After the intense battle and carnage from Bunny vs Alex, let's take a look where the others are.
"JJ, come on I am sure you look fine.", Nikki waited for her roommate to get ready as they were going out into Zlato. The pink haired girl had styled her hair so that it was wavy and wore a rather revealing white top with a black bra underneath. She also wore tight black jeans and pink ribbons in her hair. She knew she was hot and she knew that guys or girls would be willing to buy her some drinks at the bar because she was so hot. She had experienced this in Kalos and didn't expect it to change in Avantura. Of course that was if her roommate ever got out of the bathroom. JJ's Sableye, Jewels, had gotten out of her pokeball and now Nikki had been modeling for her until JJ got out of the bathroom. "How do I look?", Nikki twirled in front of the Sableye. Jewels nodded happily, "Sable!" Nikki smirked as she could tell that she had jus gotten a compliment.
Finally the bathroom door in the shared room swung open, "you need to learn patience, Nikki." The pink haired young woman had turned around and her jaw nearly was on the floor. JJ stood there wearing a red blouse and small jean short which showed off her very long and well sculpted lightly tanned legs. The blouse showed off her assets in different ways. JJ's body was nice and well sculpted which she had earned from all her travels with her uncle. She looked like a model when she wasn't wearing those overalls. Her short honey brown hair rounded out her face nicely. JJ did not understand why Nikki was looking at her so strangely. "What's wrong? Do I not look good?", JJ was worried. Jewels, having seen the gorgeous tall female trainer, and Immediately clung onto her trainers left leg and tried to climb onto JJ's back, but JJ did not pay attention to that. She was concerned that her roommate did not approve of her outfit.
Nikki tilted her head, "are you sure you don't like girls or at least want to make out when drunk?" Nikki pouted as she stuck her bottom lip out. JJ just laughed and shook her head, "no I like guys. Sorry." That was disappointing to Nikki. She liked to have fun with attractive females even if they were straight. JJ was the most attractive female that Nikki had seen. But it was too bad that JJ only liked boys and wouldn't at least TRY to have some fun. Nikki sighed. Her disappointment was cut off by a knock at the girls' door. JJ walked over to the door and opened it. The attractive tall girl smiled as she turned back to her roommate and motioned for the others to come in.
Andy was the first to enter. He had actually combed his jet black hair which showed Nikki that he had a scar on his forehead. This intrigued the pink haired young woman, but she figured this was not the time to ask about it. Andy had not changed from his baggy blue pants or his Eevee t-shirt. That was disappointing, but boys would be boys. "This is my roommate Royce.", Andy motioned for Royce to come in. Royce was unique looking to say the least, he had pale skin, short blue colored hair, and sea foam colored eyes. Nikki had never seen those type of eyes before and she was fascinated by them. This Royce had actually dressed up, unlike Andy, he wore a blazer, a long white dress shirt, and black dress pants. A little fancy, but that was fine again he had dressed up. Nikki also noticed that Royce wore a dragon tooth shaped necklace. She too had a necklace, but she kept it hidden as it was precious to her.
"Andy, you jerk, why didn't you dress up?", JJ had playfully smacked Andy's chest with the back of her hand. Nikki smirked a little, 'ah so that's who she likes. The mysterious types.' Nikki could respect that. Andy just shrugged as JJ's attention turned to Royce. "So Royce, where are you from?", the tall brunette was very welcoming to newcomers. She and Nikki were like that in that regard. Nikki figured that she and JJ would be the best of friends. The pink haired girl was glad that she had another bubbly girl for her roommate. Royce gave a huff as he seemed like he really didn't want to be there, but had been forced to by Andy. "Hoenn", the young man with the short blue hair said. To Nikki he didn't seem like the friendliest type. But she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Nikki's Pokédex started to vibrate which signaled that someone had texted her, "where are you guys?" The text from Ava read. Ava had even included some angry faces in her text to signal that she was not happy. "I'm outside your stupid dorm and can't get in. You guys are wasting my time. I'm taking time out of my busy schedule to-", Nikki closed her Pokédex before she finished reading the text from Ava. She could get the gist of the message. But Ava should have known that with females it would take some times to get dressed and get ready. Nikki hadn't technically told Ava that she and JJ were inviting Andy and Royce along. But Ava seemed very friendly so Nikki had figured that she wouldn't mind. The more the merrier! Nikki looked at the others, "well guys Ava is waiting outside. I think we should be headed out. But first...", Nikki pulled out a bottle and cups from underneath her bed. "Let's have a little fun .", a wicked grin crept onto her and JJ's faces as Andy and Royce rolled their eyes.
Avaline Bloodsworth was beyond pissed. This was a favor from hell even if it meant that she would be given the title of champion of Galar. A scowl had crossed her face as she passed in front of the freshman dorms. Time was being taken away from her training and this sucked especially with the Clash of Classes tournament coming up. Ava wanted to win it this year and show that she was not a fluke. That she deserved to be called one of the best battlers at the Institute. But this was taking away from her much needed training. Ava had on her trust blue and white colored jacket with her good luck charm stuffed in the pocket. She wore a black blouse and a short hot pink punk rock skirt. It showed off her best feature which was her ass which is why she always wore it on the rare occasion that she went into Zlato. But now the freshman were even later and it was getting very dark. It had been fifteen minutes since she had texted Nikki and many hours since she had heard from Bunny. "Screw this", Ava turned to walk away...
"AVA WAIT", the high pitched squeal from two females made the junior turn back. There the two freshman girls, leaned against each other, with two goofy smiles on their faces. They seemed to be laughing at nothing in particular and Ava could see that they had rosy cheeks. All the tell tale signs of the, being drunk. She pinched the bridge of her nose, they were drunk. Andy, who Ava recognized trailed behind the girls, as did a boy she didn't recognize. JJ and Nikki reached Ava to try and give her a hug. Ava moved out of the way as Nikki and JJ fell to the ground. They just laughed as they were on the ground. Luckily they didn't get their clothes dirty. Ava stared at them and then back at the guys who just shrugged. They had taking a shot too, but JJ and Nikki had continued to drink while the males had stopped after the first shot.
"That's it you're not going out now. You're too drunk. I am not taking four freshmen out into Zlato when they're wasted.", Ava had put her foot down. She stared at the male freshmen to try to see if they would protest. Andy and Royce shrugged. This wasn't a big deal to them. In fact they would be happy to get back to the dorm and just process everything that had happened. They were more interested in preparing for class and getting their Pokémon adjusted to the Institute. Ava then could feel two bodies pulling at her legs. She looked down to see that both JJ and Nikki clung onto her. Both had quivered their lips and tears had started to form in their eyes. They begged her to reconsider without saying a single word. Ava huffed and shook her head. She was done with this nonsense.
But then 'Galar champion' crept back into Ava's head. She had to play the game in order to reach that point. That meant humoring Nikki and her friends. "Fine, but under my conditions.", JJ and Nikki picked themselves up. The boys inched closer to listen as well. "Number one, did you all bring your pokeballs with you. At this time of night there are some shady creatures out and about. It's good to have protection.", all four of the freshman had nodded. They had followed Ava's instructions regarding that. At least they had gotten that right. "Second, we are going to my friends place. I have arranged this place to be closed just for us. So no there will not be any flirting or other things with strangers.", JJ and Nikki groaned. Andy and Royce just had to snicker. This had completely backfired on the two eager females. But if they wanted to go out and explore the city then they had to agree. Ava held up three fingers, "third you two don't leave my sight. The boys I can trust, but you two I don't." The normally stoic Andy and Royce had burst out in laughter at this. Jj sneered which caused them to laugh even more.
"Yes Ava, we agree to the terms. Can we just go now?", Nikki begged. A sudden ping in her head distracted Ava for a second. Something had happened, but she didn't know what. All Ava could sense was that there had been a powerful connection unleashed between human and Pokémon. Finally she brushed it off and nodded. She would let the first years walk ahead of her as she pulled out her Pokédex. "Hey Bunny, did you beat the douche? Let me know.", something didn't sit right with Ava. Avaline Bloodsworth did not really care for a lot of people, but the little sophomore was an exception. Ava even considered Bunny a friend. Ava just had the feeling that something had happened with Bunny and she was worried. If what Ava had felt was true then she needed to go find Bunny and even Alex. But for now she had to deal with the freshmen.
Zlato's buildings weed made of marble with hints of gold throughout. Thanks to the street lights, there was a shine from the buildings. This added to the eloquent and interesting nature of the city. This was why it was called the "city of gold" by the locals of Zlato. The streets were cobblestone, a nod to the old history of the city. The streets were lined with shops and restaurants, but just a few blocks past the modern area was the historic heart of the city. There were statues and old places of worship. Of course this was all centered around the large body of water that glistened. Legend had it that sometimes the legendary Kyogre visited that body of water though Ava had her doubts. In the historic part of the city was where the docks were located. Here the cruise ships and other goods were shipped into Zlato. It was said that Zlato was the great supplier to the rest of Avantura. Had it been day time they would have seen the bustling streets filled with Pokémon and people. Now it was quiet except for the clubs and restaurants that were opened up late.
JJ and Nikki stared at the restaurants and shops. They couldn't wait to take part in it. Royce and Andy seemed more intrigued by the fact that some of the history of Zlato was plastered around the city. How the city had earned its reputation as the city of gold. How this great city had fought off some of the strongest dragon Pokémon in the earlier times. Royce got a chuckle from that as he had read it, 'so they have a history with dragon Pokémon.' He stared at his dragon tooted necklace as his sea foam eyes lit up for a second. Ava stood in front of the first years with a scowl on her face. "Ok, my friend's restaurant is just a little bit down in the old part of the city. You guys walk ahead and I will follow. This way I can keep an eye on the two girls.", and that way Ava could keep an eye on the shadow that had been following them since they got into the city.
"Stop!", Ava called. The two drunk freshman females had nearly fallen on the ground again. "We're here.", in front of them was what appeared to be either a library or a house of worship. There were two statues out in front. One a Mienshao the other a Hariyama. The front of the place looked old and run down. JJ and Nikki looked absolutely disappointed even Andy and Royce had to question what Ava's taste was. This did not look like a hip restaurant/bar. This looked more like the start of a horror movie. JJ went to go say something to Ava, but Ava just walked past here. The junior turned to the four underclassmen as she reached the door. "You guys coming or not. You wanted to check out one of the best places in Zlato. Well you are going to see it now.", the four younger students looked at one another and decided to follow the black haired student even if they had their doubts.
Inside the floor was wooden and the room itself was filled with dusty book shelves. It was like this was an abandoned bookstore. There were cobwebs and dust all over the place. The four young students looked horrified about where Ava had brought them. Andy had a hand on his Pokémon belt as did Royce. JJ and Nikki were poised to pull out their Pokémon as well. Ava smirked at the scene she watched. "Ok where the fuck did you take us? What's your game Ava?", Andy narrowed his eyes. He was poised to protect his friends especially JJ. Andy had already lost someone close to him before and he wasn't going to let this happen again. Not if he could help it. He would go down fighting this time. The black haired junior just titled her head and looked at the scene unfolding before here. She burst out laughing as she leaned against one bookshelf in particular, she put her hands behind her back as the others were prepared for whatever she had up her sleeve.
The old walls of the room had opened. A bright light blinded the four first years as they put their arms away from their poke belts. Then as the walls continued to open they could have sworn that they heard music. Yes, indeed, what the students heard was music. All four of them began to walk towards where the music and light was coming from. There they were absolutely amazed by what they saw. Even the most stoic of students could not help, but be impressed by what they saw. The room was made of brick, but was huge. There was a large dance floor next to a rather large wrap around bar. There were booths all throughout the room, there was even a area that they assumed was an area for a band. A young man in a dark blue suit stood near the bar. He wore a smile, he had dark blonde hair and a beard. Next to him was a Kommo-O. JJ, Andy, Nikki, and Royce nearly had their jaws on the floor at what they saw. Ava just cackled, "welcome to Dexter's!"
The four first years still stood in their places as they took it all in. Avaline, meanwhile, brushed past the four stunned trainers. "Dex!", Ava said as she approached the blonde haired man. He looked to be in his early twenties and the girls would later admit quite attractive. The blonde man would approach Ava as well with a huge smile on his face. They would meet in the middle in what appeared to be a more than friends hug. Even the Kommo-O seemed to be happy to see Ava. The black haired girl patted the Kommo-O on the head, "it's good to see you too, Klaus. I am so sorry that I haven't been here in a while. But I brought friends." Ava nodded over towards the four utterly baffled first years. The Kommo-O looked over at the four trainers amd seemed to smile which only added to the mystery of what they were experiencing. The blonde man seemed to whisper something to Ava, which caused her to giggle and playfully smack him on his chest. She finally looked at the four, "well come on over and don't be strangers. It's not every day you meet a former champion."
"I became champion of Avantura at 12. Of course I was too young and dumb to be the champion. I only lasted a few battles before losing to a better trainer.", Dexter Monet explained. Andy, Nikki, JJ, and Royce were all seated around the bar listening to the man's story. They were utterly captivated and wanted to know why a champion had decided to start up a bar when he could have done so much more. He could have been a professor at the Institute or challenged other champions. Yet here he was as a bar owner. It baffled them and they wanted to know more. Ava and the Kommo-O stood behind the bar, Ava had given them all water to sober them up much to the protests of JJ and Nikki. Ava had wanted them to be sober as Dexter told them his story. The green eyed former champion continued, "so I worked at a few dojos in various regions and was fully prepared to try to claim the title of Avantura champion again. But then my parents got sick. This was originally their restaurant and I took it over. I decided to make this the place to be in Zlato which is why I turned it into a speakeasy style place. Only a few people know how to get in. Ten years later, here I am a successful business owner at 22." He said it with a sense of pride.
Andy was still utterly confused as were the others. Well JJ and Nikki were just starting to get sober so that explained why they hadn't understood what Dexter was telling them. Royce appeared to be just as confused as Andy. Andy had some questions, "so why didn't you go work for the Institute. Afterall you are a former champion and local. Wouldn't they want you to go work for them? Why just own a bar?" Andy wanted to have some of his questions answered. Dexter's green eyes focused on Andy, but Andy was not backing down despite Dexter being a former champion. It was weird. Dexter looked at Ava who nodded her head as a way of saying 'go on.', even his Kommo-O seemed to be encouraging Dexter to tell why he in fact hated the Institute. In fact he was t the only one that could not stand the place.
"I wouldn't sell my soul to that place.", this shocked the four students who had never heard anyone say something negative about the university.if you wanted to be a champion you had to go to the Institute. At least that was what they had been told. "They make everyone think that they are so special. That you need to go there to be a champion, but that is not the case. They convince people that they aren't good enough without the Institute. People, pokemon it doesn't matter unless you go there you suck. It's a scheme. Their techniques are extremely dangerous especially if you have battle bond with a Pokémon or something else.", he glanced at Ava. That did not go unnoticed by Andy or Royce or even Nikki. "They try to milk it out of you. Try and mentally break you down to the point you have no self confidence. If you aren't able to reach their standards they kick you out and call you a failure publicly. It's a cult rather than a real school of learning. It's abuse. You all need to be careful. Trust none of the professors as they are in on it. They all know what is going on, but they do nothing to stop it. They're criminals too.", naturally everyone's eyes fell on JJ.
"SHUT UP! Just SHUT UP!", JJ was shaking. Her face was red and wet with tears. The usually fun girl was devastated. Her uncle would never be a part of something like that. Dexter looked at Ava who whispered that JJ's uncle worked at the university. He nodded as he realized he had gone a bit too far. But they had wanted to know the truth. Nikki hugged her new friend and stroked her hair. JJ sobbed into Nikki's shoulder. Even Andy and Royce patted her on the back, but JJ seemed inconsolable. "My...uncle...would...not... do...that.", Davis Walkmen was the most honest man that JJ knew. He wouldn't have stood for something like this. Davis would have done something about this if he knew this was going on. He would not have told JJ to come. In fact as they had traveled together, Davis had done nothing, but encourage JJ to join the Institute. He wouldn't do that if that mean that she's would be hurt. She didn't believe Davis would be like that. She continued to weep into Nikki's shoulder.
Dexter was about to say something to ease the tense. "Look I didn't mean that all professors-", his statement was cut off by a loud bang from just outside the room. Everyone's attention, except for JJ's was drawn to that noise. Then there was another bang and a another bang. Dexter looked over at the door and then back over to his Kommo-O, "Klaus, we have intruders. Get ready." The fighting and dragon Pokémon nodded as it leapt next to his trainer. "Ava...", but Ava had already pulled out one of her pokeballs. In fact she tossed it into the air as her Galarian Rapidash, Grace, appeared next to Klaus. Dexter looked at the younger students, "you guys go hide. If this is who I think this is then you guys will need to get out of here." None of the younger students moved except to grab their own aces pokeball. The only one that had not moved was JJ who was still filled with anxiety over her uncle. Nikki, meanwhile, spoke for everyone, "Fuck that we aren't leaving."
A final bang broke down the wall that separated the rooms. Smoke filled the area. Am Infernape and a Rhyperior entered the room and narrowed their eyes. Behind them five to six people in dark red and black uniforms entered. They had helmets and visors that covered their faces so that no one could see the identity of the trainers. On the pocket of their uniform was a black R, but it wasn't in the style of steam Rocket. Rather it was written in a completely different style. The faceless grunts all stood at attention, as a female walked in. She had red hair with purple streaks in it. She did not wear the standard uniform the others wore, hers did not have a helmet or visor. Rather hers looked more like a military uniform. She stared at the students and a Dexter a smile crept over her face, "did we crash this party?"
Ooc: The first half of the chapter was intended to be fun. I love the dynamics of two perky girls paired with Ava especially when they are drunk. I wanted to give a different take on the Institute, which clearly devastated JJ and gave her some development/hint about her storyline. Oh and I introduced a new forum. Hope you like it. This will also be the last chapter of the week.