Liam's class ate lunch together at the squat tables of the Traditional Ji Minority Restaurant just around the corner from the school's main gate. Sylvia—the only Nanzonese local in their class—ordered everything, and they were soon digging into a feast of fried rice, mixed vegetables, toothpick meat, and other local dishes. Liam and Ruth's chopsticks fought over every piece of meat, Stephanie sipped her tea placidly, and Vasilio and Sylvia poured over plans for the fall break.
"Can't we just have one break where we don't murder our legs?" complained Mori.
"Oh, we're taking the train this time," said Sylvia. "Hempshear's too far away to walk."
Mori looked relieved, but still a little reluctant.
"Isn't that the Steel-type gym?" asked Jonah.
"Yeah," said Sylvia, pushing her round glasses back up her nose. "Should be easy for you, right? With your Hakamo-o?"
"I guess," said Jonah with a shrug. "I don't know, man. Steel types make me nervous. We don't have that many back in Alola, and the ones we do have weird me out."
"Don't Alolan Dugtrio have thick hair made of spun steel?" asked Stephanie with her usual clinical interest.
"Yeah," said Jonah, making a disgusted face, "like I said, they weird me out."
Mori's Misdreavus, which was floating in the air above them, made a derisive face at Jonah.
"That's rude," said Mori.
She swatted at Misdreavus with her chopsticks as the Pokemon tumbled out of reach with a giggle.
"She learned it from you," said Vasi, giving Mori a flick on the shoulder.
Mori stuck her tongue out at Vasi and continued to eat her fried rice.
"Guys, you better hurry up," said Sylvia, checking her watch. "Battle Class starts in five minutes."
Ruth, who had just filled up her bowl for the fourth time, gave a startled yelp.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Time to start!" shouted Coach Tang.
She blew her whistle again as the secondary students circled around her. Coach Tang was very short, with black hair, thick glasses, and a thick accent that betrayed her origins as part of the Nanzonese diaspora in the distant coastal city of Liontide.
"Battle Class is very serious," she said, wagging a finger at them all. "Not a time to play around. Battle well now and you will battle well later."
The 9th graders looked with trepidation at the small woman, but the older students smiled knowingly: Coach Tang always started strict, but she was too easily persuaded (and distracted) to keep up the act for long.
"Now, I will assign battle partners," said Coach Tang, holding up a clipboard. "When I call your name, you go to your partner."
As always, Coach Tang started with the older students and worked her way down. Vasilio and Mori were paired together, much to Mori's relief, but as Coach Tang made her way down the list, Liam realized with alarm that he was the odd one out in their class.
"Liam Holbrook," said Coach Tang, "you go with Marsha Cheong."
Liam felt a little better. He didn't know Marsha that well, but he had seen the 9th grade student around. He knew she was good friends with Chelsea Whitaker—she had been there the day a Team Power grunt had crushed Scrafty's rib cage under his boot. They had never talked about it before, and Liam felt like this wasn't the time to bring it up.
"Hi Liam," said Marsha, "How was your summer?"
Her voice had a businesslike cheerfulness to it that put Liam off balance at once. Her thick black hair fell well below her shoulders, and she wore the odd combination of a ratty, oversized hoodie and a miniskirt. It reminded Liam, in a way, of Cass's unusual fashion sense.
"F-fine," he stammered, "I just, uh, stayed here. What about you?"
"I went back to Ferrum," she said, "I spent the summer at battle camp."
"Oh," said Liam.
Liam knew students from Ferrum often spent their summers at battle camp, memorizing stats, abilities, and complex type combinations. Liam didn't think much of the idea—surely actual battles provided better training than sitting at a desk—but he knew it was a futile argument to take up.
"So, how many badges do you have?" asked Marsha.
Liam held up his canvas bag where he had pinned his three badges.
"Oh," said Marsha, "Only three? I thought that someone in your class had five badges."
"Sylvia does," said Liam with a frown, "I think Ruth does too."
Liam wasn't sure what to think of Marsha's abruptness and inquisitiveness. She spoke with careful enunciation, which had the double effect of making everything she said sound rehearsed and disguising what exactly she was thinking.
"I heard Cassandra McCleod already acquired two badges in Unova," said Marsha.
Liam raised his eyebrows at the word "acquired."
"Yeah, she did," Liam said. "You saw her battle last year, right?"
Liam immediately wondered if he had said too much. He was thinking of the Woven Bowl, when he and Cass had battled Jiu and his grunts.
"I did," said Marsha. "She is very talented."
Liam looked at Marsha curiously. He saw nothing in her expression that suggested the image of Jiu crushing Chelsea's Scraggy under his boot replaying in her mind. Liam immediately felt suspicious—either Marsha was unusually adept at concealing her true thoughts and emotions, or what happened at the Woven Bowl all those months ago hadn't affected her in the same way it had him.
Coach Tang blew her whistle again.
"Time for the first battles," she shouted. "Ruth, Stephanie, you battle there. Robert, Chelsea, you battle on the second field. Rebecca—"
The battles were starting, and Liam was glad for an excuse not to talk to Marsha. She was a hard one to read, and Liam wasn't all that skilled at reading people to begin with. With a mumbled excuse, Liam slipped away from his battle partner and joined Vasi and Mori on the sidelines.
"So I'm guessing you haven't fallen in love with Marsha yet?" whispered Mori with a smirk.
"Yeah, no," said Liam, crossing his arms and watching as Ruth's Pidgeot narrowly dodged an Aura Sphere launched by Stephanie's Lucario.
"I'm proud of you," said Mori.
"Not falling in love with a freshman on the first day back isn't a very high bar," Vasilio pointed out.
"I guess for me it's progress," said Liam.
Mori snorted.