With people preparing for the trip to the Orre Region, let's take a look at another one! There are all sorts of big plans going around, but what about the smaller concerns? Things like taking care of pokemon? Let's find out!

Pokemonking0924: Yeah, the Under and Pyrite Town definitely reminds me of Satellite.

KedharS: He's definitely running a good campaign.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Yeah, Realgam Tower is quite a place. Let's see how it gets reborn as the Battle Frontier!

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 812

"Did you know that the Orre Region doesn't have anything like a Pokemon League? Competitive Pokemon Battles aren't really a thing over there."

Callie and Nick were walking towards Kangaskhan Hall, and Callie was telling her boyfriend all about the stuff she'd looked up about the Orre Region before her trip.

It was actually a pretty interesting read, she had been rather excited in spite of herself. Learning about other places was cool!

"So I did my practicum in Galar with Bea-sensei," Callie continued. "And there, pokemon battles are a major spectator sport! But to think there could still be regions that don't focus on pokemon battles, it's rather surprising!"

Nick had to agree with that assessment. Heck, he would agree with pretty much anything, he was just happy to see how excited Callie was. It was quite a relief compared to how she'd been for the last few days.

In spite of their new dragon pokemon, Callie hadn't been in the best of moods recently. The excitement of raising their pokemon together had worn off surprisingly fast, and the cause of that was obvious to see, she was worried about their relationship issues with her travel abroad.

Nick wasn't worried. But he knew that Callie was the kind of girl who overthought things and got worried and insecure, so he just went along with her as supportively as he could. Truth be told he WAS anxious at the thought of not having her around, because he knew he was going to miss her a lot. But he wasn't worried the way she clearly was.

So it was good to see her talking passionately about the trip for once.

"See, even though Orre never had a Pokemon League, they actually used to have a pretty big following for trainers," she continued. "They had a bunch of coliseums set up to battle pokemon in, and that actually made the industry grow pretty wide for a little bit! Of course, that then came with its own problems. You see, the Orre Region doesn't have a lot in the way of wild pokemon. They just tend to avoid the region."

"Really? Wow." Nick couldn't imagine a region without wild pokemon in it. It just sounded so wrong. Even the Pokemon Academy had wild pokemon native to its shores, so to hear that the Orre Region didn't just felt strange.

"That was a root of the problem," Callie sighed. "Because no one had their own pokemon, they had to rely on relocation projects and imports of pokemon from other regions. And that led to a bunch of scandals. It turned out that the coliseums were a front by an evil organization to distribute Shadow Pokemon to participating trainers. It was one big money-laundering scheme with the intention of controlling the region by controlling the most important resource- pokemon and battles. Can you imagine?"

A look of disgust crossed Callie's face. The idea that pokemon would be used in such a way, to consolidate power, it was revolting. That was the reason she so despised what the Phantom was working on.

The more she'd learned about Shadow Pokemon, the more she hated them. And the Phantom wanted to bring that back?! It was insane! She would never allow that, she would find some way to put a stop to his plans, whatever they were!

And yet, no matter how many complaints she'd lodged with the school, nothing seemed to be done about it! Apparently, several of the major backers of the Pokemon Academy were linked with the Phantom, and had an extended interest in his research. They had explained it away as the Phantom's research into Shadow Pokemon would be necessary for the future of treating hostile wild pokemon and better understanding their hearts. They firmly believed that he had no evil intentions behind his projects, and that they should be allowed to continue.

Callie wanted to scream. That had been the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. She considered going to the authorities, but, well, he hadn't actually broken any laws. And if she said anything, the backlash from the school might be…

Simply put, she had been told to sit down and shut up.

Two things that Callie was absolutely not okay with under circumstances like these. She wondered what backroom deals the Phantom had engaged in with the investors, and none of her theories pointed to good conclusions.

And in spite of that, she couldn't help but explain to Nick just how amazing and interesting the Orre Region was. She didn't want to worry him, after all, and the stuff she'd learned about was pretty exciting.

"I'm honestly getting kind of excited," she admitted. "I want to show those trainers in Orre what real pokemon battles are like!" She punctuated her statement by punching her hand, brimming with anticipation.

Nick couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey!" Callie exclaimed, her face heating up. "What's the matter!? Don't laugh at me, I'm serious here, Nicki!"

"Sorry, sorry," Nick apologized, sobering up. "I couldn't help it, Callie! You just… it's just great to hear how passionate you are about the trip now."

Callie blinked. "Heh?"

"I mean, you've been nervous and uncomfortable with this trip for a while, right?" Nick explained. "So to hear you talk about it like this… it's really nice, Callie. I'm glad you're finally started to get interested in the Orre Region."

Callie blinked again. Her face turned bright red. "Wh-Who's looking forward to it?!" She exclaimed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm gonna hate this trip! Hate it! It's gonna be awful! I-I'm just trying to make it sound exciting so you won't worry about me, that's all!"

Nick smiled at her red-faced rambling. This was exactly like her. She didn't want to let on just how much she was looking forward to it, she was way too shy. But he could tell that she was, even if she denied it. He hoped she would have fun.

Callie, on the other hand, didn't think she would have fun. As much as she found herself getting excited, that came with its own nervousness.

Simply put, Callie didn't have much in the way of friends. There was a reason she spent all of her time with Nick and his friends, because she couldn't really make any on her own. Even her fell clubmembers who looked up to her and respected her didn't enjoy spending time with her on a personal level. They were a bunch of sweaty muscular guys with their own passions and interests, and they weren't things Callie really cared about.

Callie had the problem of being a girl with girly interests who just happened to be really athletic and also a fan of martial arts.

What also didn't help was her body. She was usually the shortest person in the room, which made getting along with people her own age tricky. Heck, she was two years older than Nick and his friends, and they still towered over her.

If only Nick and Kitty could come with her on the trip, that would be perfect. But no. She would have to stick by Alcea's side for this trip, and get to know her a little better. That might be fun. The two were… well, "work friends" was the closest parallel, but they definitely weren't close. But Alcea would probably be pretty isolated on this trip herself, so maybe Callie could make friends with her?

…Even if she did fume with rage at every glance at the girl's body. They were the same age, but Alcea looked like a supermodel! It just wasn't fair.

These were just some of the countless worries flowing through Callie's head as she imagined what going on the trip would be like. And worst of all, she wouldn't have Nick at her side to support her. That was just painful.

She would have to keep a short leash on her brother as well. That guy could wind up wandering off into the desert and starving if she didn't keep an eye on him. This was going to be a trip that was more trouble than it was worth.

"Callie, everything okay?" Nick asked, lightly shaking her shoulder. She had gotten so lost in thought, she hadn't realized that they'd arrived.

"O-Oh! Oh, sorry," she shyly apologized, glancing down. The couple headed to the door and entered, walking through the halls until they found the person they were looking for.

For once, Serefina wasn't working out in the fields, or in the underground storage facility. She was working in the incubation room, tending to the pokemon eggs, hard at work.

Most of the students were occupying themselves with preparations for the trip. It was almost the weekend, and they would be leaving soon, so Serefina had assumed that she would have a lot of free time to herself. So to be greeted by a knock on the door was quite a surprise, especially considering who it was.

"Oh! Callie! Nick! Welcome!" Serefina went over to let the two inside. "What are you guys doing here? Coming to store some eggs?"

Callie didn't answer. She was busy staring enviously at Serefina's massive rack, squeezed into a tight shirt and pushed forward by the straps of her overalls like some kind of obscene farmer's daughter fetish outfit.

Of all the girls on campus, Callie had a particular dislike for Serefina. It wasn't just because Nick was in her club instead of Callie's, thanks to Cynthia's victory way back at the beginning of the year. That would be a rational reason.

No, Callie's dislike was entirely boob-related. What was the big deal with those hideous hunks of meat that caught boys' eyes?! She'd even caught Nick staring at them a few times! It just wasn't fair! And meanwhile, Callie was flat as a board!

Serefina had enough boobs, couldn't she share with the less-fortunate, like her?!

Serefina, of course, didn't pick up on any of this. She stared peacefully at Callie, taking the girl's silent stare as embarrassment, apprehension, or nervousness about the upcoming trip, certainly nothing untoward.

It was Nick who managed to talk first, ironically less drawn to the girl's chest than his girlfriend. "Sorry to bug you, Serefina, but we wanted to check in with you about that thing from earlier in the week, do you remember?"

Serefina had to take a pause. This last week had been a little hectic. She'd been locked up in her room for a lot of it, and had specifically taken shifts inside the building on off-hours so that no one would ogle her.

Couple that in with her apprehension and negative thoughts about what had happened with Akira earlier, triggering another fit of crying and despair, and it couldn't be said that her memories were all that clear.

She shook her head. "Sorry… what's this?"

Callie sighed, and handed a pokeball over to Serefina. "It's about the Dragon type pokemon were got before, the one from that girl, Reed…"

Serefina looked blankly at her. Nope, it wasn't ringing a bell.

Callie was growing more impatient. "I told you all about this in that email I sent you," she reminded her, trying not to sound angry at the girl who just doing her job.

Serefina gasped. Email! Right, she hadn't checked that all week. She'd been running kind of on autopilot recently, not really keeping herself focused on anything important. It was embarrassing to say, but the past few days had been a "working for the weekend" sort of Serefina, not wanting to put herself out there more than she had to. She was just waiting for the easy time, when she would be working on a less-crowded campus.

Her face turned red and she looked down. "S-Sorry, I didn't check my email," she admitted. "What's this about?"

Callie was shocked. Serefina was usually a lot more diligent than that. She was about to say something when she thought better of it. Serefina was going through a lot. She'd lost her best friend, and even though Dakota wasn't dead, much to everyone's relief, she was in a coma and the doctors weren't sure if she would wake up.

So instead of chewing the girl out, Callie smiled. "Oh, that's okay! Don't worry about it! It's our fault, anyway, we should have gone to Leanne or somebody, not focused on you. I know you're having a rough time."

Serefina smiled gratefully at the sweet girl. "It's okay, I'm glad so many people trust me. Even though it's kind of embarrassing, being relied on so much while not even officially being part of the Caretaking Course…"

"Well, that just shows you're doing a great job, and a lot of people have faith in your abilities, right?" Nick laughed.

Callie shot him a sideways glance. She was the only girl he should be complimenting, damn it! But again, she held back.

While Callie explained the whole story to Serefina, she also explained about what had happened with Reed, and how before she had left the girl gave them some caretaking tips for raising the dragons, scribbled down on some parchment.

Serefina looked over it, surprised. It was incredibly thorough about proper care for Dragon types, remarkably so. She had read dissertations from licensed breeders that weren't as well-informed as this document was.

Whoever this "Reed" woman was, she could give Marion Rivers a run for her money in how much she knew about a particular pokemon type.

"We also got some food for them, too," Callie said, setting down her backpack and showing Reed the cans inside of it. "Well, I mean… Reed recommended a diet of exclusively berries, but the store said this food was good for Dragon types, so…"

She knew Serefina was on a tight schedule, and didn't really feel comfortable asking the girl to come up with a whole diet for two Dragon type pokemon. But Serefina didn't seem to mind, smiling warmly at the couple.

"Not a problem!" She said. "I have a Dragon type myself, you see, so I know a thing or two about what foods they like. I can give you a variation of my own feeding style, for more… contemporary caretaking, if you like."

Callie brightened. "Really? That would be just great!"

"Not at all! But I'll probably need to check on their growth for myself, do you guys both have your pokemon?"

Callie obviously did, and a glance at Nick revealed the same. Serefina led the two of them out of the hall and to one of the tinier gardens in the back for individual pokemon appraisal.

Callie and Nick released their dragons from their pokeballs.

"Jang!" Callie's Jangmo-o Jang chirped, scooting up to Callie and rubbing his crest against her leg, his scales shining in the twilight's glow.

"Dratini…" Guinara yawned, curling up into a little ball.

Serefina crouched next to the two pokemon and got to work. She set down her caretaking kit and took out a strip of measuring tape. She took all sorts of measurements, muttering things to herself. She rubbed a cloth against their scales, took their temperature, and checked their teeth.

During this length process, Callie and Nick glanced at each other, speechless. She seemed so dedicated it felt wrong to interrupt her.

"Is this the kind of stuff you do in the Pokemon Friends Club?" Callie whispered to Nick.

Nick shook his head. This was all Serefina.

Serefina zipped up her bag and stood back up, turning to the two. Her smile had returned, which they took as a good sign.

"They're both in perfect health! And you're lucky, neither one of them are newborns, they're both well-within their growth periods."

Callie wasn't sure what that meant but she nodded anyway. "And that's… a good thing?"

"Oh, absolutely," Serefina said. "You see, pokemon diets and needs can very quite a lot when they're newborns. It requires a lot of adjustment for weeks to get on a regular schedule, because their bodies can go through spontaneous growth-spurts and nutrition-deficits. That's why it's encouraged not to do any serious traveling with a newborn pokemon. When Blake said he was going to take his Skorupi to Mt. Silver over the break, I nearly had a heart attack!"

She laughed, but neither Callie nor Nick thought that sounded particularly funny.

Sobering up, Serefina turned to them. "Now, I think we can work out a pretty decent schedule. Like I said, you're lucky, Callie, I can give your Jangmo-o a clean bill of health to travel to the Orre Region, I can work out a good diet for you!"

Callie was relieved, but also a little nervous. "Um… what about buying food there?" She asked cautiously. "I mean, the Orre Region isn't exactly a major hub of pokemon activity, and it's not like I can bring a limitless amount of pokemon food with me."

Nick hadn't even thought of that. "Hey, yeah, that could be a serious problem, is pokemon food even a major industry in the Orre Region?"

Serefina's smile twitched a little, and then slid off her face. A tired expression appeared and she slumped against the fence post.

Callie and Nick both gulped. Apparently they'd stepped on quite the landmine.

"Do you guys know how many times we've heard that these past few weeks?" She groaned. "So many students have come to the Caretaking Course asking what they're going to do about food! What's the school board thinking, having people go on a trip like that? Of course people would have a hard time taking care of their pokemon, in the Orre Region most people just give human food to their pokemon and call it a day! That's ridiculous! Pokemon nutrition is way more complicated than that!"

Oh yeah, they'd definitely landed on a problem.

She let out another sigh. "Where was I… right. Yeah, that's not something you have to worry about. The people in the Caretaking Course have used their connections to set up some delivery services for pokemon food, and we've been working overtime on production ourselves. As long as you've provided an itinerary of what pokemon you'll be taking, the food issue should be settled pretty easily, is that okay, guys?"

"…Yeah, that's great," Callie said, nodding. She was relieved, but moreso because Serefina was cheerful again, and not looking like death warmed over.

"I'm glad," Serefina smiled. "Have fun in the Orre Region, Callie, and make sure to follow this training regiment!"

Her eyes were shining. Callie had a bad feeling.

"In fact, I have all sorts of suggestions that you might want to hear about, if you have the time!"

It was like Reed all over again. Perhaps Callie had made a terrible mistake.

Nice to see everyone's getting prepared! Hopefully Callie will have a fun time in Orre, even without her friends.