Chapter 5: Seeing Battles From a New Perspective
Falkner sat in his office with his eyes glued to the screen, his fingers dancing across the keyboard faster than even he could see. Letters formed on the email he was planning to send to the mayor of Violet City. The email detailed a proposal to make officers attend training classes on how to deal with people with autism, whether they're the victims of a crime, perpetrators, or just people who have wandered away from their caretakers. His fingers stopped typing as he moved the mouse on the bird themed mousepad, dragging the cursor to the send button.
Click! Off went the email. Falkner smiled with a twinge of hope in his eyes. He hoped this proposal would be put into place. After all, it was his job to make sure Violet City was crime free, but even he knew that even police officers were prone to going against what they're supposed to do. Falkner could never turn his back on a crime taking place. Whether it was someone littering or someone attempting to slaughter many people, he considered it a sin to turn his back on those in need, even when the fight was nearly impossible to win.
Especially that day, when he had to arrest that teacher right in front of many children.
Julia Parisa...he sure didn't expect her to turn up again. How she had grown. She was only a small girl when he first met her. A shy, reserved, but still sweet young girl. But the memories of her remained in his memory...and he knew why. The events that transpired that day had changed his views on justice forever, and his view on teachers.
He had always respected teachers. They were the ones who would pass their knowledge down to the next generation. The ones he grew up with had always been kind, helpful, and more than willing to deal with any child, no matter their race, social class, or even whether they had disabilities or not. He hadn't been to school since his days in the police academy, but the teachers he learned from had been nothing but good to him and others he knew. To the young, idealistic Falkner, teachers deserved all the respect in the world.
What happened to make a teacher resort to not only singling kids out among their peers, but berating them, hitting them, and deeming them hopeless without even trying to understand them or get the whole story? The memory of Mrs. Amoretto's treatment of little Julia made him sick just thinking about it. But in his heart, he was happy he had been there, otherwise everything might have turned out far worse.
Falkner picked up the cordless phone next to him. He punched in some numbers and held the phone to his cheek. The phone rang three times before someone answered.
"Hello?" The husky voice of an old man answered the phone.
"Elder Li? It's Falkner."
"Ah! Young police chief Falkner!" Li exclaimed, his voice brimming with delight. "This is quite unexpected! You haven't called in months. I suppose you are busy with your work."
"I am, but it's worth it. How is everything at Sprout Tower?" Falkner asked as he looked through some papers.
"Everything's going very well, sir," Li replied, his tone of voice having lowered somewhat. "The sages have dealt with some fine trainers. I myself have been defeated by a few. Sometimes defeat can be a good thing. After all, failure is what paves the path to success if one is willing to walk on it."
Falkner let out a chuckle. "When did you get so preachy?" The sages of Sprout Towers had always been diligent in their ways, teaching philosophical concepts to new trainers, sometimes with success and sometimes not so. But he had always respected their philosophies, and wished more people would abide by them. Life would be so much better that way. "Anyway, that's not why I'm calling. Have you...ever battled any trainers who said they hated battling?"
There was a brief pause. "Hmmm...I've met a few back in my day. But that was long ago."
"Did any of them think that pokemon battles were cruel and barbaric?"
"Not that I can remember, no. Actually, no, I've never met trainers who thought pokemon battles were horrible," Li replied. "I certainly can't imagine why one would think so."
"The reason I asked is that I met a new trainer who loathes battling with her whole being, and I think she may benefit from learning about your views on battling," Falkner explained.
"I see…"
"Does the name Julia Parisa ring a bell?"
"Is that the girl who was being abused by that teacher some years ago? My goodness. I can't imagine why or how a teacher could do such a terrible thing. It's a good thing you arrested her."
"Yes. Clearly, Hester Amoretto could learn a thing or two from you," Falkner told him sarcastically. "Anyway, she's grown up now. I told her to go to Sprout Tower and learn about your perspective on battling. If she doesn't come, that's fine, but in the event that she does of her own volition…" He paused for a brief moment, thinking about everything she had said to him the night before. "...Will you show her a new perspective on battling? She has a pichu for a partner, and said pichu has a darker coloring than normal pichu."
There was a brief pause. "I'll see what I can do. I'll let the other sages know. What does she look like?"
"She's about eleven I think, with short dark brown hair and green eyes," Falkner explained. "I'm not expecting her to drop everything she knows right off. Even I know that's not realistic. But…" He gripped the phone tightly. "...I want her to at least know that battling isn't about senseless violence or hurting pokemon."
"I get what you mean. Many trainers I've encountered battle for the thrill of it," Li told him before clearing his throat. "Some trainers think battling is all about fighting and winning and losing. But it's not as simple as that. It's a good thing the Federation set strict laws on battling, otherwise things would be far out of control. People like you are also in part to thank."
Falkner smiled. "I just want to make the world a better place. That's all there is to it. Thank you for hearing me out, Elder Li," He said, glancing at a photo on his wall. It showed an old man dressed in a dark blue monk outfit standing next to Falkner in the middle of a park full of people. The two of them were holding small gold trophies in their hands. If one looked hard enough, the engravings on the trophies read 'For Doing a Great Service To Violet City.' A white pokemon with red and white markings on its body fluttered next to Falkner, flashing a wide smile brimming with unbridled joy.
"You're doing enough as it is, Falkner," Elder Li told him reassuringly with a slight cough. "I've never met anyone else who has done so much for Violet City as you have. By the way, how's your wife?"
A small hoothoot fluttered over to Falkner's desk with a hoot. "You mean Jenny? She's doing well. She's nine months along. We're going to the hospital next week for the delivery," He replied. "My father's watching her for now in case anything happens."
"My my. That's wonderful. I'm sure you two will be great parents," Elder Li exclaimed joyfully.
"I'll let you go now. Okay? I have some papers I need to go through. I'll see you later," Falkner pressed the END button on the phone, putting it back on the receiver.
"Hoothoot!" The hoothoot hooted, catching its trainer's attention. Falkner smiled and stroke its head gently. Basking in its trainer's affection, the hoothoot then hopped off the desk.
Falkner looked down at the pile of papers before him, taking a pen and writing some things down. However, the memories of that day replayed in his mind like a tape recorder. Vivid and clear as day.
(flashback)
Falkner stood before a classroom full of children, dressed in full uniform. A young teacher with short, cropped, scraggly light brown hair stood next to him with her arms crossed, wearing a bright yellow office suit consisting of a jacket over a white blouse, a long skirt going down to her knees, dark brown stockings, and black high heels. Freckles sprinkled across her long nose, and she stared at the children with a severe, austere expression, like she dared any one of them to disrupt Falkner's lecture about his job.
Even he couldn't help but notice that something felt...wrong about the teacher standing next to him. She gave off a stern, domineering air that seemed to make him feel as though he were being put on the spot. There was no warmth in her expression or being. Something nagged at him, telling him that something was wrong. But he had to focus on his lecture. After all, today was Police Appreciation Day, and the Pokemon Academy invited him here, so he couldn't break the trust the school had with him.
As he talked about the good and bad of his job, he kept facing the classroom of children before him. There were about twenty kids aged seven or eight sitting at their desks. One little boy was stuffing his finger in his nose and eating the snot. Two girls were looking out the windows they sat next to. Another boy's eyes were barely closed, and he kept bobbing his head up and down as though he were trying to keep himself from falling asleep. It didn't help that drool was trickling out of his mouth, right down to his chin. A purple haired boy kept flinging his legs back and forth.
One boy raised his hand. "Yes?"
"Do you ever shoot anybody?" The boy asked.
"Well, our job is mostly to try and talk to people," Falkner explained. "To make sure they do the right thing and don't hurt anyone in the process. It's not always easy."
Another boy raised his hand. "Yes?"
"Is the gun in your belt real?"
"Yes. Very real, bullets and all. They're very dangerous if not used carefully."
"Do you beat people up?"
Falkner's cheeks burned. He couldn't believe these kids were so obsessed with asking about nothing but the violence. What were their parents teaching them? He tried to keep his composure. "Being a police officer isn't about beating people up. There are times when we have to resort to force when the criminals are being uncooperative. It's not like we like resorting to it, though."
He did notice one little girl sitting in front, with her hand high in the air. She had short brown hair and green eyes, and was wearing a purple sweater, black jean pants, and pikachu themed sneakers. "Yes? Do you have a question?"
"Um…" The girl's face was red. "...Do you...ever get scared?"
"Scared?"
"I mean…" The girl stammered, looking down at her feet. "You arrest bad people, right?" She sounded as though she were trying her best to form her words correctly, from the way she kept pausing in between every word. "Aren't you scared...that the bad guys might hurt you? Kill you? Afraid that you won't...see your Mom or Dad or wife or kids or pokemon ever again?"
The gym leader found himself speechless. Nobody had ever asked him a question like this before, let alone a girl of such a tender age. He had considered the possibility, but he never let it scare him. Everyone he talked to about his two careers-gym leader and police officer-had always been supportive of his choice, and never tried to persuade him to try something different. Perhaps they had thought about the dangers, but didn't want to discourage him. In fact, nobody discouraged him from doing what he wanted. Not only that, she sounded as though she was very concerned for Falkner's well being. She didn't ask about violence or beating someone up-she asked about whether he was scared.
Falkner's heart grew soft, melting from the question. With a sad smile, he answered, "Yes. I do get scared. I think about my family and my pokemon every time I'm out on the field. Sometimes I even think about giving up. Sometimes I thought...I might die today. But...I know that if I let my emotions and fears get the better of me, the bad people will get away or do what they want, and people will get hurt or even die if I don't act quickly enough. I choose not to let my fears take control of me for that reason. I have to do what's right by Violet City, even if I'm scared, because it's the right thing to do."
Right as he finished, the bell rang, and all of the kids dashed out of the classroom with squeals and screams, happy to finally be out of that stuffy classroom. The teacher had gone out as well. Falkner was about to leave as well, but a tiny hand pulled on his sleeve. He looked down to find the girl who asked the last question, looking up at his policeman's hat with her green eyes. He kneeled down to her level.
"That was a nice question you asked just now," Falkner told her kindly. The little girl averted his gaze, not looking him in the eye. He didn't pay it any mind. "Nobody ever asked me that before."
The girl fell quiet.
"Is something wrong?"
"...M-M-My mom and dad said...that if someone's doing...something bad...I have to tell a policeman…"
"That's good. Is someone doing something bad?"
He could tell she wanted to tell him something. She kept balling her fists and pressing her lips. "You can tell me."
"You won't get mad?"
"Now why would I be mad?"
Finally, she said it. "Mrs. Amoretto...she hits me sometimes."
"Hits you?"
The girl nodded grimly. "I do everything she says...and follow the rules...but she gets mad and yells and...says I'm a bad kid. I don't get it."
Falkner found himself speechless. He just couldn't imagine a teacher hitting a child. "When I spell something wrong, she tells the whole class and they laugh. She tells me I'm stupid and dumb…when I told her Billy was cheating off of Allison, she got mad and said I was cheating…" She rolled up her sleeve to show him a large bruise. "She...hit me with a ruler...five times."
Five times?! The police officer almost lost his balance. How could a teacher do something like this? Then again, why would someone like that even condone it? He had no idea. "Did you tell your parents?"
"I tried, but…" The girl looked down at her feet. "Mrs. Amoretto says I can't. She says...they'll think I'm lying and won't...believe me. I'm scared."
She had every right to be. The bruise was proof enough. Falkner put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Thank you for telling me this. I'll see what I can do. Don't worry," Falkner told her reassuringly. "I'll make sure Mrs. Amoretto doesn't hit you or bully you ever again."
The girl's lips curled upward into a bright smile. "Really?"
He nodded. "Really."
"Julia!" Speak of the devil, Mrs. Amoretto came stomping back into the classroom. "Recess has already started! Don't be badgering Falkner with your nonsense!" She grabbed the girl by the arm and escorted her out of the classroom. "Now scat!" Julia ran out onto the blacktop.
Falkner glared at the woman. She just grabbed the girl and forced her out like she was causing trouble. As far as he knew, it was against the rules to lay a hand on a child like that. "I'm sorry, Falkner. That girl's one of my more troublesome students in my class."
"Troublesome?" This was his chance to get information. No way was he going to let it get away.
"My goodness, she's terrible!" Mrs. Amoretto complained in a scratchy voice. "Her parents go on and on about how she has autism and that she needs certain accommodations, but if you ask me, I think they're just coddling her, spoiling her rotten, and just plain not disciplining her correctly!" She kept on shrugging her shoulders and talked as though she were a teenage girl whose parents wouldn't let her have a car rather than a school teacher.
He was no expert on autism, but he knew plenty of people who had autistic kids, and they always told stories about how wonderful they were. Not only that, Julia didn't look or act like the troublemaking type. If she had the courage to tell him about Mrs. Amoretto, then she was anything but naughty. In fact, just listening to this woman made him feel like he was being suffocated.
"I swear, all that kid does is cause trouble!" Mrs. Amoretto continued on. "She keeps complaining and whining how she doesn't understand stuff. It's her own fault for not paying attention or putting in any effort. In fact, just last week she started screaming out of control, and I had to lock her in the next room for two hours!" Falkner's hand flew to his mouth to keep himself from gasping. In his mind, she was basically confessing to using excessive force on a child.
"It sounds like you're rather harsh on her," Falkner said, with a twinge of contempt in his voice.
Mrs. Amoretto didn't even notice. "Of course! I have to be! Naughty kids like her won't get anywhere in life without strict, proper discipline! That's basically why I became a teacher, because parents these days just let their kids run wild and don't rectify their bad behavior! I won't raise a generation of slackers and potential criminals. You should know. You're a police officer," Falkner cringed upon hearing her say it like that. "Your job is to keep criminals off the street and discipline them."
'You seriously consider beating a kid with a ruler five times and locking her in a room for an hour discipline?!' His instincts were screaming at him to strangle this woman. He really didn't appreciate being told what his job was by someone who doesn't know what it's like. He put his hand on the handcuffs dangling from his belt. Before he could say anything else, screams echoed through the halls.
"Someone get security!"
"What's going on?!"
"The Pokemon! They're going wild outside!"
Falkner and Mrs. Amoretto raced to the scene. There was an area where they kept pokemon in for the kids to interact with sometimes. Behind there was a storage room where the PokeBalls were kept in. When they got there, the place was surrounded with teachers and local policemen, with some police cars in front. Flashes of fire and lightning appeared in the house. One of the windows suddenly shattered, the glass shards scattering down on the ground. One policeman had a purple haired boy in his hand, clutching him by the arm.
"There's a kid in there!" One man exclaimed.
A kid in there. The pokemon were going out of control. If those pokemon attacked that kid...he had to do something. He pulled two PokeBalls out from his belt. "Togetic! Noctowl! I need your help!" He threw them in the air, releasing the pokemon. Togetic was the white pokemon with red and blue markings on its body. Noctowl was a deep brown owl with a cream unibrow and large eyes.
"Tooooh!"
"Cho-ki-ko!"
With his pokemon by his side, Falkner dashed into the chaotic house. Four large pokemon were battling each other, shooting energy attacks at each other on all sides, taking no notice of anything around them. One attack almost hit Falkner, had Togetic not used Safeguard on him, covering him and Noctowl with a blue dome of light. Sobbing and crying caught his ear, and he turned to his left to find the girl from before cowering in the corner, covering her ears with her hands, crying loudly.
"Noctowl! Use Hypnosis on Venomoth and Arcanine! Togetic! Use Heal Bell on Slowking and Dewgong!"
Noctowl flew over to two of the pokemon before its round eyes glowed in an eerie purple light. When the venomoth and arcanine made eye contact, their eyesight began to blur. Their bodies lost their energy and they found themselves unable to stay awake. Before they knew it, they all fell to the ground, sleeping. Togetic let out a cry as its body glowed in a soft blue light that radiated all over the place. When the light made contact with slowking and dewgong, the anger in their bodies finally simmered down to nothing, and they found themselves wobbling before finally sitting and calming down.
Falkner turned to Julia. "Hey there. Are you okay? Everything's fine now. You're not hurt, are you?" Through her tears, Julia shook her head. Falkner held his hand out. "Come with me. It's okay," Instead of taking his hand, the little girl practically ran over to him and threw herself on him. He picked her up and gently escorted her out of the house. The chaos had calmed, and the girl continued to cry as he put her down.
"I knew it!" Mrs. Amoretto suddenly stomped toward Falkner with anger in her eyes. "You're behind this, aren't you, Julia?!"
"Hey! Back up a little!" Falkner yelled, holding a hand up to make her stay back. "One of your students almost got hurt and that's your first reaction?!" The contempt in her eyes was all too evident. There was no concern, no care, nothing. Even he found this to be unsettling.
"We found this boy messing around in there, too," A policeman said. The boy in question had purple hair and was struggling to break out of the man's hand. Finally, he pushed on it with both hands before finally freeing himself.
"I didn't do nuthin'!" The boy complained.
"Yes you did!" Julia suddenly shouted, her crying having stopped. "I saw you!"
"Saw what?" Falkner asked.
"She's lyin'!"
"I saw him go in there!" Julia announced boldly, her eyes red and puffy from crying.
"Nuh-uh! I saw her go in there!" The boy snapped back. "She freed all the pokemon from the PokeBalls and was tauntin' them all crazy like and throwin' rocks at 'em!" He flailed his arms up and down to empathize his point.
"No I wadn't! You did that! I saw you!" Julia argued back before turning to Mrs. Amoretto. "I saw him do it! I was just trying to...stop him!"
"Nuh-uh! Liar liar pants on fire!"
"You're the liar! You always lie!"
All sorts of scenarios were playing through Falkner's head. He could imagine the scene playing out. Julia must have seen the boy release the pokemon from their balls, trying to make them battle. When they didn't cooperate, Julia stepped in to call him on it, and something agitated the pokemon enough to make them all attack each other. Julia's side of the story looked more plausible in his eyes. If she had enough sense to tell a policeman about her teacher beating her, there was absolutely no way she could pull this off on her own. She was just too shy, too timid. He couldn't picture her doing something like this.
The horrible sound of a piercing slap pulled him out of his reverie. Julia cried even harder as Mrs. Amoretto loomed over her, clutching a piece of her shirt, attempting to slap her once more. A red mark appeared on the wailing girl's cheek. "You wicked little girl! I'm not surprised you did this! Come here! Stop trying to run away!"
Julia pushed the woman's arm away and tried to run, but Mrs. Amoretto jumped on her like an arcanine, pinning her to the ground. Everyone around them gasped. Some of the other kids burst into tears. Julia tried to get away, but Mrs. Amoretto's arms were pushing on her tiny body, preventing her from escaping. For a moment, she felt as though she couldn't breathe. Even Falkner found himself frozen with horror.
"You're pathetic! You're a bad little girl! Stop whining! You're selfish! A naughty girl who don't care about anyone but yourself!" Mrs. Amoretto screamed so loud, it didn't sound like her voice belong to her.
Falkner finally snapped out of it, running toward the woman and placing both hands on her arms in an attempt to pull her off. It took a while since Mrs. Amoretto's grip on her was so tight. Noctowl and Togetic stepped in to help by using their hands, or in Noctowl's case, talons, to pry her fingers off of her. Falkner wasted no time pulling her to her feet.
"Stop! Don't restrain her! You're making it worse!" He yelled.
Julia ran to another teacher, sobbing and crying uncontrollably. Mrs. Amoretto glared at him before shouting, "She's my responsibility and I have to discipline her! I told you she was a naughty little troublemaker!"
Something inside him snapped. He couldn't believe she was trying to justify her horrific actions. Nobody deserved that. It was clear that Julia wasn't the one at fault, but Mrs. Amoretto was completely convinced that she was in spite of everything. He couldn't help himself. He lost control.
"If you think hitting her and screaming at her is going to solve anything, then you're not fit to be a teacher!" He wasted no time yanking out the handcuffs and slapping them on the teacher's wrists. "Hester Amoretto, you are under arrest for child abuse, child endangerment, and unlawful use of excessive force!" He signaled to another officer to let him use his car. Said officer opened the back door and Falkner led her to the car. Without mercy or sympathy, he pushed Mrs. Amoretto into the back seat.
"What are you arresting me for?! I'm doing my job! You should be on my side!" Mrs. Amoretto screeched like a little kid. "That little brat does nothing but make trouble and complain how everything isn't centered around her!"
"That describes you more than anything," Falkner sneered without even the tiniest mote of sympathy for this woman. "You basically confessed all of your crimes to me, so I have everything I need to convict you, and if not, I'll do whatever I can to make sure that you never even so much as go near a child ever again!" He shouted before slamming the car door in her face. That was satisfying.
With that, the policemen got inside the car and drove away, taking Mrs. Amoretto with them. Falkner hoped that she would be thrown in the slammer forever. Anyone who abuses their power to hurt and endanger others didn't deserve any sympathy in his book. Julia still clung to the other teacher, wailing and sobbing. It was understandable, really. Falkner walked over to the teacher.
"Thanks...for intervening. But what should we do now?" The teacher asked. "Are you going to report this?"
"Of course!" Falkner exclaimed. "That should be your job, too! All you did was stand there as your fellow teacher was beating this kid over something that wasn't her fault!"
The teacher recoiled, squeezing her eyes shut at the yelling. Falkner sighed. "I'll take her," He gently took Julia by the hand and escorted her away from the scene. He whistled for noctowl and togetic to follow him.
It was loud out there. Loud with people screaming, pokemon howling, and police sirens blaring. Something inside him told him that Julia needed to go to a quiet place to calm down. He knew exactly what he needed to do: tell the principal about this, report the incident, and call the girl's parents. They had a right to know what happened to their child. He was not going to let Mrs. Amoretto get away with this. Julia cried the whole way to the principal's office. Falkner didn't even knock as he just walked through the door.
An old man with a small beard looked up from his desk. "Oh! Falkner! What's-" It didn't take long for him to notice Julia. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Can you make her stop whin-"
"I need to talk to you," He hissed. Something in Falkner's voice told the principal that he meant business, and was in no mood for nonsense. The principal fell silent.
Falkner facepalmed. Not even the principal cared to understand what was going on! What was the Pokemon Academy coming to? He kneeled down to Julia's level. "You'll stay here for now. It's nice and quiet. I'll tell the principal everything, and he'll call your parents so they can pick you up. Okay?" He told her in a low, calm, soft voice. Frightening her even more wasn't going to do anyone any good.
Julia nodded but continued to cry. Then he had an idea. Falkner pressed his lips into an O shape and whistled. Togetic and noctowl flew right over. As soon as they made sound, Julia's sobbing lowered into low hiccups. Then they stopped altogether when she saw the two pokemon in front of her. Julia smiled when the togetic approached her with its own beaming smile. This told Falkner that pokemon were what she needed to calm down.
"These are my pokemon. They'll stay with you until your parents come," Falkner said. "Is that okay?"
"Will they be my friends?"
Falkner smiled. "Of course."
"Yay! Shankuu!" Julia chirruped cheerfully, wasting no time in trapping the togetic in a hug. Noctowl wiped her tears with its large wing gently. Togetic burst into laughter as little Julia nuzzled her happily.
He told the principal everything and made him call her parents. He could tell even he seemed indifferent to the whole situation. Seeing the lack of concern made Falkner's heart fall to the pit of his stomach. This was not someone he wanted to trust with Pokemon Academy, even if they were on good terms regarding a lot of things. After that, he had gone back to the gym to face some trainers. Even so, his entire view of teachers had been shaken, and would be for the rest of his life.
(end flashback)
"Falkner?" A hand pressed on his shoulder, shaking him awake.
"Whuh?" His police hat fell off of his head, rolling on his desk. He looked up to find a woman next to him. She was dressed in a blue and red police woman's outfit and had spiky teal hair tied in two low pigtails along with reddish brown eyes.
"Wake up, sleepy head," She said.
"Oh," Falkner rubbed his eyes. "Sorry about that. I think I dozed off there."
"I could hear you snoring all the way from the second floor," The woman said. "You should go home and rest. You have gym battles tomorrow, right?"
The sleepy man stretched his arms out. "Thanks, Officer Jenny," The night was still young, but for him, it was time to hit the hay. His office was not the place to do so.
People used to say that getting lots of exercise in the wilderness makes it easier to sleep the night afterward. As far as Julia knew, whoever said that was right, because she slept like a log all throughout the night. No nightmares, no tossing around, no waking up at one o'clock in the morning sometimes, nothing of the sort. Once she got herself dressed and ready, she moseyed over to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. She picked out a banana, some yogurt, a bowl of brown rice, and a cinnamon roll. She was happy they sold her favorite vanilla creme flavored yogurt.
As she consumed her breakfast, she watched as trainers scuttled about, whether it was to give their pokemon to Nurse Joy or leaving the Pokemon Center for whatever reason. Maybe they wanted to go the gym and battle Falkner. Perhaps to train at the Sprout Tower. Maybe they were going to their next destination or sticking around to train their pokemon some more. Then it hit her: she needed to call her parents. She didn't finish her breakfast, deciding to save it for her pokemon.
She walked over to a green visual phone on the wall. She let her pokemon out and let them have the rest of her breakfast. Her pokemon happily consumed it as she punched in her phone number. The screen displayed some static for a moment before an image of Kassia appeared. As soon as she saw her daughter, a hand flew to her mouth like she had seen something unusual.
"Julia! Is that you, dear?" Kassia exclaimed, holding a phone to her ear.
"Hi, Mom. It's me. I had intended to call you last night, but I was really tired," Julia told her.
"It's alright. I'm just so happy to see you and hear your voice. You're looking well," Kassia's eyes were brimming with joy. "Where are you right now?"
"Violet City."
"Wow. That's not too far from here. It's been a while since we've been there. Have you caught any new pokemon?"
"Just two, a sentret and a pidgey. I named them Neji and Tsubasa."
"That's lovely, dear. I'd put your father on the phone but he had to go to work early today," Kassia rubbed her hair with one hand, wishing Truman was here right now.
Julia gripped the phone tightly, looking down at her knees. "Mom? Can I ask you something?" Julia asked, her voice quivering somewhat.
Kassia could see the slightly sad expression on her daughter's face. Moms had a way of figuring these things out. "What is it? You look sad."
"Do you remember what happened after…" Her throat closed up for a moment. She had the answers she needed, so bringing it up again now wasn't going to do anything. But her memories of that day had become vague. "...the incident at the school? Y'know, with...Amoretto?" She didn't use Mrs. to refer to her. Julia considered that woman not a person worth respecting.
Her mother sighed. "I was hoping to forget about that blasted woman…" She mused out loud. "Then again, you were pretty young back then. We sued the school for not treating you right and we won. But your father and I...saw the woman at court and we...kind of lost our tempers with her."
She definitely remembered seeing her parents argue with Mrs. Amoretto at the courthouse. She always hated yelling. It always felt like her ears would be ripped apart whenever someone raised their voice, even if it was for her sake. In her heart, she knew her parents were yelling to defend her and call out the woman for what she had done. She just wished it wasn't so loud back then. She had to hide near a court bench so she could get away from the yelling and Mrs. Amoretto.
"The principal fired her, but we couldn't bear to take you back there," Kassia continued further. "We transferred you to the school in Cherrygrove because they had better services for you and teachers who had a better understanding of autism," There was that word again. Autism. All throughout her life, Julia never thought anything of it. She just assumed it was a part of her that made her what she was. She never thought it to be bad. The fact that she was treated badly by a stupid teacher because the teacher thought autism meant the kid did nothing but cause trouble and throw tantrums for no reason...it just put a damper on her mood.
"Did you know that the gym leader of Violet was the one who arrested her?"
"Falkner? Yes! I know who you're talking about. He's such a nice man."
"I...I actually met him yesterday," Julia confessed.
"Really? That's wonderful! How is he?"
"Good. He's nice. He said he was the one who helped me when Mrs. Amoretto was...y'know."
"Yes. He told us everything. I don't think anything good would have happened if he hadn't been there."
"Mom. I...I'm going to Sprout Tower after this."
"Sprout Tower?"
"To...To battle."
If Julia had told Kassia that she met the man of her dreams, her mother wouldn't have smiled so brightly. Kassia's eyes widened and she squealed with joy. "Oh my goodness! That's wonderful! I'm so proud of you!" Soon, she found herself confused and tilted her head to one side to prove it. "But you hate pokemon battles."
"I know. But he said the sages at the tower have a different view on it. I...I want to see battling from their perspective…"
"I see. You've been so convinced that pokemon battles were nothing but cruel and barbaric. You even got yourself hurt stopping some of my pokemon from battling," Beeping noises could be heard on Kassia's side of the line. Her eyes widened like someone hopped in out of nowhere and scared her. "Oh dear! My dumpling recipe is ready! I have to go, sweetie. You stay safe."
"Yes, Mom."
"Brush your teeth, take care of yourself, eat lots of healthy foods, and wear your bra when you go out. Okay?"
Julia's face turned red at that last part. She always hated it when her mother would bring that up. "Yes, Mom. I know."
"Bye!" With that, the screen turned black, and Julia hung the phone up.
A new resolve formed in her heart. Perhaps if she battled the sages there, then her hatred for pokemon battles could go away. After all, pokemon battles today were different from those of long ago. She put her pokemon in her PokeBalls and made her way to Sprout Tower. Since it was at the end of town, it took Julia a while to get there. When she got there, the tower seemed to loom right over her, as its large size made her look like a baby ant in comparison. The tower's walls were a deep shade of chocolate brown, its walls weary from many years of exposure to nature, and its three tiered roofs were a deep violet purple.
Taking in a breath with her nose, Julia opened the doors to the tower and took her first steps inside. The inside of the tower was lit by the natural light of the sun outside. In the very middle of the room was a large wooden pillar swaying from side to side. Standing between her were two bronze statues all carved to resemble bellsprout. Standing next to some stairs was a bald man dressed in navy blue monk robes, with purple prayer beads in his hands.
Julia never liked talking to people, especially not strangers. Family and friends, she was okay with. But she knew that since she was on her journey, she was going to have to talk to people whether she liked it or not. "Umm...excuse me!"
"Yes?"
"Umm...I heard trainers are allowed to battle here on the upper floors?"
"Yes, this is true. Do you wish to engage in battle with the trainers here?"
"Y-Y-Yes…"
"May I see your trainer card?"
She rummaged through her bag and pulled out her ID. "Ah, I see. Falkner told us you'd be coming here," The monk-like man escorted her to some stairs. "Right this way, please. I'll escort you to the Elder."
The two of them had to go up three flights of stairs, which weren't too long, but they made it to the highest floor. Six people gathered at the center of the top floor, with one of them being an old man in his seventies or eighties. The old man, unlike the others, was wearing a navy blue and yellow robe and white sandals. He was bald like the younger monks, but he had fluffy white eyebrows and a matching beard that went down to his chest.
The monk that accompanied Julia bowed before the old man. "Elder Li. Julia Parisa has arrived and wishes to battle us," The man said.
Julia's eyes widened in surprise. Once again, someone she didn't know knew her name. The monk did say that Falkner had told them about her. The old man, Li, stretched his arms out and approached them. "Thank you, Nico," He looked at Julia, who averted his gaze. "So you wish to battle us sages. We welcome you to Sprout Tower. Some people also refer to it as Bellsprout Pagoda."
She clutched her bag strap tightly. "Umm...this is my first time battling anyone."
"I see," Elder Li said. "We have encountered many new trainers. You will battle Nico first."
Nico was the monk who escorted Julia up here. "If you can defeat all six of my friends in battle, you can battle me afterward. I want to observe you and watch you learn. Is that alright?" Elder Li explained.
"Y-Yes. That's fine."
Julia and Nico stood at least forty feet away from each other, giving them plenty of room for the pokemon to battle. Elder Li stood on the far side of the battlefield alongside his friends. "Trainers, call forth your pokemon!"
Nico pulled out a PokeBall. "Bellsprout! I choose you!" He threw the PokeBall, and out came a plant pokemon with green leaves for arms, a yellow bell shaped head, two small black eyes shaped like circles, and a pink mouth.
"Bellsprout!"
She already knew which pokemon she wanted to use, but pulled out her PokeDex to get information on her opponent. "Bellsprout, the flower pokemon. Bellsprout are carnivorous pokemon that trap and eat bugs, and love hot and humid weather. Their thin, skinny bodies are flexible enough to allow it to sway in any direction, and they can secrete a corrosive liquid that can melt iron."
Julia pulled out Papillon's PokeBall. "Papillon! I choose-" Before she could release Papillon, a white light appeared from another PokeBall. Out came Tsubasa, who let out a harsh battle cry. "Uuugh! Tsubasa!"
"Coo coo coo!"
"You want to battle? Okay then," Now that she thought about it, Tsubasa was a flying type and Bellsprout was both a grass and poison type. Tsubasa had the advantage. If she played her cards right, she could win this battle in a snap. But she didn't want to get cocky. Anything could go wrong, even with a type advantage. Tsubasa fluttered onto the battlefield, laughing at the bellsprout in front of her. Bellsprout didn't even say a word.
"This will be a one-on-one battle! With that...battle begin!"
"Bellsprout! Use Vine Whip!" Nico commanded. Long, green vines shot out from the leaves on the bellsprout's body, flying toward Tsubasa with great speed.
"Tsubasa! Dodge it and use Gust!" On cue, Tsubasa flew past the vines before flapping her wings, creating a harsh gust of wind that could blow anyone away. Oddly enough, the bellsprout's tiny feet were firmly rooted to the ground.
"Use Acid!" Bellsprout's yellow head ballooned into a ball before it let out a harsh puking sound, unleashing a torrent of orange liquid. Tsubasa had stopped flapping her wings and had tried to fly away, but the acid fell on her fur. The acid burned her fur, causing her to cry out. Her wings couldn't support her anymore and she fell to the ground with a small thud.
"No! Tsubasa!" Julia's hands almost flew to her face. Tsubasa struggled to get back on her feet, not intent on giving up just yet. Once she got back on her talons, she spread her wings out far and wide, letting out a battle cry. "Tsubasa! You don't have to do this anymore!"
"Coo coo!" ("But I want to!")
"Bellsprout! Use Vine Whip once more!" Once again, long green vines shot out from bellsprout's body, charging right toward Tsubasa.
"Use Wing Attack to push them away!" Julia cried out. The tiny bird's wings glowed in a bright white light, flashing as they collided with the green vines, smacking them away. The vines wound up hitting the bellsprout on its head twice. "Good! Now use Sand At-" She stopped herself as the realization hit her. They were in a building with wooden floors. There was no way Tsubasa could use Sand Attack in this kind of environment.
"Stun Spore!" Bellsprout spat out a yellow cloud of glittering golden dust.
"Use Gust to blow it away!" Tsubasa got the message. The pain in her fur subsided, and she was able to fly upward to evade the golden cloud. Once she was high enough, she flapped her wings up and down with all her might, blowing away the cloud of dust. All of a sudden, bellsprout leaped from the ground, wrapping itself all around Tsubasa to the point where the tiny bird couldn't open her wings. As a result, the two fell to the ground with another thud.
"Tsubasa!"
"Use Wrap!"
Julia was out of ideas. Tsubasa kept pecking at the bellsprout's leaves and feet, but the plant didn't even feel it, or if it did, it didn't notice nor care. What could she do? She was no expert on battling, so strategies were not her strong suit. Tsubasa had used most of her attacks, and Julia was sure that the ones she could use right now would be of no use. Before long, Tsubasa chirruped before finally slumping to the ground. It was at this point that the bellsprout let go.
"Tsubasa…" Julia's eyes blurred.
"Tsubasa the pidgey is unable to battle!" Elder Li extended his hand out toward Nico. "The winner is Nico!"
Her heart sank as she kneeled down to cradle the bird in her arms. Tsubasa let out some coos, claiming she could still fight, but even the little bird knew that her body couldn't take much more. Julia hugged her little friend tightly as the tears flowed. She didn't notice Nico approaching her with his fellow bellsprout on his shoulders.
"You lost because you hesitated, letting your heart be consumed by crippling doubt," Nico told her in a low voice. He had intended for it to be gentle, but that didn't mean his words didn't hurt in some way. Julia knew he was just trying to teach her something, and for what it was worth, she did learn a lot from this battle. "There is nothing wrong with having doubts. That is a normal part of life," He explained further. "However, hesitation and doubt can cloud your judgment, and it can result in both you and your pokemon not being able to cooperate in a way that can strengthen your bond."
At least he wasn't being malicious about it, she told herself. In her heart, she was at least happy that he wasn't personally attacking her for her lack of battling prowess. He did make very valid points. Not only that, this was a one-on-one battle, so she still had plenty of pokemon to use against the sages. Crying wasn't going to solve anything. "Thank you, sir. I apologize for being so weak."
"Coo coo coo!" Tsubasa suddenly yelled.
"She's saying I should consider this loss to be a new chance at getting better," Julia said.
Nico tilted his head to one side. The other sages looked at each other with confused faces. "I was going to say just that. Would you like to battle the rest of us?"
The resolve in her heart hardened like a metapod's skin, becoming stronger. "Yes. I would."
"Alright," Nico stepped away, allowing for another sage to come forth.
"I am Jin. I will be your next opponent," Jin positioned himself at the battle field.
Julia put Tsubasa back in her PokeBall and released Papillon instead. Papillon stood in the battlefield, unmoving, unbothered by anything going on. Like Nico, Jin also had a bellsprout. "Battle begin!"
"Bellsprout!" Jin made the first move. "Use Vine Whip!"
"Harden!"
The metapod's skin glowed in a silver light for a brief moment. Bellsprout's vines slapped Papillon at least four times, but none of them made so much as a dent. After all, the skin of a metapod is as hard as steel. Bellsprout found itself tilting its head to one side. "Bell bell?"
"Papillon! Tackle!" On cue, Papillon charged right at the sentient flower, ramming right into it. Bellsprout was lost in its confusion, leaving it unable to react right away. As a result, the bellsprout found itself being thrown on the battlefield, rolling on the ground.
No more hesitation. "Now use String Shot!" Julia cried out. Papillon bounced on the ground before shooting white webs of silk from the top of its head.
"Use Cut!" Bellsprout sharpened its leaves before slicing the silk web to threads. "Now use Poison Powder!" Like before, the bellsprout's head ballooned into a ball before it shot out a cloud of purple smoke. This time, Papillon wasn't able to avoid it despite being able to move.
"No! Papillon!" Julia cried. She covered her mouth so she herself wouldn't unknowingly breathe in the poison. This was no time to hesitate. "Can you...still fight?"
"Metapod!" Papillon answered with a nod.
"Use Tackle!" Once again, the metapod charged at the bellsprout. This time, it swayed to the left, dodging the attack. "Keep going at it!" Every single time, Papillon threw itself at the bellsprout. Every time, the bellsprout dodged elegantly. At one point, Papillon found itself stopping in her tracks, wincing in pain, probably from the poison. All of a sudden, Papillon glowed in a soft white light. Rolls of skin peeled off of Papillon before disappearing completely.
Julia's fear morphed into relief. She knew what this was. 'Oh! I forgot Papillon had the Shed Skin ability!' She thought. Papillon gave her a nod, telling her this was her time to shine. Julia nodded back.
"Use Cut!"
"Harden, then use Tackle!"
Bellsprout tried to cut through Papillon's rock hard shell with its sharpened leaves, but nothing it did left so much as a scratch. When the bellsprout stopped to breathe, Papillon took this chance to tackle it, sending it rolling across the battlefield. Bellsprout didn't even get up. "Bellsprout is unable to battle! Papillon the metapod is the winner!"
Julia thought her ears were playing tricks on her. She actually won a pokemon battle. She couldn't believe it. The confusion suddenly turned to joy, and she couldn't resist the urge to cheer and jump up and down. "Yaaaaay!" Papillon leaped into her arms, allowing Julia to spin around, trapping her in a big hug. "You won, Papillon! You were awesome!"
"Metapod! Metapod!"
Jin pulled his bellsprout back into his PokeBall. "You did well, my friend," Julia stopped cheering when she saw that. She ran over to him and bowed apologetically.
"I'm sorry! Bellsprout's not hurt, is it?"
The bald monk smiled. "He'll be fine. He's just too tired to battle anymore. You did well."
Hearing that made the girl's heart go warm. But there were still four more sages to battle. Julia had convinced herself that battling was cruel and violent. Now that she got to experience it herself for the first time, perhaps there was something more to it. Papillon certainly looked a lot stronger and even happier. "Metapod!"
"Do you still want to battle? If you're tired you don't have to keep going."
Papillon nodded. "Metapod!" ("I want to keep going!")
"Alright. I won't stop you. But you better eat this first," Despite having no visible mouth, Julia gave her cocoon friend an Oran berry so she could get her energy back. Papillon gobbled it up without another word, and before anyone knew it, she was back on the battlefield.
She battled sages Chow, Neal, Troy, and Edmond right afterward. Papillon battled Chow and Neal's bellsprouts like usual, and despite their using the same pokemon, they used different attacking methods. Chow's bellsprout knew Sleep Powder and Neal's bellsprout knew Razor Leaf. Since Papillon knew Harden, and her ability was Shed Skin, she was able to continuously keep the upper hand in battle, and knocked them out.
When the battle with Neal was over, something amazing happened. Papillon glowed in a brilliant white light. She was shining so brightly, the entire floor was lit up. A set of round wings sprouted out from Papillon's back. Antennae and legs sprouted out from her body as well. Soon, the light dissipated, and out came a purple butterfly pokemon with round, red eyes. One Julia recognized far too well. "Eeeee freee! Eeeee free!"
"Papillon's a butterfree now!" Julia's eyes glowed with joy.
The monks all silently rejoiced in Papillon's evolution. But there were only two more battles to go. Figuring that Papillon needed her rest, Julia switched her with Neji in her battle with Edmond, whose bellsprout knew Flash. The battle was difficult, but Neji managed to defeat Edmond's bellsprout. Neji wound up losing to Troy's bellsprout, as it knew Growth. Thankfully, she had defeated four out of six younger monks. Four wins and two losses. Julia found that to be reasonable. She was just starting out, after all. Last but not least was Elder Li.
"You have made substantial progress, Julia," Elder Li said as he positioned himself on the battlefield. "We sages of Sprout Tower view battling as a way for us trainers to bond with our pokemon. To understand them on a level that we cannot outside of battle. All living beings can coexist through cooperation, and battling is no different. That's why your pokemon managed to win in battle, because they grew to trust you and followed your instructions."
Julia clutched her PokeBall tightly. He was right. Instead of being repulsed by the battles she engaged in, a warm glow enveloped her heart. The joy on her pokemon's faces when they won was all too evident. Perhaps battling wasn't about senseless violence after all. It was a good thing Falkner showed her that book.
"Hoothoot! Go forth!" A brown bird pokemon came out of Li's PokeBall. It had tiny wings and large, red eyes that looked as though they could see into one's soul. It was a lot bigger than Tsubasa, but about Aqua's size. Hikaru hopped onto the battlefield, ready to fight.
"You're not going to use a bellsprout?" Julia asked.
"Not today. My little friend is keeping my wife company at home," Li replied.
Troy took up the referee position. "Once again, this will be a one-on-one battle! Ready? Battle begin!"
This time, Julia made the first move. "Hikaru! Use Tail Whip!"
Hikaru waggled its tiny black tail cutely. "Now use Thunder Wave!" On command, Hikaru shot tiny volts of lightning at hoothoot. Since the bird pokemon could fly, it managed to dodge every single attack by flying everywhere.
"Hoothoot. Use Hypnosis," Elder Li commanded.
"Hoothoot!" Its eyes glowed in an eerie red light. Hikaru managed to squeeze her eyes shut so she wouldn't be put to sleep.
"Hikaru! Don't look it in the eyes! Use Thundershock!" There was no way Hikaru was going to lose this battle. Without warning, Hikaru brought down a jolt of yellow lightning. It came so fast, the hoothoot wasn't able to dodge it this time. Its entire body burned as the electricity surged through its veins. Finally, the shock dissipated, and hoothoot was back in action.
"Use Peck!" Elder Li commanded. Hoothoot flew over to Hikaru and jabbed her beak all over the little mouse's body. Hikaru kept running to try and evade it, but the hoothoot was just as fast as she was.
"Hikaru! Don't give up! Bite on its wing and use Thunder Wave!" Julia shouted. Hikaru did as ordered and clamped her teeth on hoothoot's left wing. Hikaru's cheeks crackled with electricity, and she electrocuted the hoothoot with a smaller jolt this time. When she let go, hoothoot found itself unable to move. Yellow sparks of electricity crackled all around hoothoot.
"My goodness. Very clever," Elder Li brushed his beard with one hand. "Hoothoot. Use Confusion," He told it in a low voice.
"Hoothoot!" Hoothoot's eyes glowed in a purple light. A purple aura surrounded Hikaru, and the tiny mouse found herself being pulled into the air like she was floating. She flailed her tiny arms and feet to break free, but nothing she did worked. All of a sudden, she found herself being thrown across the battlefield.
"Hikaru!" Julia wanted so badly to go over there and cradle Hikaru in her arms. She couldn't bear to see her friend getting hurt. But she steeled herself from doing so. If she interfered, the battle would be over, and she kept telling herself that she shouldn't baby her pokemon or treat them like glass. She had to see a pokemon battle from a different perspective. Much to her relief, Hikaru brushed off the pain. "Can you...still battle?"
Hikaru flashed a thumb's up. "Pichu!"
"Okay! Now use...Disarming Voice!" As ordered, Hikaru opened her mouth wide, letting out a shrill cry. Pink circles of light, accompanied by dancing darker pink hearts, suddenly bombarded hoothoot into submission. Hoothoot tried to fly away, but the electricity crippling its body made it go numb. Nothing it tried was able to let it evade the attack. Despite not having visible ears, hoothoot's ear drums rang. "Finish it off with Thundershock!" Once more, a bolt of thunder rained down on the bird pokemon.
The tiny hoothoot fell to the ground, unable to move or battle any further. Troy could see it plain as day, as did the other monks. "Hoothoot is unable to battle! Hikaru the pichu is the winner, and the victory goes to Julia Parisa of New Bark Town!" He stretched his hand out toward Julia to empathize her victory.
Without a word, Elder Li called his hoothoot back to his PokeBall. "You did well, my friend," He stood up right as Julia walked up to him with an apologetic look on her face. The same one she had when she won against Jin. "Battling you has been a great pleasure. I must say, your battling style is still developing, but it has a kind of elegance to it."
"Elegant?" Julia asked, tilting her head to one side. "I can't see how battles can be elegant."
Elder Li let out a chuckle. "Sprout Tower is a place of training. People and pokemon test their bonds to build a bright future together. I was your final test, and I must say, you have certainly proven that the bonds you have between your pokemon are strong and full of love."
"I love my pokemon," Julia held Hikaru close to her chest. "They're family to me."
"As long as you treat your pokemon well, you will become a great trainer. There was a girl who came just before you did, and although she was a skilled battler, she was far too harsh on her pokemon," Elder Li told her gently.
Strong battler. Too harsh on her pokemon. It came to Julia right away. "Was her name Amara by any chance?"
Elder Li's eyes suddenly widened with surprise. "Yes. That was her. How did you know?"
"She's my big sister, and she's on the National Blacklist, AND she stole a totodile from Professor Elm's lab, AND she's not supposed to have any pokemon let alone battle with them AND she should have been reported AAAAND why didn't you report her?!" Julia suddenly yelled out of nowhere. One of the monks facepalmed, lamenting his error.
The bearded monk closed his eyes, reminiscing on the day Amara had battled him. He remembered watching her harshly scold her totodile for losing a battle with Edmond. When she came back, she managed to beat him despite the type disadvantage. "You are quite skilled, young lady. However, I feel you treat your pokemon too harshly. Pokemon are not tools of war. They are sentient beings with feelings, and you should treat them with respect."
He would never forget the defiant glare she gave him. "Shut up, you old coot! They're my pokemon and I can do whatever the heck I want with them! I don't need stupid old men like you ordering me around! Now go die!"
Disrespectful. Disgraceful. Intolerable, the way she treated her pokemon and Elder Li. He cleared his throat. "I had no knowledge that she was on the blacklist. Had I known, I would have reported her. I apologize for my error."
"I'm sorry she said all that bad stuff to you," Julia said. She knew her sister never did get along well with authority and always back talked them, she couldn't believe she'd be bold enough to tell an old man to go die. If she ever caught up with Amara, she was going to give her a massive verbal lashing. Nobody deserved to be told to go and die, especially someone as nice as Li. It was bad enough Amara treated Kassia and Truman like garbage any time they so much as said hi to her.
"Tell me...why are you on your journey?"
"I want to track Amara down, give her to the police, and make sure she's held responsible for everything she's done!" She announced without any hesitation.
"Hmmm…" Elder Li crossed his arms, ruminating. "While that is an admirable goal, one should go on a journey for their own sake, not for the sake of someone else. A journey is meant to help you grow, see new things, learn from others, and expose you to new sights, smells, and experiences," He put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I hope you will learn many new things and grow on your journey."
Julia nodded. "Thank you, sir. I...I don't think I hate battling anymore."
Right then, it came to her. She knew what she wanted to do now.
Yeah, this chapter got way too long. I thought about putting in her battle with Falkner and other stuff, but that's gonna have to be saved for the next chapter. I put in the flashback and it got pretty long, so I didn't want to drag it out. Yeah, I know, I suck at writing pokemon battles.
Now I know what you're thinking, "Don't you think you overdid it with the teacher abusing her like that?" I know it comes off as melodramatic and even a little unrealistic, but let's face it. Stuff like this actually does happen in real life. I've seen far too many stories on the news where disabled kids are unfairly mistreated by untrained teachers and other authorities, be it with restraints, hand cuffs, or even straitjackets. Many teachers even go as far as to press themselves on kids, pinning them down to the point of rendering them unable to breathe, or even lock them in isolated rooms for hours without end. One kid died from such use of excessive force, and to this day, incidents like these still happen. Many of the victims are non-verbal and are unable to tell anyone these things unless their parents or other kind samaritans get involved.
We can't deal with disabled kids with brute force, hatred, or discrimination, only understanding, patience, kindness, open-mindedness, and a willingness to cooperate with the parties involved. Using unlawful and unethical methods to treat disabled kids is bad, and it needs to stop. It's no better than bullying.