The customs process for Almia was… strict. That's the nicest word Kate could possibly use to describe it.
Before even boarding the plane, she had to present a folder of paperwork so thick that it almost didn't fit into her bag. Birth certificate, passport, address information, acceptance letter, and at least a hundred other documents she didn't even know the name of until then. Then she had to sign a mountain of paperwork. Consent forms, release forms, questionnaires, written pledges. She didn't think she'd ever seen the sentence 'you cannot bring Poké Balls into our region' rephrased in so many different ways before.
Once the paperwork was finally over, there was a voluntary body check to ensure she wasn't concealing any contraband materials. Then she had to go into a decontamination chamber, which she was prepared for, but it didn't make the experience any less unsettling. Still, she understands why it's necessary. Almia isn't just a region—it's a nature reserve that's home to hundreds of endangered plants and Pokémon. Even a speck of foreign pollen stuck to her shirt could end up being an invasive species.
When she stepped out of the chamber fully sterile and smelling of disinfectant, her paperwork was checked over once more, and only then was she finally allowed to board the plane. The passenger's chambers were mostly empty, save for an old man in the sixth row that was sleeping in a way that Kate could only describe as 'dead to the world.' She kept her head down, hurrying to the very back of the plane and letting out a heavy sigh when she finally sunk into the stiff chair. The sound of her fellow passenger's snoring carried all the way to her seat, and Kate couldn't help but feel jealous. The flight from Mossdeep City to Pueltown would be eight hours, but Kate's nerves were in such a tightly-knotted bundle that she didn't think she'd be able to sleep for even a fraction of that.
So, she passed the time the same way she'd been passing time for the past few months. She studied. Reviewed her notes, read up on Academy rules and regulations, quizzed herself on anything and everything she would need to know before entering the gates. She was already at a disadvantage by entering the school halfway through the year, so she needed to make sure she went in as competent as possible. Or at least looking competent.
The total flight time from Mossdeep City to Pueltown was ten hours, give or take. By the time she disembarked the plane, left the airport, and climbed into a cab, Kate had dark shadows encircling her eyes. She was hungry, exhausted, and fairly sure that she'd failed to retain even a crumb of actual information during the entire flight. Still, the ride from Pueltown to the Academy was more or less painless. She wasn't used to cars, but the physical exhaustion of her overseas journey trumped any motion sickness she may have otherwise experienced. She could feel herself drift in and out of sleep as she watched the scenery fly past—changing from cities, to forests, to cliffsides.
"We're here, miss."
The driver's voice snapped Kate out of her stupor, and she paid him, mumbling out a quick 'thank you' as she slung her bag over her shoulder and exited the cab. As the door closed shut behind her and the cab took off, Kate looked up at the gates before her and the building that lay beyond.
Ranger Academy sat on top of a steep hill, surrounded by greenery that was just now beginning to yellow in the autumn air, and Kate couldn't stop herself from gulping. It was somehow even more intimidating in person. The imposing, three-story hardwood building towered over the courtyard and its surrounding components. Ten acres large and housing over two hundred students, the Academy was Almia's pride and joy, boasting private dorms, a fully-equipped training center, self-sufficient gardens, and three individual curriculums for Pokémon Rangers, Operators, and Mechanics. Kate was here to pursue the Ranger curriculum, albeit half a year late.
Honestly, she would have been here at the beginning of the year with every other student in her year, but…
"Ms. Lovett!" Thankfully, before Kate could dwell too much on that thought, she heard her name being called. "You're Ms. Kate Lovett, correct?"
"Y-yes!" Kate spun around, head jerking up. She could see a woman approaching her, short, with dark green eyes and shoulder-length auburn hair. A warm smile graced her features as she reached Kate.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person," she said, reaching out her hand. "I'm Ms. April. As mentioned in your acceptance letter, I'll be your supervising teacher at the Academy."
Kate wiped her hand quickly on her pants before shaking with Ms. April, sorely regretting the fact that her hands must be cold and clammy right now. "Yes! Um, I mean, it's a pleasure! I, mean, um…" she cleared her throat, attempting to arrange her thoughts into something that could be considered coherent.
Ms. April just chuckled softly. "You must be tired from your journey here. Classes are about to begin, so you should go settle into the dorms and get some sleep while everyone is out. We can handle the paperwork when you're rested…"
But Kate shook her head. "I-if it's alright," she said, stammering, "I'd like to join classes immediately, please. I'm already entering half a year late, s-so…"
Ms. April tilted her head, frowning. "Well, I certainly don't mind, but… are you sure? You shouldn't push yourself," she said. "Your admission circumstances were unique, after all…"
"Please!" Kate insisted, her ears turning red. She knew what her 'circumstances' were, and wanted to avoid talking about them at any and all cost. "I-I promise I won't make any trouble. I really want to join the class."
"Hm… well, if you're sure. But you're free to leave the class if you start to tire out, okay?" said Ms. April, and Kate nodded fervently in reply. Honestly, she didn't think she could sleep even if she wanted to, and for once she thanked her jumpy nerves for providing a much-needed adrenaline rush. "Follow me, then. We'll put your bag in the dorms, and you can change into the uniform too. When you're done, I'll take you to the classroom and introduce you."
Ms. April turned and walked towards the school building, and Kate let out a soft breath of relief. Looking up at the tall hardwood building, she felt a familiar sense of awe and reverence wash over her. She was here. Half a year late, yes… but she was finally, finally here.
Even if she was arriving late, but she certainly wasn't going to let herself graduate the same way.
Taking a deep breath, Kate slapped her cheeks to psych herself up before following after Ms. April.
—
Keith had been in a bad mood since that morning.
He'd been up until three AM the previous night completing some homework that he'd been procrastinating on, and wasn't even able to fall asleep when it was done due to his bunkmate's chronic snoring. When he'd dragged himself out of bed to at least get first dibs on the dorm's coffee maker before class, the damn thing went on the fritz and covered his uniform in cold coffee. Cursing, he'd ran back to the dorms to shower, but not before Kincaid saw him and immediately pulled him over to give a lecture on running in the halls. By the time Kincaid's speech was over, Keith had only five minutes to throw on a new uniform before speed-walking to class while still smelling like stale coffee grounds.
He stalked into the classroom with murder in his amber eyes, ignoring his classmates' greetings. Ms. April wasn't in the classroom yet—odd, since she was usually early, but Keith was thankful for the rare occurrence. He slumped into his seat, pinching his eyes shut as he attempted to shut out the buzzing murmurs of his peers' conversation. Maybe he could swing a five minute nap before class started…
"Morning, sunshine."
Or not.
"What do you want, Rhythmi," Keith growled, without opening his eyes.
"Just checking in on a fellow classmate." Keith could hear his desk creak lightly as the voice's owner took a seat on top of it, and he had to debate if it was worth telling her for the eighteenth time that his desk was not a chair. "You look a bit harried."
"Yeah, well, that'll happen when you run into Kincaid on a Monday morning," he said, opening one eye and squinting to look at his unwanted conversation partner.
The woman sitting on his desk was spinning a lock of curly blond hair around her index finger, studying him with smug, dusky brown eyes that reminded Keith entirely too much of a Skitty that caught the Spearow. Her lips curled into a smirk as she tilted in her head. "You ran into Kincaid? This early in the morning? You really did have a bad start to the day, huh."
"Tell me about it," Keith muttered. To be honest, he wasn't the biggest fan of Rhythmi Mori. He saw her as nosy, conceited, and a smartass. She was the type to make everything her business, though, and so he knew she wouldn't leave him alone until he at least placated her with some conversation. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair to shake out some loose coffee grounds. "Are you here to ask about my morning, or make it worse?"
"Neither, actually. I wanted to ask if you know anything."
"Sorry?"
Rhythmi leaned in, her brown eyes sparkling. "We're getting a transfer student. Today, I hear. Someone saw them entering the Academy grounds with Ms. April—that must be why she's late to class today."
"A transfer student?" That actually got Keith's attention, and he frowned. "It's like, halfway through the year."
"I know. That's why everyone's so curious about it."
Keith looked around. Now that he was actually paying attention, he could see that his classmates were much chattier than usual for a Monday morning. They clustered into small groups, talking about this supposed transfer student—theorizing why they were transferring in so late, how they managed to get in so far past the Academy's application deadline. Keith knew that it wasn't odd for some students to trickle into the Academy past the start of the semester, but that was just due to being on the waitlist or getting bogged down when entering the country due to Almia's ridiculously complicated customs proceedings. There was no reason for someone to be entering the Academy halfway through the year.
"Is it really any of our business?" He feigned disinterest, though, shaking out his hair again. "Even if there is a transfer student, it's not like that's gonna mess with our classes."
Rhythmi just huffed. "Oh, come on," she pressed, "you can't tell me you're not at least a little interested. You're the top Ranger student in our class, don't you want to know what kind of person could have gotten accepted despite it being this late in the year?" Then, as if intentionally to rib him, she added: "Maybe they'll throw you off your pedestal."
Keith could feel his eye twitch as he glared at Rhythmi, who just gave him a satisfied grin in return. This was exactly why he didn't like her. She was a brat who knew how to get under everyone's skin. "I'm not on a 'pedestal,' and if even if I was, I wouldn't be thrown off it," he said, crossing his arms. "Least of all by some newbie walking into the Academy halfway through the year."
Rhythmi beamed. "See, there's our star student," she sang. Keith glared harder, and was about to tell her to get off his desk already when the door opened abruptly.
"To your seats!" Ms. April walked into the room, and every student scurried to their desks. Rhythmi hopped off Keith's desk with all the grace of a Glameow, sliding into her own desk on the other side of the room. "Now, I'm sure you all know that I have some news today—I could hear your gossiping all the way from the end of the hall."
A wave of murmurs washed over the room, and Keith rested his chin in his hand. So it wasn't just a baseless rumor, then.
"As you're no doubt aware by now, we're getting a transfer student," said Ms. April. "Due to extenuating circumstances, she couldn't start at the Academy from the beginning with the rest of you, which is why she's joining us so late in the year."
Keith could almost hear the heads of his classmates swiveling around as they sent each other quizzical glances, and even though he reminded himself once again that it was none of his business, he couldn't help but think it was weird. The hell did 'extenuating circumstances' mean?
He didn't have much time to ponder that, though, because Ms. April was already looking towards the door and waving. "Come in."
There were about two full seconds of silence. Then the door creaked open, and the transfer student walked in. The first thing Keith noticed was that she was small—not just her height, but her entire disposition. She kept her head down and her arms close to herself as if to take up as little space as possible, her fingers twiddling nervously. She had to be at least a head shorter than Keith, he thought, and her limbs were thin and fragile-looking. Her hair was a dusty light brown, tied up in twintails that seemed to each have their own case of permanent bedhead.
She stood in silence for a few seconds, before Ms. April spoke up. "Introduce yourself?" The young woman gave a start, a red flush creeping up her neck and onto her cheeks as she nodded obediently. She took a deep breath before looking up. Her eyes were a watery pale blue, and Keith couldn't help but think it looked a bit funny against her flushed-red face.
"U-um… my name is, ah… K-Kate Lovett," she said, her voice plagued by stutters and stammers. "I-I'm, um—I know I'm entering the Academy l-late in the year, but I… I l-look forward to getting to k-know you all." She gave a jerky bow. The class gave a polite round of applause, which seemed to do nothing to soothe Kate's nerves. If anything, she just hunched in on herself even more.
"Kate will be entering the Ranger course," Ms. April said, looking satisfied. "I hope our Ranger students will give her a warm welcome and help her get used to life here at the Academy."
That caught everyone's attention, and even Keith couldn't help but look up with a confused frown. The Ranger course? Her? Judging from her build, he would have pegged her for an Operator or a Mechanic. Entering the Academy's Ranger course required passing multiple strict tests of physical speed and strength, and though Keith didn't think he was one to judge based on appearances, this girl looked… well, frail, to put it nicely. If Keith had to put it not-so-nicely, he'd say she looked like a weakling.
As if sensing their confusion, Ms. April continued. "Incidentally, Kate passed her exams with a record-setting capture time for examinees. Her capture time was 3.17 seconds."
Keith's eyes widened, as the class broke out into a hushed roar of whispers.
"Under four seconds?!"
"I'm pretty sure the average is four and a half…"
"Wait, what was Keith's capture time? Wasn't it 3.2 or something?"
Even if they were whispering, Keith could hear them loud and clear, and he grit his teeth as a small spark of irritation ticked at the back of his head. He had set a record among Academy examinees with his exam's capture time of 3.21 seconds, and apparently, this girl broke it. Only by four nanoseconds, but still. Keith couldn't help but feel annoyed as he stared the transfer student down. Just how did someone as small as this manage to beat his record?
Despite her record-setting capture time, Kate didn't look all that proud of herself. She kept her gaze fixed firmly on the floor, chewing her lower lip. The impressed murmurs of her peers only seemed to be setting her on edge. If Ms. April noticed, though, she didn't call attention to it. Instead, Ms. April looked over the room, eyes scanning each seat.
"Let's see… your seat will be… Ah," her gaze stopped next to Keith, and he followed it to see that the desk next to him was empty. "Right there. You can sit next to Keith."
Keith had to suppress a groan. He'd been stashing snacks in that desk to grab when he came to class without eating breakfast… He would get an earful, if Ms. April found out. He'd have to smuggle all the food out after classes were over. Either way, he could only hope that the new girl wouldn't have to open her desk during her first day of class.
Kate walked over to the desk, giving Keith a timid bow. Keith only granted her a side glance and a slight nod of the head in response. That seemed to be enough for Kate, though, because she slid into her seat without saying anything more to him.
Well, at least the new girl didn't seem to be a conversationalist like Rhythmi. Keith gave an internal sigh, looking forward. He didn't see her carrying any school supplies, so she wouldn't have any reason to open the desk today, hopefully. He could just use this class to relax, and then after the bell rang, wait until everyone left before sneaking all those contraband snacks back up to his room…
"Now, class, please take out your homework from last Friday. We'll be reviewing it together before handing it in."
Ah, shit.
Now Keith was the one shrinking in on himself, as he resisted the urge to put his head in his hands. Shit, shit, shit. His homework. The coffee incident from earlier left him in such a rush, he forgot to grab the notebook from off his desk.
"Keith?" As if sensing his dismay, Ms. April's gaze was on him in a second. "What's wrong? Take out your homework, please."
"I, uh." He was getting detention, wasn't he. "I… don't have it."
"You don't have it?"
"I did it. Really, I did!" Keith made an attempt to defend himself. "It's on my desk, I just… I was in a hurry, and…"
Ms. April just quirked a brow in response, and Keith bit back a curse. She absolutely didn't believe him. The rest of the class was staring now, even the new girl.
"Ms. April," Rhythmi piped up, "I can vouch for Keith."
Ms April looked over at her, mildly surprised. "You can?"
"I saw him getting an earful from Mr. Kincaid on his way back from the dorm kitchens," Rhythmi explained. "I'm pretty sure Mr. Kincaid kept him until just before class, so I can't blame him for rushing…"
Keith cast a grateful look Rhythmi's way, silently apologizing for calling her a brat in his mind. Rhythmi just shot a smirk back at him that clearly said, 'you owe me.' The gratitude faded as quickly as it came. Meanwhile, Ms. April considered the veracity of Rhythmi's claim.
"…Very well," Ms. April finally relented. "Keith, you may bring your homework to the faculty office after classes are over today. I won't penalize you."
Keith could feel his shoulders sag in relief. "Thank—"
"But in the meantime, I'll put you in charge of showing Kate around the school," Ms. April continued. "You won't have anything else to do while the class is reviewing this assignment, so it sounds like a good compromise, don't you agree?"
Goddamn it, of course there would be a catch. Keith cast a look at Rhythmi, who simply shrugged out a 'sorry, can't help you on this one.' He glanced at Kate, who was keeping her gaze decidedly fixed on her own lap. Keith sighed, surrendering.
"I got it," he said, standing up. To be honest, he didn't much like the idea of playing babysitter to the new girl. But he couldn't say no when Ms. April was letting his late assignment slide. Besides, escorting the transfer student would at least mean he could keep her away from that desk until he could erase the evidence of his snack hoarding. He looked at Kate, jerking his head towards the door. "Let's go."
Kate nodded, almost tripping over herself as she followed Keith outside the room. He had to resist the urge to sigh again.
Today really wasn't his day.
—
"…And over there's the library."
Kate took notes in a small memo pad as she tailed her classmate through the halls. He kept a wide stride, so she had to jog at times to keep up with him. His guidance was less of an actual 'tour' than just a regular walk around campus, punctuated every so often by statements such as "those are the dorms," or "that's the Mechanic lab." Still, she took his every word down carefully, even drawing small maps of hallways so she wouldn't forget where certain rooms were.
A brief lull of silence fell over them as they walked down the hall, and Kate took the opportunity to give her companion a furtive glance. His name was… Keith, right? His very figure was imposing, he had to be at least six feet tall, she thought. But it wasn't just his height that gave him presence. His hair was colored a bright orange-red, spiking out in multiple directions—Kate couldn't tell if it was natural or the result of careful styling. Numerous freckles dotted his features, no doubt the result of countless hours spent training out in the sun. Even his stance was straight and confident. Staring up at him, Kate couldn't help but be in awe for a moment at how strong his presence was. Then again, it was only natural that this man would come off as confident, as would be the case for every other student in this school. Kate was the odd one out, with her puny figure and meek posture.
Just as she was beginning an internal self-beatdown, Keith suddenly turned his head to look at her.
"…What?" He noticed her staring, and his amber eyes narrowed, suspicious and no doubt uncomfortable from her close observation.
"So—" Kate could help but let out a small yelp, hiding behind her notebook. "S-sorry! I was just, um—"
His words were cut off by a low, intense grumbling. The noise almost seemed to echo across the entire hallway. It took one, two… three seconds for Kate to realize that the noise came from her. Or, more specifically, her stomach.
Now Keith was the one staring at her, his eyes slowly widening. Kate looked at the floor, and suddenly found herself fervently wishing that Groudon would open up the earth to swallow her whole.
Keith was the one to break the silence. "…How long's it been since you last ate?
"I, uh…" Kate tried to do the math in her head, but it wasn't easy, seeing as the hunger pangs were finally starting to exceed her adrenaline levels. "I, um… I a-ate before I got on the plane, so…"
"Where'd you come from, again?"
"Um. H-Hoenn."
She heard Keith give a long, heavy exhale in the form of a whistle. Hoenn was a ten hour flight away when traveling from Mossdeep City, and that wasn't even accounting for the time it took her to get through security. Her face burned in humiliation as she kicked herself for not having at least bought a snack pack at the airport, or something.
"Right. Well…" Keith ran a hand through his orange locks, frowning. "The cafeteria's back that way. Let's go get you something to eat."
"Huh?" Kate looked up, panicking a bit. "B-but, the tour—"
Keith easily interrupted her. "The tour can wait. The school isn't going anywhere, and besides, I don't think Ms. April will be too happy if I let you pass out from starvation." With that he turned around, starting down the halls without another word. "Come on."
Kate hastily followed Keith down the halls, pocketing her notepad as she willed her stomach to stay quiet on their way to the cafeteria. She did her best not to stare at Keith again, but couldn't help noticing how he was glancing back at her every so often, now—no doubt to make sure she didn't actually pass out on him.
The cafeteria was grand in size, but modest in decoration. Wooden beams held up the rafters, kissed by the sunlight streaming in from the arched windows. Round oak tables took up the center of the room, while the walls were hugged by more private booths for smaller parties or people that wished to eat alone. Potted plants decorated spare corners of the room, while the walls were furnished by hanging terrariums and framed photographs of all kinds—Pokémon, landscapes, past graduates. As their footsteps echoed across the empty hall, Kate could hear faint chattering noises from above.
"Minccino," Keith said, noticing the way she looked about. "They live in the rafters, help keep the place clean. They won't bother you if you don't bother them—just don't forget to clean up after eating. They hate mess." Kate could only give a dumb nod in response. She'd already known from the books and pamphlets that Pokémon lived in uncaptured harmony with humans here, but seeing it in person was still quite the sight.
The cafeteria was mostly empty save for the occasional student spending a free study period here, and Keith led Kate to one of the many unaccompanied booths, gesturing for her to sit. She did, and as soon as she was settled into the seat, Keith walked away.
"W-wait, where are you—" Kate started, but Keith disappeared behind a metal door before she could finish the sentence. It felt like her words kept getting cut off one way or another.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Kate leaned back against the pillowed cushions of the booth. She couldn't leave the cafeteria, and she certainly couldn't walk away from her assigned tour guide. All she could do was trust that he'd return for a few moments. In the meantime… a short break did sound nice. It was becoming more and more difficult for her to ignore the onset of exhaustion. At this rate she wouldn't be able to write her own name, let alone coherent notes.
She closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax for the first time in over 24 hours. The cafeteria was filled with a sort of muffled silence that was punctured only by ambient sound—the faint chattering of Minccino, the distant echo of footsteps in other hallways, and a faint shuffling coming from behind the door Keith had walked through. The white noise washed over her like the Hoenn ocean she left behind mere hours ago, and Kate took a deep breath, submerging herself within it. Even if everything else was strange and new, silence was something that would always be familiar to her.
It was impossible to tell how many minutes passed while Kate's eyes were closed. But she was suddenly jolted out of her stupor by the sound of voices outside the window adjacent to her seat.
"Sorry for the wait! I was on Bidoof duty, it took me a while to clean up…"
Kate glanced out the window to see a few male students meeting up a few yards away, the newcomer apologizing for his tardiness through exhausted panting—it seemed he ran all the way there. Kate knew it was impolite to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help her curiosity. 'Bidoof duty?'
"No worries, man, you didn't have to rush."
"Yeah, it takes forever to do all the chores in there with how clingy they get."
"Tell me about it… one of them kept chewing on my boot and wouldn't let go—I've got a hole in it now, see?!"
The newcomer showed his friends the sole of his shoe, prompting uproarious laughter from his companions. Kate leaned back in her seat, putting the pieces together in her head. Right, she remembered now. There was a small Bidoof enclosure on the Academy grounds, used for training students in basic Pokémon care. Students cycled responsibility for feeding, cleaning, and caring for the Plump Mouse Pokémon.
Kate watched as the students as they walked away, exchanging some playful ribbing about their friend's ruined boot on their way. She let out a small sigh through her nose. Would she be able to talk so openly with her peers as they had? She doubted it. Not only had she transferred in halfway through the year, but her own social inclinations—or lack thereof—didn't do much to inspire confidence, either.
And on top of all that, Ms. April just had to go and mention her exam…
Clack.
Just as Kate was beginning to get lost in her thoughts again, she heard the noise of something being set down on the table in front of her. When she looked towards the source, she found a small plate of freshly made pancakes, complete with a side of scrambled eggs, a glass of water, and a small dish filled to the brim with berry syrup. Before she could even look up, Keith was already sliding into the seat across from her, holding a large Occa berry in one hand.
"Sorry it's not anything fancy," he shrugged, biting into the berry's red flesh. "I made do with what the kitchens had."
"Uh…" Kate could only stare at the meal spread out before her. He said it wasn't 'fancy,' but this fully exceeded her expectations. Did he make this himself? She had expected him to just grab her a berry or something, like the one he was eating. "N-no, it's—this is fine! Um, t-thank you."
Keith only offered a nod in response, looking out the window as he ate. "Hurry up and eat, then."
Kate nodded back as she grabbed a fork and knife, pouring syrup over the pancakes before cutting into them and hastily putting a piece into her mouth. The flavor was unimaginable—the pancakes themselves were fluffy and delicate, while the berry syrup added a foreignly sweet punch. The eggs were just as delicious, light and airy, and the water felt like ambrosia to her dehydrated body. Try as she did to rein in her appetite, Kate couldn't stop herself from stuffing another bite into her mouth, and another. It felt as if her body was just now remembering how important eating was. Every bite she took only served to strengthen her hunger rather than lessen it, and soon Kate was outright gorging herself, barely stopping to breathe as she all but inhaled the food before her.
Despite the size of the meal that had been set out for her, it took Kate no more than five minutes to finish everything that was on the tray. She took a few long gulps of water, washing the last remnants of food down her throat before setting the emptied glass down, leaning back into her seat and closing her eyes as she gave an exhausted sigh. She had underestimated her own hunger, it seemed. Or maybe she simply hadn't noticed it.
When Kate finally found the strength to open her eyes again, she found Keith staring at her. His eyes held a myriad of emotions, the most prevalent of which was bewilderment.
"You, uh… sure packed that away fast, huh."
Kate was beginning to lose track of the amount of times she'd embarrassed herself.
"I, um—" Her face burned crimson, and she looked down, covering her mouth in embarrassment. Had he been watching that whole time? Of course he had, it would be strange not to, when faced with a person gorging themselves at that speed. "I'm sorry! I mean, I just, it… I guess I was hungrier than I thought, a-and…"
To her surprise, though, what Kate heard next wasn't a sigh, nor a prolonged silence.
It was a laugh.
The sound was sudden and rough, more surprise than actual amusement. But it was real—a low and breathy laugh, bassy undertones reverberating softly through the wooden hall.
"I thought you were a bit small to be a Ranger, but…" Keith shook his head as he spoke through his chuckling. "You can pack that much food away in so little time, huh? Guess it never pays to judge."
The flush on Kate's cheeks burned brighter, as she shrank. She was still humiliated… but it didn't seem as if he was laughing at her. And, strange as it may have been, she felt relieved to see him expressing an emotion other than indifference or irritation.
"I-I really am sorry," she couldn't stop herself from apologizing again, "you got me all that food, I should have taken my time…"
"Don't apologize for eating, jeez. I made the food so you would eat it," Keith said, giving a lopsided smile in response. "Mission clear, as they say. Was it good?"
"Delicious!" Kate's reply was immediate. "Um, I don't think I've had syrup like this before. It's made from berries, right?"
"Yeah, Watmel berries… don't you have those in Hoenn, though?"
"W-Watmel?! No!" Her eyes widened in surprise. "I mean, we do, but they're really rare…"
"That so? Huh," he raised a brow, looking out the window and musing to himself, "maybe that's why there was only one jar in the pantry. Hope the cooks don't notice."
"Hope they… don't notice?"
"That I used the kitchens," he said, looking back at her. "Students can't use the cafeteria kitchens without special permission."
Kate would have choked if she was still eating. "Y-you broke the rules?!"
"You were dead on your feet! What was I supposed to do, let you faint while I ran around to ask a staff member 'pretty please?' Besides, the cafeteria kitchens are empty outside of mealtimes," he snorted. "If they find out, I'll apologize. Don't worry about it."
He said that, but Kate couldn't help feeling nervous. Was she guilty by association here? Would she get expelled on her first day if found out as a complicit rule-breaker? She couldn't handle that. So should she try and convince him to come clean and apologize together? No, but he did help her… she owed it to him to keep the secret. Still, keeping her mouth shut about breaking a rule like that felt…
As if reading her mind, Keith quirked a brow. "You're not gonna tell on me, are you?" He asked, bluntly.
Kate almost jumped out of her skin. "I—I'm not!" The octave jump in her voice was anything but convincing.
Keith didn't seem bothered, though, and merely let out another chuckle. "Then there's no problem," he shrugged, finishing off his berry and licking the juice from his fingertips. "Want a refill on the water?"
"Oh, you don't have to…"
Keith was already standing, picking up her glass and walking away. He returned within seconds, the glass refilled. "You're probably dehydrated if you haven't eaten or drank all day," he said, setting the glass in front of her before sitting back down. "The tour can wait, so just take a load off for now."
Kate couldn't argue with that, giving a small nod in response as she sipped her water slowly. Over the glass' rim, she could see Keith sitting across from her. This time, though, he was looking straight at her, interest etched into his amber eyes.
"So," he said, slinging an arm over the back of his seat, "you're in the Ranger program, right?"
"Um," Kate fidgeted, her fingers drumming nervously on the sides of her glass. "Y-yes."
"Did you really break the exam record for capture time?"
His question was pointed and immediate, with no room for her to deflect. Kate felt a cold drop of sweat slide down the back of her neck. This was the second-worst topic that could have been brought up.
"I… that is," she stammered, averting her eyes. "I-I wonder? I, um, don't really remember what my time was, so—"
"3.17 seconds," Keith answered immediately. "Ms. April said it. Besides, you can't tell me you don't remember your own capture time. That's one of the main factors they judge us on."
The silence that frosted over them could have lasted an eternity, as far as Kate was concerned. She refused to meet his eyes, afraid of what she'd see there if she looked up.
"…3.175," she finally mumbled, without looking up. "T-they rounded down."
There was another beat of silence, then a long, impressed whistle. When Kate gathered the courage to look up, she saw Keith's gaze fixed on hers. The emotion within his eyes was difficult to read. Irritation? Begrudging respect?
"My time was 3.2 on the dot," he said, without looking away. "Before you came along, I held the record."
Kate winced. She remembered hearing something like that back in the classroom. "I… it could have been a machine error," she attempted to deflect. "O-or maybe the measuring was off…"
"Don't try and be humble," Keith scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "Pisses me off."
Kate gulped, biting her lip. Keith continued, though.
"You beat my record, fair and square." He shrugged. "Doesn't mean I can't beat you back twice as hard."
There was a gleam in his eye when he said that, something competitive, but not hostile. It sparked like an ember, unfamiliar and mesmerizing to Kate.
"You… won't have trouble beating it," she eventually managed to say. "I entered the academy late, so my exam time wasn't counted on the books. Y-you should still be the record holder, on paper."
"I don't care about what's on paper, I care about winning," he huffed, pointing at her. "So you'd better bust your ass if you don't want me leaving you in the dust!"
"Uh—yes!" Kate squeaked out, nodding quickly. "I'll bust—I mean, I'll do my best!"
"Good. I won't take a slacker as my rival."
His rival? Kate really wasn't sure how they had gotten to this point in the conversation. In any case, though, he didn't seem angry that she'd broken his exam record. If anything, he actually looked a little excited. His eyes held a shine as he drummed his fingers against the Capture Styler hooked to his belt, and he certainly seemed more open and amiable than when this tour (could it still be called a tour?) had started. Kate had been intimidated by him at first, but… she was surprised to find that his bluntness, while a bit abrasive at times, set her at ease. It didn't give her any room for paranoia over what he could or couldn't be thinking. With that thought, Kate's body relaxed, a strangely comfortable feeling settling in her chest.
"By the way," Keith looked up, "why'd you enroll so late, anyways? I've seen people get stuck in Almia customs, but never for half a year."
In one swift instant, the comfortable feeling evaporated as every muscle in Kate's body tensed at once. It was extremely painful.
"I…" She could feel the color draining from her face. There it was—if her capture time was the second-worst topic that could be brought up, then this was the first. "There were… circumstances…?"
"Uh huh," Keith nodded, waiting for her to continue.
Kate's lips moved, but no words came out. She knew she wouldn't be able to hide this secret forever… but no matter how she tried, the words just wouldn't form in her throat. Lying didn't feel like an option either, with how quickly he'd seen through her about the capture times.
She could feel Keith's gaze on her, boring into her head as he waited for an answer that would never come. The silence grew longer, heavier, as her fingers gripped the glass of water hard, her knuckles slowly turning white. It wore on, and on, until…
"Oh," she heard Keith snap his fingers. "Nepotism?"
Kate's head jerked up to look at him, eyes wide.
"You got a relative in the school? No… maybe the Union?" He hummed, crossing his arms. "You pulled some strings to get in late?"
Kate stared at him, her mouth opening and closing as she attempted to form a sentence.
"…What—I—no!" She finally yelped, almost choking on her own words as she stood up. "A-absolutely not, I—I would never!" She couldn't stop herself from raising her voice. The very idea of being admitted to this school on anything other than her own merits felt nothing more than disgusting.
"Then what's the problem?" Keith raised a brow, leaning back. It was clear that he hadn't even believed his own theory, and Kate wondered for a moment if he hadn't just made it up to get a rise out of her. "If you got in fair and square, then the 'extenuating circumstances' don't matter, right?"
Kate bit her lower lip, a feeling of shame bubbling up from within her chest. Logically, she knew he was right. She earned her place in this school. But that nagging voice, that reminder of humiliation kept her from speaking. Telling the truth about her admission would be the same as admitting her own weakness. Her ineptitude. Her uselessness.
So instead, she gripped her sleeve, fixing her gaze on the floor. "I'm… sorry," she mumbled, "but I really don't want to talk about it."
Keith stared for a few seconds, gauging her words with a surprising amount of thought. Eventually, he shrugged.
"Well… that's fine with me. Not like I care that much anyway," he added, standing as he stretched his arms. "You feeling better? We can continue the tour if you want."
Kate just nodded, a pool of guilt forming in the pit of her stomach. The mood had improved so much, and in one fell swoop, she'd gone and made it awkward all over again. She had to resist the urge to sigh.
The two walked towards the cafeteria exit in silence, their footsteps echoing dully across the hall. Keith walked ahead of Kate just as he had before, and she kept her eyes fixed on the floor as she followed him. As they walked, she got a bit lost in her wallowing and self-flagellation—which resulted in her suddenly bumping into Keith's back. She let out a startled noise as she stepped back, rubbing her nose where it had collided with his spine, and looked up to find Keith standing still in front of her. He had completely stopped in his tracks. "Is… everything alright?" She asked, looking around to glance up at his face.
Keith was looking upwards, a frown written into his features. "…Do you hear that?"
"Hear?" Kate hadn't noticed anything but the sounds of their footsteps. She strained her ears, holding her breath as she tried to listen close. It was very faint, but she did pick up a noise—it sounded like a rapid tapping, or pecking. As if someone was knocking very quickly on wood. "Is it… drumming?" She couldn't imagine what a drummer would be doing here, though.
Keith ignored her, turning on his heel and walking swiftly across the cafeteria. There was a pair of double doors leading outside on the other end of the hall, and he threw them open, looking outside. What he saw clearly didn't please him.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Kate jumped, sprinting across the hall to Keith's side. She followed his gaze, quickly gasping at what she saw.
Outside the cafeteria building was a small mob of Bidoof, cheerfully chomping away at the wooden support beams holding the above balcony aloft. From close up, their biting sounded more like an active jackhammer than it did knocking, and Kate had to plug her ears to prevent them from ringing.
"What the hell is going on?!" Keith yelled over the noise, his ears also covered. "The Bidoof can't be out of their pens without supervision!"
Kate was about to say that she had no idea, but then she remembered the conversation she overheard while Keith had been cooking. "I-I think I saw the person who was in charge of the Bidoof! He said he was on Bidoof duty, it looked like he'd been rushing!"
"What?! Who was it?!"
"I didn't hear a name, um… he had black hair? F-freckles?"
Apparently this was all the identifying information Keith needed, because what came out of his mouth next was a variety of colorful curse words. "Nash, that sonuva—how many times does he need to be told to lock the goddamn gate?!"
The Bidoof seemed completely fixated on the wooden pillars, and though the wood was thick and tough, the bite strength of a Bidoof was on par with the force of an axe. If they chewed in too far, they'd have a complete structural collapse on their hands. Both the people inside and the Bidoof outside would get hurt. "W-what do we do?!"
"Is anyone on the balcony?!"
Kate stepped back to check. "No, it's empty!"
Keith cursed again, and she understood why. This meant that they couldn't call for help. They could run to get a staff member, but the Academy was huge, how long would that take? The Bidoof were in a frenzy, refusing to halt their gleeful biting. And if they decided to just combine their efforts and converge on one pillar…
"Y-your Styler."
"What?" Keith looked at her, raising a brow.
"Your Capture Styler! You have it, right?!"
"I mean, yeah, but—"
"I've got mine, too. L-let's go," she said, unhooking her Styler from her belt, "we're going to capture them before they can cause too much damage!"
"What?!" Keith was aghast. "Are you insane—we're not Rangers, we don't have authorization to use our Stylers in emergencies!"
"I thought you didn't care about the rules!"
"I care about the rules when they can get us expelled!" He growled back, turning to go back inside. "You just stay here and keep an eye on them! I'll go find someone that can handle this, I'm fast, so—"
Before he even took his first step, though, Kate's fingers were already at his collar. She yanked on his tie, effectively pulling him down to her eye level so that she could look straight at him. Keith's eyes widened, but before he could protest, Kate was already speaking.
"If we don't do something, we won't have a place to get expelled from!" She snapped, fury and adrenaline rushing through her veins. She was at her limit, and they didn't have time. Every second equaled another ten bites, and she could see that the Bidoof were already making significant dents in the wood. They couldn't afford to lose seconds, much less the minutes it would take to find someone capable of helping. "People could get hurt, is that risk worth avoiding expulsion to you?! Because if it is, then go back inside and put the blame on me, becauseI didn't come to this school to ignore people in danger!"
Keith stared at her, his eyes widened to amber dots as a red flush crept up the back of his neck. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, speechless, as if searching for some retort—but found nothing.
"Ah, for the love of Arceus," he swore, as he took his hand to his Styler. He shot a glare Kate's way as he activated the device, a bright blue wand sprouting out from its top. "You'd better be as fast as you were in your exam, new girl!"
Kate was already doing the same, activating her Styler in one swift motion. "I'll be faster!"
With that uncharacteristically confident statement, Kate confirmed her targets and pulled the Styler's trigger, launching the Capture Disc. The spinning top was small, barely ten centimeters in diameter, and flew across the grass at a near-imperceptible speed while leaving the Capture Line in its wake. The Capture Line, a blue trail of light drawn by the Disc, shone bright even in pure daylight.
Initiating a capture was the easy part: one simply had to lock on to a Pokémon, confirm the capture target on screen, and then launch the Disc. Performing the capture itself—that was the hard part. The Disc was highly sensitive, responding to the smallest and twitchiest of movements, and one false step could result in the Disc colliding with the Bidoof and agitating or angering them. This wasn't the best of jobs for someone with shaky hands.
Thankfully, though, Kate's hands weren't trembling. Her movements were quick and unhesitating as she guided the Disc in loops around the group of Bidoof, her eyes tracking the Disc with pinpoint accuracy. Her school-issue Styler couldn't draw an especially long Capture line, so she had to work in batches, capturing two or three Bidoof at a time. As soon as she finished with one group, she'd sprint over to the next without stopping. One by one, the Bidoof were pacified by the Capture Line's energy, turning docile and attentive.
When all was said and done, Kate had eleven Bidoof swarming her ankles, squeaking and attempting to nibble at her shoes as she looked up to check on Keith. He was likewise swarmed by Bidoof, holstering his Styler as he did a head count of the Pokémon.
"…Eighteen, nineteen… twenty. That's all of 'em," he said, breathing a sigh of relief as he ran a hand through his hair.
Kate released a breath that she didn't realize she was holding. "Good. That's… good," she said. She was out of breath, and didn't know if it was from the physical exertion or the intense adrenaline rush she'd gotten from the crisis.
Keith nodded, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "…You weren't lying about that capture time," he said. "You were faster than me. Caught two more than me, too."
Kate just shook her head, panting. "It… it was just luck."
"Bullshit."
Kate didn't have a response to that, so she went quiet, choosing to instead focus on catching her breath. Keith did the same, and for a few moments, they stood in silence. The only noises were the sounds of their panting, the faint rustle of the wind, and the chattering of the Bidoof around them.
As the adrenaline trickled out of Kate's system, the gravity of what they just did—what she just did—finally set in. She performed an unauthorized emergency capture as a new student. Not only that, but she dragged another student into the incident. The nerves and doubt bubbled up in her stomach, as a million questions popped into her head. Did she make the right decision? Was she going to get expelled for this? Was Keith going to get expelled for this? Was this even an expellable offense, or would they suffer an even worse punishment? How much damage did the Bidoof do? And why—
"Why—" the question left her in a high breath, her voice colored by pure bewilderment. "Why do they keep the Bidoof pen near a wooden building?"
The beat of silence might as well have been the clash of a drum, with how hard it crashed over them. Slowly, Keith looked up, still panting softly as he stared at her. "…What?"
"Why?" Kate, at the full mercy of her mental faculties being sent into overdrive, simply repeated her question. "I never considered it before, b-but isn't that—isn't that stupid? They chew through wood like it's butter, why would you keep them next to a building where everything is made of wood?"
Keith kept staring for a while, as if his brain had to take a moment to fully reboot itself.
"…I… don't know," he finally said, slowly, "but you're right. It's stupid."
"Right?"
They stared at each other, struck dumb by the absurdity of it all—of the situation, of their actions, and of what they were saying right now. In the end, there was only one thing to do. One thing they could do.
Unsurprisingly, Keith was first to break, his laugh escaping in a harsh, bassy chuckle. "You—you said stupid," he said, looking at her as his eyes crinkled with laughter. "You can say that word? You know that word?"
"Of—" Kate's voice came out in a high, half-nervous giggle, and she clapped a hand over her mouth in spite of herself. "Of course I know the word, I just…"
"You've been Little Miss Polite Goody-Two-Shoes this whole time," he kept chuckling as he gestured over her, "and that's what gets you to make a complaint? The building material?"
Kate ducked her head, her shoulders shaking as she struggled to contain herself. "S-stop…"
"Is that what it takes to get you to grow a spine? Architectural integrity?" He kept pressing, though, with a grin so big it threatened to break his face. "You sure you're here to be a Ranger? You're not, like, actually an undercover building compliance agent?"
"Stop!" Kate cried, her voice breaking as she gave in to laughter. It escaped from her body like bubbles from a geyser, loud and so strong that for a moment she thought it would break her ribs.
Keith joined in, practically roaring with laughter, to the point where he had to hold his stomach. It was impossible not to laugh, really, with all that had just happened.
"Oh… oh, Kyogre…" Kate gulped and wheezed, tears prickling at her eyes as she sat down among the Bidoof pack. She couldn't remember ever laughing this hard, before. "We're getting expelled, aren't we?"
"We're only expelled if they find out," Keith said, walking towards the wooden pillars so he could check the damage. He winced at what he saw. "But, uh… ouch."
Kate managed to lift herself to her feet, walking over to see. She couldn't help but wince, too. The wooden pillars all had significant damage done to them, with dents at least twenty centimeters in a ring around the edges. There was still more than enough to keep the pillars safely upright, but…
"We can't hide this," she said, her voice surprisingly firm. "I-it wouldn't be right… even if it's sturdy now, it could get weaker over time."
"Looks like Little Miss Polite Goody-Two-Shoes is back," Keith replied, his voice dry. "You're right, though. We have to report this, and I don't think we can hide our whole 'independent crisis control.'"
Kate nodded, looking down. She knew it was the right thing to do. Still… this definitely spelled the end of her time at the Academy. She had already been granted several good-faith exceptions to get her late admittance, and now it was all being thrown away. Even if she didn't regret her actions, it was impossible to stop the dark, hollow feeling of shame that began to take form in her chest.
"Hey," Keith called to her. "What're you making that gloomy face for?"
"It's hard not to be gloomy," Kate admitted, "when I'm probably going to be getting on a plane back to Hoenn within the next hour."
But Keith scoffed. "You're not getting on a plane. Neither of us are."
Kate frowned. "I-I… I appreciate you being positive," she tried, "but I'm definitely getting expelled. My acceptance was conditional, and—"
"Yeah, and I'm saying you're definitely staying." Keith cracks his shoulder. "I've got a plan, so don't worry about it."
"A plan?" Kate was throughly confused now. "But—"
"Don't worry about it," he said, turning his back on her and walking off to the Bidoof pen. "Come on. Let's go put these bad boys back in their home, and then you can leave everything else to me."
—
All things considered, Keith should have been thankful to have only gotten off with disciplinary punishment.
That didn't make the task of cleaning the entire dorm any less of a pain in the ass, though.
"For the love of Kyurem," he grunted, leaning his full weight onto the mop in his hands. "This goddamn stain—what the hell even caused this?" He'd been throwing himself at the stain on the common area's floor for a full twenty minutes, to no avail. He was beginning to think it was a cruel joke. Or mold. Was he even qualified to remove mold? Well, it wasn't like he could ask anyone—at two in the morning, he was now the only person still awake. He'd been at this for over twelve hours now.
He'd started his punishment immediately after making the incident report to Miss April and the headmaster. After that, Kate had been swept away by Miss April, and he hadn't seen her since. She probably passed through the dorms at some point, but he'd spent a good three hours stubbornly removing grime from the crevices of the shower stalls, so it was most likely that they had missed each other. She was probably fine, though. As long as she kept her mouth shut and followed what he said, she wouldn't run into any trouble…
Keith crouched down, squinting as he inspected the discoloration on the floor that refused to be scrubbed away. "…Sure doesn't look like mold…"
"I think it's natural wood stain."
"Whoa!"
"O-oh!" When Keith jerked around, he was met with a pair of pale blue eyes staring down at him. Kate stumbled back a little, almost tripping over her ankles, but managed to catch herself. She breathed a sigh of relief, steadying the tray that she held with both hands.
"W-what the hell are you doing here?" Keith asked, frowning. "It's after curfew—I thought you were trying to avoid getting expelled?"
"I-I know! I mean, I am! I just… well," she cleared her throat. "I just thought… you're hungry, r-right? I mean, I heard you've been doing this ever since we made that report… and I didn't see you at dinner…"
When Keith stood, he could see what was being carried on the tray in her arms. There was a plate with fresh toast and berry jam, topped sporadically with mixed nuts. Next to it was a mug, and two haphazardly placed cereal bars.
Kate was chewing her lower lip. "I'm… not as good a cook as you," she confessed. "B-but, I figured you had to eat something, so…"
Keith stared at the meal, the gears slowly turning in his head. What came out of his mouth next was the first thing that came to mind. "…The dorm kitchens don't have this berry jam."
Kate's ears turned pink, and her eyes darted around nervously. "I-I could have woken someone up if I used the dorms. Plus… you said the cafeteria kitchens are empty outside of mealtimes."
Keith looked at her, a strange feeling taking shape in his chest. There wasn't exactly a word for it. It was half bewilderment, and half admiration. "Well… I'd be a jerk if I refused, huh?" And then, just as he was trying to play it cool, his stomach had the gall to growl.
He felt his cheeks go red, and immediately understood why Kate had turned a similar color when her stomach growled before. Kate just looked at him, her eyes widening by a fraction. It didn't take long, though, for her to let out a tiny laugh.
"We'll call it returning the favor," she said, sitting down in one of the armchairs as she set the tray down on the coffee table. Keith sat on the couch opposite her, groaning as he stretched his legs. He could hear his bones cracking, and Kate must have heard it too, because she cast a pitying look in his direction. "Rough work?"
"Worse than rough. I gotta be perfect with this cleaning—I can't sleep until it's done, and the dorm matron is obsessive about dust," he complained, sinking into the couch cushions.
"If you want, I can…"
"Don't," he cut her off, frowning as he closed his eyes. "This is my punishment, isn't it? We'll both be in deep shit if they find out I got help. I'll be fine." A short pause. "…Thanks, though. For offering. And for the food."
He couldn't see Kate, but somehow, he could tell she was smiling. "Of course," she said, then blinked in realization. "Oh, um—I'm sorry, I should have asked if you're allergic to nuts. If you are, you can ignore the toast—the cereal bars shouldn't have any allergens, so…"
"What are you, my mom?" He chuckled wheezily, trying to resist the urge to fall asleep where he was sitting. "I'm not allergic to nuts. I'll be fine."
Kate sighed in relief. "T-that's good, then. Oh, and I brought you coffee. I know it's two AM, but I heard you can't sleep until this is all done, so—"
"Arceus," Keith groaned in relief at hearing the word 'coffee.' "I think I love you, Kate."
The silence that followed was so sudden, and so deep, that for a minute Keith thought he really had fallen asleep. He slowly opened his eyes, wondering if it was all just a dream—only to find Kate there, still sitting across from him. She had her eyes fixed firmly on her lap, her hands frozen in place, as her face was colored a brilliant red from the light of the fireplace.
…No, wait. Not from the fireplace.
It took a few moments for Keith to put it all together. The blush on her cheeks, the nervous darting of her eyes, and the horrible, crashing realization of what he just said.
Keith's face was burning in two seconds flat. "The—the coffee!" He hurried to clarify, almost choking over his own words. "I mean, it was the coffee! I don't… I mean, I wasn't… I didn't…"
Kate, in her infinite mercy, seemed to understand. "I—I know!" she said, nodding quickly. "I-I get it. Really. I'm… glad that I could help."
She offered a shy smile, which for some reason did nothing to placate Keith's nerves. If anything, it only made them worse. He chose instead to busy himself with eating, scarfing down the toast and cereal bars with absolutely zero grace. He downed the coffee in three large gulps, too. When he lowered his cup, Kate was staring at him in mild surprise. "…What?"
"Nothing," she said, shaking her head while still smiling. "…I wonder if eating fast is a requirement for Rangers?"
Keith couldn't help but give a crooked smirk in response. "If it is, I'm pretty sure you'd hold that record, too."
Kate gasped, a high 'oh!' before breaking down into faint giggles. "That's so mean!"
Keith said nothing, just laughed with her, his chuckling low and sincere. They stayed like that for a moment, their laughter so quiet that it mixed in with the crackling of the fire, heard to no one but themselves.
"You…"
Keith looked at her. When he did, Kate wasn't smiling anymore.
"You didn't have to do that, you know," she said.
Keith just stared in silence. He knew what she was talking about. "What should I have done, then?"
"I don't know. We… we could have shared the blame, at least. Then your punishment wouldn't have been as harsh…"
"Maybe. But then you would have gotten expelled, right?" Keith shrugged. "You said it yourself—it was your first day, and on top of that your admission was 'conditional,' whatever that means. I've been here a while, though. And I'm the top student in our class. Between the two of us, I'm way less likely to get expelled. It made sense for me to take the rap."
"You still could have gotten expelled, though," she murmured. "You didn't have to take that risk for someone you just met."
Keith leaned back into the couch, looking into the fireplace. The embers sparked and floated in the air, lighting the room with their soft glow.
"Maybe I didn't have to. But I wanted to. And I'm glad I did," he said, glancing back at her. "I mean, it'd be a real waste to let you get expelled so soon, right? Especially before I have the chance to break your record."
Kate looked back at him with mild surprise written into her eyes. Her gaze softened just as quickly, and she sighed. "You're not going to let the record thing go, aren't you?"
He just grinned in response. "Hey, a guy's gotta have his pride."
Kate gave only a soft laugh in reply, shaking her head. The stiffness was gone from her shoulders, and Keith felt relieved. He hoped she'd stop beating herself up over the way things played out. It was his own choice, and he would have made it again. With that thought, yet another silence descended upon them. Keith was beginning to get used to it. It wasn't tense anymore—he was actually beginning to think of it as comfortable.
Just as he was wondering idly on if he should get back to cleaning by now, Kate spoke.
"I fainted."
"Huh?" Keith looked at her. The sentence was so sudden, so short, that it took a minute for his mind to parse it. "You… fainted?" He frowned. "Like, in class?"
"During my entrance exam."
The crackling of the embers was all Keith could hear, as he put the pieces together in his brain. Oh. Oh.
He wasn't sure what to say, so he just looked at Kate, waiting for her to continue. She was the one looking into the fireplace now, the light dancing over her face. Her features were twisted into something resembling melancholy. It was sad, and ashamed, and regretful.
"It was in the third phase," she continued. "I got high scores on the first phase's written exam. And the second phase's capture test—I passed that without a problem, too. But the third phase was…"
"An interview," he finished. He remembered it well. People who passed the first and second phases went on to be interviewed by Academy board members in their third and final phase. You needed a majority vote to get accepted into the Academy.
"I knew I had nothing to be afraid of. I studied so much. I prepared for every possible question. I worked so hard," Kate said, and it wasn't just her voice that grew smaller. It was as if her entire body was shrinking in on itself, as if she wanted to disappear. "But all of their eyes were on me… I imagined what would happen if I messed up, if I failed, and my mind just… went blank. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe." She closed her eyes, her brows scrunching together as if to push the memory out of her head. "I… I woke up in the venue's infirmary… everyone was already gone. I got a notice of failure. 'Failure to complete phase 3,' it said."
Keith listened to her speak, not daring to miss a single word. Maybe this had no relation to him, and maybe he had no reason to care. But the fact that she was choosing to tell this to him, even though it clearly hurt to recall… it felt important. Significant. "…So… how'd you end up here?"
Kate brought one knee up to her chin, hugging her leg as she chewed on her lower lip. "I… begged," she admitted. "Wrote to the headmaster. Explained my situation, what had come over me. I pleaded for a second chance at the interview, or if not, to redo the entire exam process from scratch. I was… desperate, I guess." She sighed. "The headmaster is kind. He sympathized with me, wanted to give me another chance… but you can't get accepted into the Academy without a majority vote from the board. And I guess most of the board members didn't think a girl that passed out cold in an interview would make for a very good Ranger."
"Well, that's fucking bullshit," Keith retorted, not bothering to hide the venom in his voice. Kate looked at him with wide eyes, and he huffed. "What? They're gonna reject someone who set a record in their exam just because she got a case of the nerves? Last I checked, 'stare down seven old men' wasn't in the job description."
While Kate didn't laugh, she did allow herself a weak smile. "Rangers are supposed to keep calm under pressure. I didn't meet the standard," she said, her voice quiet. "Still… I got lucky. The headmaster managed to make a deal on my behalf. I was granted admittance, as long as I could meet certain terms."
"Terms?"
"All my scores, in both physical and educational categories, are expected to be kept at S-rank or above," she listed. "I can't have any disciplinary actions put against me. The minute I do, I'll be sent out. And I have to attempt another interview with the board at the year's end—without fainting."
"That's…" Insane, he thought to himself. S-rank scores required near-perfection, and were notoriously difficult to earn. Even he, a top student, had only received a handful of S-rank scores during his time so far at the Academy. To require all her scores meet that standard was… "It's like they're begging you to fail."
Kate simply shrugged, gazing into the fire. "It's what I have to do," she murmured, "so I'm going to do it. I won't fail. I can't fail."
Keith watched her, feeling that strange emotion tug at his chest again. It was mysterious and formless, as if it would dissolve into mist the moment he attempted to touch it. So instead, he let the feeling sit, allowing it to settle into something more tangible. Something that he could put into words.
"Why did you choose the Ranger course?"
The question was out before he could think twice about speaking it, and Kate answered with a surprised, curious look. Keith quickly realized the bluntness of his question, and scrambled to explain himself.
"I mean—there's a lot of careers out there that are similar," he started, "and it's not easy to be a Ranger, y'know? The pay isn't all that great, either, they're basically civil servants. You came here all the way from Hoenn to become a Ranger, though, right? So, I'm just wondering why…"
Kate stared at him, saying nothing at first. She briefly averted her eyes, her lips pressing into a thin line. It wasn't hesitation, Keith noticed—more like a simple pause, a momentary gathering of courage.
"It's true that there are a lot of careers similar to being a Pokémon Ranger," she spoke slowly, choosing her words with care. "Like police officers, or park rangers, or ecologists… but Rangers are in a different class. They solve both natural disasters and man-made tragedies. They work to protect every living thing from suffering: people, Pokémon, even nature itself. Their work lets people live in harmony with Pokémon and with nature. I…"
She looked back up towards Keith, and he was surprised at how firmly her gaze fixed itself upon his. Her pale blue eyes looked almost lavender in the firelight, and they bore into him with such intensity that for a moment, his mind went blank. Was this really the same woman that could barely string a sentence together when they met?
"I want to protect," she said, her voice soft and impossibly clear. "That's… that's my reason for being a Ranger."
Keith held her gaze, her words ringing in his ears and finding a place somewhere in the strange feeling that, by now, had made itself quite at home within his chest. It was odd, but comfortable, and he didn't feel like letting it go.
"Well," he said with an exhale, "between you and me, I think you did a pretty great job of protecting today. So you're off to a damn good start."
Kate looked briefly stunned by his compliment, but her shock quickly melted into a much more tender expression. She was too shy to acknowledge his compliment, but Keith could nonetheless feel her gratitude. It was in the way her hands had stopped fidgeting, in how her shoulders had finally relaxed, in the light within her eyes that hadn't been there before. She was at ease, and Keith was, too.
"Wait," in that moment of peace, something occurred to him. "Have you slept? Like, at all?"
Kate offered a sheepish smile in response. "I fell asleep after dinner, and woke up about… two hours ago?"
"Jetlag," he rolled his eyes. "I had it, too—you'll deal with it for a few days. Go back to bed, or else you won't be able to wake up for class tomorrow."
Kate frowned. "Are you sure you don't—"
"I don't need help," he groaned, standing up from the couch as he grabbed the mop again. "Aren't you the one that needs to be following the rules?" He made a shooing gesture, as if trying to scare off a Skitty. "Hurry up and go back to your dorm room before someone catches you here." Kate sighed, but acquiesced, standing up and reaching for the tray. Keith just swatted her hand away. "Leave it," he ordered, "I'll take it back myself."
"The cafeteria's empty," she attempted to protest, "no one will—"
Keith pointed the mop at her. "Scram!"
Kate let out another suffering sigh, turning away and walking off towards the staircase that led to her dorm room. Keith huffed, resting his chin on the mop as he watched her back to make sure she actually left. As he did, though, he caught her linger at the staircase, looking back at him for a moment.
"What?" He raised a brow. "If you're gonna try and convince me, I'm not—"
"No," for once, she was the one to interrupt him. "It's not that. It's just…"
She trailed off, eyes drifting to the side as she chewed her lower lip in that way Keith had noticed she did whenever she was trying to find her words. He knew by now to simply remain patient, wait her her to speak. Eventually she took a breath, returning her gaze to his.
"Thank you… K-Keith," she said, stammering a little when she said his name. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
It was the first time she said his name, Keith realized, and the sound of it might as well have knocked him off his feet. For reasons he couldn't decipher, it felt for a moment as if the floor had disappeared from beneath him, and every ounce of breath was momentarily stolen from his lungs. When he regained his sense of stability, he was surprised to find himself still upright and unmoved from his previous position.
"Y-yeah," he found himself saying, "see you tomorrow, Kate."
It was the first time he said her name, too, not counting that embarrassing mishap when he was thanking her for the coffee. The sound of him saying her name seemed to delight Kate, because she gave him another one of those soft smiles, flushed pink from her cheeks up to the tips of her ears.
She offered a small, hurried bow of thanks, before heading up the stairs. Keith could hear her footsteps as they faded up the stairwell and down the hall, disappearing completely with the muffled close of a door.
Keith leaned forward against the mop, letting out a slow, shaky exhale. He remained like that for a few seconds before picking up his bucket of cleaning supplies and walking across the dorm, deciding to clean the windows next. It would be the most annoying task by far with how huge the windows were, which was why he had been leaving it for last—but for some reason, he suddenly felt a lot more motivated to get these chores done. Maybe it was the coffee kicking in, or the renewed energy from getting some food into his system.
Either way, he wouldn't question this good turn of mood. The faster he finished cleaning, the faster he could get some sleep and go to class the next morning. Keith smiled to himself, swinging the mop over his shoulder as he hummed, already looking forward to what the next day could bring.
—
Upstairs, Kate laid in her dorm bed. The bed had felt foreign and strange at first, but now it was beginning to feel comfortable. Everything was, really. She had expected it to take months for her to get used to this place, if ever—but suddenly, she felt as if it would be possible to make a place for herself here. A home, maybe, if she was brave enough.
Lulled by the sound of someone's distant humming, she surrendered herself to sleep, the last of her anxieties temporarily fading into the night sky.
