I shall explain my absence later. For now, I'm going to try something out. I'm going to insert the names of all the characters that will be appearing in one section of the chapter. When the story suddenly started getting tons of OCs, I miraculously managed to fit in many of them, but from the very beginning I knew there HAD to be someone who was confused.
Days have past since the whole Team Rocket fiasco. School was pretty much back to normal, except for a teacher who kept on screaming if she heard anything fly past. If you want to know why I know this...just ask Firaga. The Charizard always looked pleased listening to the teacher's wails.
What apparently happened was that after Team Rocket left, while I was being taken to the hospital, Firaga hid somewhere (though being a Charizard, it's kinda hard to hide), draped a huge black cloth over himself, set the cloth on fire, and then flew at the teacher. Upon seeing a huge flying black cloth on fire, the teacher screamed, ran around the school, then fainted. Coincidentally, she was the teacher who never failed to whack Firaga with a cane and her trolley when I was in her Chinese class, back when I was in Secondary 1.
And now...Mid-Years.
"I can't take this!" Jayden screamed in class, gripping at her hair. She snarled at Lila Nola Patch, who was nonchalantly chewing on gum, "How can you get such awesome gra-"
"Ms Rivers. Your test paper?" Ms Stella Ziroc placed Jayden's paper face-down.
"Oh. Thanks. Anyway. As I was saying, how can you get such awesome grades when all I'm getting for Berry Knowledge is...!" she flourished her paper without taking a single peek at it, and waved it at Lila's face, "this!"
Aeleus and I caught a glance at her paper, and this time, I screamed, "Jayden! LOOK. AT. YOUR. GRADES."
Lila smiled. "High five, 90-mark partner."
Jayden glared and shook her fist. "Do not call me you- oh. I did pretty well, huh." She looked at Ms Stell sheepishly and sat down.
Aeleus rolled his eyes. "At this rate, you'd get tons of heart attacks during the mid-year examinations in two weeks' time. Have fun dying over and over again, Jayden."
"HEY! I don't have clogged arterie-"
Kishon groaned. "Do not start on Biology...!"
And then I got back my test results. Before I could even see my marks, Kishon slammed my hand on the table and took away my paper. He smirked when he saw my grade, and slipped it back on my table.
"...Kishon, if I had a Keyblade right now, I'd pulverize you."
"But you don't have one, do you?"
"...Damn."
I took a peek at my results and-
"HOLY MILTANK. YOU GOT 91?" Jayden screamed in horror as she pointed a finger at me.
(As a sad, sad disclaimer, I have never seen a 91/100 on my test paper. In my entire 17 years of existenc- wait, I'm not even 17 yet, bahh)
Everyone turned to stare at me and to possibly jab a million metaphorical daggers in my body.
In Singapore, you are expected to do well in every single subject, score as many As as possible, and be the model child that your parent can boast about. "How's your child's results?" is probably one of the most popular questions ever to exist in every single parent's mouth aside from the other question "Have you done your homework?"
It is also the second most asked question of Singaporeans, second only to the infamous question "What do we eat?", or in Singlish, "Eh, what to eat ah?"
So, from a young age, as young as one, you are dumped in any and every enrichment class your parents can pay for, and if you get a B, you're expected to buck up, or take tuition. Bookstores are attacked viciously by parents who want to grab every single assessment book they can find, so their children will not only have more than sufficient practices, they will also be deluded into thinking that they will top the school, earn scholarships, and be the talk of every neighbour in their neighbourhood.
And the assessment book-buying habit can actually spread to the child itself. Which pretty much stinks.
Unless your parents happen to be really nice (which is almost never), your parents are, to you, the definition of 'tiger parents'.
The funny thing is this – I don't even have tuition; only assessment books I buy for myself. And guide books. And one tuition for Chinese.
So I merely sunk into my seat as my class silently continued to receive their papers. Once you have been identified as the top student, people would actually try to beat you in your grades, then laugh in your face or something.
Oh well.
When I got out of class, I was met with a really scary scene of Firaga trying to pin down a much larger Charizard. And juxtaposing the ferocious scene was Skittles playing with a rather stoic-looking Houndoom.
And one very familiar girl staring right at me.
She looked at me and gave me a warm smile that ironically sent chills up my spine. "Oh. I didn't know you studied here, Charis." Her face didn't show any form of surprise.
"Um...hi." I looked at Firaga. He didn't seem to want to give up fighting the monstrosity of a Charizard that she had, so I sighed. "Okay, Firaga, let's go..."
"Grrahhhhh!" Firaga snapped at me angrily, flapping his wings aggressively. He spun back to face his Charizard opponent Rage, and snarled. He spread his wings out, as though to shield me.
Sabrina smiled and chortled. "Oh my, looks like a puny Charizard wants a battle."
And then, like in those evil movies where the evil-looking man comes out of the darkness with an evil-looking Pokemon, a guy who looked like he could pass off as my older brother (and I must stress that I have no older brother to speak of) appeared. Just that instead of evil-looking Pokemon, he had Pokeballs locked securely on his belt. He pulled out one and released a vicious-looking Croconaw. "Jaws would like to play too..."
I shivered. I read about the movie 'Jaws'. Evil Carvanha and Sharpedoes ripping that poor Jigglypuff and her trainer...
"HEY! Don't bully Girl Who Got Ninety Freakin One Marks!" Jayden Rivers suddenly leapt out of the light (I think she was in the garden and saw that the overabundant bright light could conceal her and hence she could make her random ninja attacks) with her Kirlia and Ivysaur following suit. "You mess with her, you mess with me! And ain't no way you messin' round with me!"
"...Jayden, since when did you adopt that form of speech?" I asked curiously.
Jayden got out of her ninja stance and rolled her eyes. "I have this strange obsession with ninjas and cool talk recently. I don't know if the Liar Game manga you told me about influenced me..."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Jayden, I doubt the Liar Game characters Akiyama and Kanzaki Nao would...use such language. Akiyama's too hot for that, and Nao is just..."
"...True. But...not even Fukuna-"
"Shut it. I don't know what you're saying," the boy interrupted, "and aren't we going to battle?"
Sabrina groaned and shook her head. "Skralem, you're a total idiot when it all boils down to civilization itself..."
Rage and Jaws exchanged serious nods, while Skittles, finally noticing the intense atmosphere (the fact that I was breaking out in sweat was proof enough...or it could just be Singapore's weather) trotted towards my side, licking her paw. "Nyah?" she asked me in meek concern, but I simply shrugged it off with a smile.
"I don't know what is up with your Charizard Rage...but if it's a battle you're initiating, I'll do it!" I announced. "On the condition...that Rage leaves Firaga alone, whatever the results."
Firaga snarled in agreement, facing his opponents. Jayden looked at Seishin and nodded her head. "You go girl!"
"Kir!" Seishin chimed in and floated over to the Charizard.
As Kirlia took her place, Jaws and Rage launched into attack. Jaws launched a powerful Hydro Pump that Firaga neatly dodged by flying, and Rage lunged towards Seishin, his talons glowing with a dark aura. At the last moment, the Kirlia suddenly teleported and launched a pink beam at the back of Rage's head.
Firaga, upon seeing his partner using the offensive, stopped mid-air, and then clenched his fist tightly. Sparks flew from his fist as it glowed a blinding yellow. Then, the Charizard swooped down fast enough to smash his Thunderpunch right in Jaws' face.
Meanwhile, Jayden and I finally regained our composure and started to realise what just happened. "HEY! You're supposed to tell us when we begin, right?" Jayden snapped.
"Well, Rivers, this is a battle. You're not in the Pokemon game where you attack based on your Speed. Besides, even if we did follow that rule, Rage would go first." Sabrina stretched and languidly leaned against the wall behind her. She gave us a pitiful smile.
"Battles aren't governed by anything but the trainer himself." Skralem stated simply, pointing at us. "And if the trainer is weak...the Pokemon is likely to follow."
I laughed. "Please. I can't even run 2.4 kilometres without dying of frustration, and my Pokemon can still pretty much hold their own." I looked at Jayden. "I got a bronze for my NAPFA."
NAPFA. A test of your physical health, Gold being the best, and Bronze being the worst. There were grades lower than F, but no one ever got them. A compulsory test beginning at the age of 10 and ending...when you work or something.
Jayden smiled; I could tell that her spirits dampened due to the lousy pair of opponents we were up against. "I got a gold."
"Naturally, for Mrs Machamp..." I mumbled sarcastically.
Sabrina rolled her eyes. "You're just playing dumb. You know what he meant. Rage, use Flamethrower!"
I smiled. "Firaga, use Steel Wing to protect Seishin!"
The burst of flames emerging from Rage's mouth made contact with Firaga's wings. It would've damaged his wings, but Steel Wing allowed his wings to be turned into a strong tough metal; thin enough to fly, yet strong and durable enough to resist anything.
Like a Steel- type Pokemon.
As I saw Firaga's wings glow red-hot with the Flamethrower, I shouted, "Steel Wing on the Croconaw!"
The Croconaw, upon realising the Charizard charging at it with glowing wings, immediately countered it with a cold blast of Water Pulse. Firaga, remembering the technique, turned slightly such that his wings made in contact with the Water Pulse. The cold water instantly vaporized into thick steam that engulfed the arena. Jaws looked around in confusion as the steam fogged up his vision.
"Thunderpunch!" I yelled. Jaws panicked as he saw a blur of deep red charging towards him. He threw himself to a side, but Firaga had the foresight to fly up instead. He then swooped down, electrified knuckles meeting with Jaws' head.
"Crooooooo!" Jaws cried out in agony. Firaga snorted and flew up from the cloud of water vapour, triumphant and completely unaware of Rage looming above him.
"Seismic Toss!" Sabrina commanded, and Rage did a terrifyingly swift nose dive. Rage slammed Firaga down to the ground, and then hovered above him cautiously to see if Firaga would make a move.
"Seishin, Psychic and throw Rage out!" Jayden yelled out. The Kirlia's horn and eyes glowed a deep petrifying red; it soon changed into a kaleidoscope of colours. Rage found himself grappling for control as he levitated mid-air, and in a sudden fluid movement, the Charizard was thrown backwards, towards the unsuspecting Croconaw.
"Oh yeah! We totally did that!" Jayden cheered, as she watched the Croconaw stagger back to his feet, only to fall back, wiped out by the attacks dealt to him.
Then we both looked at Rage, the scar-ridden Pokemon still standing strong. If Pokemon could speak, Firaga would be muttering profanities. I could hear the smaller Charizard grumbling under his breath. Seishin simply glared at her opponent.
"Let's do it, Charis!" Jayden urged me, as she punched a fist into the air. "Seishin, use Psychic!"
Once again, Seishin's eyes glowed and widened, indicating that the Kirlia was using all her strength in this single attack. A harsh light engulfed Rage, and then Seishin threw her head back. With that, Rage was abruptly tossed up in mid-air.
Firaga roared and took flight, ascending the skies of Singapore. He overtook the still-dazed Rage, and then he stopped a few metres short of Rage. "Body Slam!" I yelled.
"Seishin, use Psychic to send them down faster!"
Firaga grabbed Rage by his arms and blazed his way downwards. The two entities glowed a bright pink and I could see them suddenly accelerate from a great height, thanks to a Psychic from Seishin yanking them down.
"Now, Iron Tail!" Firaga shoved Rage down to the ground, and slammed his metallic tail on him. The ground coughed up a swirl of dust, barricading our view of what just happened.
"Did we win?" Jayden asked, and I coughed in response. Stupid dust.
"Unfortunately...no," Sabrina answered as we struggled to open our eyes. We saw a huge crater in the ground, made by the impact of Rage smashing down, and a bewildered Firaga, staring at his very own tail captured by Rage.
"Throw him away, Rage," Sabrina commanded, and the heaving Charizard nodded. With a swift motion of his hand, Firaga was sent crashing into a wall headfirst. Seishin widened her eyes in confusion, just as Jayden screamed, "NO WAY!"
"Rage, Shadow Ball. Have no mercy."
Rage grunted and generated a deep dark ball of energy, radiating with death. He shot out not one, but several Shadow Balls at Seishin's direction. Seishin teleported safely out of the way, only to be hit by the last Shadow Ball created.
The Shadow Balls that missed Seishin rained on Firaga, blow by devastating blow. Finally, Firaga stood up and deflected the Shadow Balls with his easily-generated Fire Punch. His eyes were narrowed – NOW he was serious?
"Ugh! Firaga, you sure you can figh-!" I didn't need a reply as Firaga swept his tail playfully and tripped me successfully. "FINE, I get it! You didn't need to do that!"
I was met with an arrogant snicker.
"Fine. Firaga, Thunderpunch!"
Sabrina grinned. "You have got to be kidding me. Rage, Shadow Claw."
Talons connected with fists as the two Charizards became locked in a battle of speed and reflexes. They exchanged what seemed like fatal punches and scratches, until Seishin decided to take action. Her eyes shone a resonating pink again and that alone was enough to immobilize the larger Charizard.
"Hey, Rage, fight back!" Sabrina snapped, her patience thinning fast.
Rage simply shut his eyes angrily.
Firaga quickly jumped at the chance to deal a flurry of lightning-quick Thunderpunches at Rage, taking out everything on him. And finally, Firaga decided to end everything, and finished off what he couldn't do before – an Iron tail right into Rage's snout.
Rage roared in pain, and then fell backwards, defeated and exhausted from battling. Firaga, upon seeing his fallen opponent, grinned and gave an arrogant roar.
Seishin, exhausted mentally, plopped down on the ground, her eyes closed in what seemed like meditation. Firaga followed suit quite quickly, though he decided to lie down face up and swish his tail. He gave a loud yawn.
Then we all turned to Sabrina, who glared at both of us.
"Shade, use Shadow Ball."
The Houndoom, who was watching Skittles from the roof-top, sprung down and fired dozens of Shadow Balls...that were meant for us.
"HEY!" I screamed as a Shadow Ball nearly amputated my leg and tore off my head. I stumbled backwards and watched in horror as Firaga was slammed into the ground by the unforeseen Shadow Ball. I looked back at Skittles, who was already hit by a personally-delivered Flamethrower. She stood her ground, retaliating with an inpromptu Water Pulse that missed the prepared Houndoom.
Jayden hastily rummaged her pockets for her Pokeballs. She called out for her Ivysaur and Kirlia. "Seishin, Chikyu, return!" Seishin gladly obliged, but Chikyu used his vine whip to stop Jayden from returning him to his Pokeball. The Ivysaur glared at the next wave of Shadow Balls headed our way and made quick work of them with a multitude of Razor Leaf hacking at them.
"Hey, do you want to be killed?" Jayden snapped at me. "That girl's gone bonkers, so come on! Ninja time!" She then proceeded to dodge roll away, missing a Shadow Ball pretty quickly.
I screamed again as a Shadow Ball landed at my feet. I found my Pokeballs and summoned both Skittles and Firaga back into them, just as the final wave of Shadow Balls ended...and I found Shade right at my feet, teeth bared and tail flicking in pure evil.
If I had a half-full bladder, I would've wet myself right there and then, which would be extremely embarrassing, yet completely understandable, considering the fact that the Houndoom's face looked like he came out of the M-rated gory version of Twilight...not that there was such a movie.
"Um...nice...Houndoom...?" I volunteered weakly, before I spotted a teacher lurking nearby. My mouth worked fast. "HEY TEACHER, MIND HELPING?"
"Why, hello, Mr Grunt," Sabrina greeted politely and innocently, as though she had never launched an all-out assault on both of us, "care helping me out?"
Mr Grunt was a teacher I had never, ever seen before, and this was saying something because my third home was practically the staff room; I did my homework there so if I had any questions, I could just ring up my subject teacher, and I could watch the teachers walk into and out of the staff room. He had two Persians circling him thoughfully, like in the Aristomeowths (you know, the famous Disney movie about a pretty Persian, pretty baby Meowths, and alley Persians) where some cats looked evil.
Mr Grunt didn't say anything – all he did was to summon his Beedrill, point at Jayden, and off the deadly Beedrill went, with stinger at the ready and oozing with the infamous poison all Beedrill documentaries raved about (not because it was good, but because it killed too quickly for comfort), flying straight at Jayden.
"Wh-!" Jayden was cut short as a Flamethrower flew in right above her, hitting the Beedrill hard. She turned around, and saw an Infernape laughing at his fallen opponent. He got her up to her feet and then returned back to his trainer's side.
"M-Mr Overholt!" Jayden exclaimed in surprise, as the hulk of a teacher walked forward. He was in a loose sleeveless shirt and track pants, and you could see his muscles rippling out, practically screaming to be complimented. "T-Thanks a bunch!"
"You should've seen that one coming, Rivers!" Mr Overholt grinned at her. "Nearly lost your head there, didn't you! Well, I don't know bout Mr Shady Ol' Grunt over there, but I don't like to see headless students, especially a Headless Rivers!"
"R-Right..."
Shade gave me a final glare and then bounded off. He launched himself up and used Slash at the Infernape.
"Monkey King, use a Close Combat!"
The Infernape grabbed Shade's paw at the last moment, catching the Houndoom off guard. Then, he shoved Shade back, and attacked him with his fists and feets at a blistering speed. It was soon game over for the Houndoom as he staggered backwards a little and collapsed in front of Sun Wukong.
"Yeeeees!" Mr Overholt roared; it was so surprisingly deafening that even Firaga lowered his head (slightly) in shame. "We did it, Sun Wukong!"
The Infernape did a screeching noise so strange it could not be expressed in words.
"And you two!" Mr Overholt snapped. "And Mr Grunt!"
"They have been excused." Mr Grunt replied calmly, looking at Sabrina and Skralem. "They had been...provoked."
"PROVOKED?" Jayden roared. "You little-!"
I grabbed at Jayden before she could do something that would kill Sabrina and the dubious-looking teacher. "Jayden, leave them!" I managed, as she tried to wrench out of my Ursaring hug. "We...have class!"
Jayden stopped and widened her eyes. "OH YEAH! Our trial contest!"
"OHMYGAWDI'MSOSORRYI'MLATEMRJUAN!" Jayden burst as we barged into the sprawling Pokemon Stadium. There were several classes going on at different parts of the stadium.
"Well...I don't think I'm this Mr Juan you speak of..." the female teacher looked at us curiously, then she referred to her class list. "Oh, so you're Jayden Rivers and Charis Hon?"
"Yeep!" we both chorused.
"Mm, okay, take a seat, girls; we're starting our Contest reaaaal soon!" She clicked at her Macbook hurriedly. Her Chimecho, Chime, flitted about gracefully, and I stared in awe at what seemed like a shimmerin trail wherever the shiny green Chime went.
"And...here are the listings for today! At Court 1..."
"She's...so cool...!" Elena gushed.
"Rose!" her Roselia, Bloom chirped in.
Skittles settled down next to me and started to mew at Chime's glittery path.
"...and at Court 3, Jayden, Charis, Kimberly and Iris."
Kimberly stood up and tugged at her skirt. "Well, girls, we'll see you at Court 3!" She gave us all a friendly wave, before running off, her Pichu on her head and her Leafeon dashing ahead.
Jayden and I exchanged bored looks. "Time to dress up our Pokemon..."
Skittles simply nodded at me, then trotted off to dress up by herself. Jayden's Ivysaur sighed resolutely and followed behind the Delcatty.
I hated dressing up. I had to align my outfit with Skittles' outfit when usually, it'd be the other way round. The last time I took charge of dressing up, I failed the first component of the contest. It took a ten-second battle (in which Firaga just walked up to the opponent, roared in the Pokemon's face, and then watched triumphantly as the Pokemon fell over and fainted) and a crazy appeal round for me to manage out second place. So...
"Skittles...you want me to wear...this?" I exclaimed in horror as she slipped on a pink vest that had so many sequins on it my eyes were starting to burn from all the glitter. Skittles had already picked out my outfit – a really gay-looking...thing that could pass off as a swimming suit, plus a not-very translucent purple skirt that barely hit my knees. On top of the disgusting stack of bright pink was a neon pink top hat.
Skittles nodded excitedly. She had already taken the liberty to place the offensive clothings in the changing room I was assigned to, so all she did was to headbutt me into the room, then shut the door and locked herself with me.
"...You're joking..." I mumbled as I yanked the curtain to block Skittles' view of me.
And now I was in one of the most ridiculous get-ups. Ever.
"Five minutes are up!" Ms Crystal's voice boomed through the speaker. "Contestants, take your place!"
I saw Elena in a really pretty-looking dress, complete with bright splashes of colour with a chic floral design. She looked at me and suppressed a giggle, but when she saw Ms Crystal coming she started to straighten her dress. Bloom was spinning around her gracefully, spurting out pleasant scents that wafted through the stadium.
"Well, seems like I'm scarred for life, Charis," Jayden remarked sarcastically as she sauntered out in a green tank top and khaki harem pants, "cause I never knew you were the pink person..."
"...I am not!" I snapped, looking at myself in the reflection. I paused and stared at myself. I had an argument (a one-sided one, actually) with Skittles over my outfit. So what I did was to compromise – I wore a bright neon pink dress with the top hat.
And I looked...pink.
Kimberly emerged from the fitting room in a simple green dress that screamed "I AM SO SKINNY" right in our faces. Her Leafeon, Hope, glided out, looking as equally elegant as her trainer, a silky ribbon around Hope's ear.
"...I feel like the ugly duckling draped in pink." I looked at my poofy dress. I was reminded of a princess cake.
Iris came out in a dark black skirt, a dark purple shirt with long puffy sleeves at the end and shades. Her Drifloon looked at her approvingly and then nodded at us. Her Banette, Sveta, smiled, then went to the stands beside Firaga, Precious the Pichu and Seishin the Kirlia.
My Charizard was embarrassing himself by trying to reach his toes with his stubby hands. Seishin was trying to levitate in the air and make the bench behind them levitate with her. Precious was simply watching Kimberly and Hope in anticipation, and Sveta was showing off to Firaga her strange talent of going through herself (being a ghost and all)
I saw Barzini's class being dismissed, and then sighed as he ran up the stands with his Dragonair and Salamence. "GO CHARIS...AND JAYDEN!"
Ms Crystal came to us and said, "Okay, I'll be your mentor in-charge today, so let's start real soon! Charis Hon and her Delcatty, Skittles?"
"Present!" I replied.
"Jayden Rivers and her Ivysaur Chikyu?"
"Yup!"
"Okay! Kimberly Younan and her Leafeon Hope?"
"Hereeeee~" she said with a tinkle in a voice. I heard collective sighs from the boys in the other arena watching her (and not focusing on their contest)
"Finally, but definitely not the least, Iris Mikage and Matthew the Drifloon!"
Iris nodded and gave Ms Crystal a small smile.
"Great! Okay, since we don't have much time and we need to narrow down the people entering the semi-finals on Thursday, we need to do a quick Pokemon Knock-out, Contest style!"
Contest style. It basically means you attack in a certain way that makes your Pokemon seem cool/cute/whatever. Oh, and because of some silly notion that how your Pokemon battles by itself reflects the trainer-Pokemon bond, trainers aren't allowed to say anything.
"And since the syllabus has changed, we're just having a simple Pokemon contest in which you show off to the world how beautiful your bond between you and your Pokemon is!" Ms Crystal grinned. "Essentially, your O levels just got way easier!"
Right. If Skittles refuses to fight because of a bad fur day on my O level examination day, I'm doomed. And my failure will have nothing to do with my so-called trainer-Pokemon bond.
"Okay!" we all chorused. Barzini pumped his fist in the air, and I was quite sure it was because of his easier O levels next year.
"Right then! Let's begin, girls; Pokemon, take your places! Pokemon Knock-out – let's go!"
Skittles darted off to the side, got on top of a rock and blasted the strongest Icy Wind her little feline mouth could muster. All three Pokemon were drastically affected by the Ice-type move, and I could see Matthew shaking hard.
Glowering, Chikyu started to shake violently as well, but for all the right reasons. In seconds, the bulb at the Ivysaur's back exploded into a gruesome mix of deep purple poison blobs. They shot out in all directions, hitting all three Pokemon.
Hope was already weakened greatly, but she stood on her four feet. The Leafeon lunged at Skittles, determined to deliver a punishing Leaf Blade. Skittles spotted her glowing tail-leaf soon and leapt from her perch on the rock, seconds before the Leaf Blade smashed the rock into smithereens. In mid-air, Skittles generated a ball of dark energy and blasted the Shadow Ball right into Hope, smashing the Leafeon into the ground, where the destroyed rock once was.
Then she watched as Matthew trembled in his levitation. The Delcatty lifted her head up, and saw a spark above her head. She sprinted away from it, but it was quick enough to catch up to Skittles. Thinking quick, she dove beneath Matthew, just as his very own Thunder struck both of them.
I looked up at the scoreboard as Matthew's health points depleted greatly, to a staggering zero as he fell on the ground. His photo changed to grayscale, just like Hope's.
Skittles had taken a little damage, and Chikyu didn't take much damage as well. The two Pokemon glared at each other, then the Delcatty widened her mouth for a Charge Beam. It didn't take very long for Chikyu to unleash a strong Solarbeam as well. The two attacks missed each other by inches, and the two Pokemon swiftly dodged it, interrupting their own attacks.
Chikyu brought out his vines and grabbed at Skittles, who retaliated by freezing them at the final moment. The frozen vines dropped to the ground, and Chikyu found himself struggling to retrieve back his vines. Skittles smiled as the sadist of a Delcatty clambered up on the block of ice that was supposed to be Chikyu's vines, then blasted a cold, painful Blizzard in his face.
"Well! I guess we have a clear winner!" Ms Crystal's voice echoed through the room, as Skittles looked at the frozen Ivysaur. She went up to him and used a Rock Smash to release Chikyu, who shivered and smiled gratefully.
I grinned at Skittles, who ran up to me and gave me a Delcatty hug."Oh yeah! WE TOTALLY ROCK-"
"...Kimberly Younan! Your Leafeon went down in style!"
...Wait. What?
"From the very moment Hope entered the Knock-out, she's been wonderfully stylish! I'm giving you ten bonus points to your score for today, even though you were knocked out first."
...WHAT?
Ms Crystal didn't seem to register my look of horror. "And Iris Mikage! Your Drifloon was very strong, for a Pokemon that hasn't evolved yet!"
B-But a Delcatty was listed in the Top 100 Most Dreadful Pokemon. EVER! Not that I was telling my Skittles that.
"Matthew has a strangely mythical way of moving! It's almost too surreal! A beautiful sight indeed. And Jayden Rivers! Your Ivysaur is strong and calm in battle, like a strong pillar."
...Skittles annihilated this 'strong pillar' you speak of, Ms Crystal...
"Chikyu delivers attacks so slowly, it's too lethal to watch! And my, oh my, am I impressed by you, Charis Hon!"
If it's too lethal to watch, wouldn't we all be injured by- oh wait, I heard my name. FINALLY!
"Your Delcatty is surprisingly quick, lethal despite her looks and definitely a bright, rising Pokemon! For a Pokemon listed in the Top 100 Most Dreadful Pokemon, Skittles performed brilliantly!"
And to add to Skittles' pain, Ms Crystal added, "It's in your textbook, Charis. Page 83 of The Ultimate Guide to Pokemon, volume 2. I'm quite sure your teacher has covered it..."
I turned to my bag and Skittles was already mewing in absolute shock. Firaga, Sveta, Seishin and Precious were all looking for photos of a Charizard, a Banette, a Kirlia and a Pichu respectively. Firaga roared and thumped his belly happily – he was listed in the Top 100 Strongest Pokemon. Or rather, Charizards were.
The Pichu started to bawl her eyes out because she couldn't see a photograph of a Pichu anywhere. Seishin triumphantly pointed to a photo of Gardevoir in the Top 100 Strongest Pokemon list and twirled about gleefully. Sveta simply shrugged and drifted to Iris' side.
Ms Crystal looked at the distraught Delcatty and the Pichu. "I...shouldn't have said that."
I slipped out of school and quickly flew home. Firaga and Skittles knew today was an important day – my interview for my Direct Polytechnic Admission.
O levels determined where you can go – a junior college or a polytechnic. A junior college is basically for people who want to work their butts off for two more years. It was also an easy way into a university. A polytechnic grooms students for three years to enter the workforce immediately after graduation. It was more relaxed, since unlike junior colleges, or JC, students don't have uniforms and have a way larger school compound.
"Okay, Firaga..." I changed into my interview clothes. "I'm done. Let's go!"
Firaga nodded as I took my map. We headed outside and I slowly got on his back. "Come on, Skittles, they need to see my Pokemon too."
"Meow!" Skittles leapt into my arms and settled down for a confusing journey around Singapore, into...The West.
Lanseal Pokemon Academy was situated in the East; east of Singapore, that is. I stayed in the South. And the polytechnic I was headed to was in the West.
"Okay...I think it's the really big place there...oooh, with the garden. Just land at the entrance, we'll walk to the film and media studies block.
Firaga let us disembark, then flew off to the destination, much to the shock of several students walking by.
"Lazy Charizard," I mumbled to myself as Skittles and I started to walk up the hilly terrain. We passed by students holding huge laptops and books, giggling to themselves. They were all dressed well, or maybe it was just my fashion sense (or my lack of it) speaking.
Skittles ran up the hill with ease, and as for me...
"Huff...huff...OKAY! I have conquered the Nacrene Polytechnic Hill!" Nacrene Polytechnic, or NP. "Stupid hill."
Firaga was there, blocking everyone's way into the air-conditioned canteen. His swishing tail was prominently displayed, and from what I could see, he had jammed the doors open with his entire body to ogle at the canteen. He turned when Skittles nudged him, then grunted excitedly.
"Firaga! GET OUT OF- oh my, that looks good..." I whispered wistfully as someone walked past us with a piping hot waffle with ice cream on top.
We looked at the huge variety of Pokemon and students. There was a group of life sciences students (with their lab coats on) eating vegetables, while a Chansey and Roserade looked on. Two business students in their suits were jabbing away at their laptop keyboard. They had a Rhydon, a Tangrowth, a Spheal and an Eevee seated around the table or on the table, watching their trainers idly. A Togekiss whizzed past us, with a student clutching a fencing sword walked by us, trying very hard to ignore Firaga staring at him.
"Woah..." I gaped in awe. I checked my watch. "Hey, we really need to go now. Come on, guys; I'll buy you both waffles once we're through with this.
This was met with enthusiastic support. Firaga immediately flew straight into the building, dragging me recklessly and with Skittles grabbing on to his tail.
"So...these are your Pokemon?" the male interviewer looked at me with a smile. Firaga and Skittles, who were behind me, exchanged glances, then forced out their biggest smiles they could muster.
The woman interviewer nodded her head approvingly. "Well, Charis, I see your portfolio is filled with science, math, and Pokemon battling competitions so now I need to ask you...Why Mass Communication?"
The male interviewer looked as though he had never heard such an intelligent question. Eager to add on and bubbling with excitement (cause he looked as though he was vibrating in his seat) he remarked, "Yes, you could've been a fantastic trainer if you applied for a scholarship and flew to America or Japan! And you could've been a medical student, or even an engineering student!"
I smiled. "I love my Pokemon, yes, but my dream...is to write." Skittles mewed wistfully, but Firaga simply huffed, though he had a smile on his face. "And...I don't like blood. Plus, I don't see myself doing those careers."
Then I babbled on about how I would love to travel and write everything about it. They shot a few more questions and I answered them. Finally, they stood up and smiled.
"Thank you very much for coming down today, Charis!"
At that, Firaga grinned and patted his belly. The female interviewer's face dropped. "Your Charizard..."
"...Firaga is hungry. That is all I can say."
"Are you happy with your waffle now?" I asked as I set down two of the most expensive meals I have ever bought. I took their drinks and watched Firaga rip the waffle into shreds. He pushed the ice cream down delicately, then proceeded to attack the melting blob with the waffle pieces he tore apart so messily. "Firaga, don't play with your food."
Skittles had her nose literally buried in ice cream, and I shrunk into my seat, hoping to myself that the interviewers wouldn't see the sce-
"Oh, hello, Charis, I see the three of you are enjoying your food!" The male interviewer chortled, but the female looked as though she was going to throw up and cry over their total lack of etiquette.
"Um..." I glanced at Firaga and Skittles. Firaga had waffles sticking out of his mouth, and Skittles had her entire nose coated in white vanilla ice cream. They both nodded at the interviewers, then continued to eat. "They're...almost done."
At that, Firaga stole my wallet, took out 5 dollars and 90 cents, then went back to the store to buy more waffles.
"...or not." the male finished for me. "Well! Bye!"
When they walked off, I groaned as Firaga set down his tray of waffles. "With you guys around, I am so going into a junior college..." I mumbled sarcastically as I snatched a waffle from Firaga's hand and ripped it with my teeth.
BarziniRicchan
As I entered my home, I saw Ricchan sitting on his butler's back. "Dude, what are you doing here?" I yelled out in exasperation.
I hated Ricchan with a passion. I hated him so passionately, it's on the list of hobbies on Facebook – Hating Cousin Ricchan. It's like I'm Harry Potter hating Voldemort or Draco Malfoy...combined.
Just that he didn't kill my parents; they love him. He killed my morale.
"Hello, dearest cousin Charis, I'm here to...well, take some exams for fun. Your University of Singapore really did want me here...so I took their exam for fun. Gonna reject it though; I've being stalked by Cambridge and Oxford as we speak."
At that, two very noticeable limousines parked honked. Firaga growled.
"Oh, is that teensy wittle Firaga I see? The one that tried to eat Voldemort number...3?"
Voldemort was his Magikarp. He had numerous...Voldemorts, so the numbers did sort of matter. According to his butler (named Malfoy, creepily enough), he kept all his Voldemort in a luscious tank. When they were big and happy, they were killed for healthy Magikarp meat that Ricchan had all to himself.
Firaga suddenly looked hungry and hopeful.
"Gawd, whatever. Your Charmander is still as silly as ever. Come on, Potter, get me Voldemort Number Seventeen." Ricchan stood up and let his butler go.
"Yes, sir!" The butler stood and ran for the Magikarp.
"Wait. Wasn't your name Malfoy?" I asked.
"It's been Potter all along, Ms Charis."
Firaga looked deeply worried by that statement. "It's Malfoy, I swear!" I said aloud to Firaga.
Firaga widened his eyes and shook his head. He suddenly saw Barzini coming up to us, grabbed him, raped his bag, found Harry Potter and The Order of the Ho-Oh, then pointed to the word 'Weasley' in one of the pages.
"...WHAT?" I screamed.
Barzini was flailing his arms, since Firaga was holding Barzini's bag, and therefore Barzini himself, aloft in the air. "Hey! HEY! I'm here, you know?"
Ricchan snorted. "Who is that pathetic boy and why is he in existence?"
"I'm -gah!- BARZINI! My parents were in love and they had me, okay? LET ME GO, FIRAGA!" Barzini cried out, and Firaga gently set him down, waving at Noldor and Silvan as they finally crossed the street to their trainer.
No wonder I heard snorts from across the street...
"HERE HE IS, SIR RICCHAN THE GREAT ALMIGHTY BOY MASTER TRAINER!" Potter announced as he brought Voldemort Number Seventeen. He had his lips puckered, and he was sitting on the royal cushion like he was the King of all Magikarps.
Though he was named after the Dark Lord...
Barzini and I exchanged mortified glances. Before I could comment, Mum came out. "Oh, hello, Charis. Let's go in, I have a surprise for youuuu!"
She bought me Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?
"Come on, come in, boys! I cooked a great feast today for our special guests!" Mum urged Barzini and Ricchan.
I walked in.
I FINISHED OHMYGOODNESS
Anyway, if you want an OC in the story...you may have to wait. I realised I have too many OCS to pick. So...I'm just going by the see-which-OC-I-can-remember basis. Yep.
And...the interview thing is almost true. I DID go for the interview. But I didn't eat the waffle, or run up the hill. And NP...is obviously not Nacrene Polytechnic.
By the way, Barzini finished his MID YEARS. COME ON BARZINI, YOU HAVE A FEW MONTHS LEFT TO O LEVELS. He'll be doing a General Elections Singapore 2011 special, since we've been having all the hype about the elections in Singapore. I decided to give it a Pokemon twist, so we'll be writing about all the news about the general elections...with POKEMON. Naturally.
So sorry for the late update and the fail cliffhanger. I have to sleep soon and I NEED TO GET THIS PUBLISHED before anyone kills me. -looks at Kishon and Hannah-
Yep! I AM DONE! OH MAN! HAHAHAHAHA. Singapore elections 2011 and WHAT IS THAT MYSTERIOUS SURPRISE? Coming up...SOON. I promise. School already started and I haven't done much writing cause I've been trying to adjust to my school system.
:D See you guys. And I still accept OC reviews. BUT PLEASE TELL ME WHERE I CAN IMPROVE ON MY WRITING. Both content-wise and English-wise.
I have just become a Harry Potter person. I'M IN HUFFLEPUFF. I read the last two books. And watched all the movies. I consider that an achievement!
Au revoir! (YES I TAKE FRENCH NOW I'M GONNA SOUND SO SEXY...or not)
