"Now, remember, I want all of your preliminary observations on my desk by tomorrow," Mr. Tsu said as the dismissal bell rang. He handed an essay rubric to each student as they filed silently into the hall.
As soon as she was out of sight of the teachers, Tina called Taja out of her Pokeball and they both took off running out the double doors.
Once outside, Tina took a deep breath of fresh air and let it out as a sigh, enjoying the sun in her face and the cool breeze as she collapsed onto the green grass.
She sighed again, "This is how life is supposed to be!" She laid down on her back and tucked an arm behind her head. "Just us against the world, taking on whatever comes our way!"
Realizing that Taja wasn't listening, Tina turned onto her side. She propped herself up on her arm and laughed to herself as she watched the pup run back and forth in front of her, chasing a butterfly.
Taja soon lost interest and stopped, grabbing a stick in her mouth. She held her head high and strutted back to Tina's side.
{Please? One throw?} Taja pleaded, locking eyes with her new friend and dropping the twig.
Taja's expression was so pleading and innocent that Tina couldn't refuse. She grinned to herself as she picked up the twig. She'd just thrown it as high and far as she could when a whistle cut through the air, something snatching the bough and taking it up into a tree.
Running to the base of the tree, Tina called up after the Pidgey. "ROWAN!!! DROP IT!!!"
Rowan dropped something, alright, a fist-sized stone, hitting Tina square in the face. Dazed by the blow, she sat slumped at the base of the tree. Rowan got a malevolent glint in his eye just then, and left his perch. He circled higher and higher, until he'd built up enough speed, and dove, heading straight for Taja.
As it would seem, Taja was quicker on her feet than he'd expected, as she rolled to the side to avoid him. Her eyes took a golden hue for a moment as she opened her mouth and sent forth a massive Flamethrower attack. The barbecued bird crashed into the ground, skidding along for a short distance and kicking up dirt.
Tina stood in shock, unable to explain to herself what had happened. {Wha- Growlithes don't learn that attack until a much higher level… Taja's one in a billion, alright!}
Coming to her senses, she pulled a Pokeball from her backpack and shot out a stream of light at the singed Pidgey. "That'll teach 'im!" she laughed, putting it away. She sighed as her responsibility became apparent. "Guess I'd better tend to the burns…"
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"Now- OUCH!- Hold still!" she cringed, wrapping his wing.
In her dorm room, with an array of bandages and creams at her side, she patched him up. All the while, Rowan was squawking and pecking at her fingers. By the time she was done, her hands needed more medical attention than he had!
Not wanting to spend another second with the foul fowl, she called him into his Pokeball and put it away as the sounds of a game outside caught her attention. She called Taja over, her eyes shining with an idea.
"Sounds like fun, doesn't it" she asked, Taja nodding. "Let's go check it out!"
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She'd just left the dormitory when a stream of water flew past her face. Jumping back in surprise, she looked around for the source.
"Go back to your room, freak!" laughed a boy with harsh blue eyes as he recalled his Wartortle, brushing his short, neatly combed blond hair out of his face. "There's no place for weirdos like you around here!"
Tina clenched her fist to hide the hurt the comment had caused as she stepped toward him. "Take that back, Tyler! Take it back right now!"
"What're you gonna do, sic your mutt on me?" he smirked, reaching for the Pokeball on his belt.
"No, I'll… I'll…" Tina stammered; she hated fights.
"You'll what, reject?" he sneered as he turned back to the soccer game.
Tina bowed her head, shoulders drooping as she headed back down the hallway.
In her dorm room, Tina pulled a ball out of her closet.
"We don't need the other kids to have fun, do we, Taja?" she said as she threw the ball to her pup.
Taja caught the toy and brought it back, dropping it in Tina's lap, but her attention was focused on the game going on outside her window.
Tina peeked out for a moment as she closed the blinds."We'll show you all… Someday…"
