There's a new boy at our school. His name is Daniel, he's from Orre. He's in my class. He sits at the back, minding his own business most of the time. He's really quiet. I think he's been home-schooled for ages, so he's never been to a real school before. He's got a lot of learning to do.

There's a new boy at our school. Yeah, he's from Orre. Everybody was teasing him today, because he brought his pokemon to school. It wasn't even 'bring your pokemon to school day' or anything, he just brought it along for the company I think. Maybe someone told him he'd make more friends like that. It was a Bonsly, too- that's how come everyone knew he wasn't from Kanto. Nobody in Kanto would take their Bonsly to school with them. Nobody in Kanto would even admit to having a Bonsly. Most people just pretend they don't know what a Bonsly is.

There's a new boy at our school. Daniel. He hardly talks at all, and he takes his Bonsly around with him everywhere, coz it's his only friend. That's why people in different regions are so unadvanced, Dad says; they rely so heavily on their pokemon. Jamie sat next to him all day, but I don't think he spoke much. Jamie's kinda weird anyway- maybe he thought he'd finally get a friend or something. Fine with me. Nobody ever speaks to Jamie and nobody's gonna wanna speak to the new kid either, so they'll probably get along well together. Too bad if they don't; they don't really have much choice. Maybe if they acted like normal people, they'd have normal friends.

There's a new boy at our school. His name's Daniel, and he's really sweet. He's got the prettiest deep brown eyes and this kind of straw-coloured brown hair. And he's got freckles on his nose. I think they're so cute. I think he saw me looking at him. I hope nobody else did. If anyone saw me checking out the little Orre kid, they'd think I was a freak or had some weird fetish or something. I still think he's cute though. I didn't talk to him today- he hardly talked to anyone, except his Bonsly. It's so cute! Nobody carries their pokemon around with them anymore, it's so cool he's got one not many people know about, even if it is from Orre. I wonder what happened to him over there? Maybe something dreadful and he had to run away from home. Maybe his parents were cannibals. I've heard there are cannibals in Orre. I wish he didn't sit next to Jamie, Jamie's such a loser. Maybe I'll sit next to him tomorrow.

There's a new boy at our school. He seems nice enough, if a little withdrawn. He just needs to get used to the classroom environment- they probably didn't have proper schooling at his old home. He's from Orre. Well, I don't mind, as long as none of the parents complain. Not my job to judge, just my job to teach. The other students seem to be getting on fine with him.

There's a new boy at our school. He's from Orre, and he carries his stinking Orre pokemon around with him everywhere. It's disgusting. He's a freak, nobody likes him. He sat by himself like a loner at lunch, it was hilarious. I know what my dad thinks of people from Orre- I'm not stupid, I know what they do over there. I'm not letting a kid like that have it easy at Barkleigh's. I taught him a lesson after school- I felt a bit better after. I hope he never comes back.

There's a new boy at our school.

KATE

Was kinda a surprise when Mrs Braeden stood a new kid up in front of the class today. He looked so scared; so lost and alone. One hand clutched a little Bonsly at the branches on his head. Bonsly looked nervous too. Mrs Braeden told us all his name was Daniel, and that he was a new kid and everybody remembers what it's like being the new kid, don't they, so all play nicely in the playground.

She's so blissfully ignorant sometimes, Mrs Braeden. She thinks just because we don't know how to spell words, or can't think of the right one to put in the right order, we don't think properly and we're all stupid. I guess that's what they teach you at Primary School Teacher school. They don't realise we all have thinking, talking parents with interesting lives and important jobs and we understand how things happen round here, even if we don't know how to say it to adults. We're all at Barkleigh's, that at least should count for something. It means our parents are rich- which means they have high-earning jobs- which means they've gotten their way to the top- which in turn, I guess, means that they're all clever people. Or assassins, maybe. She could give us a little credit, I think, could Mrs Braeden.

Mrs Braeden sat up there and told us all about the new kid and tried to pretend we didn't all know straight away he was from Orre, from the dirty region; what that meant for him. We all had important, high up parents who had told us all about the problem with Orre. What happened to everyone. The downfall. We've all heard the stories about the Shadow Pokemon, destroying the landscape; about the people overthrowing the government and ripping apart society; about all the tribes that live there now, breeding all the pokemon they can, trying to nurse the land back to a healthy state. We know about the people that got killed. That was all years and years ago, and people think we don't know but we do. We all know. We all listen to our parents talking. It's all such a huge mess, they say to each other with worried looks. What are we going to do? What are our children going to do?

And there have been plenty of rumours going round about what the people in Orre turned out like, after they overthrew the government, went back to their roots and got in touch with the pokemon again. There were a lot of stories. I've heard them all- which is pretty reasonable, considering who my father is. Orre villagers, savages, cannibals even. All Orrens have rabies, Orrens never take showers. They sleep with their pokemon, they "sleep" with their pokemon. They eat pokemon. They eat each other. They'll eat you; they'll come to your house at night and creep through your window and eat you while you're sleeping. We're all just scared, because they're so much more right than we are.

That's true- they're right. They've got it right. All this stuffing round with pokemon and training and everything and the Orrens just figured out how to actually connect with them. The rest of us can't handle it. That's what the real problem is; what we all want more than anything else is our pokemon to understand us, but they don't. And an Orren comes along and just does it, just like that. It's not fair, we're all jealous. It's strange now, the Orrens are slowly siphoning into the other regions, moving out, and we're only just realising how very right they are. That's the true reason why we all hate Orrens, because they're so much better than us.

I suppose Kantons pride themselves on being on a higher level than all that 'Pokemon Trainer' stuff that ruled everybody's lives for so long. No, we're better than all that now, we're doctors and lawyers and teachers- and we go to schools to learn how to be people, not how to train pokemon. We're over all that. I don't know if that's really true; that's what we hope is true. Someone from Orre comes along with his Bonsly, all doting and understanding and they have their bond, their connection, like nobody on Kanto could ever dream of having; it reminds us all what we're pretending we're better than, rubs our faces in it. So, we make up vicious rumours about the savage Orrens and don't talk to any new kid called Daniel who carries a Bonsly around with him everywhere.

Bonsly. The coolest pokemon to have ten years ago; now it's the symbol of Orre, of that terrible nation that figured it out before we did. We hate Bonsly, we hate Daniel, we hate Orre. I don't think he even realises.

I saw them. I was there, after school. I saw Jake and the boys beating him up. I saw his little Bonsly running around, trying to figure out how to help his friend. I didn't do anything. I'm weak. It's disgusting, the way Jake controls people. He has power over us and he knows it. I stood there and watched him slog into Daniel again and again, and I didn't do anything because it's Jake and nobody can do anything. Bonsly couldn't even do anything. Daniel didn't even realise why everyone was laughing at him; pointing, jeering, spitting on him. Nobody talked to him the whole day and at the end of it, they took him outside and beat him up. And his little Bonsly ran with him, all the way home. That's what you get for coming from Orre.

They think we don't know. Mrs Braeden and all the rest. They think we're little kids having happy little primary school lives and smiling and laughing all day. They think we don't realise how screwed up this society we're a part of is. But we do. We're the children of the leaders of today, and we're going to lead tomorrow. When I get in charge, there's going to be some changes around here.