School Daze
Day 2.
"Here's your Student ID," Ricka said.
Yes, the Student ID. The hell is a Student ID? Rei's blue eyes shined as she stared upon the slim lamented piece of paper. In the world of Pokémon, there's an ID Card for about everything. Trainer Card, Driver's License, Student ID, just a normal ID (if those even exist). Rei gazed down to her own ID, wondering what it really meant. But her sister wasn't finished yet.
"And here's your schedule," Ricka said as she handed her yet another piece of paper, "You start off with me, for your home room class. Then you go to Pokémon Catching 101 and Pokémon Training 101. Soon after that, you have Gym Classes, I should be there as well, and after that you come back to me for your last class of the day. But this is only for Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, you should be learning about the various types. You'll, once again, start with me in the morning, then go out to the back field to learn about Grass-types, Flying-types and Fairy-types, after that you should be heading to Hall S to learn about Steel-types and Fighting-types and Ground-types. After, you're heading to the school pool to learn about Water-types and Ice-types. After that, you're heading downstairs to learn about Dark-types, Ghost-types, and Poison-types. And then, after all that, you should be heading back to me. I might be teaching about Dragon-types... hm..."
Ricka did know Rei had no idea what was going on right? Were school schedules supposed to be this confusing?
"Anyway," the woman continued, "Friday is the day you should really shine. On that day, you'll get your hands on feels with the Pokémon themselves in various mock battles. You'll either get to use your Pokémon or the Pokémon the school provides. Anyway, you'll once more start with me in the morning, and then we'll head to the main courtyard for some good old fashion Pokémon battles. And, after that, you should be done with your first, and possibly only, week of school. But I guess we'll have to see how things go, huh? Now... do you understand all of that?"
"No..." Rei answered.
"Of fucking course," the woman replied, "Here's a map of the campus. Just read these letters and numbers, like PC01, is Pokémon Catching 101. Now go and find PC01 on the campus and start your class. When class ends, goes to the next one, and keep doing that until its time to go home."
"Rei's head hurts already..."
"Believe me... so does mine," Ricka smiled though, as she placed her hands on Rei's shoulders, "But I think you'll survive. You're a smart girl Rei, now go and show these stuck-up brats just how smart you can be okay? And if you ever need me, I'll be here. Or in the Teacher's Lounge, there too... now get your ass moving..."
Rei nodded and hugged Ricka, before walking backwards a few feet. The woman waved goodbye to her gently, whilst pushing the glasses up on her face. Seriously though, why was Ricka even wearing the things? She didn't need too. But who was Rei kidding? She was just trying to stave off the fact that she was about to be alone. And she didn't want to be alone.
"Ricka will be here when Rei comes back, right?" the child asked.
"Yes, Rei," the woman said, "I'm not leaving you, okay?" I promise I'll be right here. When you get back, I'll tell you all about the Legendary Pokémon I've encountered over the years, okay?"
"Okay!" the child said chipperly.
Rei turned around and started walking for her next class, checking her map and schedule both intensely. Ricka couldn't help but to laugh, for it reminded her of her own young days. Only, Ricka's younger days at that boarding school were anything but fun. And actually, she hated them. Like, a lot. But, hey, it's not so bad. After all, she's the teacher now.
"I want my rematch, Ricka..." that robotic voice echoed from behind.
Ricka turned around with a smirk, seeing that woman with the bandages covering her face, and the bright blue eyes. She stared at Ricka and walked toward her slowly, all the while putting her hands on her hips in a strong pose.
"Come now, AG," Ricka said, "I thought we went over that. You can't beat me, AG. Your Charizard, while strong, can't beat Ace. We already saw how that ended up in Kanto, remember?" AG's eyes slid into a squint as she looked at Ricka, while the woman waved it off as nothing, "The hell are you teaching here, anyway?"
"Whatever I want," AG said with a shrug, "What of you? Whatever you're teaching can't be useful at all..."
"Ouch... that hurt..." Ricka said sarcastically, "We'll see what happens, AG. I bet by the end of this 'special teacher' week, my children will know more shit than you could ever imagine!"
"Is that so?" AG replied, "I guess we'll have to wait and see, hm?"
The two stared hard into one another's eyes, that air of animosity returning. And, just as soon as their conversation started, it was over. The two whisked away to their respective classrooms, which just happened to be on the opposite side of the halls.
…
PC01. Pokémon Catching 101. It took Rei sometime to find her way to this room, but she made it. Now, she stood outside the door, gazing toward it with wide eyes. Her hand met the knob and she turned it. Walking inside the room, Rei stared up and around to the ceiling. The students were behind their desks already, and they all looked at Rei thanks to her surprise entrance. Like before, she tried to make herself scarce and find a desk. Upon doing so, she found herself sitting right next too...
"Hotaru?" the ten-year-old said in surprise.
The eleven-year-old gazed to Rei, who was smiling at her. She rolled her eyes however, and returned to gazing to the notebook in her hand. Rei peered over at the notes, seeing nothing but words and information. Was this what 'perfect' girls do in school? Write down a whole bunch of information?
"Miss Constant," the teacher suddenly called. The classroom was silent, "Miss Constant!" still. Silence, "Miss Constant!
Hotaru slowly turned and faced Rei. Did the ten-year-old not realize the teacher was calling to her? That's what it seemed like, for Rei was just looking at Hotaru's notes, in complete ignorance of the teacher that called to her. She rolled her eyes around again.
"Mr. Sunborn, she's right here..." Hotaru said, making Rei jolt.
She looked up to the front of the class, her eyes meeting the eyes of a fairly young fellow. Well, by adult standards. If anything, he must have been a few years older than Ricka was. Possibly the same age as Shun. This fellow who wore the overalls on his black slacks and his pinstripe shirt. He sighed in confusion as he gazed at Rei, only to say again,
"Miss Constant?"
The ten-year-old pointed at herself.
"Are you speaking to Rei?" she asked.
"Yes, Rei Constant," he said, "You're Rei Constant, right? The younger sister of Ricka Constant, one of our special guest teachers, right?"
"Rei's name is Rei," the ten-year-old said, "Ricka's name is Ricka Constant..."
"Uh... what? Ugh... never mind, just take a seat," redundant; she was already sitting, "Anyway, Rei, welcome to Pokémon Catching 101, I'm your teacher Mr. Sunborn. And this," he flipped out, "Is a Pokémon."
He snapped open the Poké Ball, and that flash filled the air. The flash stepped down, revealing of all, the Sun Pokémon. It had a green body and a shining face that always kept a smile. Gallantly, it pranced between the desks, right before stopping at Rei herself.
"Sunflooorraaa!" the Sun Pokémon said.
Rei smiled as she brushed her fingers down the Sunflora's leaves; she had seen a few over her lifetime. Her eyes traveled up to Hotaru as well, wondering if the eleven-year-old was just as entertained. But, no, she wasn't; Hotaru retained that hard glare on her face.
"The Poké Ball..." Mr. Sunborn said, making Rei gaze up to him, "It's an interesting tool. Created years ago by Apricots in the region of Johto. To those who don't know, Miss Katsu here is from Johto, but that's beside the point," Rei glanced over to Hotaru. She was from Johto? "But using these things to catch Pokémon is a lot harder than one may suspect. Which is why you must always remember your status ailments! Poison, Burn, Freeze (if your lucky), Paralysis and Sleep. For me, the two best to use is Paralysis and Sleep. These two help heighten the chance of a successful catch without injuring the Pokémon."
Okay, what? Rei didn't know what he was going on about. She knew what status ailments were, but why would she poison another Pokémon? Just to help her catch it? That doesn't sound right. Didn't Ricka say catching Pokémon showed that the Pokémon want to be caught? That's what Ricka told her. Yeah. That's what Ricka said.
"Wait, Mr. Sunborn!" Rei said as she threw her hand up.
"Yes, Miss Constant?" he replied, interrupting his lecture, "Ricka said Pokémon are caught because they want to be caught."
There was silence, at first. But a snickering broke through it, and that snicker turned into laughter. To Rei's surprise, the entire classroom was laughing at her statement. She thought they were laughing at a joke, only to realize they were laughing at her. This caused her to blush and sit back down, while Mr. Sunborn waved his hand throughout.
"Calm down class, calm down," he said, "Miss Constant, I understand where your coming from. But I'm afraid that's an old traveler's tale. But that's not to say Pokémon won't learn to love you. It's just like... catching a real animal. At one point they're wild, but as time goes on you'll tame them. You'll tame them..."
Rei cocked her head at one side from his statement. Ricka told her an old 'Traveler's Tale'? The child didn't even know what that meant. But it sounded like Mr. Sunborn was calling Ricka a liar. And Ricka is no liar.
Obviously, she was too young to find the irony in that statement.
…
Rei was so angered by Mr. Sunborn and his class, she really didn't want to deal with anything. She simply ignored the teacher throughout the rest of the class, and was simply too angry to sit through Pokémon Training 101. It didn't matter anyway; Ricka was teaching her how to train Pokémon effectively anyway.
Now the ten-year-old sat within the girl's changing room. Her next and current class, Gym. She didn't know what she was supposed to do in Gym class that she didn't already do with her own Pokémon. It made her feel kinda silly. Especially since she had to change clothes in front of everyone. Rei really wasn't embarrassed by it, she just didn't enjoy the clothing they provided her to wear. After all, her usual training clothing was much better.
That white t-shirt with the school's name on it, and those blue shorts; yeah, that's what they made her wear. As Rei changed into her clothing, she thought about Ricka. When they became 'sisters', did Rei gain that 'Constant' part of Ricka's name too? Because all her teachers called her 'Miss Constant', which was something Rei only heard Ricka be called. This whole 'sisters' thing was proving to be somewhat confusing for the child.
Rei closed her (dented and battered) locker, leaving her clothing inside. Shortly after, the child exited the woman's changing room, leaving her locker horribly battered, and a group of stunned onlookers.
Rei stepped outside to the academy's indoor/outdoor gym. Yeah, try to wrap your head around that one. The building was like a hangar with its massive doors opened. It held a large track field and an American/Unovian football field as well. Just think about it; Pokémon Football. And then the bleachers were on the sides as well, the Soccer goals, everything needed save for basket ball courts. And, from what she was told, they were in another room.
Just how big was this place? If Ricka were to fly from above, would she see a metropolis staring back? Nonetheless, the child walked toward the rest of her class; a bunch of other boy and girls like her. Rei walked toward them, placing herself right at the end. But was school supposed to be this, exclusive. Seriously, other than Hotaru, Rei hadn't really talked with anyone else. And the child was slowly beginning to realize Hotaru didn't like her.
"Alright you little squad," the Gym Teacher said. He was a gruff and powerful looking man, one who seemed just as fit as any Fighting-type. As if that wasn't, he had a Machamp standing right behind him, one who was flexing as all Machamps do, "Now! I want you to run a full mile around this ring! And... NOW!"
His yell was enough to make everyone start running, save for Rei herself. She just lightly jogged, knowing the point of running a mile. To start off fast is a good way to tire one out; gotta be slow about things first. So she jogged, just gently and lightly, not caring for anything in the world. Instead, she took the time out to think about things.
This school was... interesting. When Ricka said it was a place where they create 'perfect' little girls, she didn't know it would be this taxing. Sitting in rooms for what felt like hours, listening to lectures, being excluded from everyone else. If this was the way to become 'perfect', Rei sure wasn't liking it. But she wanted to be 'perfect', and let's face it, nothing worth working for is ever easy. Why should perfection be any different?
Rei suddenly heard a hard series of footsteps echo beside her. She turned and faced it, watching as a purple beast ran up beside her. She grew wide-eyed, before smiling and jumping with glee.
"Quest!" Rei said as she gazed upon the Nidoking.
"Hey Rei," Ricka called from atop Quest's back, "How's things going?"
"Rei doesn't think she's fitting in..." the child said, "And the lecture's bore her..."
"Same..." Ricka said, "Fucking school... here," she stretched out her hand "Climb on, Quest'll get us up there..."
Rei grabbed Ricka's hand, and was suddenly yanked up. The child fell on Quest's back, where she quickly held onto Ricka's waist. Natsumi, that is Ricka's moped, is fast, but Quest is so much faster. The powerful Nidoking rushed through the school's track, passing the other children beside him. He seemed so chaotic as he rushed through, individual footsteps causing the earth to shake. Rei loved the feeling; riding on Quest's back is so much fun.
The wind howled, just above them. A shade dashed overhead, shocking both Rei and Ricka. Quest skidded to a halt, at the same time a being landed before them. The earth quaked, shaking the Drill Pokémon. Ricka and Rei stared toward the Pokémon before them, while the many other children gasped in awe.
"Charrriiii..." the Flame Pokémon said.
A mighty Charizard, here of all places. Quest stared up to the dragon-like Pokémon that stood before him. I say 'like' because it's not really a dragon. Though it looks like one and acts like one. Ain't that just a kick in the ass?
"AG..." Ricka groaned, "C'mon, what's the point of this...?"
The emotionless woman merely tapped the back of her Charizard's head, making him growl. At the same time, Quest began to growl. He didn't like it when his power was challenged by someone else. But even then, his trainer would not allow this to keep going.
"Calm down Quest," Ricka groaned, "AG, don't you think this is a bit unnecessary?"
"I challenge you, Ricka," the monotone trainer replied, "To a fight... here... but not now..."
"Let me guess..." the woman said, "Friday...?"
"Indeed..." AG said as her Charizard started flapping its wings again, "I will be waiting..."
Charizard dashed off into the distance, possibly to return AG to her classroom. Rei, Ricka, and the rest of the class gazed off to the retreating Flame Pokémon, most of them with awe. Even Rei's eyes gleamed, but that changed when she stared up to face Ricka. The woman had the calmest, most resolute face possible on.
"Ricka?" Rei called, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing..." the woman said, "Quest... let's get moving..."
…
"Oh, Articuno!" the woman said in a swooning manner, "If there is any Pokémon that I simply adore! It is Articuno!"
It was a simple question. 'Have you ever seen Articuno before?' In Ricka's class this day, she was going to talk about mainly Legendaries. And it took only one question to get the woman ranting. She had seen many Legendary Pokémon over the years. From the great Entei, to the mysterious Darkrai. And yet, no Legendary Pokémon filled Ricka up with more joy than Articuno. It wasn't even a Legendary Pokémon that ranks high in power. It's just one of the Legendary birds, after all. And yet, Ricka seemed to love it the most.
"Listen here," the woman said as she started to reminisce to the class, "I was about eleven-years-old. It was me and Ace, he was a Treecko at the time..." she breathed in, "Have you ever been to Twist Mountian? It's in Unova... I was traversing Twist Mountain during the winter, stupid, I know. But I was doing it, and there was nothing that could stop me. Just me and Ace, and the few other Pokémon I had on hand..." she breathed in deeply, "Scaling the walls... inside of it... the snow piled on top of snow. I found this out after, but there was a blizzard warning set that day. I walked as deep into Twist Mountain as I could, with snow pushing against me. And I just couldn't go on forever, ya'know... I found my body giving up on me, until I met nothing but snow... when I woke up again, Articuno was there... staring down on me... I was oddly warm, even though it and the snow around me was so cold. I stared at it for what felt like forever, before it just flew away. When I gazed around, I was no longer in Twist Mountain. I was actually on the root nearest the next town..." finally Ricka gazed down to her captive audience, "After that, I found myself running into Articuno every now and then... granted, I haven't done so in a few years now. But, I really want to see that bird again..."
Ricka finally snapped herself from her ranting, and pushed up her glasses. Upon doing so, she returned to that hard stance as usual. She needed to be professional about all of this, not a hopeless fangirl.
"Uh... next...?" she said, to which a hand rose, "Yes, Miss... uh... Katsu, right? Hotaru Katsu? Right! Katsu! Yes, Miss Katsu?"
"You have been to Unova, right?" the eleven-year-old asked
"Yes..."
"Then have you ever seen the Legendary Pokémon Meloetta?"
It seemed like a complete 180. Ricka was not giddy with excitement about the Pokémon like she was with Articuno, instead really pushed off. She was unhappy, near anger even. And slightly regretful.
"Yeah, Meloetta," she said after a deep breath, "Uh... no... I've never seen Meloetta before..."
Yeah. Ricka never lies.
…
The child poured herself a nice cold cup of soda. Was that what she was supposed to drink in the middle of the night? The ten-year-old didn't know. She knew it helped Ricka fall asleep though. After all, the woman always said, 'I'm going to crash so hard after this'. And the child knew whenever Ricka said that, she usually threw herself into the bed. So, yeah, soda helps people sleep!
Rei rubbed her eyes. The Pokémon Academy had her internal clock all mucked up. She would awake for no reason sometimes, such as right now. But, hey, soda would help her get some rest. She took a few steps whilst roaming through her silent home. She returned to her bedroom, which was where Ricka lied. The woman was already sleeping in her bed, and Rei was poised to join her. She placed her drink on the night stand, stepped gently over Pichu who slept on the floor near Yuri, and climbed in the bed herself.
It took her only a few minutes to get properly situated, before she could get some rest. And as soon as she did so, she heard whispers.
"Please stop..." it was low moan, and filled with grief, "Please... stop..."
Rei looked over to Ricka. But the woman didn't look to well. She appeared somewhat sick; sweating profusely, her face distraught.
"Please... stop..." she whispered in her rest, "Please... stop..."
"Ricka?" Rei whispered to her, her hand meeting the woman's chest, "Is Ricka okay?"
"No..." the woman answered, "Miss... Carol... please... stop..." were those tears? "I... hate school..."
"Ricka..." the child said unhappily, "Ricka..."
"Why?" the woman whispered within her nightmares, "Why...?"
Rei didn't know what was going on, but she felt the need to calm the woman. She squirmed her way closer to Ricka, and wrapped her arms around the woman, giving her a hug. And she slept that way; resting atop Ricka to help her get over whatever night terror plagued her.
…
Day 3.
"Here's the classroom, students!" the bright and chipper woman said with a laugh.
It really wasn't a classroom. It was a park. Not a public park allowed to many, but a more enclosed park just for the school. The grass, the trees, the rides, they were all there, and they all looked beautiful. So wonderful indeed.
Rei's eyes seemed to gleam at the sight of it all, while she tugged on her uniform's tie. There were many Pokémon running around, all of which without a care in the world. It took all of Rei's energy to not hug them. Especially when Snubbull's brush up against her leg, or when Floette's playfully blow flowers into her face, or when Pidgeys above chirp and play.
NT02. Natural-types, a term Rei's never heard of before. From what Rei's textbook said (these heavy things Ricka made her read), Natural-types are Pokémon that are Grass-types, Bug-types, Fairy-types, Normal-types, and Flying-types. Rei really didn't care what was Natural and what wasn't; she just wanted to understand Pokémon.
"The Natural-types are so wonderful, aren't they!?" the teacher said, a woman who seemed overjoyed.
It were as if the sun followed her, right behind her blonde hair. She also seemed to smile all the time, somewhat like the Nurse Joy in Fudan City's resident Pokémon Center. Which means she's probably a woman Ricka would try to avoid.
"Natural-types is a term coined by Professor Birch of Hoenn," the woman stated, "Calling a certain series of Pokémon natural thanks to their ways of being connected to... well... nature! I mean, yes, all Pokémon – well almost all Pokémon – are natural, but the Natural-types truly are natural! There really is no other way to describe them! Oh! Go children! Go and understand the Natural-types!"
The children broke off quickly, leaving Rei all alone. She trekked into the back fields, looking left and right to the many 'Natural-types'. It reminded her of the Box, a place she'd rather be. Not here in this school where it felt like no one likes her. It was a much different feeling from at the Box, where it felt like everyone is her friend. Here, it's more like...
Meh...
Where was she? The ten-year-old was walking aimlessly one moment, only to find herself standing in a Greenhouse. There were even more Grass, Fairy, and Bug-types within the Greenhouse than she would have expected. Ledyba were gazing at her, Sunkern were bouncing within pots, there was a Spritzee or two flying around. Rei's fingers dragged against the tables of the Greenhouse, brushing leaves down bit by bit. She stopped soon after.
"You," the ten-year-old said as she saw another human within the area, "Rei saw you yesterday. During Gym class... who are you?"
She was playing with Pokémon, but this came to an end soon enough. She brought her finger away from the Clefairy on the ground, and turned around to face the child behind her. This woman's face was covered by bandages, making Rei wonder what lied underneath. But it would seem as if no one would know. Only her.
"You're Ricka's sister, right?" AG said as she faced the child.
"Y-yes..." Rei answered, "Who is creepy lady, and how does creepy lady speak without moving her mouth."
"I'm AG..." the woman said, "And I know the truth. I know Ricka isn't really your sister. I've met Ricka before, and she never mentioned anything about having a sister or family of any kind."
"But Rei is Ricka's sister," the child said, "Ricka said so..."
"Ricka is a liar..." AG replied, "And a good one at that. Your auras are so different; there's no way you can be sisters..."
"Who is AG, and why does she insult Ricka!"
"I'm not insulting her... that's just who she is..." AG stood up, "You don't know much about Ricka; you're still young. Ricka is a liar. But, above all, Ricka is a bully."
Rei opened her mouth to counter, but didn't do so. Instead she grew silent, while the robot-like woman walked for the Greenhouse exit.
"Why does AG dislike Ricka?" the child suddenly asked.
AG stopped, but only briefly. She exited soon after, and Rei sat down. She placed her back up to the glass walls of the Greenhouse and took a deep breath, while Pokémon began swarming around her. Humans are weird; Pokémon not so much. Rei understands Pokémon, and they understand her. The crazy emotions humans have with one another don't exist most of the time with Pokémon.
Most of the time.
"Are you okay?" one Floette asked.
"Yeah..." the child replied, "I'm okay..."
…
Day 4.
"Looks so familiar, huh Ace?" Ricka whispered.
It was her lunch time, a time she usually spent within the Teacher's Lounge. But, this time, she sat outside, on the outer rim of the school's Training Grounds. This is where many students are given school-owned Pokémon and face each other, just to show what they've learned in school. Depending on the student, the Pokémon can be of varying levels and types. With Dragons and fully-evolved Pokémon being of the higher-end, while Bugs and under-evolved Pokémon are of the lower-end.
Right now, a student with a Fraxure clashed against a student using a Gloom. Two Pokémon who are so vastly different from one another, yet none would disagree on the outcome. A Fraxure would absolutely destroy a Gloom. That is unless the trainer knows what he or she is doing.
But Ricka didn't care. She was just hoping to see a good battle, even if this was between students. She wasn't alone, however. Her hand sat on the head of her beloved Sceptile, while the other hand sat on her lunch. Fingers grooved alongside his head, making Ace slight groan from the pleasure. He loved being petted by Ricka; it was something he never grew out of.
"Remember, huh Ace?" Ricka said to him in their private little moment, "Remember when that used to be us?"
"What used to be us?" a voice asked.
"BLAGH!?"
The woman leaped from her chair and turned around, while Ace gazed up. Suddenly, a certain Chikorita fell on his head, making him shrug from indifference. Getting back down to the ground, he started to drift to rest again, and so did the Chikorita. Ricka on the other hand shot a glare at the person who surprised her, which really wasn't all that surprising.
"Rei!" the woman shouted, "What the he... whoops... almost screwed up there, what the heck are you doing here!?"
The child walked up from behind the chair to stand in front of Ricka.
"It's always so cute to watch Ricka talk with Ace," the child said, before being gripped by the woman.
"Don't eavesdrop Rei," the woman ordered maliciously, "Or else bad things can happen!"
"O-okay, Ricka," the child said while she put her down.
"Now what's up? Isn't it lunch time for you?"
"It is lunch time, but Rei just couldn't find anyone to eat with. Everyone has their own little groups and no one wants Rei to be apart of them... and..." the child looked up, "Ricka lied. Ricka said she'd be in the Teacher's Lounge or her classroom!"
"Oh go ahead in sue me," Ricka replied with a chuckle, "You found me, didn't you? That's all that matters..." sitting back down in her chair, Ricka called Rei over with a finger, "But I understand that whole little 'group' thing. That's the way schools are, Rei. Everyone has their friends and they don't want to induct anyone else into their friendship. It's quite hard making friends, really."
"Is that why Ricka doesn't have much friends?" Rei asked.
Had the child been anyone else, Ricka would have simply told them to 'fuck off'. Accurate retailing, might I add. But, hey, Ricka felt vulnerable around Rei. It's not like Rei was going to use her or anything.
"I guess you can say that," Ricka said, "But I don't think that's necessarily true. C'mon, let's eat."
The ground suddenly quaked. Ricka and Rei gazed up to the Training Grounds in unison, seeing of all things, that Fraxure laying upon the earth in defeat. It wasn't moving in the least bit, and was actually twitching of all things. Quite creepy, really. Standing above it in triumph was that Gloom Ricka had thought off.
It would take quite a lot of intelligence to win this fight. Glooms aren't really known for their powerful offensive, but instead tricky tactics. When Ricka saw a purple substance ooze from the Fraxure's mouth, she realized what happened.
"Poisoned it, huh?" Ricka said, "Then used Gloom's defense to simply out live the dragon. Kinda smart..."
Rei was less interested in the fight however, and more interested in the trainers. Well, just one. While the Fraxure's Trainer was an older boy, the Gloom's Trainer was Hotaru. She stood on her end, fists on her hips, this uppity and superior smile on her face. She was a girl who knew only victory. Rei didn't know Hotaru was such a great trainer.
"Know who that is?" Ricka asked, to which Rei shook her head, "Hotaru Katsu comes from Johto. Apart of the Katsu family. Since Fudan City's Academy is pretty well-known, they sent her here so she could have all the benefits in her Pokémon training career. Ya'know. So she could start with a sprint instead of a dash... hm..."
"Is she... perfect?" Rei asked.
"I don't know why it matters, but I would say, from all the money her parents are pouring into her, she better be perfect."
…
Day 5. The final day.
Ricka stood on the training grounds, Poké Ball in hand. Standing far away from her on the other end, was AG. The machine-like woman withdrew her own Poké Ball, while her blue eyes stared deeply into Ricka's own blue eyes. The redhead grabbed the ties that bound her hair into pigtails and released them, allowing her hair to flow naturally. After, she removed her glasses from her face and placed them into her shirt pocket.
It seemed as if the entire school had come this morning. Students were sitting around the training ground's edge, along with various teachers and faculty members. Principal Hardskin himself stared upon the Training Grounds from his own office, which was placed near the area. Even though his desk was filled with papers, he stared on from his window.
The wind blew a few leaves along the field, while the trainers sized each other up.
"Why does it always have to end up this way between us?" AG asked.
"Cause you's a bitch..." Ricka replied, to which the many onlookers gasped.
The two pulled back their Poké Balls and threw them at the same time; everyone's eyes were locked on the spheres. They snapped open above the battlefield, releasing the Pokémon that were held within.
Here's a little thing about Pokémon battles, Ricka's voice echoed into Rei's ears. She was reminiscing of the woman's teachings, A battle isn't all about offense. It takes defense, Rei. You gotta be smart; use the right Pokémon for the right occasion.
"Lucario!" AG's Pokémon roared from her end.
The Aura Pokémon stood on two feet, hands balled tightly into fists. His red eyes gleamed like rubies, while a burning blue aura flowed from his body. Lucario is always a fan-favorite Pokémon; revered by all, and hated by very few. So when he landed on the ground, the crowd save for Rei went wild.
The earth quaked again, and this silenced everyone. They all stared to Ricka's side, seeing what Pokémon she sent out. It was a being unlike any other; a rarely seen Pokémon indeed. It was large and ever so spiky. A grassy body clad in nothing but steel; it owned a defense that was nigh impregnable. Three vines stretched from its body, with spiked prongs at the end. The crowd grew silent, many disappointed in the choice of Ricka's Pokémon. They expected something grand, not this.
"Feeeeroooo!" the Thorn Pod Pokémon announced.
Many were expected Ricka to throw out one of her main Pokémon, such as Quest. But instead, they got this Ferrothorn. While many were disappointed, Rei was so tantalized by the sight. Whenever she saw another one of Ricka's knew Pokémon, she was always so awe-struck. She had so many Pokémon; just how many did the woman own?
Slowly, the crowds grew silent again as all that talking came to an end.
"Lucario!" AG yelled, "Aura Sphere!"
"Fortitudo!" Ricka yelled back, "Protect!"
The Aura Pokémon pulled back his hands, charging a great orb of blue energy. Once the charging met a fine-point, he fired his blast toward his enemy. But Fortitudo's body shined brightly, reflecting the sunlight with the sheen. The blast bounced off his body and was deflected to the heavens, causing the Ferrothorn to suffer no damage.
The onlookers gasped in unison from the sight, while AG and Ricka retained their hard glares.
"Fortitudo!" Ricka yelled, "Power Whip!"
The mighty Thorn Pod Pokémon rose one vine and slammed it down. The ground immediately began quaking after. Vines ripped through the earth, before erupting right beneath the body of AG's Lucario. He leaped back, only to be gripped by a vine that slammed him back to the earth. Suddenly, the many vines above him began to pound his body violently. This went on for a few moments, before the Aura Pokémon erupted blue energy from her body, pushing the vines away.
"Lucario," AG said as the Aura Pokémon got to his feet, "Aura Sphere!"
Of course she would go for Aura Sphere. Ferrothorns only have but two weakness. Fire and Fighting. From what Rei could tell, Lucario's can't learn Fire-type moves. And AG's a smart trainer; she's not about to tell her Lucario to use a physical move, since that would only hurt her back. Ferrothorn's spikes aren't there just to be looked at; they really hurt! And Rei knew this. She didn't know this before, but she knew this now. Was it school that taught her this?
"Fortitudo! Protect!" Ricka commanded again.
And Ricka's no fool either. She knows her Pokémon's weakness, and knows the smart course of action. Right now, all she's doing is forcing AG to make a mistake, to which she would surely act on it. And act accordingly.
Lucario fired his blast, and Fortitudo deflected it with ease. After, the two trainers and their Pokémon grew silent. This was going to be one of those matches. The fights where it's not the stronger one that wins, but the more patient one. Or the one whose willing to take the most risks. It's really hard to tell in this context. Really.
"Lucario! Use Brick Break!" I suppose its risks then.
The Lucario dashed for his enemy, before leaping sky-high. He laid his hand flat like a fan, and it suddenly began to glow thanks to the powers brewing within his very body. Fortitudo and Ricka gazed up to the Aura Pokémon, both coming up with their own strategies. In the end, they decided its best to counter.
"Fortitudo!" Ricka yelled, "Use Gyro Ball!"
Fortitudo suddenly began to spin, and quite rapidly as well. Like a spinning top, he twirled toward his enemy, while Lucario fell at the same time. The Aura Pokémon's hand fell upon the Thorn Pod Pokémon's body, to which the earth collapsed beneath their feet. The quake was so strong, some were even knocked off their toes.
But something felt odd. As Rei watched the two Pokémon pull away from one another, the ten-year-old started to think about another. Where was Hotaru? The eleven-year-old wasn't around, like, anywhere. Rei stepped into the crowds in search of her, but could not find her. Not until the child entered the library, which was near the Training Grounds. While the fight surely raged outside, the ten-year-old saw Hotaru. She was sitting at a table, studying.
"Why is Hotaru alone?" Rei asked as she walked up to her.
The eleven-year-old gazed up to Rei and cocked her head, before this smirk appeared.
"I could ask you the same question, Rei," Hotaru replied, "Why are you alone in this school? I'm here because I'm studying. You, on the other hand, have no right to be here."
"What is Hotaru talking about?" Rei asked.
"Haven't you noticed your own uniform?" Hotaru asked, "That blue and white? It's of a... lower standard. Someone like you would never get into a prestigious school like this. You're only here because your sister is a guest teacher, and honestly, I'm not even sure she's all that great," who was this? This Hotaru wasn't the Hotaru Rei knew over the week. Or though she knew, "Let's face it Rei, you're being here is nothing more than a fluke. I think it would be wise for you to return to whatever backwater place you came from..."
"What?" the child said, "Hotaru can't say that to Rei!"
"Oh yes I can," she retorted, "I mean, listen to yourself! Rei this, Rei that, you're vocal pattern is deplorable at best. I'd expect such speeches from a three-year-old, not a ten-year-old! Has your mind degraded from your time out in the country side, must I ask? At sounds like it to me," Rei opened her mouth to reply, but Hotaru rose her's instead, "Save it Rei. I have a lot of studying to do and I'm sure you're more into watching Pokémon merciless pound each other to death, than to actually understand the intricacies of it," Hotaru stood up, book in hand, and started walking deeper into the library, "Leave me alone, Rei. In fact, I recommend you just leave this place. Probably couldn't even read most of the books in this place..."
Rei stood there in the library, completely demoralized by the speech. She didn't know what to do or what to say, other than to stand there. Her mouth open, her eyes wide. And there were a few tears running down her face. Rei didn't even know she was crying at first, until the tears fell on her hands. She gazed down to them, while her heart began to race. She didn't know words could hurt so much. The reason being because Rei agreed. She knew something was wrong the moment she stepped foot into the classes. It was fun at first, but it seemed as if all of Rei's thoughts on Pokémon were wrong, and all of the school's teachings on Pokémon were right.
Was Rei wrong all along? She bolted from the library.
"R-Rei? What happened?" the redhead said with wide eyes of concern.
Rei merely dove her face into Ricka's body, ignoring everyone around but the woman she called 'sister'. The ten-year-old started crying even harder now, while Ricka crouched down to hug her. The woman said some words to AG, along the lines of 'this battle is over', and immediately focused her attentions on Rei and only Rei.
When the ten-year-old's eyes opened again, they were standing near Ricka's moped. She looked up to the woman's face, seeing this warm and inviting visage. It seemed as if Ricka was pained too, but why? Simply because she saw that Rei was hurt. When Rei hurts, Ricka hurts.
"Hey, hey," the woman said as she brushed her hands gently down Rei's face, "Are you okay, Rei?"
The child didn't answer; she just dove her face into Ricka's chest and cried a little more.
…
"Rei's imperfect..."
The dinner was small and quaint, but it was all Ricka needed. She ordered the usual; a large double-patty bacon cheeseburger, with fries onion wings and soda on the side. If anything, she was giving her bowls an evacuation notice. But hey, dinner was going to be so fucking good; she could already imagine it.
But Rei wasn't as hungry as she usually was. Normally, she too would order some grand meal that doesn't match her ten-year-old standards. But today, she actually ordered something from off of the 'Kids Menu'. Rei never orders from the Kids Menu.
"So what happened," Ricka asked as they awaited their food.
"Nothing happened..." the child lied.
"No, no, Rei," the woman said, "Don't give me that. I can tell when you're lying... probably because you aren't too good at it..."
The child sighed deeply as she gazed up to Ricka. The woman had a point; Rei was a terrible liar. She never had a reason to lie before now. And, really, it left a nasty taste in her mouth. She didn't like lying. But sometimes, the truth hurts.
"Rei's imperfect," the child said, "She tried school, but came out imperfect..."
"What are you talking about?" Ricka said after a sip of her soda.
"Rei's still imperfect, even though she went to school..." the child sulked deeper into her self-imposed depression, "Rei failed..."
"Hey, now, don't say that. Rei, you didn't fail," the child looked up to Ricka, while she struggled to come up with something to say, "Listen here, Rei. Am I perfect?"
"Of course Ricka's perfect!" the child said, much to Ricka's surprise, "Ricka has strong Pokémon! Ricka is smart! Ricka herself doesn't listen to anyone! Ricka is strong and perfect! Rei... Rei..." she closed her eyes, "Rei wishes she could be like Ricka..."
"No, no, no," the woman said as she placed her finger on the table, "No one is perfect, Rei. Not me, not you, no one. Hell, I'm the farthest person from the word 'perfect'. If I was perfect... I'd be Champion..." she shook her head, "Why does it matter anyway?"
"Ricka said school is a place where they make perfect little girls," the child said.
"What? Ugh... shit..." the woman cursed, "Rei... I was being sarcastic. School doesn't make people perfect. I... I..." she breathed in deeply, "I lived in a boarding school, Rei. For a long time. I didn't come out more perfect after it than I was before. If anything, I came out worse. I made so many mistakes, its terrible. You don't want to be like me... at all... but hey..." she reached over the table and cupped Rei's face, "I don't care what anyone says. You are perfect. You're perfect in your own perfect little way. I don't know anyone that could do the things you do. There's not a person in the entire world who could be more you than you can. You may not be perfect in the way society may say or that academy or whatever... but you are perfect. Really!"
In a flash, the woman found Rei hugging her again. How did the child even do that!? There was a table separating them!
"Rei loves Ricka!" the child said within the hug.
The woman thought on her words for a bit, before a brief sniffle echoed from her nose. Was it her, or had it been a very long time since she last heard someone say that about her? Since she heard someone say, 'I love you Ricka'. The woman didn't cry, but it did make her voice crack.
"And hey," she whispered with that slightly high-pitched voice, "Ricka loves Rei..."
Maverick Talks!
What the hell!? 7k/8k words? How did I write so much!? I'm mind-blown my own self! Like, really!
But, hey, this chapter is done with yeah? It has come to an end, and we see how Ricka and Rei survived a week of school. For Ricka, it reminded her of some of her past days, while with Rei she learned schools kinda suck. Well, not really; don't go thinking I'm anti-school or anything. I'm not! But you do see what happens when two people of vastly different upbringings collide.
One thing I failed to elaborate on since chapter 23 is the city's name. Ya'see, I kept the city in Constant Box ambiguous as well as the region. Why? So you can imagine it's anywhere in the Pokemon World! But in Chapter 23, I revealed the city's name to be Fudan City. It was named by Animegirl426, who claims its a way of saying 'Constant' in Japanese! Awesome right! I think the name fits! But what region is it in? Go ahead; imagine!
Hotaru is a really weird character. I created her, but damn, even I'm slightly terrified of her. Probably because I neglected to elaborate more on her. Let me just say this; she's going to come back. Soon? Maybe...
As said before, the character of the day for the past few chapters was AG, who comes to use from DapieisTasty. I hope you enjoyed seeing your character DapieisTasty! I really enjoyed writing AG's parts. She's just so... mysterious, I can't put my foot on why. But, hey, she's your character; you obviously know her better than I do.
Anyway, as usual, send in your characters for submission, I will gladly take on all comers. But, not just for me, you can also send them over to Animegirl426 as well! And remember! Since this is season two, I gladly accept repeat senders now! So yes! Go ahead! Send them!
Oh yeah, did you catch it? Ricka's middle initial is A. Makes you wonder what it could be, huh?
Now if you don't mind, I have a secret project I must work on! Wish me luck!
Maverick Kay Prime