Episode 1: The New World...
The ship stopped suddenly. Feeling the sudden jerk I woke up to check the time. It was early morning and we were supposed to arrive by nightfall.
I went outside, it was cold so I wrapped my blanket around my neck. Then, I saw 2 armed guards chatting below me. I eavesdropped over them and what I heard wasn't good. They were ordered to execute the passengers and empty the cargo hold. Imperial guards have a tendency to obey every command given to them by their superiors even if it means sacrificing their own life.
I ran back to my room where I was supposed to sleep with some humanoids. I thought I would wake them all up just in time to retaliate on the guards. But it was too late, the guards were coming behind me and it wasn't one or five. I could hear a dozen footsteps. I slipped into the room and hid behind my handy bag in such a way that the blanket covered my back and top while the bag covered my front.
The guards stormed into the room and proceeded to take my roommates away, gun fire followed soon after. Some moments passed by and everything went silent, a guard then entered my room again. I clutched my bag tightly. Thankfully, they didn't notice the sudden vibration and left.
I poked my head out and stood up from my hiding space. It was too risky to stay here any longer so I removed the blanket and sneaked my way towards an armed guard who was surveying the corpses. I took him by surprise and incapacitated him. Somehow the guards were alerted. I took his laser rifle and a fire fight ensued. There was no way for me to win against the crew of the HSS-Montage since they were trained in anti-terrorist measures, without my proper gear of course. There was a trash chute by my side. After much hesitation and getting low on ammo, I lunged into the trash chute head first. It would take me to its incinerator but it wasn't the case. The trash chute was connected somewhere else. The HSS-Montage, being a big cruiser, wasn't big enough for a freefall of 10 seconds.
After those 10 seconds, I landed into a... water reservoir? It was deep enough to decrease my fall. Not expecting this I pushed my way out of the water rather calmly swimming towards the surface.
I swam to one of its sides and climbed out. My rifle fell into the reservoir and wasn't retrievable. My regular clothes weren't met for an unpredicted escape and hence were all drenched in water. Usually I would turn to my Absol form in such cases but that didn't happen which was odd. I left the room and entered a hallway. On the opposite side there was some sort of a laundry room so I went there. After some minutes I left the room with a.. student's uniform of "High Soarers, College of Venty". There was nothing else there and now, something was better than nothing.
I started to head towards the closest end of the hallway. There were stairs on the end going up to the upper levels. I thought I was on some rogue sky port or something as I started my climb but then I started to hear laughter and shuffling from many feet above me. As I gently pushed open the door, I came to know that it wasn't a rogue sky port. It was an actual college.
I stepped out onto an opening and looked above. The HSS-Montage wasn't there. In its place was a water tower, four stories above the ground. This college was huge, nothing that I've ever seen before. At that moment, two options came to my mind. If this is the "High Soarer" then we should either escape from this place or learn about this dimension. I took the second chance since a possible escape route, like a clearing or an unguarded gate wasn't there. At my right, a woodland and at its end a chainmail fence, high enough to let any trespasser out. I could've investigated for a possible gap but I didn't do that. To my right, was an incomplete stairwell made out of concrete and rebar. Behind it were people playing. I made my decision and started going towards the stairwell but that's when something struck me from behind and I blacked out.
When I regained consciousness, I was in an infirmary of some sorts. I touched the back of my head but there was no pain. Rather, there were no bandages on me or someone attending me. The infirmary was empty. I didn't think of it much and shrugged off the weird feeling of 'How did I get here?'.
I stepped out into the bustling hallway and was immediately pushed at the side. At least they were humans but they all seemed too busy to notice me. I regained my bearings and stood up but the crowd was gone, leaving me in a partially filled hallway and my mind in confusion. I approached a person who seemed to be busy reading a book. I touched his shoulder and he turned around to face me,
"Oh, hey Jack! I forgot to totally check on you dude. The director really did got you well this time.", he said.
'Jack? Is he mistaking me to be someone else? Well, lucky me', I thought as the guy looked at me with confusion.
"Have you lost your sight or speach? Please don't tell me that you did", he continued
"N-No. Thankfully, I didn't. B-But, who am I speaking to?", I uttered as the person sighed.
"Not again… anywho, to be short this time around, I'm Daniel. Dan, your buddy, your pal, partner in crime. Don't ask the last part. Also, we should hurry. We don't want to be late to Geography.", Dan said as he closed the book and looked at his wrist watch.
He then started sprinting down the hallway.
"Hey! Wait up!", I asked as I began to chase him.
"Come on. Try to catch up! A jolt like me couldn't be that hard.", Dan replied as he slipped by a corner.
'Jolt? What does that mean? A jolteon? This isn't a Pokémon world, right? I'm so confused', I thought as I tried my best to follow him.
I saw him bash through the door in front of me. Without hesitation, I followed him in. To my relief, the class hasn't started yet.
"Jack! You're back!"
"Ayy, my man could take a shovel to the head now."
"We would get the gardener for this, later"
"Jack! My dude!"
The class applauded and some went to hug me.
'I've done many heroic deeds before but now I was wondering. Who is Jack?' I thought before a girl tackle hugged me.
"Jack. Don't ever do that again. A Bre like you isn't meant to fight some fighting types. Just, don't. I don't want to lose you.", she said as she started crying in the hug.
I was speechless. The class around me were cheering as if their savior had returned.
'This Jack guy had made a good impression on people. I don't deserve this though. I'm just some person who is like him and that's all. But they won't believe it.' I thought as a lady appearing to be in her late 30s entered through the door behind him.
"Ugh… again with this Jack this, Jack that. I'm telling this again, he isn't Jack. He's a convict and he should be hanged.", the lady said in frustration as she slammed the books she was carrying on an empty desk.
"Lies! He is Jack!"
"No! You're wrong Miss. Francisca!"
"He is our savior!"
The class protested and an uproar of sheer hatred emerged in the midst of their revolt.
I was confused. 'How does she know that I'm not Jack? Why am I to be hanged? What's actually happening?' I thought as I looked at the chaos unfolding around me.
"Enough!", the lady said as he raised her arm up in the air as if she was commanding something to rise. Simultaneously, her eyes were lined on me and soon enough I was suffocating as if someone was pulling me by the throat.
"He. Isn't. A. Convict!", a voice yelled amongst the class. Soon after, the lady is struck by a powerful looking pink ray. The force pushes her behind nearly making her fall. The eye contact was lost and I've become free from her grasp.
"Xavier! No!"
"What have you done? You'll get expelled?!"
"Xavier~"
The class said as they stopped their revolt.
Gasping for air and taking a defensive stance I thought, "Okay, they want to kill me now.'
"Xavier Holmes! You are in big trouble! I'll call your parents and I'll see that you're at least suspended. Class dismissed!", the lady says before disappearing into thin air.
"Did she just teleport away? What is happening?" I asked as I looked at the books on the teacher's desk.
"Get Hypo on the double. Take him to the staff lounge.", one student said as a bunch of them left the class.
I made my way to Xavier. "Are you okay?", I asked as I bowed down to help her.
Xavier coughed and in an exhausted voice told me, "It was for the better cause. Just don't let my parents know about this.".
"I should take you to the infirmary first. You look pretty beaten up.", I said in a comforting voice.
"Silly. Did you forget when we use our powers our energy gets drained up faster. I used my Psybeam to protect you from her. You should've at least released your dark energy into your neck but, the past is in the past, isn't it?", Xavier replied as she got up and sat on a bench.
"Just do me one favor. Head to the director's office and snatch my suspension paper before my parents see them.", Xavier continued as she placed her head between her arms and drifted to sleep.
"Gotta be quick then.", I said as I sprinted my way out of the classroom.
As I ran through the corridors, I heard a cry.
"Get him! Don't let him reach the director!", from behind.
It was certain that some people were on my trail but I didn't bother to look back. The only thing that mattered was to save Xavier from her impending suspension.
I was doing Jack's job. Didn't matter if I was on the good side or not. If someone who isn't trying to kill me is in need of help, I must assist them in one way or the other. Always has been the right thing to do.
As I navigated my way through the complex, I noticed two things. One was that there were actual blockades on my path ahead and the other was the faint aura I saw in Xavier. It wasn't of this world. Like Dan and the other classmates had one typical "regional" aura but her's.. was different.
"I should ask her about that, after this thing is done.", I thought as I swiftly moved past their blockade and onto the last flight of stairs.
As I reached the 5th floor, things weren't good. The lady from before was giving a piece of paper to a delivery person. I quickly ran over to them and tackled the delivery person to the ground. I didn't question how fast I went since it was nearly at the other end of the hallway and I was not even at the halfway mark.
The lady made a grasping reaction with her hand on me but nothing seemed to happen. "So, you've learned already. This will be interesting…", she remarked as I grabbed Xavier's suspension proposal and dashed my way to the flight of stairs.
Clutching the papers to my chest, I decided to run back to Xavier. I wasn't expecting to get hit by an unknown shockwave the moment I started to make my way downstairs. I stopped for a second and looked at myself. Nothing seemed to have changed to me or to my surroundings so I continued ahead.