Liam could tell something was wrong the moment he stepped through the school gate. He had slept through his first alarm, and only just managed to catch the bus outside White Gardens before it pulled away. He had been late enough that there was no one else he knew on the bus except Parker, an older student Liam didn't know well enough to make conversation with, and that had been fine with him. Liam spent the ride to school listening to his iPod and glancing anxiously at his PokeGear. He didn't want a tardy, and he was cutting it close.
Now he was paying for his lateness. Something had happened, or was happening, and Liam couldn't figure out what. The other students looked shocked and upset, and most were talking only in low voices. A few students were in tears. Liam looked around desperately for someone he knew, someone who could explain to him—.
The bell rang.
Liam joined the slow-moving cluster of students heading towards the school building's main entrance. He listened as hard as he could, trying to catch a hint of what was going on. He caught a few stray phrases—"I can't believe it." "Are they gonna cancel classes?" "I didn't find out until this morning."—but nothing that told him anything useful. As he passed through the school doors, he noticed that the atrium was set for an all-school assembly. He desperately needed to find someone. With relief, he spotted Mori and Vasilio sitting in their usual spots near the back.
"What's going on?" Liam whispered as he took the seat next to Mori. "I just got here. Everyone looks so—."
Mori turned her large, black eyes on Liam. Her expression was sympathetic. She opened her mouth, bit her lip, then shook her head dejectedly.
"Vasi, you… you tell him," Mori said.
Vasilio gave an uncomfortable cough.
"Liam..." he began, but at that moment Principal Kahakai climbed onto the stage at the far end of the atrium, and the entire student body fell silent. Liam noticed with a thrill of fear that she was wearing all black.
"I have very, very sad news," said Principal Kahakai. "Yesterday afternoon, Professor Jacob Werner, our Pokemon Tactics and Strategy teacher, suffered—."
Her voice faltered. Miss Snyder put a hand on Principal Kahakai's shoulder. She wiped her eyes and continued.
"Suffered a heart attack. He passed away before medical help could arrive."
Liam felt himself going numb. His heart was pounding, and a ringing in his ears drowned out the murmurs and gasps. He wanted to cry, wanted to scream—but he couldn't. He felt Mori's hand clasping his. Principal Kahakai was still talking, but he couldn't hear a word.
He tried to tell himself it made sense. Professor Werner was old—"old enough to remember two Pokemon wars," as he liked to say whenever he excused himself from school events. But that didn't make it better. Nothing did. Nothing could.
Principal Kahakai had finished whatever she was saying and exchanged places with Miss Snyder, who was addressing the student body with the kind of firm sympathy she was so good at offering.
"I understand this is hard for everyone," said Miss Snyder. "It's okay to be sad, it's okay to cry, It's okay if you need to talk to someone. For the sake of the school, we're going to go ahead with classes as usual today. If you don't feel like you're up to it, please talk to an adult. We will understand. I'll be taking over Jacob's… Professor Werner's classes for the time being. Does anyone have any questions?"
Apart from a few dry sobs, the students were silent.
"Okay," she said. "You can go."
Liam heard the scraping of chairs and the low mumble of departing students around him, but he didn't look up. He was staring at his shoes. Mori was leaning on his shoulder in an affectionate way. Vasilio gave a long sigh.
"I'm gonna go to Lit," he said. "I'd rather have… something to do than just sit here."
"I can stay," Mori offered, but Liam shook his head.
"I think I'll… I'll go with you guys," said Liam, his voice wavering.
Liam climbed unsteadily to his feet and pulled his bag over his shoulder. He felt the book Werner had given him in the outer pocket. It made his stomach feel sick. He wondered for a moment if he really could go with his friends.
Then he heard it—a visceral, retching sob coming from two rows in front of them. Liam didn't didn't have to look. He realized who it was at once.
"Chez."
Chelsea Whitaker was on the floor—her entire body trembling with overwhelming grief. Marsha, Orchid, and the other freshman girls were watching helplessly. Liam remembered feeling like that. Back in the Pokemon Center last spring, he hadn't known what to say as Chelasea wept over the death of her Pokemon. Cass had taken care of it. Cass had always taken care of everything.
She was his responsibility now.
"Chelsea," said Liam, kneeling beside her. "I…"
He saw at once that words could do nothing. Chelsea's grief was beyond them. There was only one thing she could understand, and that was presence.
"Chez, can I—?"
He touched her on the shoulder. That was all it took—Chelsea almost lunged at Liam, burying her face in his chest as she gasped and sobbed. Liam stroked her hair affectionately, losing himself in her tangled curls. He felt her tears and makeup smearing his sweater.
Liam hadn't cried yet. He had mourned, raged, disbelieved—but with Chelsea this close, with her anguish this deep, he found himself crying with her. They mourned for Professor Werner together. And, though neither of them acknowledged it with words, they mourned Chelsea's Scraggy again—as friends instead of strangers.
Liam was surprised to find so many students at the afternoon's Team Virtue meeting. He had secretly hoped he would be alone—hoped that he could just turn around and go home to be alone with his misery. But they were all there. Chelsea, Jera, Aziz, Orchid—all in their usual seats. Waiting. Liam avoided their eyes as he walked to the far end of the tent—the place where Professor Werner always stood. He took Werner's place and stared at his shoes. He didn't have anything to say.
Almost automatically, he took Werner's copy of The Analects out of his bag. He had promised the professor he would teach from the book. He flipped to the first page and started to read:
"Isn't it pleasing to learn with endurance and fortitude? Is there anything more wonderful than a visit from old friends? Who but a trainer of perfect virtue can stand to be overlooked and ignored."
His voice trembled. The words didn't feel right. He flipped to another chapter and found a passage Professor Werner had underlined in black pen.
"A disciple asked of the master, 'What will cause my Pokemon to revere me, to be faithful to me, and to battle without fear or error?' The Master answered: 'Let him instruct them with all seriousness—then they will respect him. Let him be loving and kind to them—then they will be faithful. Let him reward their good actions and teach them in their failures—then they will battle with virtue."
Liam looked up from the book. They were all standing in front of him, resolve etched on their faces.
"Can we do it?" said Liam. "Can we live by those words… without him?"
"Absolutely," said Jera with confidence.
"Team Power's still out there," said Chelsea. "We need to stand up to them."
Liam gave a weak smile.
"Professor Werner wanted us to go back to the basics," he said, holding up the book. "Learn the ideals behind the theory. So I'm gonna go with that. Put the virtue into Team Virtue. I don't know if I can be a leader, but… until we get someone else, I'll follow our old master's lead. If you'll follow me."
"Sheesh, you're s-so… dramatic," said Orchid, rolling her eyes. "B-but, sure. Professor Werner would w-want it to be… you."
Liam felt his face reddening.
"Don't let it go to your head, bro," said Chelsea. "But you're the leader now. Try and be… virtuous, and all that. We're counting on you."
Liam couldn't help himself. He started to cry again. Only these weren't tears of grief. They were the tears of someone who felt brave enough to do something without fear. He knew they were doing exactly what Professor Werner would have wanted. They were honoring their old master.
That was a good first step.