought of having to go into that room with her alone made his skin crawl. His day was just about to end on a high note, but everything seemed so melancholy. He opened the file she had given him and saw the schedule had him penciled in for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays every week. Three days every week in that room was going to be his worst nightmare and he couldn't get out of it even if he wanted to. What did she want with him? What made Scott think that letting her handle him would be a good idea? There was something terribly wrong and he was going to get to the bottom of it…

Dun, Dun…. DUUUNNNNNN! So Lucy is Justin's temporary counselor. What is her interest in him and why would Scott do such a thing? Something dark is brewing on the academy and Justin's only escape from it are his friends, Pokémon, and his upcoming dates! Don't forget to drop a beautiful review to tell me what you thought! Vote on the poll and check out the forum! Till Wednesday readers!

-N-Black, out