Let's see what reviews we got since last time...
pokemonking0924: I created Vladimir just recently, so Halloween must've been on my mind... Anyways, thanks for letting me know what clubs Kagome would join! I figured it would be those two, but I'm glad to see confirmation nonetheless!
coolhuh0526: I am aiming to try to give everyone's character a chance in the spotlight, but there are definitely a few I enjoy writing more than others.
So is that the only club Ray's joining? It's not a problem or anything, but it is an interesting pick. I would've thought he'd join the science one, too.
There's no reason to be suspicious of the Queen already, is there...? After all, none of our characters have even met the lady yet!
Nurse Joy is suspicious? Care to elaborate?
I hope you stay well-rested!
Victor John Foxfire: Hey there, great to see you! I don't mind that you reviewed late again. After all, better late than never! However, I'll just address the newest one.
I will neither confirm nor deny any theories about Vladimir at this point. Way too early in his introduction.
I did figure that a Medical Course would probably address traditional methods of healing first, if not exclusively. After all, it doesn't take much to run a machine, but the difference between a saved life and a lost one might well depend on your knowledge of how to handle things if you don't have the right technology around.
Hmm, I don't remember anyone talking about Kiyoko's backpack, but I might've missed something. Your descriptions are very informative, however!
Do you really think I'd have the Five Legends try to trap people so early in the story? Sure, there may be some shifty ones, but the first week is way too soon for any bad stuff to happen.
But perhaps it is a way of surveying new members...just perhaps.
jjjdunk1: You leave jokes in reviews? Well, I do enjoy jokes, so don't be afraid to send them! Even if they are cringey!
Rescue Wolf: Maybe Lucas can, maybe he can't. We don't know just quite yet...
Also, Champion's Rest Stop is just a name. After all, the Battle Course students need to attract potential challengers somehow! But literal champions have trained here before too.
AnonChan1: Hooray, you're back! I don't mind late reviews.
Lucas is going to be an awesome character as the story progresses, there's a lot of complexity about him. His submitter was quite detailed, which is part of the reason why he came in later than everybody else.
Hmm, the chest? It's just a chest, really. Surely there's no reason why Vladimir doesn't want anyone messing with it, right? Besides privacy of course.
Definitely-Not-Just-A-Shuckle? But Shelly is a Shuckle! He's just...different. Yeah, that's the word.
Why does everyone think Vladimir is a vampire? I didn't make it that obvious right? He's just different, in a Shelly-sorta-way. That's all there is to it.
Well, I mean, of course there'd be trouble with all your Pokemon following you, sometimes. What kind of trouble depends, though...
Another Joy? No, this is the same Joy. All the others are in Kanto at the moment - heck, technically THIS one's in Kanto!
Vladimir and Dravilius is a terrifying combination. Don't even think about it.
Well, I mean, we do have a tag team event coming up...but seriously, you don't want this!
There are all kinds of restaurants on campus! Now if only there was an Italian region...oh well. I might have to bend a few things around.
Kira and Mira showed up in the very first chapter, and I must admit it took me around five or ten minutes to think of a good pair of names. Thankfully I think this was a good choice!
See, see, someone gets it! The Queen is innocent until proven guilty! Now, though, what about the other four? I'll be working on introducing their factions soon, and then we'll see for ourselves.
Azalea is a very nice teacher! Who knows, she might even win most popular teacher! But we still haven't met all of them QUITE yet...
Hmm, perhaps there is something related to Lucas and Jennifer. It isn't romantic, that's for sure (yet...:D)
Yeah, the clubs will be exciting! We'll have to wait until the Ranger Course to see if Kea will commit to Extreme Camping, though, heheheh.
Curiously a Theory: Glad to know you're enjoying this so far! I like Azalea's character top.
Alright then, now we enter the Research Course! (-o-)
Although it wasn't quite as fancy as the other buildings on campus, Oak Study Hall was still impressive. It was built of white marble and shone in the sun, statues of famous researchers from across history spaced perfectly even from each other. A tall tower rose up from its center, flanked by two smaller decorative ones and emblazoned with the university coat-of-arms - a large badge that showed a strange, humanoid Pokemon with closed eyes, a yellow mane, and a red gem in its forehead. Uxie, supposedly the legendary Pokemon of knowledge.
Inside Oak Study Hall, there were several long hallways leading in from the four doors, each one with rooms for indoor classes or studying. In the center of the building, there was a massive library, filled with books from all times and places. A skylight shone down in the center, illuminating a gorgeous mosaic showing Uxie and its two siblings, ringed by a chain of red crystals.
In one of the side classrooms, the Research Course freshmen sat patiently at their pristine, empty desks, awaiting their teacher to come and share some of their knowledge.
But much like with the Battle Course students at that same moment, the teacher was running a bit late.
Asher sat at their seat, not minding the long wait. It gave them more time to work on knitting a scarf for Arlen. Winter was coming early this year, and Asher didn't want the poor Snivy to freeze in the cold weather.
The other students were doing all sorts of things too. Cristian was reading some kind of novel, while Floris sat next to him, playing around with what appeared to be a puppet of some samurai warrior. Their third roommate, Vladimir, was staring thoughtfully into the distance, thinking about who knew what. Winona was jotting down notes, while Kagome flipped through her cookbook and mused about what she'd make next. All in all, no one seemed bored in the least.
Asher then heard the sounds of slow, steady footsteps, as well as the tapping of a cane. They tucked away their knitting tools, and everyone else put their things up too. The door to the classroom creaked open, and their teacher slowly walked in.
He was an old man, who must've been quite tall when he was younger but was now hunched over and shorter. His face was wrinkled, but not terribly so, and his eyes were a weary, milky white. He had a short, slightly squashed nose, and a mouth that seemed to have been locked in a permanent frown, even if he wasn't feeling unhappy.
He wore a professional black suit and tweed jacket, and used a simple wooden cane to carry him over to his chair, loudly tapping it as he went. Smoothing back his white hair, he slipped fluidly into his seat and looked in the direction of the students.
"Hello, class.", he said, his voice hoarse and quiet, "My name is Professor Boris Eucalyptus. I will be your teacher for much of the school year."
He tapped his cane. "As you may or may not have noticed, I am blind. So I must humbly ask that you remain respectful, or I will not hesitate to discipline you."
Asher had already noted this, but was glad for it to be confirmed. They wondered how the teacher taught without the aid of his eyes. They were very curious to find out.
Boris continued, "In this class, I will teach you about the technical basics of scientific research - logic, and statistics. After all, all the research in the world isn't enough if you do not compile it into a working form, or fail to draw the right conclusions. As such, I will make sure that you all become accurate and reliable researchers."
He started writing things down on the board. "Let us first begin with the scientific method..." (-o-)
Although feelings were mixed about the class, Asher found it quite informative. Although they had already known quite a bit, Boris had elaborated more on the steps and his various experiences with them. Asher was quite glad that they had him as their teacher, and wondered what else they'd learn from him.
As it turned out, quite a bit.
Because the class right after Basic Pokemon Care was Pokemon Biology.
This class took place in a larger room in Oak Study Hall, because all the freshmen were a part of this class. The room had all sorts of equipment, as well as many pictures of different Pokemon. Some of them showed charts of their anatomy, a few grosser than others.
Unlike with the earlier class, Professor Boris was already here, slowly tapping his cane every now and then. Asher suspected he was keeping tally of everyone present...as well as making sure they weren't up to something.
Finally, Boris said, "Let us begin class."
He took a deep breath, and continued, "Perhaps many of you are wondering why you have to take this class, since, after all, it is 'boring professor stuff.' But knowing the physiques of Pokemon and how they work can be the difference between victory and defeat, or a successful performance and a failed one. As such, it is very important to know as much about them as possible."
He took another deep breath, and explained, "For this school year, we will be discussing each Pokemon type and their general characteristics, as well as more detailed analyses of their unique traits and physiology. Unlike the Type Specialization class, however, we will not be studying how they fight, except by proxy. We are instead looking more into their natural habits and characteristics, the sort of data you'd find in a Pokedex. I trust that you will do your best in this class, or it will quickly become your worst nightmare."
Several students shivered.
Boris walked over to the whiteboard behind his desk. "Today, we will discuss the building block of all life - cells."
In the back of the class Tom Tom muttered, "If you ask me, a prison is just the opposite."
"Don't think I didn't hear that.", snapped Professor Boris, "Anyways, a cell is a microscopic organism that works together with other cells to build and maintain a living body. All Pokemon have them, even Ghost-types. Now, normally these things are far too small for anyone to analyze without the aid of a powerful microscope, but thankfully there is a special Pokemon that almost perfectly replicates a cell's basic structure, at a much larger scale."
He smiled. "Solosis."
Grant asked, "So, wait a minute. Are you saying that these 'cells' all look like butts floating in green slime?"
Professor Boris turned a brilliant red, astonishing Asher. They had not realized someone could turn that color so fast. Grant really must have offended him.
"No.", the professor snarled, "Now please, let me continue this lesson without meaningless comments."
Tom Tom smirked at his Trainer, who looked ready to die of embarrassment.
Was that even possible? Asher had never heard of it happening before. They began to run several possibilities of how that could occur.
Boris continued describing cells, drawing an image of Solosis and pointing out various parts of its body and describing them in depth. Everyone else was writing down notes as best they could, but Asher didn't need to. Their encyclopedic memory was more than good enough to keep track of everything.
As Professor Boris continued, Asher noted how detailed the drawing was. They suspected that Boris probably had a beloved Solosis of his own, one that he liked to draw pictures of. It would explain why he got so irritated so fast at Grant's comment earlier.
But they also wondered why he hadn't brought the Pokemon itself. Asher wasn't sure why he wouldn't have if he loved it so much.
Maybe he'd left it in his room or something...
At that moment, Boris finished his lecture, and declared, "Alright! Now let's see how much you've all been listening..."
He pointed at Grant. "You! What is the purpose of Solosis's bubble of fluid, and by extension a cell's?"
Grant looked alarmed. "Well, um, uh..."
He shrugged. "Maybe some free food, since it looks like Jell-O?"
Asher felt quite embarrassed for Grant. That was most definitely not the right answer.
Boris looked outraged. "Incorrect!", he shouted, "I will not tolerate this blatant display of a failure to listen! For your information, that fluid helps protect its body and contains all its organs, which you would have known quite easily if you'd LISTENED."
Grant sighed and rested his face in his palms, while Tom Tom cackled delightedly.
Boris took another calming breath, before pointing towards Asher. "You! What is the name of the central part of the cell?"
Asher replied calmly, "The nucleus, where commands are transmitted and DNA is stored. It is also hypothesized that this is where psychic messages would be compiled and sent to other cells, although no one can confirm that they even use psychic communication in the first place."
"Very good, young lady!", applauded Boris.
"Actually, I'm nonbinary.", Asher replied, slightly embarrassed that another person had made that mistake.
"Ah.", replied Boris, "Right."
He muttered, "Young people these days..."
Asher sighed quietly as Boris continued questioning the class. Most of the students got the answers correct, although there were a couple mistakes here and there. Nothing quite as drastic as Grant's mistake, although Asher cringed slightly at each wrong answer.
But finally, Boris wrapped up with the questions, and gave everyone some papers. "I expect this homework to be done by this weekend.", he said, "And no snarky jokes about how I can't read this because I'm blind! I WILL know what you wrote, and will grade you appropriately whether you like it or not!"
Everyone nodded, some quite nervously.
"I'm glad to hear that all of you understand.", Boris said, "Now then, class is dismissed."
Everybody started heading out of the room, Asher following behind them. But when they turned to head towards their next class, suddenly a man in white jumped down in front of them.
Asher yelled in surprise and readied Abbie's Pokeball, but lowered the Pokeball when they got a better look at this guy.
He was dressed in a white kimono and had a ninja mask and bandana, concealing their face. They had a small black satchel at their side. Their wide eyes were blue, and they had messy black hair that looked like it belonged on an anime character. They crumpled to one knee before staggering back up, attempting to look tough.
"Ergh, I think I twisted my ankle in that pounce...", he muttered, before immediately squaring himself up. "Er, I mean, halt! For I am Naru, and I bear a message for Asher Atlas Aspen!"
Asher rose an eyebrow. "You do, do you? Did you really need to wear a ninja costume to deliver it?"
Naru looked exasperated. "This isn't a costume! I'll have you know that this a fully-fledged state-of-the-art ninja warrior robe!"
"Hmm...", Asher eyed it closely. "It does not appear you have any weapons. Plus, most historical ninja robes were not bright white, because those would have prevented them from hiding in most climates. Most were black, purple, or even red. Did you know that red actually blends into darkness even better than black? It's true!"
Naru looked confused. "Um, okay. Anyways, I have come to deliver a message from the Sensei himself!"
"The...Sensei?", asked Asher.
Naru explained, "The Sensei is the greatest student in the Research Course! He's fascinated with the bond between human and Pokemon, and building inner peace and balance with oneself. He helps train all of us to do the same! And now he has sent an invitation to meet with you!"
He continued, "One of us will be waiting at the Misty Sushi Bar every day at lunch time until you show up. I would recommend not taking too long - the Sensei is patient, but not infinitely so."
He added under his breath, "Plus, I really don't want to stand there all afternoon."
Asher shrugged. "I guess I'll think about it, then. Why does he want to meet with me?"
Naru bowed, casting his face in shadow.
"The Sensei is a mysterious individual.", he whispered dramatically, "All I know is that he sees something special in you, and wishes to explore that potential. Rest assured, he bears no hostilities."
He looked at his watch (another thing that proved him not to be a ninja) and his eyes widened. "Ack!"
He took something out of his bag and smashed it into the ground, sending up a thick plume of white smoke. Asher heard him coughing loudly, before running off...quite noisily.
Kagome walked over. "What was that all about?", she asked.
Asher shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. Let's just head to the next class now." (-o-)
After lunch (which Asher did NOT have at the Misty Sushi Bar), they made their way to another class being held in Oak Study Hall - Pokemon History.
However, instead of being held by Professor Boris, it was time for another lesson by Professor Acacia.
She smiled at the class, before declaring, "Welcome to Pokemon History! Throughout this class, we will be studying the history of human civilization, and its ties to the various Pokemon of the world. I hope you will find this course as fascinating as I do, and now...let us begin."
She flicked off the lights, and stood only in the hazy glow of a flashlight.
"No one is quite sure when human history began.", she said, "Some say we were all created by Arceus at the dawn of time. Others claim that we evolved from Psychic-type Pokemon over long periods of time. No one can agree. But what we CAN agree on is what the first great civilization to ever arise was."
She reached under her desk and pulled out a weathered stone tablet, with a strange script written on it that looked like a series of Pokemon.
"This is a tablet we found in an old temple near what is now Solaceon Town. It is one of the few artifacts left over from the time of the Celestica people, an ancient empire that predates all other known human nations by nearly a thousand years. It covered much of the Kanto-Johto-Hoenn-Sinnoh region, and some evidence suggests they might have even tried expanding to Galar and smaller regions like Lental or Orre. Many of the epic marble ruins you think of when you think of archeology were left by this empire.", she explained.
She leaned forward, smiling devilishly.
"And yet - we know almost nothing about them!", she declared, "Few of their texts have been found, and the only statues and artwork they left behind displayed various Pokemon, without any human representation. They were long gone way before the rest of civilization appeared, so there are no secondhand accounts to rely on. As such, they have remained a complete mystery to any who would try to learn about them."
She leaned back. "But that does not mean we haven't tried. As some people say, archeologists can pull words from a stone. We have many hypotheses about them just from their ruins alone!"
She explained, "From what we can determine, they were a very skilled people, expertly building without any confirmed metal tools. They also greatly revered Pokemon, and almost seemed to play a similar role to their Pokemon as Pokemon do to us today. If Legendary Pokemon such as Rayquaza or Arceus ever existed, this was their golden age."
She chuckled. "Heck, their very writing reveres Pokemon! Anyone can tell that these glyphs look very similar to Unown. I highly doubt that was an accident."
Asher listened with fascination. They had not known very much about the Celestica people, and the way Professor Acacia passionately talked about them made Asher hang on to every word.
Acacia continued, "One of the biggest things we ever found was discovered on a distant jungle island. Along with the well-preserved temple to Mew discovered there, we learned something quite intriguing about their culture. The only statue ever found that even resembled a human was hidden there, but it seemed to be fused with a Pokemon. According to the art on the walls, it appeared that these Celestica people greatly revered humans who not only reached into the world of man, but could also extend to the world of Pokemon, uniting them as one. Some scientists believe this was a symbolic representation of the first Pokemon Trainers, but I believe there's more to it than that."
She smiled conspiratorially. "If you ask me, there were once humans who could connect to Pokemon in ways no one else could, perhaps even fusing like that statue. There is a small amount of evidence to suggest that, but nothing can be confirmed. Even if they did exist, they most likely died out long ago, with the fall of the Celestica people. And yet..."
She whispered, "I think, that there are a few people who still carry that ancient bloodline, even if all evidence is hidden. I like to believe that there is still some magic in us all."
She cleared her throat. "But that's enough for today! Let's get your homework sorted out."
As Professor Acacia rustled through her papers, Asher thought about what she'd said. It certainly sounded fascinating.
She knew that she must absolutely look into it as soon as possible. (-o-)
AN: At last, we are approaching the end of this set of chapters! Last one is Ranger Course! After that, we can shift our focus from the lessons to the characters, and I'm certain all of you want to see that!
And next chapter should be exciting. Perhaps we'll even see a few new characters...
Anyways, don't forget to review, and I'll see you all next time!