The blinding island sun was already burning low in the sky by the time Ryan stepped out of the small airport. The coastal buildings, normally pale green and blue, were washed in a deep orange. Along a half-vacant beach, corphish began scuttling ashore from within the low waves. Ryan breathed deeply, the scent of ocean breeze and native nanab trees filling her lungs. It smelled fresh, the aroma of a new start.
Of all the places Ryan's league career could've taken her, she never thought it'd be Aeos. Her mom had seemed concerned. "Honey, you sure you don't want to stay at Sinnoh University? They're very prestigious, and that can help you get your foot in the door when looking for a job. Plus, I thought you loved your teammates?"
Well, loved was exactly the point. But Ryan didn't want to dwell on that now. This was a great opportunity, and even though the school was brand new, its well-known sponsor EnGen Tech already had outlets buzzing about its future. After all, Aeos energy was said to have massive untapped potential, and EnGen had sponsored some of the biggest names in uni battle circuits to transfer to their new school.
Ryan walked over to a black sedan in the pickup area, where a driver held a sign with her name. She heaved her bags and settled into the passenger seat, the driver speeding off quickly. She shifted uncomfortably, watching the pink beaches whip by, before asking, "Excuse me sir? Would you mind if I took out my gible? It's been a long flight for him."
The driver sighed, but shrugged yes. A blue flash materialized as gible, who, after stretching and complaining as loudly as possible, poked his nose into her bag for some snacks. Ryan resigned to handing over two poffins, which gible promptly scarfed down. The rest of the drive was silent, save for gible alternating between gazing at the view outside and nursing the stomachache he had gotten from eating too quickly.
Ryan patted gible absentmindedly, her concern for her gible muted in the background of anxious ponderings. Her heartbeat became more noticeable as they climbed higher in altitude, until they pulled up in front of the main admin building. Ryan stepped out of the car, gazing in awe at the sleek glass buildings already teeming with researchers in white lab coats.
While some buildings were still under construction, a good amount of finished structures stood cascading down the rocky mountainside. At the plateau stood the admin building, placed behind a large plaza with a sleek fountain at its center. Despite the tough terrain, the campus sprawled outward from the plaza with shaded walkways and lush landscaping. A few incoming students were gathered near the plaza, many speaking to or playing with their partners.
As rough as the move was for us trainers, Ryan thought, it must've been a hundred times harder for their partner pokemon. After all, going through the de-evoluter was by no means a painless process.
Ryan had been confused by the acceptance conditions at first. "Your partner pokemon must de-evolve back to its basic form?" she gaped. Garchomp had made a frustrated noise behind her, but nuzzled her shoulder in understanding. He had been there for her as she cried, and struggled to decide to leave, and Ryan knew she was lucky to have his support.
"Our research with Aeos energy has the ability to fundamentally change how we understand pokemon evolution," Professor Phorus had explained in the acceptance video. "As such, it is essential that your partner pokemon stay in its basic form, alternatively you may request a new partner pokemon." Garchomp had insisted, having been with Ryan since she started out as a new trainer at age 18. And by the end of the surprisingly short procedure, he had emerged a gible once more, albeit with the many scrapes accumulated from previous battles still intact. The nurse technician handed Ryan a small pokeball-like capsule, which upon closer examination contained swirls of deep purple energy.
"Your gible's evolutionary energy," the tech explained. "In case he ever wants to return to his original form."
The capsule now hung from Ryan's necklace, which she fiddled with until a voice interrupted her nervous introspection.
"Welcome trainers! Please enter the main hall for the commencement ceremony, afterward we'll get you all settled in." A man with dreads in a lab coat motioned everyone in the plaza toward the now-open admin building doors, greeting each trainer as they passed by. As Ryan approached, he made an audible gasp.
"Ryan Martin? Man, it's crazy meeting you in person! We're very glad to have you here with us," he beamed. "Oh, sorry! My name's Erbie, I'm Professor Phorus's head research assistant. I'm a Sinnoh University alum, so I've seen some of your battles. Your match against Kanto Tech was incredible! Anyways, welcome!"
Ryan cracked her first smile since arriving. "Thanks," she replied.
Beyond a minimal foyer was the main auditorium, its darkness in high contrast to the sheen of new tech building exteriors. Dark blue satin-y drapes framed a simple stage, at the edge of which stood a simple podium. A lineup of four chairs faced the audience from center stage. As the hundred-plus incoming trainers settled in, the featured staff made their entrance. Professor Phorus, distinctly recognizable from her neon hair and ornate white robe, was the only one initially recognizable of the four.
Erbie walked up to the podium once the four were seated. "Alright, hello everyone and welcome! We're glad to finally have you all here, and I think I speak for all of the staff when I say we feel very fortunate that you all took the leap of faith to leave top universities. I can assure you that it will be a leap worth taking. The research being done here has the potential to revolutionize the world as we know it."
Something about the way Erbie spoke, even dressed in simple lab gear in a modest auditorium, made Ryan's heart race. The entire room was silent as well, lost in thoughts of new possibilities, strong competitors and even stronger allies.
Professor Phorus smiled wide, a rare sight on her normally stoic visage, and stood to interject in the silence. "Noble as ever, Erbie! Thanks for the flashy introduction. Now, onto the boring part." She and Erbie traded places, and the professor now slumped over the podium's surface.
"Listen up, people. It's not gonna be easy. This is a brand new school, and we're researchers still learning how to be good teachers." She paused. "Meaning, we're here to give you a good experience, and we ask that you be patient with us. Luckily, you won't have to wait long, as we have some fantastic staff on board to make the transition seamless for everyone." Phorus gestured over to the four seated staffers.
"Of course, you've met Erbie already. He seems friendly, but underneath is a world-class scientist who's worked with top innovators like the Battle Frontier and several region professors. He's our head research assistant on the Aeos project." Erbie sheepishly waved.
"Next, we have our first dean, Professor Caldwater." A woman in a smart business suit stood and tersely acknowledged the students. "Caldwater has been an administrator at EnGen Tech for the past ten years, and before that she worked alongside the chancellor of the Hoenn Institute of Sciences."
"As you already know, the University of Aeos is unique in that all students participate in the internal Unite Battle tournament, as opposed to inter-collegiate battle circuits. As time progresses, there may be other schools that elect to compete with us, but for now the league-building is entirely up to us. To this end, we've put together a top-tier coaching staff, which will be managed by our head of coaching, Professor Ketchum."
A tall man with dark, spiky hair piped in, "You can just call me Ash. Nice to meetcha!"
Phorus smirked, "Thank you, Professor. Ash was formerly champion of the Alola region, and has battled at high levels in nearly every region or circuit. His experience in building teams will help us hit the ground running with our new tournament."
"Last, we have Aeos Island's very own Nurse Joy. Joy was the first nurse on the island, and is responsible for building the Pokemon Center network here into the seven stations and sixteen field posts it is today. She's graciously stepped up to be our head of health and welfare, and will be supervising the tournament and research process to ensure everything is up to code."
Ryan was surprised when the strawberry-blonde woman sitting at the end stood at the introduction. The nurse's characteristic pink hair was sun-bleached, and she was much more muscular than her petite relatives. Under her lab coat, she wore a patterned button-up tucked into cargo shorts.
Phorus continued. "Now that you've met the staff, that's pretty much all I have for now. Since it's getting late, make sure to head to the admin front desk to pick up your room assignments, campus map, and keys. Your class schedules will be available as well, please make sure to pick your electives by the end of orientation. Thanks for sitting still, kids. Ciao! Don't stay awake too late."
The professor rushed offstage at a speed surprising for her small stature. The four seated faculty seemed as confused as the students by the abrupt ending, but sent their farewells to the crowd before walking off as well. As the lights came back up, the students slowly started filing out to the front desk.
As Ryan rose from her seat, excitement rushed through her like the tide of students heading out. She clenched her fist, the vestiges of doubt swept away. She felt light; she was on the precipice of something extraordinary.