I live! Apologies (again) for the delay in updates. As some of you already know, I was very ill for a number of months, but I am now feeling better and have the energy to write again! Which means that we get to meet more of our lovely cast. Enjoy!

ChaoticMercy: Wisteria is a very lovely character, and her dynamic with Ems is definitely going to be fun to explore. Thanks for reviewing! :)

LillyShepard: Yay! I'm so glad that you loved everyone! Arsene definitely seems to be an early favorite so far, and I can't blame you. He was incredibly fun to write!

Insomniac98338: Dude... favorite canon characters dying is essentially mandatory in a story like this! haha It was super interesting to read all of your thoughts on the different characters, and I'm glad that Ems is charming so far! I always get nervous for my MCs haha

TheRoseShadow21: Where else do you start intros? And yeah, having people know each other and have prior relationships is something that I'm really glad that I decided to include. It leads to a lot of different dynamics right off the bat that will be fun to explore.

PainX65: Aimee is a sweetheart. I'm glad that she's getting some love. Ems is a different kind of character for me, so it's been a lot of fun to dig into her more biting inner commentary. I'm really glad that you like her! And like I just said above, I love that so many characters have a connection to each other. It makes the world feel a little more real to me.

Ems and Wisteria walked down the hallway, arm in arm. Hyacinth walked on the other side of Wisteria, her feelers wrapped around her trainer's wrist and Mimikyu riding on her back. Unobtrusive cameras watched their every move. Ems found herself glancing at them every so often, fighting the urge to stick her tongue out at them. She lightly squeezed Wisteria's arm.

"It's really good to see you again. Seriously."

"You too. I've missed you."

Ems made a face. "Yeah, you can blame your parents for that. I kept asking them where you were but they pretended like they had no idea." Wisteria forced a laugh and Ems looked up at her in shock. "Oh."

"You don't have to say it like that!" Her already pink cheeks turned red. "I already told you that I could have handled it better."

"You do realize that there was a rumor that you were dead, right?" Ems asked her. The pair's pace slowed. "Not that I believed it, but still."

"Well, I'm glad that you didn't believe it."

"I think you're ignoring the key part of that sentence."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh."

Wisteria laughed again, this time sounded far more natural. She pulled Ems closer and rested her head on top of the other girl's for a few seconds in a makeshift hug. Ems rolled her eyes while Wisteria couldn't see her, but otherwise didn't protest too much. There was certainly something to be said about the comfort found in physical touch, especially when you didn't receive it often.

"I really have missed you," Wisteria said softly.

Ems tilted her head up to look at her with a small smile. "Same. I'm really glad you're here." She wouldn't want anyone else to be the Ultimate Fairy Type Trainer. Not this year, anyways.

"Oh, look at us getting all mushy and sentimental! What would the tabloids say? It's a good thing no one else saw us!"

Yes, except for the cameras, but Ems didn't feel compelled to point that out. Not when Wisteria dropped Ems' arm and shook off Hyacinth to lightly slap her own cheeks twice with both hands. She looked at Ems apologetically, but the Ghost Type Trainer waved her off before she could open her mouth. This was an old routine for both of them.

They turned a corner and came face to face with a set of gorgeous, ornate glass doors. Through them appeared to be some sort of greenhouse or campus quad if the brilliant sunlight and carefully manicured plants were any indication. It was slightly difficult to be more specific than that because a boy and his Pokémon were coming in through the doors and blocking the view.

The boy was slim and lanky, and about the same size as Wisteria with pale skin that made his… colorful clothing seem all the more vibrant. It consisted of a light red tank top with a purple crop top over it, purple shorts, red socks that reached his knees, and dark pink shoes. He also wore dark pink gloves and carried a long, white cane. His nametag sat slightly askew, just enough to be bothersome. Wisteria glanced at Ems in silent warning. Ems suppressed a smile.

The boy's light pink hair was short and very, very fluffy, curling around his head like a cloud of Mareep fur. And apparently, the cane wasn't just a decorative accessory. His eyes completely lacked pupils. They were just solid irises of baby blue. He was blind.

He swept his cane back and forth in front of him, tapping it lightly on the marble floor with a rather satisfying sound. But before he could step forward and before Wisteria could do much more than tilt her head with a winsome smile, his Pokémon glided forward to touch his elbow twice.

She was a Gardevoir, which was actually relatively common for a service Pokémon. At least, Ems assumed that she was a service Pokémon. The ability to see the future was highly prized in that line of work, especially when it came to navigating around hazards.

Gardevoir

The Embrace Pokémon

This Pokémon apparently does not feel the pull of gravity because it supports itself with psychic power. It will guard its Trainer and is fiercely protective. To protect its Trainer, it will even risk its life and spend all of its psychic energy to create a small, black hole.

Gardevoir was a humanoid Pokémon, only a few inches shorter than Ems, whose body looked like a white, flowing gown. The underside was green, as was her arms and a helmet of hair that curled at the ends. A red, fin-like horn protruded from her chest, as did a smaller, rounder horn from her back. Large, red eyes watched the pair of girls carefully. Her white face sharpened into three spikes behind her eyes.

The boy cocked his head to the side. "Hm? Is someone there?"

"Hey!" Wisteria said with a small wave that was completely meaningless. "Yeah, there's two of us here. I'm Wisteria Luxovius with my Sylveon, Hyacinth." Cue welcoming chirp from said Pokémon. "And next to me is my best friend, Ems Travalen with her Mimikyu. No nickname there. Ultimate Fairy Trainer and Ultimate Ghost Trainer, respectively."

"Hi," Ems said. Mimikyu bounced forward two steps.

The boy nodded and smiled at each of them in turn. "Rosewater and dark chocolate. Interesting. Sorry, hello. I'm Shiloh Hienstien, the Ultimate Psychic Type Trainer. This is my Gardevoir friend. Please don't mind my eyes."

Shiloh Hienstien

Ultimate Psychic Type Trainer

That was admittedly easier said than done. The lack of pupils would take some getting used to. At least he couldn't tell if she was staring at them. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully. Still, Ems had something else that she could focus on. "Rosewater and dark chocolate?" she repeated.

"I did say that out loud, didn't I?" he said a little sheepishly. He turned his head to look in the approximate direction of his Pokémon. "No need to laugh at me!" Wisteria and Ems glanced at each other. Neither of them had heard anything. Gardevoir just floated serenely. Shiloh pouted a little. "You're so mean."

"Um, Shiloh?" Wisteria asked.

"Right! Sorry." His ears turned the same shade as his hair. "I have synesthesia. Two forms of it, really. Every sound has a color, and then that color has a smell and taste. You two are light pink and very dark brown. Rosewater and dark chocolate. They're very nice."

So, bitter and unappealing to many people compared to a similar alternative?

Ems smiled. Excellent. Although Wisteria would most likely argue that Ems was mature and needed similarly mature people to appreciate her. Ems liked her interpretation better. More realistic.

"That's amazing! Does everyone have a unique color?" Wisteria asked.

Shiloh shook his head. "No. A lot of people sound very similar, so their colors match. Or it changes based on their mood or if they're sick. Health can really mess with things. Makes everything very, very bitter if someone is sick." He wrinkled his nose. "But I guess it helps me tell if a Pokémon is healthy or not."

Oh, right. Ems remembered now. "You're in the medical field?" Even if it was phrased as a question, she already knew the answer.

"Yes. Sometimes. Gardevoir and I mostly just travel, but I help out if I can! Hey!" He looked at his Pokémon again. Again, nothing had happened as far as Ems could tell. Gardevoir hadn't even moved much since the group started talking. "Okay, I might have been helping a lot more recently. But I'm still not a doctor or nurse. I just listen to the colors."

"I think that you're selling yourself short," Wisteria told him. "All of that simply sounds incredible. I would love to talk with you more about this later on if you want?"

"I… yeah! I'm not great at explaining some things, but sure! Talking would be fun!" Even if Shiloh sounded a little uncertain, he had a brilliant smile on his face that Wisteria matched. Ems' smile was much smaller, torn between fond and bemused. "Oh! I never asked! What do you two do?"

Wisteria answered before Ems could. "We're both Ace Trainers."

"Now who's selling herself short?" Ems asked before turning back to Shiloh. "Wisteria was the Galar Champion for four years." But maybe that wasn't the right thing to say considering the look on her friend's face. It was only there for a moment before being wiped away and replaced with another smile.

"It's not worth making a fuss over," she said. "I'm sure that you could crush me in a battle, Ems."

She considered it for a moment. They had never actually fought on opposing teams. "Maybe."

"I'm more of a healer than a fighter myself," Shiloh said. "If that wasn't already clear." Don't worry, Shiloh. It was. Still, it was good to confirm that he wasn't a double threat or anything of that nature. Ems already had more than enough to handle with Tatsuo. Shiloh nodded to himself. "You're right," he told Gardevoir, who had floated over to his side, one hand outstretched to shepherd him down the hall. "We really should head to the auditorium. It's probably almost time."

"She's very serious, isn't she?" Ems asked. Gardevoir looked at her, and although her expression didn't change, Ems got the sense that she was a little miffed.

"Mind if we go with you?" Wisteria asked.

Another brilliant smile from the boy. "Of course not!"

Ems shook her head. Mimikyu whined sadly. Hyacinth nuzzled him. "Sorry, I actually want to check outside real quick. Go on ahead, though. I'll see you there." She looked down at her partner. "We'll see them again soon."

"Okay! Sounds good." Wisteria gave Ems one, last, quick side hug. "I'll save you a seat!" Ems nodded.

"There are two people outside," Shiloh said and for some reason it felt like a warning. "Mushrooms and copper. The copper was particularly strong."

"Thanks? That was ominous."

"Sorry! That wasn't what I meant. I'm sure that they're very nice." That was not nearly as comforting as he intended, and he seemed to realize that very quickly. "They weren't bitter or sour or even salty!"

"Did you not talk to them?" Ems asked.

Shiloh's ears turned pink again. Well, that answered that question. "I might have gotten distracted. The wind kept rustling the flowers. There were a lot of pretty colors to follow and look at."

Ems couldn't tell if that was adorable or ridiculous, although she was leaning towards the latter. Were pretty colors really more important than living, breathing people that would be his classmates for the foreseeable future? At the very least, it said something about the people waiting for her out there. Yes, Shiloh hadn't talked to them, but neither of them felt compelled to introduce themselves either. She mentally prepared for these next conversations to go about as well as the one with Aimee did. This was going to be fun.

She suddenly wished that she wasn't so concerned with making a good first impression.

Ems watched as Wisteria and Shiloh started down the hall, quickly falling into another conversation, Hyacinth trying and failing to distract Gardevoir. Mimikyu whined again, but appeared to feel much better as soon as Ems crouched down to pat his head once. He followed dutifully as Ems pushed the heavy doors open.

Outside was a frankly gorgeous garden filled with blooming flowerbeds, vegetable vines, and fruit trees. A grey, cobblestone path wound through the area, which Ems estimated to be about the size of the welcome hall that had served as her introduction to Hope's Peak. Stone benches dotted the path here and there, and there were perfectly manicured circles of grass that someone could presumably lounge in.

But what was most worth mentioning was what surrounded this lovely little garden: a giant birdcage, for lack of a better term. Sturdy, metal bars enclosed the entire space, casting crisscrossed shadows over the entire area. Ems could still feel the sun on her face and the wind play with the ends of her hair, but there was also no escaping the claustrophobic feeling.

How very annoying.

Why was this ever considered to be a good idea?

Even if the cage did extend nearly thirty feet into the sky, that was no excuse. And yes, there were most likely predictable reasons like school security or protection from wild Pokémon or a safe measure from any students' Pokémon that try to make a run for it. Which, if Ems was being completely honest, just went to show that such people had no place here. But she was getting distracted. She could be annoyed about design decisions later.

There were people to meet.

Two of them, as expected. A boy and a girl, the latter of whom looked young given the amount of baby fat left in her cheeks. She chased… something… through the vegetable patches, dodging the plants themselves with practiced ease. The boy sat underneath a tree where he could watch her, his legs stretched out in front of him. A very, very tall, blue Pokémon stood behind the tree, presumably looking at something, but the leaves made it impossible to tell what it was or what it was doing. Now, the true question was which of them Ems was going to try and approach first.

"You dweeb! Get back here!" the girl yelled. This was more than enough to catch Mimikyu's interest. He chirped, sounding like a bare branch on a pane of glass, and ran over to her, plunging into the vegetable patch. Ems closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Decision apparently made for her.

Still, she took a moment to simply watch the situation before following Mimikyu. The other girl was even shorter than Ems, standing at about 5'2", but somehow managed to still have noodly limbs. Her hair was bright red and rather poorly taken care of. The girl very clearly gave herself her own haircuts when she should have trusted the professionals. Her hair was cut into a very choppy bob that reached halfway past her chin with similarly messy bangs that she kept shoving out of her face with one hand. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, which only made the dark bags underneath her round, green eyes incredibly pronounced.

The girl's clothing was in similar poor condition considering that every single item was dirt stained in some way. She wore a faded, long-sleeved, yellow sweater under a pair of green overall shorts that had clearly been patched and mended multiple times. Over this was an oversized, blue rain jacket with pockets large enough to easily fit Mimikyu in. There was a large tear up one sleeve. She also had grey sneakers and a pair of mismatched socks. While one was a standard, white crew sock, the other was a yellow knee-high that was quickly losing its battle with gravity and falling down her leg. Ems couldn't see any sort of nametag.

… Even without actually talking to her, Ems had a sneaking suspicion that Lavoisier would strongly dislike her. Fashion choices aside.

A small, blue blob burst forth and behind it, Mimikyu launched himself into the air, cloth covering opening wide in preparation for landing on the blue blob and trapping it inside. "Hey!" Ems yelled, striding forward. Mimikyu immediately closed back up, dropping lightly on the ground with his head bent forward into a pout. Ems raised her brow at him. He quickly returned to her side, whining softly and leaning his head against her leg. The other girl scooped up the other Pokémon, which immediately started screaming.

"Ugh, you big baby! Do you want to go back in your ball?" Immediate silence. "Yeah, that's what I thought. You're so weird." Despite her words, there was an undeniable fondness in her tone.

"Sorry about that. Mimikyu sometimes decides to get in touch with his hunter instinct," Ems said, stepping forward just enough to get the other girl's attention. Her green eyes seemed to go even wider as she looked at Ems. "Although he should know better than to attack classmates." Another apologetic brush against her leg.

"That's kinda weird. But also cool, I guess. I bet you're really good at fighting, huh? You look like you've patched him up enough times."

"Yes, we are."

"Makes sense. I really don't like patching mine up. Makes me sad. But hi! I'm Philomene! But call me Phil. Philomene's a gross name that sounds like dirt and I'm not dirt! I'm a person, duh."

"Clearly." She couldn't keep a small, amused smile from forming. "Ems Travalen, Ultimate Ghost Type Trainer."

Phil nodded, puffing both of her cheeks out. "I'm the Ultimate Grass Type Trainer, although you maybe couldn't tell from the way this one acts." She held up her Pokémon, which Ems could now recognize as an Oddish. "She's kinda very much a huge doofus and a big baby, and I don't even know how I got here with her like that."

Phil Zelkova

Ultimate Grass Type Trainer

Oddish looked a little offended by that description, her five, green, prehensile leaves reaching down to try and pry Phil's hands off of her. A piece of red, plastic tape similar to the kind used to mark out gardening space was tied to one of the leaves. Otherwise, Oddish mostly comprised of a body that looked like a blue plant bulb with beady, red eyes and a small mouth. Her two feet kicked uselessly in the air. Phil finally gave up and placed her on the ground.

Oddish

The Weed Pokémon

During the daytime, Oddish buries itself in soil to grow and avoid the sun. If you try to yank it out of the ground, it shrieks horribly. When exposed to moonlight, it roams nearly 1,000 feet to scatter its seeds. Its scientific name is "Oddium Wanderus."

Oddish immediately went right up to Ems, chirping excitedly. She only really half paid attention to her, more concerned with warning Mimikyu to be good with a look. "She's very friendly," Ems said, turning back to Phil.

"Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say. No one sees the little demon horns growing out of her head!" Phil hooked her fingers and placed them besides her temples as a demonstration.

"Hmm, no, I only see leaves."

"Are you messing with me? Because that's not very nice! That weirdo over there was already saying really weird and creepy stuff!" Phil made no attempt to keep her voice down, and the supposed weirdo almost certainly heard her. He just stared at them both with a contemplative, almost blank expression. "See? Weird!"

"Yes, I was being somewhat sarcastic," Ems told her. Oddish continued to chatter at her. She continued to mostly ignore her. "I do that sometimes."

"I don't get that. People should just say what they mean. It would make things so much easier, you know?"

Ems shrugged easily. "I don't know. Sometimes there's a reason to tell a little lie here and there."

"You're a liar."

"And you certainly don't hold back on your opinions."

"Nope! I really don't get why people think that's a problem. So many things go wrong because people don't just say what they mean!"

"How old are you again?"

"Hey! I'm not a baby!"

"I never said that you were."

"You were implying it! I'm not dumb! I know what that means, you meanie!"

And yet, Ems got the feeling that this conversation wasn't going all that badly. It had definitely made a turn for the confrontational, with Phil furrowing her brows and scrunching her nose up like a Scorbunny, but it still didn't feel hostile or mocking or even awkward. Honestly, this might be the most successful first impression that she had made without Wisteria acting as a mediating force.

… Maybe that was something to be concerned about.

But maybe not. Maybe there was something that could be salvaged from all of this shouting. And maybe Ems did want to salvage it, beyond just trying to ensure that her new classmates at least tolerated her. Odd.

"Doesn't your jacket bother you?" Ems asked, visibly catching Phil by surprised. Her previous anger shriveled up.

"That was very, very random. Why? What's wrong with my jacket? I like it! It has really big pockets!" She wrapped her arms around herself, like she was worried that Ems was going to try and rip it off of her.

"There's a massive rip in the sleeve."

"So what?"

Ems took a breath and kept her voice level. "So do you want me to fix it? I'm very good at patching tears."

Phil looked down at Mimikyu. "You fixed him?"

"Of course." What else was she going to do? Let her Pokémon just wear rags and cry every night about how his disguise is broken and ugly? Please.

Phil puffed out her cheeks as she thought. "I guess that would be okay then." She smiled shyly. "Thanks. That would actually be really nice of you! Oh, but don't worry! I'll do something or make you something to pay you back! I promise, and people are supposed to keep their promises so you know that I'm gonna do it!"

"That really isn't necessary."

"Of course it is," Phil said in the same way that someone would say to a four year old who is insisting that the sky isn't blue. It was admittedly very weird to be on the receiving end of that. "You're not allowed to fix anything until I can give you something back. But don't worry! I'm gonna figure that out right now!"

"The orientation is soon, though."

"So?"

"We're supposed to be there."

Phil grinned. "So?" She laughed and took off running back inside the building. Or, well, that was the idea. She immediately tripped over Oddish when the Pokémon quickly stepped in front of her. Ems got the distinct impression that that was entirely on purpose. "Ugh, you're so annoying!" And off they went, Phil pushing Oddish out of the way so that she could actually run and Oddish running after her, zigzagging across the garden, her red tape fluttering behind her.

"Amused: she is certainly an interesting child, no?" A completely monotone voice came from the boy who was still sitting underneath the tree. But now instead of a blank expression, he wore an incredibly strained smile. It legitimately looked like the kind of smile that an eight year old gives you when they know that you're about to take their picture: unnatural and fake and frankly just uncomfortable looking.

"There are a lot of interesting people here," Ems told him.

"Pleased: then this will be a very entertaining year," he said. "Apologetically: I am being rude. Please, come sit with me, Ems Travalen."

She did what she was told after a small hesitation. Mimikyu stayed close to her ankle, disguise billowing out slightly. She had to agree with him, and with what Phil had said earlier. This guy was weird and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. "I assume you heard me introduce myself."

He nodded. "Explanatory: I was listening to your conversation. Most of it was very boisterous." He still remained monotone.

"And you are?"

"Friendly: I am Rain Tyrrell, The Ultimate Rock Type Trainer. Have you ever heard of Fièvre du Sang?"

Rain Tyrrell

Ultimate Rock Type Trainer

Even sitting down, it was clear that Rain was very tall and lanky, easily passing 6' in height. He had pale, sickly looking skin that seemed like it really shouldn't be exposed to any sunlight. It was actually difficult to see most of his face thanks to a curly mop of pale blue hair that completely covered his eyes, stopping just above his nose. Ems really didn't know how he could see. The rest of his hair reached past his shoulders and was tied back into a loose, low ponytail with a bright pink ribbon. Small cuts in various stages of healing covered his hands, mostly likely from handling knives if his attire was anything to go by.

He wore a white chef's jacket that was much too big for him. Even rolled up, the sleeves threatened to cover his hands. The jacket was left open to reveal a dingy, dark brown T-shirt. Under all of it was a pair of faded, black jeans and black dress shoes that definitely needed a few rounds of polish. Like Phil, his entire attire was stained. Flour, pink and blue icing, and black soot from where the edges of his jacket had caught flame all contributed to an overall very disheveled look. Like Phil, Rain was also missing his nametag.

"Yes, I have heard of it."

Most Trainers had, if only during laughing conversations filled with equal parts bravado and urban legends. Fièvre du Sang. Blood Fever. The gym where if you succeeded in defeating its leader, you were put on a guaranteed fast track to challenge any league champion that you wished. Very, very few people ever succeeded, and the failed trainers then paid the price for it. Ems now knew what Shiloh meant when he had mentioned copper. Rain tilted his head to the side as he looked at her, his hair falling to the side enough to reveal blood red eyes. Ems stared back at him evenly.

"Amused: you do not seem too supportive of my gym."

"I never felt the need to take cheap shortcuts to get what I want."

"Curious: cheap?"

"For those idiotic enough to challenge you, yes."

They both fell silent after that. Slowly, Rain's strained smile faded so that his face became as emotionless and blank as his voice. If it wasn't for the steady rise and fall of his chest, he could almost be mistaken for a mannequin.

"Pleased: I believe that I will enjoy watching you this year, Ems Travalen," he said, as if it was the highest compliment that he could give instead of something that immediately made her want to stand up and leave the area. She didn't. Ems stayed exactly where she was. And when she didn't flee, Rain made a soft, approving noise in the back of his throat. "Sorbet!" he called out.

The ground shook underneath them as the blue Pokémon that had been behind the tree walked into view. Ems craned her neck up in order to fully see it, although she would have to do so even if she was standing. The Pokémon was easily close to nine feet tall, something that would make navigating the interior of the school rather annoying. There was a reason why Ems had always gravitated towards Mimikyus; she liked a Pokémon that she could easily carry and take everywhere with her.

"Explanatory: this is my Aurorus, Sorbet. Annoyed: Hope's Peak only allowed me to bring one of my team with me, so Strudel had to remain on the island. I would have loved to bring both of them."

Aurorus

The Tundra Pokémon

Aurorus was restored from a fossil. It's said that when this Pokémon howls, auroras appear in the night sky. This Pokémon is usually quiet and kind, but when gripped with rage, it will expel air as cold as -240 Fahrenheit from the diamond-shaped crystals on its body, covering everything around it in ice.

Sorbet was a quadruped Pokémon that resembled a sauropod. She was mostly blue with an ice blue underside that continued up her long neck to her chin. Her eyes were a bright blue that struck a balance between the two colors on her body. Her tail ended in a teardrop-shaped tip, which also had a pink ribbon tied to the end of it. Running the length of her entire body and tail on either side was a line of small ice crystals. Perhaps the most dramatic feature, though, were the two, large, flowing sails that extended from the top of her head down to the base of her neck. They were a pale yellow that faded into a periwinkle along the edge. A chef's jacket was tied around the base of her neck, carefully positioned to not pinch her sails.

Mimikyu did not appreciate the massive Pokémon walking towards him and very quickly hid inside of Ems' bag again. She let him go with only a soft sigh.

"I don't have any issue with the policy," she said with an easy shrug. And why would she? She never had any other Pokémon that traveled with her or fought with her other than Mimikyu. She had never needed a team to achieve what she wanted, so why split her focus between multiple teammates when she could put all of her energy into making one the very best that he could be?

"Thoughtful: yes, this policy does give you an advantage, doesn't it?"

"Oh? Do you think so?" Ems asked lightly.

Rain did not get a chance to reply. Instead, their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, followed by a very loud girl's voice.

"You got to be fucking kidding me!"

As one, Ems, Rain and Sorbet turned to look at the newcomer. Even Mimikyu poked his head out of the bag out of curiosity.

The new girl stood with her arms crossed and a truly impressive scowl on her face. She was about 5'7 with an obviously fit build. Her brown hair was cut very short and was mostly smooth and straight except for a few wavy bangs that fell above her dark blue eyes. There were two scars on her face: a horizontal scar that went across the bridge of her nose and a vertical scar that went down the center of her left eye. The two scars crossed over the bottom of her left eye socket.

Her style was rather muted and functional, in line with what Ems would have expected from a trainer that took battling seriously without getting caught up in the showmanship of it all, like Wisteria and Tatsuo both sometimes did. She wore an open, apple green jacket that revealed a black tank top underneath it. She wore a pair of brown shorts. Her nametag was pinned to the right front pocket. Long, black socks hid any kind of skin that may have showed and ended in a pair of pale green sports shoes. White bandages were wrapped around her knuckles, immediately making Ems think that she was a Fighting Type trainer.

Ems was very wrong, as a Scyther soon came out to join her.

Scyther

The Mantis Pokémon

With ninja-like agility and speed, Scyther leaps out of tall grass and slashes through prey too quickly for the human eye to track. The sharp scythes on its forearms become increasingly sharp by cutting through hard objects. With a single slice, Scyther can fell a massive tree.

The Scyther was a large, bipedal insect that was almost as tall as Ems. He was primarily light green with small, cream sections dividing his head, thorax, and abdomen. Three large ridges ran down the back of his dragon-esque head. Like his trainer, he had a large, vertical scar over one eye, although this was his right eye instead of his left. They were a matching pair. How cute. Two pairs of cream-colored wings extended from his back, and while capable, were rarely used for flying. And of course, there were the Pokémon's namesake: a pair of large, white scythes attached to his forearms that gleamed sharp in the sunlight. These particular scythes looked sharp enough to cleave through bone and flesh as if it were an illusion created by a fading fogbank.

"What does it take to get some fucking peace and quiet around here? Does there have to be someone in every single room I try to go into?" the new girl continued to complain.

"Sardonic: we were having a very peaceful conversation before you interrupted it."

Ems turned her laughter into a very polite cough into the knuckles of her right hand. She was not expecting someone like Rain to have a sense of humor that actually landed.

The girl's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Confused: Did you not hear me? I thought that I was speaking loudly enough," he said, and for once actually looked like the emotion that he had stated.

The girl opened her mouth but no sound came out. On her second attempt, she managed it. "Great. I'm going to get expelled within a day for breaking someone's nose."

"Pleading: I would rather keep my nose intact." Sorbet growled, a surprisingly deep and threatening sound from a Pokémon with such gentle eyes. The Scyther slowly raised his scythes, legs tensing as he waited for a single cue.

Okay, maybe it was time for Ems to step in before she got caught in the middle of a fight. She stood and stepped in-between them, leaving the bag with Mimikyu behind. "It's nice to meet someone so obviously passionate." The girl switched her attention to her. "You're obviously a Bug Type trainer."

"What? Were you expecting a Fighting Type pro?" she asked, sounding surprisingly defensive.

Honesty seemed to be the best policy here. "Initially, yes."

"Tch. Too bad. You got something even better! Myla Ardelean. They call me the Ultimate Bug Type Trainer." She looked to her Scyther, still standing at the ready, still staring at Sorbet who glared back. "And this is my partner, Kamakiri."

Myla Ardelean

Ultimate Bug Type Trainer

Ems smiled politely and introduced both herself and Rain, along with their respective Pokémon. Rain had regained his strained smile at some point when her back was turned. Myla grunted in acknowledgment and crossed her arms in front of her. That appeared to be some kind of signal, as Kamakiri finally stood down with a short, harsh buzz. Ems let out a small, relieved breath.

"Should I assume that you're an Ace Trainer as well?" she asked. "There seems to be quite a few of us here." Five by her count, six if you included Rain. Seven if you also included the still unmet 'child' gym leader that Lavoisier had mentioned. Nearly half of the class.

"Surprised: I wouldn't expect a Bug Type specialist to be successful enough to catch Hope's Peak's attention," Rain said and Ems and Myla looked at each other, a moment of pure, shared exasperation passing between them.

"What? You think that just because you have a type advantage or something means that you're just automatically gonna win?" Myla asked with a scowl. "That's bullshit. In the end, it's all talent and strength, not some lucky matchup."

"Disappointed: hm." His smile faded away, but Rain didn't appear blank or monotone anymore. No, if anything, he looked bored.

"Hm? Hm? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Myla snapped.

"Factual: you're not as interesting as I had hoped. The constant cursing is especially unappealing," he said simply before standing. "Friendly: goodbye, Ems Travalen. I look forward to speaking again soon." Ems only nodded in response as Rain recalled Sorbet into her Pokéball and started to walk towards the door. Myla and Kamakiri didn't move. They both stood there and stared, forcing Rain to sidestep around them. She muttered something as he passed, but Ems was too far away to make out what it was.

"Amused: if you wish." And with that, Rain was gone.

Kamakiri buzzed something incredibly rude and unflattering. Myla nodded. "No kidding." She looked back at Ems. "The hell is his problem?"

"Most likely, a lot of things," she said, which earned a snorting laugh from Myla. "He's in charge of Fièvre du Sang."

"No kidding? Okay, now we're definitely going to grind that stupid dino of his into dust," she said, "right, Kamakiri?" He nodded. "Right."

"I can't tell if you're competitive or just spiteful," Ems told her.

"What? I can't be both or some stupid shit like that?" Myla asked. "Like you aren't the exact same way."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't get to being some kind of "Ultimate" Ace Trainer without having some kind of ruthless streak in you."

Ems smiled. "Oh, I'm not really sure about that. I've met plenty who are very sweet." One Trainer in particular immediately sprang to mind.

Myla shook her head. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever you wanna tell yourself, Emmy."

And then, her smile froze a little. It remained perfectly cordial and polite, but Myla still got a satisfied gleam in her eye that made Ems smooth her hands on her skirt so that they didn't form into fists. "Just Ems. If you don't mind." Whatever tone her voice had taken on, it was enough to finally lure Mimikyu out of her bag. He quickly scurried over to her, hopping into the air and trusting her to catch him.

She did so.

Obviously.

His dark, shadowy arms wrapped around her waist in a protective hug, even as he continued to look curiously at the other pair.

"Well, aren't you just fucking adorable?" Myla told him. "Like some kind of Frankenstein doll." She glanced up at Ems. "That's a compliment, by the way. Don't get pissy about it."

"Thanks," she said dryly.

Myla shrugged and looked up, raising one hand to shield her eyes against the sun. "Do you really think that we need to go to this stupid orientation thing? We've already been accepted. What kind of shit are they even going to tell us?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure it'll be at least somewhat important… If you think that it's stupid, then why did you show up?" Ems asked her, genuinely curious for once. Kamakiri stirred a little as Myla shrugged. Ems waited for a few seconds longer for an actual, verbal answer but none was forthcoming. She held in a sigh. "Yes. I think that we really need to go to this stupid orientation thing."

"Damn. Fine."

"If it makes you feel better, it should be rather quick."

Myla shook her head. "That just makes it feel even more stupid and pointless. At least if it was long, then all the bullshit is probably important."

Fair enough.

She groaned and looked at Kamakiri. After a moment of silent conversation carried out solely through a few tilts of the head and twitches of the mouth that almost looked like a smile, the pair came to a decision.

"Well. If it's really that fucking important, then they can come and get me or whatever," Myla said. "We are going to sit in the sun and actually get some peace and quiet before we gotta be stuck in a room with a lot of people."

Ems knew a dismissal when she heard one. She let go of Mimikyu and motioned for him to retrieve her bag. He hopped away with a happy chirp. "Well, I wish you luck then."

"Yeah. Thanks."

Mimikyu returned and slipped into the bag as Ems hoisted it over her shoulder. Myla and Kamakiri had already walked away further into the garden, so she simply left without another word.

"I think that went well," she said to Mimikyu once the door closed behind them. "Relatively." Better than Aimee and that ridiculous phantom thief, at least.

Unfortunately, her string of positive first impressions was about to be shattered. Down the hall towards the auditorium came a large crash followed by a loud, startled scream.

"Really? Already?"

Yes, Ems. Really.

I hope that you enjoyed meeting these next few cast members. We definitely have some colorful characters in this crew. As always, if there's any glaring issues with characterization with your OC, please feel free to send me a PM! Or drop a review. Every review makes me smile and makes my day brighter!

Until next time! :)