Now, it's time for the next round of review replies! Woohoo! I always love seeing what you guys have to say.
Rescue Wolf: Zoroark is far from the only Pokemon Jennifer is knowledgeable about, as you'll end up seeing later. As for Sally...oh, she's an interesting Pokemon all right, as you'll find out later on. As for games, books, movies, and stuff, I definitely am trying to make my own Pokemon-themed variants for this story. More realistic that way.
coolhuh0526: You don't have to force yourself to make long reviews if you don't want to! Your PMs do just as well. But as it is, I'll happily reply to this one in full!
Those "top 5" trainers are definitely going to make things interesting, that's for sure. Whether any of them are evil or not, that remains to be seen. As for the Doctor, I figured that that was a better name than the Medic, plus it just has a better ring to it.
Also, not everyone's teams have been revealed just yet, but we'll start seeing the rest of them pretty soon. As for the ones we do have, they're definitely pretty varied, although there are quite a few Honedges.
I'm glad to see your feedback, and can't wait for more!
pokemonking0924: There ARE a lot of Pokemon to remember, but don't worry I won't force you guys to! As for the Five Legends, they WERE inspired by the Daevas in Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings. There are just so many good ideas in it!
Kuronicle: Don't worry, even a short review is a welcome sight!
Victor John Foxfire: It WAS pretty funny to see your review for chapter five come in right after I published chapter six. And yes, I'm no stranger to ominous statements, muahahaha. I'm glad you're enjoying seeing the Pokemon as well!
AnonChan1: Love seeing these reviews of yours! Although my short demonstration of a contest routine was meant to be humorous, you will later see that there are many different ways to pull them off, like training your Pokemon to pull off a challenging, epic routine or a spooky one or all other different kinds!
Glad you liked my hypothesis on how Zoroarks talk! I like looking at Pokemon descriptions and such, and finding interesting ways to implement them! This is FAR from the only illusion-based trick I think they're capable of, too! Although some possible applications are pretty scary to think about...
Sally seems kinda fun? Don't let first impressions fool you. Just wait.
As for my Five Legends, they will definitely be important. Whether they're friend, foe, or some mix of the two...I'm leaning towards the latter. It just depends on which character you are.
I certainly do believe that a Nurse Joy would be much rarer than they are in the games. They're just a common face in advertising and such, so they've grown to be quite a legend in this world.
I did not show everyone last chapter (there are a LOT of characters, after all) but you saw quite a few of them anyways. You'll see all of them by the time we finish this set of five chapters, though.
Dravilius is definitely an odd one. That's his finest trait!
I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
jjjdunk1: You can expect more epic performances in the future, that's for sure! Originally, Eliana's performance was going to be different, but then a tragic incident deleted all my progress. Since I hate writing the same thing twice, I created a different performance instead!
Alright, then, let's get this chapter started! (-o-)
Ray stood in the center of the Lance Stadium, along with all the other Battle Course freshmen. Many of them looked pretty exhausted, for it was rather early and the sun was still quite low in the sky.
Of course, this didn't bother Ray. He was used to getting up this early.
What DID bother him was the fact that their teacher was late.
He wasn't the only one who had noticed this, too. Grant fidgeted with his fingers impatiently, Tom Tom snoring on his shoulder. Judging by how loudly the Meowth was snoring, Ray suspected Tom Tom was faking it just to annoy people.
After all, Ray shared a room with him, and the Meowth was truthfully a silent sleeper.
Charlie wasn't as bothered. Then again, the blond kid still looked half-asleep. He was clearly not a morning person, and it had taken Sherman literally shaking him to actually get the boy up.
While Ray stood there, noting the autumn chill, someone finally walked out into the stadium.
However, instead of a teacher, it was that dude Ember from yesterday. He looked just about as tired as Charlie, which was saying something.
Ember yawned, and grumbled, "Why does the Mystic always send ME out for this sort of thing..."
He shook his head, and cleared his throat. "Ahem! Um, hi, freshmen. Nice to see you again, I guess. You're probably wondering where your teacher is."
He muttered, "So am I."
He continued, "Unfortunately, our normal teacher is off on parental leave, which means we had to call in a substitute without much notice. They SHOULD be coming soon, but I'm starting to question that."
He smiled. "However, they're going to be quite a treat! You'll see why soon enough!"
Then he turned around, adding, "Now, I'm outta here! Important stuff to do, you know!"
He left the stadium, and several of the students groaned.
Sherman grumbled, "Well, this is annoying. I hope that teacher shows up soon."
Owen nodded in agreement, pulling up the hood on his hoodie.
Evan and Jason both looked bored, and they were starting to finger their Pokeballs. Ray suspected that if the teacher didn't show up soon, those two were going to have another Pokemon battle.
Judging by the looks on other people's faces, they wanted to have some battles as well. Ray prepared one of his notebooks, knowing that it would be a good idea to take some notes on people's teams and their Pokemon.
But before anyone could start a battle, Eliot pointed at the sky and cried, "Look, there's somebody flying towards us!"
Ray looked up, and sure enough there was a small figure in the sky, rapidly coming in close.
It was clearly a Pidgeot with a rider, and as they grew closer Ray knew they were coming in for a landing. It didn't take a genius to assume that this was their substitute teacher.
But Ray also realized that this teacher was remarkably familiar, and he felt like he'd seen them on TV at some point. But who...?
When the Pidgeot landed, its rider hopped off, and everybody could get a good look at them.
They were a somewhat short man, but his incredibly spiky brown hair made him seem taller than he actually was. He had cunning blue eyes and a knowing smirk, and wore a dark blue coat and pants, as well as tall black trainer's boots.
Everyone could recognize him immediately. One of the shining stars of the Kanto League, and a champion battler who had competed in many global tournaments. This was none other than Gary Oak himself, or as he was more often called, 'Blue'.
Clearly everybody else recognized him too. There was a wide variety of expressions on everybody's faces, mostly ranging through various levels of incredulity and awe.
"Well, so you're the first batch of kids I get to teach, eh?", Blue said, "Nice to meet you lot! My name is Gary 'Blue' Oak, but you can just call me Dr. Blue! I will be your Battle Course teacher for this semester!"
Nobody said anything. Blue smirked.
"Not very talkative, are you?", he said, "Don't worry, I'm used to it. Red never even said a word."
Tom Tom blurted, "You're one of the strongest trainers in the league! How in the world did the university hire you of all people!? That's what I wanna know!"
Blue rose an eyebrow at the sight of a talking Pokemon, before replying, "Oh, you know, this is the off-season, and I wanted to try something new for a little bit. I'll only be your teacher for this semester - you'll have your regular teacher come spring. So you better make the most of it!"
Nervously, Sherman asked, "Then, uh...can I have your autograph?"
Tom Tom immediately held up a paw. "Ooh, ooh, me too me too! Because this thick-headed guy would completely forget to ask for it himself!"
Grant glared at the Meowth.
Blue was silent for a second, before bursting into laughter. "Yeah, I should've expected a question like that! Don't worry, I'll hook you up...after our training session!"
He grinned, readying a Pokeball. "Today, I'd like to see your Pokemon battle against mine! Let's see how strong they are!"
He tossed out his Pokeball, and emerging from it with a dramatic flourish of bubbles was a giant, battle-scarred Blastoise.
Ray was astonished. That was Blue's strongest Pokemon! Why was he sending it out against them?
Blue declared, "Today's lesson is simple! Send out whatever Pokemon you wish to use against me. My ace, against one of each of you kids' Pokemon at once. Sounds like a fair matchup to me."
Ray could tell that Blue wasn't concerned at all about fighting a whole bunch of Pokemon with just his Blastoise. Although Ray did not watch many professional matches, he knew that Blue's Blastoise must be quite the beast if Blue was this unconcerned.
Clearly everyone else agreed, seeing as Ray saw many pale faces and trembling hands. Only Grant didn't seem worried, and as much as Ray thought Tom Tom was a jerk, he could agree that Grant was not exactly bright. Ray suspected the kid wasn't smart enough to be scared by a powerful Pokemon and his ace Trainer.
Sherman sent out his Pokemon first, grinning.
"Let's do this, Amphithere!", he shouted, his Servine appearing with a twirl in front of him.
"Opening with a type advantage, huh?", Blue commented, "Smart move."
Sherman beamed at the compliment. "Well, of course I would! I'm going to take that Blastoise down!"
Grant readied his own Pokemon. "Prickles, let's rock!"
"Nido!", screeched his Nidorino, glaring at the Blastoise.
Tom Tom groaned.
"I would've gone with Rascal, myself.", the Meowth grumbled.
Grant snapped, "I'm the one who's doing the battles here! And we need brute force!"
"Rascal has that too.", Tom Tom replied, "Plus, he's so fat and delicious-looking, I just can't help but want to eat him..."
"Don't you dare start drooling.", Grant warned.
Blue seemed somewhat amused by this interaction.
At that moment, Charlie chose his Pokemon.
"Linus, let's go!", he cried, tossing his Natu up into the air. It fluttered onto his shoulder, and shuddered at the sight of the Blastoise.
Owen shouted, "Maxwell, let's shred him down!"
"Luxray!", roared Maxwell, lightning crackling off of his fur.
Eliot shivered. "I think...I'll go with...Shock."
Appearing in front of him was his Magnemite, which spun its magnets eagerly.
Jason and Evan ended up sending out their Pokemon at the same time.
"Doom, let's tear him apart!"
"Glynda, you know what to do!"
The Absol and Mismagius landed side-by-side, and smirked at each other.
That other kid Charlie had befriended, Devon, sent out an odd-looking Lilligant. "Tulip, we've got this!"
Ray decided that it must be another one of those Hisuian forms. There sure were an awful lot of those.
Looking at Blue's Blastoise, Ray started running down his options.
'Oliver's too weak right now, I need to train him more.', he thought, 'Mona is pretty strong, but a Blastoise that level would probably annihilate her as fast as Gwendolyn's Gyarados did, perhaps even with just a Water Gun attack. Which just leaves...'
"Falco! Take to the sky!", Ray shouted, sending out his Pidgeotto.
Blue grinned. "Alright then. Let's get this battle started!"
Immediately everyone began to act.
Devon commanded, "Tulip, Leaf Blade!" His Lilligant darted forward with amazing speed, her arms extending into sharp blades.
"Amphithere, let's open things with a Leaf Tornado!", Sherman shouted, "Don't let him counter-attack!"
"Servi!", Amphithere replied, twirling gracefully as a storm of leaves raced for the Blastoise.
"Alright, Prickles, let them do the work! Focus Energy!", shouted Grant.
The Nidorino grunted, and began to concentrate.
"Going the one punch knockout route?", Tom Tom commented, "There's hope for you yet!"
Grant scowled. "I've been battling quite well without your advice, thank you very much."
Charlie ordered, "Linus, Confuse Ray! That Blastoise's power can be turned against him!"
His Natu chirped in agreement, before focusing on the Blastoise and firing a shifting, oddly-colored beam that would disorient anyone trying to look at it.
"Maxwell, go in with a Wild Charge! Let's see how he likes your electricity!", Owen shouted
The Luxray charged, building up lightning in his fur.
"Shock, use, uh, Thunder Shock.", Eliot said timidly.
His Magnemite hovered towards the Blastoise, before releasing a rather pathetic electric shock.
"Doom, Dark Pulse!", yelled Jason.
"Glynda, Dark Pulse!", Evan yelled at the same time.
The two boys looked at each other and shouted, "Jinx!", as their Pokemon unleashed matching attacks.
Ray smiled to himself. Those two worked together so well, and they hadn't even been friends for twenty-four hours.
But he had a battle to focus on.
"Falco, start building up speed with Agility!", Ray ordered.
His Pidgeotto started zooming around in the air, rapidly building up speed. He was already quite fast for his species, but this was only making him faster.
Ray knew it would be a moment before Falco reached max speed. Ray turned his attention to the Blastoise, wondering how Blue was going to respond.
Blue simply smiled as the attacks came for his Pokemon. Right as they were going to reach the Blastoise, though, Blue commanded, "Tank, use the Shellshock technique!"
The what now?
Tank (since that was apparently the Blastoise's name) summoned a shimmering blue shield around himself, perfectly negating all the attacks. Although the Protect shuddered, it did not even crack. Before anyone could try and continue, though, Tank's shell began to glow, and he shattered the shield and parts of his armor, sending shrapnel plowing through all the Pokemon.
Falco managed to dodge safely, thank goodness, but Prickles the Nidorino wasn't so lucky. He roared in pain as the shrapnel hit him, and his eyes started glowing with anger. Tom Tom and Grant grinned, but Blue didn't seem to notice this.
Blue declared, "First thing you need to know: a good Trainer can come up with all sorts of impressive combos! Additionally, if you codename them, it can be difficult for your opponent to figure out what you're doing."
He gestured towards Tank. "As you just saw, Tank used Protect to absorb your attacks, then used Shell Smash to boost his attack and speed! Normally this move would just harmlessly lower his defenses, but I figured out how to weaponize it! It shattered his Protect from the inside, and the raw power of it turned the Protect into an explosion of sharp blades of energy. Pretty cool, huh?"
Most people had their mouths hanging open in surprise, but Ray simply noted the combo move and prepared to continue the fight.
Glancing at Falco, he could tell the Pidgeotto was approaching his maximum. Time for the next step.
"Falco, let's use Zephyr!", Ray commanded.
His Pidgeotto cawed in agreement, and began rapidly spinning in a circle, causing the wind to build up. While his tornado charged up, everybody else continued the fight.
"Alright, Amphithere, that hurt, but he can't use Protect again so soon!", Sherman declared, "Let's weaken him with Leech Seed!"
"Vine!", Amphithere replied, and with a flick of her tail sent several seeds flying into Tank, who grunted as the energy-draining plants took root.
Grant and his Nidorino glared fiercely at the Blastoise. "We aren't going to stand for this, Prickles! Run in there and unleash your Fury Attack!"
With an anger-filled screech, the Nidorino charged forwards, furiously stabbing Tank with his horn over and over again. But even with his weakened defenses, Tank simply absorbed the many attacks with little trouble at all.
However, that did not mean he could perfectly resist the other attacks, especially the stronger ones.
The first one to successfully land a painful blow was Owen's Luxray. Maxwell darted in dangerously close, before unleashing a powerful surge of electrical energy. Tank bellowed out in pain, before counter-attacking with a powerful headbutt. Maxwell yelped and retreated to Owen's side, limping from the powerful blow. It had struck the upper half of one of his front legs, and Ray knew that Tank probably packed quite the punch.
Of course, if he was careful with Falco, that Blastoise wouldn't be able to land a single one of his powerful hits.
Speaking of which, the Pidgeotto was nearly finished, surrounded by a protective whirlwind. Normally this attack was used to throw an opponent off-balance or even switch them out, but it worked quite well as a shield.
Of course, Ray thought with a grimace, if an opponent wasn't smart enough to use an attack that could counter it. Like Gwendolyn and her Weavile.
However, he doubted Blue's Blastoise had that capability, although his Trainer was definitely quite intelligent.
Ray returned his attention to the fight, as everyone else made their move.
"Tulip, Sleep Powder!", Devon shouted, "He can't block if he isn't conscious!"
"Lilli!", replied the Lilligant, twirling around and casting out a handful of white dust, as if it were confetti.
Blue smirked. "Tank, block with the Nidorino."
Tank picked up Prickles, who was still struggling futilely to take out the Blastoise, and threw him into the incoming dust. The Nidorino snorted in surprise, before falling to the ground with a loud snore.
'Wow.', thought Ray, 'He's almost as loud as his Trainer.'
Tom Tom cried, "What!? How is that fair!?"
Blue grinned. "Next thing to know: use your battlefield to your complete and full advantage! Such as taking an annoying Pokemon and using it to take a hit that was meant for you."
"Cool!", shouted Sherman, "I've got to try that myself!"
Grant and his cat both glared at the boy.
"What? It's a good strategy!", Sherman replied.
Jason nodded. "That it is. But that won't stop us! Doom, Play Rough!"
"Absol!", replied his Pokemon, lunging at Tank and barraging him with a relentless flurry of claw strikes. Tank growled and tried to fight the Absol off, but Doom was too fast for him.
At that moment, Evan's Mismagius rose from the shadows with a loud cackle, striking a powerful blow against Tank. The Blastoise shuddered, and Glynda took advantage of his surprise and vanished into the darkness again.
That was not the only shadow strike, though. A burst of ghostly magic exploded in Tank's face, courtesy of Charlie's Natu. However, it wasn't very strong, and barely dazed the Blastoise.
Eliot's Magnemite sent a small shock into Tank's arm, but the attack was even weaker than the Natu's, despite it being super-effective.
At that moment, Ray smiled as Falco's whirlwind reached full strength. Falco flapped his wings sharply, sending Air Slashes in all directions.
Most Pokemon barely managed to dodge, but Tank was not one of them. He roared angrily as the blades of air cut into his skin.
But Blue wasn't concerned at all. "Tank, this has been fun and all, but I think it's about time we ended this! Hydro Spin!"
'Huh!?', wondered Ray.
Tank retreated into his shell, and began spinning rapidly, almost as fast as Falco's whirlwind. His cannons unfolded out of his shell, and he proceeded to spray out two powerful jets of water that could only be Hydro Pumps.
The entire arena was drenched, and the Pokemon stood no chance, wilting before Tank's sheer power. Even Falco was shot out of the sky, landing in Ray's arms and knocking them both into the rapidly wettening ground.
Not even the Grass-types stood a chance, being washed away like dead trees in a flood. Tank was not any ordinary Water-type, after all - he was a Pokemon that had toppled Champions and, if rumor were true, defeated Legendaries.
So of course a bunch of freshmen and their Pokemon would not have won.
Blue smiled at them. "You were never going to win, but I think I've got a good sense of your capabilities! Tomorrow, we'll get you started on your path to greatness!"
He took a look at his watch. "Welp, looks like you gotta go! As I always say, smell ya kiddos later!" (-o-)
After the Battle Course had been Basic Pokemon Care, which had worked wonders for Ray's team. Then had come Pokemon Biology, which had been...interesting. (AN: We'll cover it in the Research chapter.) Now they were more than ready for Pokemon Training 101.
He wasn't entirely sure why that was a class, though. After all, everyone here knew how to train their Pokemon, clearly.
Either this was going to be mind-numbingly easy, or it was going to surprise him. Ray was quite curious to see which one it was.
He was also excited for the class after it, Pokemon Myths and Legends. One of the few extracurriculars that had seized his curiosity, Ray wanted to know what it taught, and if it would have anything to do with a few things he'd been wondering about...
But first, Pokemon Training 101.
The class was held within sight of the Reserve, the tall trees of the park reaching up to the sky. In the distance, Ray could see a colossal mountain, a thin column of smoke rising from its peak. Ray had heard a lot of stories about the university's volcano recently, and he wondered just how many were false. It was definitely intriguing, for certain, and Ray had heard that the volcano was one of the potential destinations for catching expeditions.
However, it was very unlikely they'd visit it in two weeks, seeing as they were still freshmen and it was the first expedition of the year. However, Ray had crossed fingers hoping that they'd be able to take a look at the mountain in one of the later ones.
Ray noticed that he was one of the first students to reach the training area, and took a good look at the area.
It was a large, clear circle of packed dirt, perhaps to prevent another lawn-burning incident (although Ray only knew of the one, apparently Ember had caused enough damage with the one to justify setting up a whole bunch of protective measures, much like with the kid who'd released a Steelix indoors.) In the circle of dirt was a collection of old, battered Clefairy dolls, which looked like they'd been restuffed, stitched, patched, cleaned, and repaired so much they seemed to resemble giant pink Mimikyus more than anything else.
Ray noticed there were also three big old wooden benches outside the circle, and he happily sat down on one. While he waited for the others to catch up, he slipped out his phone and looked at the picture on the lock screen.
It showed him and his sister, smiling at the camera as they stood in front of the Casteliacone shop, taken during their impromptu vacation to Unova. Ray smiled at the memory. That had been a fun, though quite eventful trip.
"Ooh, who's that!?"
Ray shouted and punched the offender in the face, who turned out to be Tom Tom.
Of course.
"Yow!", screeched the Meowth, "You sure you ain't a Fighting-type? Totally uncalled for!"
"Please do not sneak up on me.", Ray replied, glaring at the Meowth, "And you won't get punched in the face."
"Yeah yeah yeah, I get it.", grumbled Tom Tom, "But who is that, anyway? Your girlfriend?"
"No.", growled Ray, "She's my sister."
Tom Tom nodded. "I guess I can see the resemblance. Does she hit as hard as you?"
"Worse.", Ray replied, smirking, "So you better not mess with her."
Tom Tom gulped. "You got it, dude."
"Tom Tom!", Ray heard Grant yell, "So that's where you went!"
The big kid ran over, scooping up the Meowth, "You better not have gotten in any trouble again."
"Nah, we're just fine.", Ray said, putting his phone away.
Tom Tom rubbed his nose. "Yup."
Grant sighed in relief, and sat down on the bench.
"Owie!", he yelped, leaping into the air. Ray was alarmed.
"What is it, Grant?", he asked.
"Splinter! Big splinter! In my bottom!", Grant yelled, plucking it out as he said so.
Ray rolled his eyes. "Of course."
Ray wondered if Grant was being turned into a comic-relief character at this point. If so, he felt sorry for the bloke.
"What's all the commotion about?" Charlie walked over, looking curious.
"Splinter.", Grant replied.
Charlie looked at the bench. "It looks fine. I don't know how you'd get a splinter off of this."
He sat down, and sure enough did not get a splinter.
Grant looked very embarrassed. "Well, I definitely got one!"
Nervously, he sat back down, and luckily for him he did not get another splinter.
Ray noticed the other students arriving, and took out his notebook. He wanted to get his thoughts together before he forgot anything important.
As he scribbled away, a certain kid in reflective glasses and a trench coat walked over, accompanied by a Tepig.
Ray did not let on that he was, but he started closely observing Donovan as he walked over to their bench. Something about that kid didn't seem right, and he wanted to figure out what exactly it was.
"Hey, guys.", Donovan greeted, "Mind if I sit here?"
"Nope, not at all!", Charlie replied, "You seem like a nice guy."
Donovan nodded, and sat down next to the blond boy, Boulton leaping onto his lap.
"So, I've been meaning to ask...", Tom Tom said, "But why do you dress up like an investigator from Interpol? Just wondering."
Donovan shrugged. "I just like the outfit, is all."
"So...not an agent in disguise, then?", asked Tom Tom warily, creeping closer to the boy.
Donovan rose an eyebrow. "Even if I was, I wouldn't tell you that."
"Yeah, I figured.", Tom Tom replied.
Quick as a flash, his paw darted towards Donovan's pocket, but Donovan immediately stopped him by grabbing his paw.
"Wha-how!?", Tom Tom cried.
"Let's just say I know about your antics.", Donovan replied, "Now, be a good Pokemon and go back to your Trainer, please. I don't appreciate pickpockets."
Tom Tom looked rather embarrassed as he returned to Grant's shoulder.
However, that little scene had attracted Ray's attention. As far as he knew, no one had spread the warning about Tom Tom's kleptomania yet.
So how had Donovan known...?
The man himself didn't seem to realize Ray was studying him warily, or if he did, he did not show it. Ray was definitely curious about Donovan now, but he knew better than to make it obvious.
At that moment, another boy came over, carrying a Shuckle in his arms.
"Oh, hey, Donovan!", he called, "Mind if I come over?"
Donovan tensed, sending a nervous glance towards the Shuckle. Ray wasn't sure why. As far as he knew, it was just a Shuckle.
Although with an odd mouth...
"Sure!", Charlie said, "The more the merrier!"
Donovan took a deep breath, presumably to calm his nerves. The boy and his Shuckle sat next to Ray, and the Shuckle looked curiously towards Ray's notebook.
Ray gave it a wary look. As far as he knew, Shuckles weren't very intelligent and definitely couldn't read. But the way this one was looking at him, or more accurately his notes...well, he did not trust that look. He closed his notebook in order to prevent the Shuckle reading them...not that he believed it could do that.
Right?
The Shuckle's owner seemed completely oblivious to this whole interaction. "It's very nice to meet you all! I'm Jeremy, and this is Shelly! Say hi, Shelly!"
Shelly gave him a look, before turning towards the others and slowly contorting his mouth into an impossibly massive grin that would make a Gengar jealous.
"Holy Arceus!", screeched Tom Tom, leaping onto Grant's head as his fur stood on end. "Why is it doing that!? Make it stop!"
Jeremy answered, "He's just smiling. That's not an issue, right?"
"That is NOT just smiling!", cried Tom Tom, "That's...I don't know what!"
Shelly had a smug look on his face for a split second, before resuming his typical blank expression.
Charlie shivered. "That was...interesting. Oh look, the teacher's here!"
He looked rather grateful for the distraction.
Sure enough, the teacher approached. He appeared to be a typical Ace Trainer - green army jacket, tan cargo pants, tall boots, and a bored expression. He had spiky orange hair, a small mustache, and blue eyes. He looked dismissively towards the students.
"Hello, students.", he said, "You may refer to me as Mr. Douglas. Today you get to train your Pokemon. Pick one of them and stick with them for the whole lesson."
He took out a thick book. "If you need help trying to find something to teach your Pokemon, talk to me. But please don't."
He plopped down on a nearby tree stump, and started flipping through the book's pages.
"Well, he seems rude.", Tom Tom commented, "I'd recommend not talking to him."
"Gee, wonder why.", Grant replied sarcastically.
Ray looked through his Pokemon, wondering which one he was going to train. He settled on Oliver, because he knew he needed to build up the Honedge's defensive capabilities.
Charlie sent out his Kabuto. "Okay, Franklin, time for some one-on-one training!"
"Kabu.", replied the Pokemon, seemingly wanting to take a nap.
As those two walked away, Jeremy placed Shelly on the ground.
"Let's get some training in!", he declared, "We're going to be the strongest, just you wait!"
"Shuck.", grumbled Shelly.
"That's the spirit!", Jeremy cheered.
Ray walked over to where he didn't see as many people, before sending out Oliver. The Honedge looked up at him curiously.
"Looks like today's 'lesson' is just practicing.", Ray explained, "So we're gonna work on your offense. Sound good?"
"Hone.", Oliver hummed.
"Nice.", Ray replied, "Let's start by practicing some Upper Calibers, the Dark-type kind."
Upper Caliber was a move that utilized both Shadow Sneak and either Slash or Night Slash. Using it, Oliver would slip into the shadows before emerging from behind his foe, striking with several rapid slashes. It was rather useful for getting the drop on their enemies.
Oliver sank into the ground, before appearing behind one of the dolls and cutting into it. However, his blade got snagged in the fabric, and it took him a minute to get unstuck. Ray sighed. He knew Oliver still needed to get a bit stronger.
As he watched his Honedge practice mutilating the doll, the last person Ray expected to walk over to him, did.
"Looks like you're training him rather well.", Gwendolyn commented, watching as Oliver danced around the target.
Ray looked at Gwendolyn oddly. "Yes, of course."
Gwendolyn smiled slightly. "I'm glad to see it."
She sent out Nala towards the target next to Oliver's.
"My Luxio needs some training too.", Gwendolyn said, "She only recently evolved, and still hasn't figured out her full strength. From what I can tell, it's a similar situation with your Honedge. But with the right practice, I'll succeed."
Nala growled at the doll, charging up her electricity. Oliver watched Nala as she released it, but it wasn't very strong. Nala hissed in frustration, and tried again.
Ray looked towards Oliver. Although it felt uncomfortable to be training next to the person who'd defeated him, he wasn't going to let that bother him.
"Time to practice some Occisors.", Ray commanded.
Occisor was meant to be an unstoppable Slash attack, for it took advantage of the power of Aerial Ace. As Oliver struck with impossible speed, he'd use one of his two Slash attacks and land a blow that could potentially be a critical hit, without any risk of dodging.
The only thing Oliver needed to work on was timing. Thankfully, the Honedge already knew that, and was working on it by himself, just like Nala and the strength of her lightning.
While the two Pokemon trained, Ray curiously observed everyone else.
Boulton appeared to be continuing his streak of doing the impossible. He glared at the target, and suddenly the grass grew up around it, binding it down in a move that could only be Grass Knot. How in the world a Tepig knew that, Ray couldn't even begin to guess.
But that was far from the only impossible thing going on. Ray spotted Jeremy training, and what he saw astonished him.
Shelly moved with unnatural speed, defying the sluggish, slow movement his species was normally known for. He would strike the target with his teeth before leaping back, darting around the target and generally giving it a very bad day.
But that wasn't everything. Jeremy called out, "Shelly, Stone Edge!"
However, instead of summoning a bunch of tall rocks, spiky black crystals appeared instead, slamming into the target and unleashing bursts of otherworldly energy, tearing pieces off the doll.
Ray had NEVER seen a move like that before.
But he teared his eyes away from it, and saw Jennifer nearby, trying to avoid too many observers.
Her Ralts stood in front of a doll, trying to concentrate on it. Blue energy fizzled around it, but did nothing. Mary sighed, looking over at her Trainer.
What happened next was a surprise as well.
Jennifer gave Mary a reassuring smile, saying, "Here, let me show you how to do it." Focusing on the target, her eyes glowed and her skirt flared, and the target imploded.
"See? It's not too hard.", Jennifer said, clearly unaware that Ray had just seen it. "Now you try!"
Ray found it hard to concentrate for the rest of the lesson, his mind racing from all he'd just seen. (-o-)
When it finally became time for Pokemon Myths and Legends, Ray was more than ready for a distraction. He had seen just a few too many impossibilities for his peace of mind.
The class was held in the Research Campus, in a classroom adjacent to the Acacia Gallery, where many fossils and artifacts were stored. Unlike many of the other classes, Ray already knew who taught this one - Professor Savannah Acacia, one of the finest archeologists in the world.
He was rather excited to see what she had to say.
As the students gathered into the classroom, Ray could see various paintings and tapestries on the walls, depicting various Legendary Pokemon. He could see one that displayed three different birds, and another that displayed the two great ancient Pokemon that had battled in Hoenn mythology.
The teacher herself was here early. She was rather young, only about forty years old, and she certainly looked like it, with her charming smile and fair looks. She wore a beige vest and pants, as well as Tauros-girl boots and a matchinghay. She had an orange shirt underneath her vest.
Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and was a strawberry blonde, and she had sparkling amber eyes that were filled with adventure. She smiled at everyone as they entered, clearly excited to speak to them.
Ray could recognize some of his fellow classmates. There was Gwendolyn, looking somewhat bored already, as well as Charlie. Donovan sat in the back, casting looks towards Gwendolyn whenever she wasn't looking. Ray wasn't sure why - he couldn't read Donovan's expression behind his glasses.
There was also that one boy, Floris, who was impatiently playing around with a puppet that resembled Professor Rowan. Ray could see Sherman sitting next to Floris, studying the puppet curiously.
At the back of the room sat Danforth with his arms crossed, glaring at anyone who tried to sit next to him.
Once everyone was seated, Professor Acacia stood up.
"Hello, students.", she greeted, "As many of you know, my name is Professor Savannah Acacia, and I am glad to be your teacher this year. Today, we are going to begin our class on legends and myths, and the possible truths they may conceal."
She walked over to the blackboard, before looking over her class. After a minute, she pointed at Sherman.
"You! Sherman, right?", she asked.
"Um, yeah.", Sherman replied, sitting up straight.
"Tell me of a legend. Any kind.", she requested.
"Um...the monster of Lacunosa Town?", suggested Sherman.
Professor Acacia wrote that down on the board. "What is it about?", she asked.
"Okay, so, a dragon or something fell from the sky in ancient times, landing in the great chasm outside town.", Sherman replied, "Supposedly, every night it came through town on cold winds, snatching up any children wandering about and spiriting them away to be eaten."
"Correct.", Professor Acacia replied, "And how true do you think this legend is?"
"Uh...pretty true?", Sherman answered, "One night one of the more troublesome kids vanished. I remember it being pretty drafty, too."
"Interesting.", Professor Acacia stated.
Sherman nodded. "It's one of the reasons I became a Pokemon Trainer, actually. One day I'm going to hunt that monster down, and vanquish it once and for all!"
Danforth snickered, which attracted Professor Acacia's attention.
"And what about you, Danforth?", she asked, "Will you tell me a legend?"
"Uh...", he replied, not expecting to be put on the spot, "Maybe...the legend of Arceus? Supposedly he created the entire world after he hatched from an egg at the dawn of time."
"And how much do you believe that myth?", asked Professor Acacia.
"It sounds pretty crazy to me.", Danforth replied, "I mean, how can one Pokemon create everything by himself? Plus, I highly doubt an egg just magically appeared in the middle of nothing."
"Perhaps...", Professor Acacia replied, "But this lesson is all about these sorts of things, and their potential truth."
She smiled. "The world is full of legends and myths, stories told over and over again of powerful Pokemon and impossible feats. However, not many actually believe in them. We archeologists study them anyways, though, for perhaps we can find some truth in these tall tales, and maybe even discover a one-of-a-kind Pokemon."
"After all.", she continued, "People still see them. Evidence appears every now and then, as some record of their passing or their feats. And that is why we are having this lesson."
She pointed to the picture of the three birds. "Every two weeks, we will be studying a region and its legends. First, we will cover Kanto, home of this trio. Then we will go through Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, all the way to Galar. Along the way, I hope you will learn new things and dream of new adventures. I am aiming for this class to be a fun and exciting one, and I hope none of you will regret signing up for it."
She picked up a textbook, and said, "For today, we will be reading about the Kanto bird trio. Turn your books to page thirty-two, please."
And so the rest of the class was spent in near-silence. (-o-)
AN: Another chapter completed! I hope you enjoyed it! Although not too much happened, it certainly is setting up for the future!
Next chapter, the Medical Course! Not a lot's gonna happen, because this had the fewest characters, but I'll show what happens during their lunch break! Who knows, maybe we'll learn more about the Five Legends, and the clubs...
Well, don't forget to review, and I'll see you next time!