This means we're starting with the Arts Course! Let's take a look at this somewhat unappreciated course, and see what it's got for us!
Now, for our review-answering column! Again! There weren't as many as there were last time, though, so it should be shorter.
coolhuh0526: Glad you like my other stories! Although, it's a bit spooky how you figured out where I live...
pokemonking0924: Victor is an interesting one, huh? Glad you're enjoying me exploring all these social interactions and quirks!
Rescue Wolf: You saw Gwen's food-related revenge. She released her gluttonous Gible in a buffet that Tori was paying for. I'm also enjoying seeing you look at all the clues and stuff I'm dropping and considering what they mean!
1415: Shelly is a he (yes, his name doesn't sound like a boy's name), and he's much more subtle than that. But I'm happy you liked seeing the preview of the year's events!
jjjdunk1: Interesting? You have NO idea just how interesting this school year is gonna be!
AnonChan1: Gotta love those mega reviews! You guys are getting a bit closer to finding out what Shelly could be...As for the optional curricula, I did not add them to the character submission sheet because 1: I hadn't gotten them figured out yet and 2: it will make things more interesting if they're a surprise!
Curiously a Theory: They definitely will be!
Dannurbina: The school year is gonna be great! But Danforth isn't going to be good at EVERYTHING...
Now, let's get this chapter started! (-o-)
When Travis woke up, he knew he needed to hurry.
The sun's rays were streaming through his window, and he could not see any of his roommates. That meant only one thing.
He was running late.
Panickedly, he threw his stuff together and snatched a bagel from a bowl on the counter (he did not stop to question where it had come from), before racing out of the door, a sleepy Staccato fluttering after him.
He was running so fast and so panicked, he didn't see the girl in the hallway until he slammed into her, sending them both sprawling.
Travis quickly climbed back to his feet, crying, "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention!"
The girl, who he recognized from last night as Kellie, replied, "Oh, that's okay! I wasn't paying any attention either!"
Travis held out his hand to help pull her up, which she gladly took with a smile. Staccato perched on his shoulder as he pulled Kellie up to her feet.
"Thank you.", she said, smiling at him, "You're really nice!"
Travis blushed. "It's just common courtesy."
"Courtesy!", Staccato mimicked.
Kellie giggled, and gave the Chatot a quick pet. As she did so, she said, "We should probably get moving. Neither of us wants to be late for our first class!"
Travis felt alarmed as he remembered that. "Let's go then!"
The two students hurried out the dormitory and into the bright sunlight. Travis knew that their destination wasn't too far away - the Arts Campus was located quite close to the dormitories. But if they didn't get a move on, they'd still be late!
As he dashed down the path, Travis could see his destination coming up ahead of him. He felt quite astonished when he saw how big it was.
The Lance Stadium was definitely a large and impressive building. But the building that Travis was looking at now could easily give it a run for its money.
The Stardust Theater was a massive purple building, designed to look like an star from above. The walls had posters all over them, showing famous actors, coordinators, musicians, and more, as well as their Pokemon. The parts of the walls that weren't covered in those posters shimmered with shifting colors and patterns, like stars and nebulas in deep space.
Kellie looked amazed. "Wow, this place looks great! Our class is taking place in there!?"
Travis nodded. "It is super cool, that's for sure. But it won't change anything if we're late!"
The two students burst through the shimmering glass doors, racing through the aisles into the main stadium.
It was massive and majestic, with countless plush red seats ringing the central stage and light shining in from above. Looking up, one could see that the majority of the ceiling was a giant, star-shaped window, allowing the contestants to shine in a natural spotlight. In front of the stage down below was a crowd of students, standing silently in neat rows.
Travis could not see the teacher, and realized with glee that he wasn't late! Probably.
He hurried to join the crowd, where he and Kellie were greeted by Tori.
"Oh, thank goodness!", she cried, "I was growing concerned! Class starts in any minute!"
"Why didn't you wake me up?", Kellie asked sternly.
Tori smiled sheepishly, "Well, you looked so peaceful, and I didn't want to disturb you..."
Her face formed into a frown. "Plus, Gwen got up absurdly early, and I didn't want to force anyone else to suffer as I did."
Jennifer appeared next to her, holding Mary to her chest. "Well, uh, Kellie was nearly late because of that, so, um...maybe you should've?"
Kellie nodded. "Yeah, I don't mind waking up extra early if it means I don't end up being late to class and getting in trouble! On my FIRST DAY!"
Tori nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Sorry about that."
Travis knew he'd probably need to talk to his roommates about that, too. He did NOT want to be late to any of his classes.
Suddenly, silence fell as people realized a woman was walking onto the stage. She wore a long blue gown, with threads that seemed to be weaved from ice. Her hair was long and so blond it was almost white, and it was formed into two braids that rested over her shoulders. She was lithe and graceful, her icy blue eyes calmly surveying the crowd.
"Welcome to Artistic Thinking, the first of your Arts classes.", she greeted calmly, " In this class, we will introduce you to the world of artistic Pokemon training, where people demonstrate their Pokemon and their creativity through many art forms. You will learn all about the different fields of this profession, as well as how they create their work. Then, you will learn how to do it yourself, through our course's projects and the school showcases. I will be your teacher throughout this course, and I am eager to see what you will all create."
She took a deep breath. "Now then, let us get started."
She tossed up a Pokeball, which opened to reveal a Walrein. The gigantic seal Pokemon landed on the stage with a heavy thud, and nuzzled up against his Trainer.
"Alright, Oscar.", Eliana declared, "Let's give them a quick demonstration of your skill."
"Walrein!", the Pokemon bellowed.
He started off by covering the entire stage with snow, causing the temperature to drop. Staccato shivered and scooted closer to Travis's face, not used to this much cold seeing as he was a tropical Pokemon.
Then Oscar started rolling around, forming a giant snowball around his body. He was breathing out ice as he did so, hardening the snowball and making the ground even slipperier. Once he decided the snowball was big enough, he moved onto his next act.
Splash! He shot out a Water Gun at just the right time, launching himself into the air. As he spun around, he shifted around in his ice-hardened ball and shot another one, getting even higher. Then with a flourish, he started bouncing around in the sky, firing off Water Gun after Water Gun. The stage was glistening with both snow and water, and Travis dimly wondered how it was going to get cleaned off later.
But it was only for a moment, because his attention was promptly taken by Oscar when he suddenly started spinning more and more, and hurtled towards the ground. He was propelling himself forwards using a freezing beam of rainbow energy - an Aurora Beam!
When he hit the ground, he rolled over to a stop next to his Trainer. Some people burst out laughing or started clapping, when they realized that the snowball had a giant smiley face carved in it, through which the Walrein was peeking out of.
Travis started clapping himself. That had been an impressive performance! And Eliana hadn't even issued any commands!
"As you can see, this is just one of the many things you could teach your Pokemon to do!", Eliana declared, "The sky's the limit here. But before you can teach your Pokemon any of this, you must first learn what they are capable of, and figure out how to combine it into a stunning performance. So for today, you will simply send out your Pokemon and spend some time hanging out with them and coming up with ways you could potentially utilize their moves."
She continued, "I will be walking around and checking each of your Pokemon, to better learn how to help teach you. Don't be afraid to get to know your fellow students, either - we're all training together, and few stars rose to the top on their own."
She left the stage, and Travis readied his other Pokemon. He then proceeded to send them out.
One was a beautiful Kricketune, while the other was a calm-looking Wooper. Their names were Viola and Lahar respectively, and they were close friends of Travis.
Staccato chirped happily, and flew over to greet them. Travis smiled as his three Pokemon began to chat amongst themselves.
Tori walked over, followed by Jennifer and Kellie. "Aw, those Pokemon are so sweet!", she said happily, "I only have two of my own, but I'm sure they'll be happy to meet them! Dusk, Ruby!"
She tossed out two Pokemon, which turned out to be a Greninja and a Zoroark. The Greninja stood silently at attention, while the Zoroark sniffed around curiously.
"Come on, you two!", Tori said, "Say hello!"
"Grenin.", her Greninja, Dusk, replied.
"Hello.", said Ruby, the Zoroark.
Travis jumped. "Another talking Pokemon!?"
Jennifer said quietly, "It's not that much of a surprise. Zoroarks are masters of illusion, right? They are so skilled that they can create the illusion of human speech, and our brains aren't powerful enough to realize it's an illusion. So basically, every Zoroark can speak human if they want to."
Ruby gave her best impression of a smile. "That's true! You're pretty smart, dear."
Jennifer blushed slightly. "I just read a lot, that 's all."
"Still, that's really cool! Even I didn't know that, and I'm Ruby's Trainer!", Tori exclaimed.
Ruby rose an eyebrow. "I never told you about that? Huh, must've slipped my mind..."
Staccato wheeled around in the air, before landing back on Travis's shoulder. Viola and Lahar walked over to him, curiously observing all the other Pokemon filling the room.
Tori smiled at Jennifer. "Why don't you release your Pokemon, too? I still haven't met most of them yet!"
Kellie, who'd been standing quietly this whole time, nodded. "Yeah, I want to see them too! Here, I'll introduce you guys to the rest of mine too!"
She tossed out three Pokeballs, which opened up to reveal Monet the Smeargle, as well as a Totodile and a Masquerain.
"You guys have met Monet already, but these two beauties over here are Lapis and Winddancer! I like to call her Windy, though.", Kellie said.
"Toto!", greeted Lapis.
Windy fluttered over to Viola, where she struck up a conversation with the fellow Bug-type.
Jennifer smiled slightly. "All your guys' Pokemon are so sweet. I guess I'll show you all of mine, too."
She picked up four additional Pokeballs, which revealed that she had five total Pokemon. Releasing them, it became quite clear that she had a very diverse team.
First out was a large Galarian Linoone, tongue dangling out his jaws. His eyes were odd, for one was blue and the other was orange, creating a disconcerting effect. He yipped excitedly, and started trying to lick Jennifer's face.
Next was a Smeargle, much like Monet, except this one had odd tufts of fur on his face that made him look like he had a mustache and goatee. He looked around curiously, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
Third was a large black lizard, with fiery red patterns across her body and a smug smile on her face. The Salazzle stroked her long claws down Jennifer's side, giving the surrounding Pokemon a suspicious look.
Finally, there was a Corvisquire, but this one had deep claw marks across his throat. He hovered protectively over Jennifer's shoulder, eerily silent. His beady black eyes cautiously watched the other humans.
"This is my team!", Jennifer declared proudly, "They've been my friends for a long, long time, and they're all great!"
She glanced at the Salazzle, who was still stroking her. "Well, um...Sally, could you stop doing that, please? It's a bit embarrassing."
"Salaz.", the Salazzle purred.
Jennifer blushed brightly, but then the Salazzle stepped away and stopped what she was doing to go investigate the other Pokemon. Jennifer sighed with relief.
"So...um, that was weird.", Kellie commented.
Jennifer nodded glumly. "Sally's my strongest Pokemon, but she's also rather...unusual. But I like her all the same!"
"Lazzle!", Sally replied, grinning.
Jennifer blushed again, and Travis began to wonder about something.
"What about all your other Pokemon? What are they like?", asked Tori.
Jennifer smiled. "Well, this friendly guy here is Bowie. He was the first ever Pokemon I caught."
She gestured at the Linoone, who was sitting obediently by her side like a Herdier, his eyes closed blissfully as she scratched behind his ears.
She then pointed towards her Smeargle, who was chatting with Monet. "That guy is Dali, he's a nice fellow. His art is pretty cool, too!"
"Smea!", Dali replied, nodding.
Jennifer then gestured towards the Corvisquire perched on her shoulder. "As for this fellow, his name is Edgar. He doesn't talk much, but he's very clever."
Edgar nodded in acknowledgement.
"Wow, all of your Pokemon are so cool!", Kellie exclaimed, "I wish I could have as many!"
She smiled up at her Pokemon. "Of course, I love all the ones I have right now!"
Windy spun around happily, while Toto grinned and Monet nodded joyfully.
Travis smiled. "All your guys' Pokemon is cool! But shouldn't we be testing their skills right now?"
Tori nodded. "Yeah, let's get to it! I have a few ideas of how I can train my Pokemon."
She smiled at her Pokemon. "Alright, Ruby, Dusk! I have an idea of what we can do..."
Ruby replied, "Let's hear it!"
While Tori walked over to explain her plan, Travis turned to his Pokemon.
"Hey, guys.", he greeted, "Since this is our first day here, let's just work on our regular techniques, alright?"
He took off his guitar case, and pulled out his instrument. Lahar beamed as he recognized it, excited to hear him playing music again. Viola started tuning herself, getting ready to join Travis in song. Staccato wasn't doing anything special, but he would start mimicking various segments of Travis's guitar music during their performance.
He started simply, just strumming a few chords to get himself warmed up. Lahar started bobbing his head up and down, moving in rhythm to the beat. Viola started rubbing the rough pattern on her chest, producing a soft tune that was only slightly off-beat from Travis. Still, he noticed, and knew he needed to practice more with her.
As he continued practicing his music, clouds started forming above him. Lahar knew Rain Dance, after all, and just dancing to Travis's music could cause him to use that move. Thankfully, Travis had accounted for that, and his guitar was water-resistant. He didn't find the rain dance annoying - heck, he even had ideas on how to incorporate that in one of his performances!
He was taken by surprise, though, when he heard someone start singing along to his song.
He did not stop playing, but looking out the corner of his eye he realized it was Tori, singing her heart out along with the sad tune he was playing. As he listened to her, he realized quite quickly that her singing voice was exceptional.
Heck, he was pretty sure he had heard her on the radio before. Huh.
As she sang, Dusk started using his abilities to add to the sad, rainy effect, while Ruby started creating the illusion of Tori singing all around the stadium. Clearly they were trying to train, even without Tori guiding them.
Everyone else had stopped what they were doing to listen, and once Travis and Tori finished the final notes, the entire stadium burst into applause.
Travis blushed, not used to so much attention, but Tori bowed like she was a natural, flashing a smile at everyone in the stadium. Even the teacher seemed to be impressed.
"That was a magnificent performance.", complimented Eliana, "I look forward to working with you in our lessons."
Travis nodded. "Uh, yeah, no problem."
"No problem!", declared Staccato.
Once the applause died down, everyone resumed training their Pokemon. Travis decided to do the same, and began working with each of his Pokemon on their moves. (-o-)
When class let out, all the students could talk about were the various performances they'd seen. Travis was walking with Tori, Kellie, and Jennifer, which made him somewhat uncomfortable seeing as they were all girls.
But as it turned out, he could hang out with them just fine.
"You two were AMAZING!", cried Kellie, "Like, your music was spectacular, and then when Tori started to sing...you could be famous stars!"
Travis winked at her. "Well, that's certainly what I'm aiming for."
Tori smiled. "Me too! But I AM a soloist, primarily."
"Oh really? I never would have guessed, seeing how easily you slipped into my rhythm.", Travis replied.
Tori seemed lost in thought. "Yeah...I've had some practice working with others in performances before..."
Suddenly, Travis noticed a young man appear ahead of them, startling the four of them as he strode over.
The man wore a fancy black tuxedo and top hat with gold trim and gold buttons. He had tall, fashionable boots, flawless white gloves, a flashy pocketwatch, and a tall cane with a golden orb on the top. His hat rested on a neat mess of black curls, and his brown eyes glittered with charm. He had a sly smile on his face, and he strode over to them as if he owned the school, tapping his cane on the way.
All in all, he looked like a gentleman straight from Industrial-Era Galar.
"Hello, you four! I was looking for you!", he said, stopping in front of them.
"Um, who are you?", asked Travis nervously.
The man tipped his hat with a smile. "I am Sir Thomas Wellington the Third! It is a pleasure to meet you, after your stunning performance in the class today!"
"Um, you were watching that?", asked Travis nervously.
Thomas nodded. "Of course! I am always keeping an eye out for new talent, and you two certainly have it!"
He smiled. "The Queen will love to hear about it!"
"The...Queen?", asked Jennifer nervously.
Thomas nodded. "Of course, yoiu would not know of them yet. Allow me to initiate you on the details."
He explained, "Two years ago, five bold and clever students, each full of talent and ideas, joined the school. Each one was enrolled in a different course, with dreams and ideas that could change the world. Quickly, their power was recognized, and they built up their own organizations in the university. The students, in awe of them, named these five the Five Legends, and each has their own individual title and plans."
He held up one finger. "First, we have the Mystic. She is very mysterious, hence the name, and has spread her influence throughout the Battle Course. No one has defeated her in a single combat, and no one has ever seen her true face. She seeks to build an institution of power and prestige, allowing anyone to build up their battle skills and abilities to become true champions and, supposedly, heroes and protectors of our world."
He flipped up another finger. "Then, we have the Hunter, a powerful man who has dominion over the Ranger Course. He seeks to form an expedition to travel to the farthest reaches of the world, and learn the truth behind all ancient legends. A lofty goal, and one likely to fail...not that you could convince his hard-headed followers otherwise."
He rose a third finger. "In the Medical Course, we have the Doctor. A very uncreative name, but the man is something else. He seeks to unravel all the mysteries if human and Pokemon physiology, and end all illness and perhaps even death. He is very clever and very unusual, but his many followers are loyal to a fault."
He held up a fourth finger. "The Sensei reigns over the Research Course, using their resources and his mind to research the bond between Trainer and Pokemon, and how to make it even stronger. Who knows if he'll ever amount to anything."
He rose the last finger on his hand. "Finally, we have the Queen, the empress of the Arts Course and my benefactor. She wants to find a way to allow everyone a chance at fame, glory, and wealth, and to make sure no talent goes to waste. I help her with this mission, and I think it would be worthwhile to do so yourself."
He smiled to himself. "Of course, I would hate to force you to make any sort of decision. You are new here, and probably have no interest in getting involved in any of these...politics at this time. But remember that you have talent, and that we can help you reach heights beyond your wildest dreams."
He tossed out a Pokeball, emerging from which was an Alakazam. Its cold, cunning eyes watched the freshmen carefully.
"I must be going now.", Thomas said, "But before I leave, let me offer you one quick warning. There is much turmoil bubbling beneath the surface here, and I would recommend making sure you and your fellow freshmen know, and plan what you will, do."
He spun around, and in a flash of light he and his Alakazam teleported away.
Travis realized that he was holding something, and realized that it was a white business card, with Thomas's full name on one side and a phone number on the other. He hadn't even seen the young man tuck it into his fingers.
"Well, that was certainly something, huh?", commented Kellie, "It sounds rather weird to me, and I don't want anything to do with it."
Travis pocketed the card. "Well, I dunno about you, but I think we need to get moving. Our next class starts soon."
"You're right! Let's go!", Tori replied, "We'll worry about this stuff later, or preferably not at all!"
The four students hurried off, unaware of the full implications of Thomas's message. (-o-)
The next class was one of the general ones - Basic Pokemon Care. That meant all the freshmen were here, as numerous and varied as they were.
Travis wasn't entirely sure why there were two Pokemon care classes, and what the differences between them were, but he wasn't going to question the curriculum.
The class took place outside the university's Pokemon Center, which doubled as the primary location of the Medical Course classes and a daycare for all sorts of Pokemon.
They were currently camped out in a meadow, where they could see a bunch of food, some cooking pots, some washtubs, a basket of assorted toys, and a stack of towels and dishes. Clearly, today's class was likely to be busy.
Travis had tracked down his roommates, and was currently sitting next to them. Donovan was lost in thought, while Danforth looked bored and Jeremy was snuggling his Shuckle. Travis noted that Donovan was sitting as far away from that Shuckle as he could.
Once again, he wondered what the problem was. Shelly wasn't THAT creepy.
He spotted a woman walking towards them who could only be their teacher. She looked almost exactly like the stereotypical Nurse Joy - gorgeous features, pink hair, spotless white uniform, blue eyes. The only thing different about her was the fact that she had kept her hair long and straight, and had a purple bow in her hair.
She stopped in front of the students, and gave them a huge grin. "Hello! My name is Doctor Azalea Joy, and I'm your Pokemon Care teacher!"
Travis was astonished. She WAS a Nurse Joy! Although you saw them everywhere in media and advertising, there weren't actually that many. But here was one, right in front of him and teaching their class!
Several other students seemed astonished as well. But he also saw some who found the nurse interesting for...different reasons.
Travis felt a bit disgusted by that.
Azalea continued, "We Trainers use Pokemon for many things, whether as battlers, companions, or friends. But one thing all of us must do is take good care of our Pokemon. They are not just tools to follow our commands, and they have thoughts and feelings of their own. A key part of the success of the greatest Trainers in the world is their care and dedication to their Pokemon. This class will help you learn how to take such good care of your Pokemon that they will become the greatest they can be!"
She smiled shyly. "But we're not doing anything fancy today. I want to see what you guys do normally, so I know what you all need to learn, and what you're doing right!"
She gestured to the pile of stuff. "You have free reign to all of this! I'll just be sitting nearby, and you can spend the hour doing whatever with your Pokemon."
She walked over to a nearby tree, and pulled out a book, which she started reading.
"Well, yay.", Danforth muttered, "Looks like it's fend-for-yourself hour. And right after we did all that running, too!"
Jeremy grinned at him. "Look on the bright side! Now we can have some food and relax for a bit! Let's go get started, Shelly!"
"Shuckle.", replied the Pokemon, looking rather bored.
Travis knew that was a good idea, and walked over to make some food of his own. But he quickly realized something, and that was the fact he didn't actually know how to cook very much.
However, he knew how to make a couple things, and a quick look over the ingredients showed him that he could make something.
When he finished, he couldn't help but feel that what he'd made was a little...plain.
He had made four sandwiches, one for himself and the others for his Pokemon, none of which had any fancy ingredients on them. He certainly wasn't going to win any prizes with them, that was for sure.
But as long as they were tasty and his Pokemon enjoyed them, that was all he cared about.
When he returned to where he'd been sitting, though, he gave a deep sigh.
"Is this another socializing attempt?", he grumbled, "Because frankly this is getting ridiculous."
"Socializing attempt? An odd term for 'making friends'.", said a strange guy with spiky hair and green robes.
Tori, of course, was present, and she gave him a reassuring grin. "That's because I've been hanging around them a lot, and trying to get them to hang out and build friendships! They haven't been too grateful, though."
Gwendolyn groaned. "That's because you do it SO MUCH. We haven't even been here a full day!"
Travis agreed with her, and he wasn't Tori's roommate. As much as he liked being social and making friends, he didn't think that trying to force it was a great idea.
He didn't say anything though, and simply sat down in his spot, taking a look at everyone who had been gathered here, voluntarily or otherwise.
There was his group, of course, as well as Tori's. There was also Charlie's, although he had a fifth kid with him, one with an Alcremie perched on his shoulder. The rest of the students here, though, weren't too familiar.
There was another group of girls, and Travis recognized one of them as Asher, the person who had bailed him out yesterday when Grant had tried to force a battle on him. Travis realized he hadn't actually thanked them yet. He needed to do that ASAP!
With them, he saw a bored-looking girl with glasses reading a book, another girl wearing a labcoat who was currently brewing up some curry that smelled downright heavenly, and a girl who was dressed like a junior nurse in the making.
There was another four boys, too, with the kid in the gray hoodie, the shy kid who'd lost to Danforth, as well as Evan and Jason, whom Travis remembered because their battle had been pretty awesome.
Lastly, there was the group with the spiky-haired student, which was definitely an odd bunch. There was a kid dressed in armor, as well as a pudgy boy Travis remembered spotting in the Arts class and a definitely Alolan kid, who seemed to have a stuffed Pokemon sitting on his shoulders.
As he sat down, Staccato chirped excitedly at the sight of the sandwiches. He fluttered down and started pecking at one, while Travis sent out his other two Pokemon.
"Alright guys, for the next hour I'll be hanging out with you a bunch, so I hope you're excited!", Travis declared.
"Excited!", replied Staccato.
"Kricketune!"
"Woop woop!"
Travis smiled at them, then turned to greet the other Trainers.
Each of them was sending out at least one of their Pokemon, though some had more out as well. Travis picked up his sandwich and went to meet and greet them, starting with his roommates.
Donovan was the first one he came to. The young man was currently rubbing Boulton's back, the Tepig smiling jovially. Donovan had sent out his other Pokemon as well, and now Travis could get a good look at them.
There was his Bisharp, of course, standing dutifully at attention. Kay the Krokorok was sitting next to him, gnawing away on a steamed Magikarp Donovan had tossed her. Both of these Travis had already seen in action. But it appeared Donovan had two more Pokemon as well.
Rolling in circles around Donovan was a large purple Whirlipede, practicing building up her speed for combat. She looked fierce and ready for action, and Travis wondered what they were like in combat.
As for his other Pokemon, that one was pretty impressive. It was a massive Braviary, clearly quite old but still carrying an air of strength and dignity. His head feathers were gray and his eyes were weary, but still full of a brilliant fire. Dangling around his neck were a pair of dog tags, standard-issue to Unovan soldiers. Travis wondered whose name was on them, and why they were on a student's Pokemon.
Donovan seemed to notice Travis looking, and stood up with a smile. "Ah, hello there Travis. I don't believe you've met my whole team, yet, huh?"
He gestured to the Whirlipede, who had stopped when Donovan had stood up. "That is Skitter, she's one of my best Pokemon. Very fast, very sneaky."
He then turned with a smile to his Braviary. "And this is Brave. He is perhaps the strongest of all my team."
Travis nodded. "He certainly looks like it."
Donovan gave a sad smile. "That's true, that's true. My father trained him well."
"Is that who those dog tags belong to?", asked Travis.
Donovan nodded. "He was in the Unovan army seven years ago. You do know what happened then, right?"
How could Travis not? Seven years ago was when the Great War had occurred. Although he didn't know much of the details, since thankfully his family hadn't been involved in it, he knew that it had been fierce, bloody, and involved all the regions of the globe as they fought against some sort of terrorist organization.
Travis said sadly, "I'm sorry."
Donovan replied, "Thanks. I was still a little kid back then, so I don't remember much, but I know my father died with honor. Brave here has been my companion ever since."
"Bravi!", agreed the Pokemon in question.
Boulton snuggled up against Donovan's leg, and the boy gave him some more rubs. Travis said farewell and went to see how the others were doing.
He saw that Jeremy was hand-feeding Shelly some lettuce, which the Shuckle was cheerfully crunching up. Travis realized that that Shuckle was probably Jeremy's only Pokemon. The catching expedition was definitely going to be helpful for the kid.
Danforth, meanwhile, was grooming his Pokemon. Currently, he was brushing Wukong's fur, the Monferno being careful to not set the grass or his Trainer on fire with his tail. Next to him was a Magby, the red baby Pokemon playing around with a ball, as well as a grumpy-looking Gible who was glaring at everyone.
Travis knew that those two Pokemon were named Vulk and, cutely enough for such a grumpy Pokemon, Lil' Sandy. Seeing as Danforth had two Fire-types and a Ground-type, it was very little surprise that he had defeated Eliot, who apparently was trying to be a Steel-type Gym Leader.
Travis continued looking at what everyone was doing, and saw that some people were actually socializing, although most were just passively ignoring each other.
He realized that Charlie had his entire team out, and Travis could finally see all that he had.
There was his Quilava, of course, but he also had five other Pokemon as well. He had a Kabuto with a scarred shell, a very big Cufant that was contenting itself by playing around with a large branch, a Natu perched on his head that was simply staring into space, a Croagunk that was attempting to sneak up on Gwendolyn, and lastly, a Beldum that was a brilliant silver instead of cobalt blue. The sun's rays catches on its steel body, sending sparkles everywhere.
Whoa, that meant it was a Shiny! Beldum was rare and hard to catch as it was, but a Shiny was even more so! Travis wondered how Charlie had caught him. He'd have to ask at some point.
Grant, meanwhile, seemed to be attempting to nap, although Tom Tom was dancing on his chest for the single purpose of annoying him. Grant's Pokemon team seemed to also consist of his Charmander, Raticate, and Nidorino, as well as two more Pokemon - an aggressive-looking Scraggy that looked like it had been in hundreds of battles and a Geodude wearing sunglasses.
Travis could also see Sherman chatting with Ray, their Pokemon enjoying a feast of sandwiches with Charlie's and Grant's. Ray appeared to have just the three Pokemon he'd fought Gwendolyn with, but Travis had never seen any of Sherman's Pokemon before.
There was a majestic Servine, a handsome Tranquil that seemed to be flaunting his feathers, a Sandile (Travis realized there was quite a few of this evolutionary line around), and a massive, tough-looking Carracosta, who was flexing at Mona the Charmeleon. Mona did not seem amused, but Oliver the Honedge was preventing her from lashing out by floating in front of her defensively.
Not wanting to get involved in that, Travis continued on his way.
Tori was happily grooming Ruby and Dusk, the two Pokemon looking quite content. Next to her, Kellie was playing ball with Windy and Lapis, while Monet took a siesta next to Tori. Jennifer, meanwhile, was combing Mary's hair, the rest of her team still in their Pokeballs.
Gwendolyn was cooking a curry of her own, stirring it with intense focus. Hers smelled pretty good, just like the other girl's, but while theirs smelled sweet and savory Gwendolyn's had a spicy scent. Her Pokemon were all happily gathered around her, Gomez especially.
Looking at the rest of her team, Travis could see Yaga, who was sharpening her claws while she waited; Nala, who was batting around a toy Rattata playfully; a Grotle, who was resting on the grass daydreaming; and then there was Sashimi, who was sitting protectively by her Trainer, smiling warmly at the other Pokemon like a mother.
That was not a sight Travis expected to see when it came to a Gyarados. Few would describe them as motherly.
He spotted Charlie's Croagunk drawing close, grinning like a lunatic. But right as they were going to reach Gwendolyn (and probably pull a nasty trick), Sashimi swung her tail around and swatted the Croagunk all the way back to Charlie, knocking him over with a startled cry.
Gwendolyn rose an eyebrow, but did not do anything else.
Sashimi nuzzled Gwendolyn, and for once Travis actually saw her give a soft smile. She ran a hand down Sashimi's scales as she finished the curry, and the Gyarados purred softly.
It was rather touching, to be honest.
Travis saw the fifth boy accompanying Charlie (whom Travis would later learn was Devon) run over and help him back up, before sending out his own Pokemon to join the sandwich meal. There was a strange plant Pokemon that looked kind of like a dancer, which Travis realized was a Hisuian Lilligant, along with a big male Hippowdon and an actual Tyrantrum. The dinosaur Pokemon towered over everyone, and was only matched in size by Sashimi.
Travis, however, decided to go see Asher's group and finally give his thanks to them.
When he reached them, he noticed Asher's three Pokemon were already out, and getting some exercise in. Travis recognized two of them, but the third was unfamiliar. It appeared to be a large, hairy Galvantula, which for some reason was wearing a knitted red beanie.
Asher themself was discussing something with their three roommates, who all seemed to be listening closely.
"Uh, hello!", Travis called.
The four students turned towards him, and Asher smiled in recognition.
"Hello again!", they greeted, "You're that boy I helped yesterday! I'm sorry, I don't think I ever caught your name..."
"That's all right.", Travis replied, "My name is Travis. Thank you for helping me out yesterday!"
Asher smiled at him. "Not a problem! Anyone who needs my help, will get it if they ask! That's just how I roll!"
Travis looked at the three other girls and asked, "So, who are the rest of you?"
One of the girls was the one who'd been cooking a curry, and she replied, "Oh, I'm Kagome, chef extraordinaire! I've got plenty of extra curry if you want - you'll have never tasted anything like it!"
Travis smiled apologetically. "Thanks, but I already got me and my Pokemon some sandwiches."
"Just sandwiches?!", cried Kagome, "That simply won't do! Why don't you invite your Pokemon over, and they can try some more extraordinary cuisine?"
Travis shrugged. "I'll see if they're still hungry."
He spotted his Pokemon, and waved them over. When they arrived, Kagome served them all plates of her rice and curry, and they began helping themselves. Judging by their astonished faces and how fast they started eating, it was clearly quite good.
While they ate, the other girls introduced themselves, and then began to introduce their Pokemon.
"Hi, my name is Nancy, and I'm gonna be a Pokemon caretaker!", said the girl in the nurse outfit, "I just love Pokemon and playing with them, and I've been studying Pokemon eggs too!"
She pointed towards where her three Pokemon were playing, which consisted of a Grookey, an Audino, and a cheerful Togetic. "Those are my Pokemon! Jolly, Joy, and Purity! They're all so sweet and huggable!"
"Toge toge!", cheered Purity, flying in circles and showering sparkles everywhere.
She gestured over to the scientist-looking girl, who was currently writing down notes on everybody's Pokemon, while occasionally taking pictures with her camera. "That's Winona, she's not very chatty, but she definitely loves Pokemon! As you can see, she's good at taking pictures, too!"
Winona grumbled, "Come on, Nancy. Please don't draw attention to me, I'm doing research!"
Nancy shrugged. "Fine then. But it is really cool!"
Winona rolled her eyes before resuming taking notes on things.
Travis, meanwhile, was studying her Pokemon. Her team appeared to consist of a sweet, fluffy Eevee; a small little Morelull, with brightly glowing mushrooms; a Swablu with poofy wings and a jolly expression; an absolutely huge Wailmer that was extra big even for his species; a Piloswine that Travis couldn't tell if it was asleep or not; and a spooky Beheeyem, staring unblinkingly right at him.
It was rather creepy, and he did not like it. So he turned his attention to Kagome's Pokemon instead.
She had a friendly Lombre, who was cheerfully helping her prepare bowls of food. Nearby, she had a Torkoal wearing an blue-and-white engineer's cap, sitting calmly with the pot on top of him so the food would stay warm. She also had a Diglett wearing a yellow hard hat, a female Combee with a silver tiara, a large happy Miltank with a blue bow on her tail, and a Paras with a leather bracelet. The bracelet had a little green mushroom on it, famous from a certain series of games about a Trainer in a red suit fighting against an evil green Turtonator.
Super Kanto Bros or something?
Anyways, all of Kagome's Pokemon were being sweet and helpful, and Travis knew she must have a very close bond with them. Travis knew that this was not very common in the Pokemon world, but it was always nice to see.
Soon Kagome gave him a bowl of curry, which Travis decided was worth a try. He wasn't very hungry, but a bite or two would be fine.
But after he took his first bite, he completely changed his mind. This stuff was really good! It was thick and rich, and bursting with flavor. The rice gave it a nice texture and diluted the sweetness to perfect levels, and Travis eagerly devoured the curry. It was perhaps one of the best meals he'd ever had!
Kagome smiled proudly at the sight of him eating it, and he gave her his thanks. She looked so happy to be able to share her cooking skills, and all the positive reactions to them. Travis knew that this had probably made her day.
Once he and his Pokemon finished their food, though, he decided to take his leave and go see the rest of the students. The next group of people he stopped by was Evan's group.
And it appeared something exciting was going on.
Evan and Jason were standing side-by-side, the six Pokemon at their disposal looking ready to action. Evan's Emboar, Mismagius, and Rockruff stood alongside Jason's Torracat, Unfezant, and Absol, and they were grinning at their opponents, even though they were outnumbered.
On the other side was Eliot and Owen, each with their own teams. Eliot had a Piplup, Magnemite, Electrike, Mawile, and a red-bladed Honedge that could only be a Shiny, while Owen had his Hisuian Zorua, Lurantis, Bisharp, and Luxray.
At first glance, Travis thought they were about to have a huge battle. But then he noticed the soccer ball in the center of the group, and realized that they were just going to play a game.
What happened next, though, could only be described as a battle.
At the blow of a whistle, the Pokemon leaped onto each other in a comical dust cloud, and Travis could only see flashes of what was going on. Lightning and fire was shooting around everywhere, with an occasional water bolt. He spotted Stoker the Emboar as he kicked the ball towards Owen and Eliot's goal, but it was deflected by a swing of Eliot's Honedge. Owen's Bisharp kicked the ball forward, but then down came Jason's Unfezant, who effortlessly blocked it with her wings. Titus the Rockruff pressed forwards, kicking the ball towards the goal, but it was caught by Eliot's Mawile, her massive jaws seizing it effortlessly.
Of course, she overestimated her strength and popped the thing, which made everyone upset.
Travis decided to continue walking, and reached the last group. When he arrived, the armored kid waved at him from where he was sitting, which was by a campfire with a spit over it. Travis shivered as he realized the man was cooking some kind of meat, perhaps from a pig Pokemon. He wasn't even sure where he'd gotten it from.
"Hey there!", he greeted, in an accent that could only be Galarian in nature, "My name is Victor!"
"I'm Travis.", Travis replied, "Um...nice to meet you!"
"Hey, I remember you from Arts class!", shouted the pudgy boy, stumbling towards him, "I'm Cole! Your guitar music was awesome!"
"Why, thank you!", replied Travis, smiling.
Running up behind Cole were his Pokemon, which were a Kirlia, a Thwackey, and a Flygon. The Thwackey did not look amused, for he had clearly been in the middle of a bath when Cole had spotted Travis. There were soap suds mixed through his fur, and he was soaking wet.
Travis said, "Um, I think you need to finish bathing that Pokemon. He looks pretty mad."
Cole paled. "Oh, whoops! Sorry Thwackey!"
He turned, picking up the monkey Pokemon and hurrying back to the wash tub. The Flygon stayed hovering in the air, while the Kirlia did a little twirl and shot a flirtatious wink at Staccato, causing the Chatot to blush for some reason.
They weren't even in the same egg group. Weird.
"Hello, young bard!", came a sudden voice. Travis jumped and whirled around, realizing that the spiky-haired boy had snuck up on him.
"Flygon told me all about your splendid musical performance! You will have to show me sometime!", the young man declared, "Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself! Behold, for I am Lord Dravilius Skyborn, the Master of Dragons!"
Travis nodded. "Uh huh, nice to meet you. Wait, did you say Flygon told you about my performance!? How's that?"
Dravilius smirked. "Trade secret! A true dragon master never reveals anything! All you need to know is that I, and all my fellow draconic Pokemon, share a close bond! Isn't that right, Bahamut, Daenerys, Smaug, and Tiamat?"
His four Pokemon nodded in agreement. Travis could see that they were a Shelgon, Flapple, Turtonator, and a Dragalgae. Master of dragons indeed.
The Alolan kid walked over. "Don't worry, Travis. This is just how Dravilius is. I am Kealoha Koa, though you can call me Kea. If you'd like, I can introduce you to my Pokemon too."
Victor stood up. "Yeah, I'll do that too! They're all fantastic!"
Kea led Travis over to where his Pokemon were playing with Victor's. One of them was a Stufful, and Travis realized it looked identical to the plush Pokemon he'd seen Kea with earlier. It must've been the same Pokemon!
"Lehua, Kaipo, Iolana, Nani! Come say hello!", called Kea.
Four Pokemon broke off from the group and came up to him. They consisted of the Stufful, a Swablu, a Dartrix, and a Galarian Ponyta with a white-and-green mane and tail, unlike the standard pink and blue. Another Shiny! How many of them were there at this school?
"Lehua is my Dartrix. He's been my companion for years!", Kea said, "He's big too!"
Big didn't begin to describe it. The Dartrix was almost as tall as a regular Decidueye!
Kea gestured towards the Stufful. "That one is Kaipo. He's tough, but kind! I found him in a toy store, can you believe that?"
"I've heard of stranger origins.", Travis replied, although that was pretty surprising.
Kea then pointed towards his last two Pokemon. "Iolana is the Swablu, and Nani is the Ponyta. I met them both on a trip to Galar! It was a pretty funny story, I'll have to tell you all about it at some point."
Travis smiled. "I'd love to hear about it at some point!"
At that moment, Victor walked over, and his Pokemon came to greet him. He had a Hisuian Zoroark, who looked rather pretty, though somewhat strange with her armor and backpack, as well as a Raboot wearing leather bracers, a Honedge with an odd shape (it had an extra-extra long cloth, a hammer-shaped hilt, and elaborate runes on its blade and hilt), a Noibat wearing a really big cargo vest, and a Lurantis with a scar over her right eye, similar to the one over Victor's left.
"These are my Pokemon.", Victor said proudly, "Kiyoko is my Zoroark, Ylva is my Raboot, Arondite is my Honedge, Kasane is my Noibat, and Sigrun is my Lurantis. They're one of the toughest teams you'll ever meet."
"You always flatter us.", Kiyoko purred.
Victor smiled sweetly at her. "As I should."
Dravilius vaulted over to his side. "Hello again! Am I interrupting something?"
Victor gave him a funny look.
Dravilius grinned. "I am! How exciting!"
Now Travis and Kea were giving him funny looks, too.
"I must question your purpose in making such facial expressions. They don't seem to serve any purpose.", Dravilius replied.
Before Travis could even try to comprehend Dravilius's odd manner, he heard the teacher shout, "Alright, guys, the hour's nearly up! Time to pack things up and get ready for your next class! I hope you all had fun!"
Victor muttered, "I sure hope so. Next class is Pokemon Biology."
"Ooh, that sounds exciting to me!", Dravilius declared.
"Yeah, except it's the most homework-heavy of all general classes.", grumbled Victor.
Travis returned his Pokemon, and went to help his roommates clean up. He wasn't particularly excited for the next class either, but he wasn't too concerned. It couldn't be that bad, right?
Of course, that was the most infamous jinx in all the multiverse. (-o-)
AN: Well, not TOO much happened this chapter, but now we know more about people's teams, and some of what we can expect to see brought up later in the story! What all in here is foreshadowing, and what tricks may I have pulled?
Okay, I'm bad at hiding hints and very subtle foreshadowing, seeing as I freewrite everything. But I try!
Well, I'll see you all next time, where we'll see what the Battle Course got up to!