Anyways, today we're going to dive into more of how our characters fare outside of class. This is the sort of thing I want to focus on more, since this story is primarily about these characters. And I doubt anyone wants to read about a bunch of lectures.
Before we begin, review answers incoming!
jjjdunk1: I did warn everybody it was going to be the hardest course of all!
The Sergeant is always right...in his own opinion of course.
pokemonking0924: The obstacle course was meant to be tough, and it was almost guaranteed it would come with a tough teacher. As for the permits, yeah I figured they would add a good sense of worldbuilding even if they aren't as key to the story as, say, the Celestica people.
Clubs ARE coming up, but not for another chapter or two. I want to build the characters up just a little bit more.
Cappage Boy: Hey hey, I haven't seen you reviewing for a while! Nice to see you again!
The reason Donovan didn't end up dominating everybody is pretty simple: he may have once been a well-seasoned ranger that could beat even Sergeant Forrest in a race, the body he's found himself in does not have that strength yet. It doesn't matter how much training you went through before if you've been sent back to a body without that physical capability. At this time, Gwendolyn IS just a bit more capable, but Donovan will very quickly catch up.
coolhuh0526: The last update was less than a week after the one before it? It certainly felt longer than that! Wow!
Anyways, to the bulk of the review.
I figured Gwendolyn's POV was a good choice here, seeing as there's a lot to her and a quick glimpse at how she ticks would be very interesting. There's a lot of darkness in there though.
Yeah, it's not good that she thinks of others like that, but it certainly makes room for some good growth! As for her instincts, well...there's a reason she developed them. But how would Ray 'exploit' it? It sounds very much like something that would make things very hard for her opponents, without giving them a good shot at her.
I wasn't expecting people to like Sergeant Forrest! But the reasons you gave are a good explanation for it. Guess Mr. Douglas is still least popular, huh?
Hmm...wonder why Gwendolyn doesn't like soldiers? There's certainly no connection to a certain war seven years ago...
The history of the name Tenara is a long story that we won't touch for a while. But I will drop slight clues here and there, because I'm nice like that.
As stated above, I had reasons to not have Donovan beat everybody, but it was something I thought about! But the physical limitations are real, unfortunately.
I will just warn everyone right now - if somebody tries to take advantage of Gwendolyn's fear of fire, she will absolutely despise you for it. And as hinted already, she is a very dangerous enemy.
But hmm, wonder why her signature Pokemon is a Water-type?
As for Donovan, who says he's thinking about her past?
There is definitely a lot to work with involving permits, although as stated they won't be too important storywise.
Somebody likes Mr. Douglas's quote? Impossible! But yeah, it is sometimes funny to see people being stupid.
Rescue Wolf: Hmm, but will she ever find out?
Also, Forrest wins hands-down. Boris is scary, but he won't make you run fifty laps or make you do push-ups until he's bored.
Many of Gwendolyn's Pokemon care for her quite deeply. Gwendolyn may be antisocial and abrasive, but at least she cares for her Pokemon with all her power.
Either Dravilius likes getting hurt or he thinks getting knocked over by some wood is funny. Who can say? He's very odd.
There's a reason Gwendolyn can break wood with her bare hands, and yes, she is terrifying in a fight. We might even see one come up at some point.
Victor is rather good in a minefield, among other dangerous places. Why? Who knows?
Uh oh...I will neither confirm nor deny that you're onto something.
I figured Mr. Douglas needed something to make him more interesting.
Victor John Foxfire: A little Pidgey told me that Gwendolyn would sympathize with Victor rather than hate him for his prior training...although she may envy him somewhat. Perhaps one day they will talk about their pasts and form a closer bond because of it.
Not that this is something I have planned or anything...
Although, you are right Gwendolyn would hate to be forced to work as a group in one of these Ranger lessons. But it's practically guaranteed one's going to come up at some point.
She might very well surprise us yet, though.
Very analytical she is indeed, almost to the extent of Ray, though not quite. Her observations are quite accurate too...
Victor is definitely good at this thing already, but it only gets harder from here! And yeah, it was smart of him not to detonate multiple land mines in her face. Tough as he is, even he might not have survived the aftermath.
AnonChan1: Hello, I'm doing great! Let's see what you have to say this time around!
She is incredibly cautious, for many reasons. It will be interesting to see what they are.
Well, there's just SOMETHING with the Shuckle, that sends off alarm bells in people. Shelly just seems wrong. It's gonna be a bit until they find out just what it is.
Yup, poor insomniac Kea. Thankfully he knows how to handle it.
Hmm, but what if we DO want to see a fight between Victor and Gwendolyn, just to see what happens? It would definitely look rather interesting.
Who knows? It's too early to tell. So far, though, Sergeant Forrest seems to be a good teacher. Whether that'll change or not...it will be interesting to see.
Gwendolyn is super duper paranoid. It comes with the territory.
Hmm...so far, you're the only one who's mentioned that. An interesting observation.
Whipped cream lore? You want to know the whipped cream lore? How much do you really want to know about it? Would you rather learn how they made these grenades, or why almost every teacher seems to be running a little late? Very important questions here.
Yeah, I figured this would be the least popular class. From what I've heard, P.E. isn't popular in real life either. But it does give Gwendolyn room to exhaust her frustrations and think a bit.
I knew this would surprise everybody! It's always nice to see a passionate teacher, even if it's for odd reasons. And I'm glad you like the permit thing! I might actually have to focus more on it than I had originally planned.
Uspeon: Hello, good to see you! Here's my review reply for you!
First, welcome to Shelly Hypothesizing Club! It's always interesting to see another attempt to determine his origins. You might even be getting closer to figuring it out, although his full story will probably still manage to surprise everyone.
Hmm...I do want to write about how Lucas tries to interact with him at some point, but that won't be for a little while.
Gwendolyn is certainly one of our more complex characters. The question is, has she only had one traumatic experience, or multiple?
As for Sergeant Forrest's familiarity with the Tenara family name...well, he's certainly had some experience with it. What that experience was...who knows?
Perhaps he could help with Gwendolyn's trauma...if she'd let him. Or maybe that's a job for her future Ranger mentor. That part of the permits lesson is going to get used at some point in the future, probably during second year.
Alright, now, before we begin the chapter, I must ask you all a very, very important question.
Excluding pseudo-legendaries, Paradox Pokemon, and legendaries, which new Paldean Pokemon is your favorite? And by extension, which of the new Pokemon would you want your character to catch?
This may or may not be important for an upcoming chapter.
Now that that's out of the way, let's get this chapter written out! (-o-)
Charlie walked along the school beach, enjoying the cool breeze. Classes for the day were done, and Charlie knew that his homework wouldn't be much trouble. So he had decided to go out and take a nice walk.
His Quilava walked beside him, carefully avoiding the ocean waves. He seemed to be making it a kind of game, building up his already considerable speed and agility.
After a few minutes, Charlie reached a large, weathered old rock, and sat down. His Quilava sat down as well, resting his head.
Charlie then took out his phone, and dialed a certain number.
To his surprise, it immediately picked up, and he heard someone say, "Hello, this is Elm Labs. Can I help you?"
Charlie sighed. "Hi Dad."
"Oh! Oh dear, old habits! I'm sorry!", came the man on the other side, "I'm glad to hear from you! How's school so far?"
Charlie replied, "It's been good. One of our teachers is Blue Oak."
"Blue Oak? Astonishing! You know, I battled him once, when we were both boys. He trounced me, of course, but who all gets to say they lost to Blue Oak?", Charlie's father said.
"Um, I think a lot of people can say that, Dad.", Charlie replied.
"True, true. How's old Snoops doing?", asked his father.
Charlie looked down at his Quilava, smiling.
"He's doing great. Loves all the new sights.", Charlie answered.
"Excellent, excellent!", Charlie's father replied, "And have you made any friends? Met any good-looking girls?"
"Dad!", cried Charlie.
His father chuckled. "I'm messing with you, kiddo. You know, I met your mother at that university. Love at first sight! At least for me. It made me trip over my own shoes!"
"You ALWAYS trip over your shoes.", Charlie replied, "Among other things."
"Yes, but this time was different! She caught me before I hit the ground!", his father declared, "But anyways, this conversation should be about you! Like your friends. You do have some, right?"
Charlie shrugged. "I've only been here for a day. But yes, I've been making some friends. My roommates are pretty nice."
"Tell me all about them!", requested his father.
Charlie said, "Well, there's Sherman. He seems like a nice kid, loves knights and stuff. I owe him a Pokemon battle. Then we have Grant - he's this big kid, and he's got a talking Meowth. My last roommate is Ray. He seems cool, but he doesn't talk much. Loves writing down notes, though. I think you'd get along pretty well."
"Well, if he loves learning about new things, then we certainly would!", Charlie's father replied, "Does he like ancient things?"
Charlie shrugged. "Well...he's in Pokemon Myths and Legends, at least. So...probably?"
"Fantastic!", Charlie's father declared, "I simply must meet him at some point, and Sherman too!"
Charlie replied, "Um, alright."
He heard his father rustling around on the opposite end of the line. "Oh dear, I really must get back to my work! I have a whole collection of fossils and artifacts to clean! But I'm glad I got some time to talk with you."
Charlie nodded. "Yeah, me too. Love you Dad."
"Love you too, Charlie.", his father replied, and then the two ended the call.
Charlie stretched, and stood back up. Snoops followed suit, showing off how large and strong he'd gotten. Charlie suspected the Quilava was going to evolve soon, and was quite excited for that day to come.
He started walking along the beach again, until he reached the edge of the Nature Reserve. This part wasn't as forested as the rest of the area, and consisted of rocky cliffs and tide pools, Wingulls soaring above and screeching at each other as they fought over choice morsels. Charlie could see Krabbys scurrying across the sand, and Shellders hiding in the shallows. There were even a couple Slowpoke here and there, calmly sitting with their tails in the water and staring dumbly into space.
Snoops hissed at the sight of so many Water-types, but none of them seemed to notice or care.
"Ah, hello. I wasn't expecting company here."
Charlie looked to see Vladimir standing nearby, gazing somewhat nervously towards him. Charlie didn't know much about this kid, but he knew the young man seemed rather sad most of the time. Charlie wondered why that was.
Charlie replied, "Neither was I, but I don't mind."
Snoops stared quietly at Vladimir, the Quilava's eyes determined and curious. The Pokemon had never done that before. Charlie wondered what his starter was sensing.
Vladimir looked out towards the sea. "The ocean has always fascinated me.", he said quietly, "Such unknowable depths and power...not to mention the many unique Pokemon that fill it. It is a place both familiar and utterly alien. It is both wonderful and terrible. It is far more ancient and powerful than we can even begin to understand."
He smiled slightly. "A worthy challenge."
Charlie asked, "So, you want to study the ocean? That's pretty cool."
"Hmm? Oh, yes.", replied Vladimir, "But I have yet to obtain one of the denizens of the sea, and I do not consider myself worthy of exploring the sea's mysteries without one of its inhabitants by my side. So for now, I will simply watch the waves and dream of what lies beneath."
Charlie nodded. "Well, I wish you luck."
Vladimir gave a soft nod in reply, his eyes never leaving the horizon.
Charlie walked back into the main campus, where he saw the other students kicking back and unwinding after a long day of schoolwork. Many of them were at the Eevee Cafe, working on homework and chatting with each other. Charlie smiled at the sight of them. He quickened his pace, hurrying to his dorm room. He hoped to spend some time with his roommates and maybe form some closer bonds with them.
Soon, he reached the dormitory, where he spotted Sherman calmly waiting by the door. The kid had a Pokeball in his hand and a sly grin on his face.
"Aha, at last you have arrived!", he declared, "Now, I challenge you to a battle at last!"
Charlie sighed. "Really? Now?"
"Yes!", declared Sherman, "You won't have an excuse this time, either! Let's go!"
Charlie sighed again. "Fine, what are the rules?"
"Four versus four!", Sherman answered, "That way, I have the opportunity to use all my Pokemon! They're all pumped up and ready for some action! Are you ready?"
Charlie readied his own Pokeballs. "Very well. Let's go."
Sherman sent out his first Pokemon. "We're not holding back any punches! Go, Tarrasque! Crush them!"
Emerging from his Pokeball was his Carracosta, who roared ferociously and readied himself to strike at his opponent.
Charlie knew he had a problem. None of his Pokemon had any moves that would be strong against this powerful Pokemon, and his ace was double weak to this thing. He was going to have to rely on brute force.
Thankfully, he had the perfect Pokemon for that.
"Patti, I choose you!", shouted Charlie, sending out his Cufant.
Sherman grinned. "Good choice! But that won't save you! Tarrasque, open things up with a Hydro Pump!"
"Carra!", Tarrasque roared, shooting a beam of high pressure water straight for Patti.
"Quick, use Dig to escape!", Charlie cried.
"Cufa!", replied Patti, using her powerful trunk to dig into the ground. The water jet rocketed over her head and splashed harmlessly behind Charlie.
Sherman scoffed. "I knew you were going to try something like that. Quick, Tarrasque, use Iron Defense to toughen yourself up before that Cufant emerges!"
"Costa!", Tarrasque replied, focusing and causing his shell to shine with a steely gleam. When Patti reappeared, her already ineffective attack barely even scratched the turtle.
However, Charlie spotted an opening.
"Now, Patti! Iron Head!", he commanded.
"Cufant!", yelled Patti, slamming her solid metal head into Tarrasque's side. The turtle Pokemon grunted, and used his body to slam her aside. But Charlie's Cufant wasn't driven back so easily.
"Tarrasque, she's in close! Now there's no way she'll dodge your Hydro Pump!", Sherman declared.
"Costa carr!", Tarrasque bellowed, blasting another high-powered jet into Patti. The Cufant cried out as she was blasted across the clearing, smacking into a tree.
"He may have forced you back, but you'll just keep coming!", shouted Charlie, "Rollout!"
"Fancu!", Patti replied, rolling at high speeds back at Tarrasque. It was an odd sight, seeing as she was shaped like a cube.
Sherman commanded, "That's not strong enough to bother us! Tarrasque, use Iron Defense again! Nothing will break through your tough hide!"
"Carra cos!", Tarrasque replied, reinforcing his shell even more. When Patti reached him, he absorbed her charge without even flinching. Then he struck forth with his powerful jaws, catching her trunk with a mighty Crunch attack. The Cufant wailed, and struggled to escape.
"Now, slam her into the ground!", Sherman shouted, "Then use your Brine - it will be much more powerful with the damage she's taken!"
Tarrasque swung his head to the side, smashing the unfortunate Cufant into the dirt. Then he sprayed a jet of salty water over her, the abrasive liquid reacting painfully with her injuries.
"Quickly, escape and recover your strength!", shouted Charlie.
Patti dug into the ground, where Tarrasque couldn't hit her. Charlie knew he had a serious problem. Carracosta was tanky as is, but with all the Iron Defenses he'd stacked up, nothing even seemed to affect him! He was going to have to figure out a new strategy, fast.
Sherman taunted, "Well? How are you going to defeat my Tarrasque? Or have I already taken this victory?"
Charlie refused to let Sherman get under his skin. He knew better than to let that happen.
"Patti, come to me!", he shouted, "We'll just have to attack from afar!"
The Cufant emerged from the dirt nearby, and seemed to know what he was planning. She reared up and pounded her feet into the ground, sending powerful shocks reverberating from the earth. Though not as powerful as Earthquake, Bulldoze would certainly do some damage.
"Wide Guard, now!", shouted Sherman.
Or not.
Tarrasque summoned a wide shield, which blocked the shockwaves from reaching him. A powerful technique, good at blocking moves that covered an area, although it wouldn't work so well against focused, single target attacks.
Charlie cursed under his breath. Sherman certainly wasn't making this easy.
"Alright, Patti, we're going to have to take advantage of our speed! That Carracosta is tough, but slow, slower than you! Hit him with enough Iron Heads that he'll be forced to yield!", Charlie ordered.
"Cufant!", Patti replied, charging back in.
"Brine her!", Sherman commanded, "She can't take much more!"
Tarrasque began shooting at her with repeated Brines, but Patti raced around them. She then slammed into him with full force, and Charlie smiled as the power of her ability boosted the damage.
Tarrasque stumbled from the blow, and Patti retreated before he could Crunch her again. But the turtle did not need to, and managed to score another Brine on her side. Patti shuddered, but withstood the pain and hit Tarrasque again.
"You know, Tarrasque is really tough, but I'm surprised he hasn't flinched yet.", Sherman said, "Doesn't Iron Head do that sometimes?"
Charlie smiled. "Ah, but Patti doesn't do that. You see, she's not one for striking at weak spots and causing foes to lose their focus. She's rather single-minded, you see, and focuses all her strength into doing as much damage as possible. Her ability, Sheer Force, removes bonus effects in return for raw damage! The perfect weapon to break through that Carracosta's tough shell!"
Sherman grinned. "Cool! But Tarrasque is more than capable of resisting that, aren't you? Quickly now, strike her down!"
"Costa!", bellowed Tarrasque, and managed to spray a Brine directly into her face. Patti made one final, pained cry, before toppling over and passing out.
Tarrasque had taken some damage, but it clearly wasn't enough. He still stood strong, and ready for whoever Charlie sent against him next.
Charlie knew that this was not a good situation. He knew Sherman had several more powerful Pokemon in store, and Charlie had already lost one. He decided to send out his next best choice.
"Franklin, let's go!", Charlie shouted, sending out his Kabuto.
Franklin landed in front of Charlie's feet, casting a nervous look towards the other fossil Pokemon. But the little guy was tougher than he let on, and prepared to fight.
"Alright, although it's not very strong, let's go with Absorb!", Charlie commanded, "Even as weak it is, it's still a Grass-type move and should do a good amount of damage!"
"Kabu!", Franklin agreed, and focused on Tarrasque, sapping some of his strength. Tarrasque rumbled angrily, and prepared to attack.
"Brine!", Sherman shouted, "That Kabuto is too small and far away for Hydro Pump to work effectively!"
"Costacarra!", Tarrasque bellowed, shooting a jet of potent saltwater at Franklin. The Kabuto managed to scurry aside just in time, but Charlie knew he couldn't afford to dally when it came to this opponent.
"Franklin, keep up the Absorbs! Don't let him get near you!", shouted Charlie.
The Kabuto happily agreed, and Tarrasque shuddered as more of his energy was stolen. With an outraged roar, he barreled towards Franklin, spraying Brines in an attempt to trap him. Some hit, which hurt Franklin a surprising amount, but most of them missed. And Franklin was steadily recovering whatever health he lost.
Sherman commanded, "Alright, new plan! Use Smack Down to trap that Pokemon in place!"
Tarrasque roared, and summoned a large rock that he threw towards Franklin. The Kabuto tried to dodge, but the rock hit anyway, smashing him against the ground and causing him to cry out.
Charlie flinched. "Stay strong, Franklin! Use Harden to protect yourself!"
Franklin started reinforcing his shell, but it wasn't nearly as strong or as fast as Tarrasque's Iron Defense had been. As he tried to build up his durability, Tarrasque shot another Brine, which soaked deep into Franklin's shell and causing the unfortunate Pokemon to tremble in pain.
Tarrasque was rapidly drawing in close, readying his jaws for a powerful finisher. Charlie had to act quickly.
"Franklin, Aqua Jet to escape!", Charlie cried.
The Kabuto surrounded himself in water, and rocketed away right as Tarrasque was about to reach him. The Carracosta roared angrily, but could not catch up.
"Tarrasque, Ancient Power!", Sherman commanded.
"Counter with your own!", Charlie replied.
The two Pokemon summoned an array of floating, magical rocks, which raced into each other and broke into dust. Tarrasque, however, lucked out, and bellowed triumphantly as his stats rose simultaneously. Now he could better keep up with Franklin, and his already beastly defense had only risen.
"Absorb!", cried Charlie, starting to get desperate, "Keep healing yourself!"
Franklin continued whittling away at Tarrasque's health, but it wasn't enough. The Carracosta finally reached him, and cracked the Kabuto's shell with a powerful Crunch.
Franklin whimpered sadly as he fainted, and Charlie returned him with concern. But one look at the Carracosta told him that Tarrasque was on his last legs. The turtle was breathing heavily, his shell scored with the damages from Patti's Iron Heads. If Charlie was careful, he could take him down without suffering too much more damage.
"He's almost down! Finish him, Lucy!", Charlie shouted.
His Croagunk appeared with a flash, cackling excitedly. She gave a fierce glare at Tarrasque, and made a rude gesture at him.
"CARRA!", roared Tarrasque angrily, charging in to attack. But Lucy lunged quickly, slamming her fist into his jaw and causing the titan to stumble back.
"A Taunt/Sucker Punch combo? Devious, and rude!", Sherman shouted, "But it looks like it did the trick for you here!"
Sure enough, though Tarrasque tried to keep fighting, his injuries proved to be too much. The Carracosta stepped forwards, then fell down flat on his face, his eyes closing. Sherman returned him, and readied his next Pokemon.
"You may have managed to defeat my first Pokemon, but I have three more ready to go!", Sherman declared, "Strike from the skies, Wyvern!"
He sent out his Tranquill, who trilled an excited cry. He flew through the air, ready to fight.
Charlie recognized that things weren't looking good for him in the slightest. He'd already lost two Pokemon, and now he was facing another Pokemon with a type advantage. Unless he managed to get lucky, his victory was doomed.
"Alright, Lucy, Taunt him!", Charlie commanded, "We aren't going to let him use any fancy tricks!"
"Croagunk!", Lucy shouted, and Wyvern looked outraged.
"Quill!", he screeched, and raced for Lucy, ramming into her with a Quick Attack and knocking her over.
"Poison Jab, now!", shouted Charlie.
"Gunk!", Lucy shouted, lunging and slugging Wyvern in the face. The Tranquill squawked angrily and raced back into the sky. Charlie sighed. Lucy hadn't managed to poison him, and now Sherman knew what to watch out for.
"Wyvern, stay back and hammer at that Croagunk with Air Cutter!", Sherman commanded, "She won't be able to hit you unless she's close!"
Charlie's mind raced as he tried to figure out how he was going to counter this. He smiled slightly as he remembered one of Lucy's moves.
"Try and withstand it, Lucy!", he shouted, "We've got this!"
"Croagunk gunk!", Lucy agreed, and braced herself as Wyvern flapped his wings. Sharp blades of air sliced into her skin, and Lucy scrunched up her face as she struggled to withstand the attack. It appeared to be a critical hit, and Lucy was barely standing.
But that was exactly what Charlie intended.
"Now, unleash your revenge!", Charlie shouted.
"Croag!", Lucy yelled, and dark energy welled up around her. She unleashed it at Wyvern, dealing all the damage he'd dealt to her back twofold.
"TRANQUILL!", cried the bird Pokemon, retreating from the pain. He was breathing heavily, and was clearly hurt severely. But he was strong, and stayed standing.
"She won't be able to do that again!", Sherman shouted, "Air Cutter, now!"
The Tranquill screeched, and unleashed another storm of razor-sharp winds. It dug deeper into the wounds Lucy had already sustained, resulting in a SECOND critical hit. Lucy croaked sadly, and crumpled to the ground.
Charlie silently returned her. He could only use one more Pokemon, and he was going to have to make sure this one counted.
"Snoops, it's all you! We're going to finish this, here and now!", shouted Charlie.
His Quilava leaped into action, his flames flaring furiously at the thought of all, his fallen allies. Wyvern weakly tried to fly higher, but nothing was going to stop Snoops's righteous wrath.
"Use Swift to shoot him down!", shouted Charlie, "He won't be able to take much more damage, and this attack cannot miss!"
"Quila!", Snoops agreed, summoning a storm of small, bright stars. They raced after the Tranquil, who tried futilely to dodge. The stars plowed into his wings, causing him to plummet from the sky.
Yet even as he fell, Wyvern twisted around and, somehow, managed to fire off one more Air Cutter. Snoops hadn't expected that, and so took even more damage than normal. He cried out, and Charlie frowned as he realized this was a THIRD critical hit.
Thankfully, Wyvern wasn't going to be able to pull another one of those attacks, for at that moment he smashed into the ground, and fainted on contact.
Snoops shivered, and recovered from the surprise attack. Charlie glared at Sherman.
"Okay, that was ridiculous. How exactly did your Tranquill land three critical hits in a row?", demanded Charlie.
"Oh, it's simple really.", Sherman replied, "He's just super lucky! Quite literally. That's his ability! Truly a good trait for a heroic companion to have!"
Sherman readied his third Pokemon. "Now, that Quilava is going down! Knucker, get him!"
He sent out his Sandile, which growled and bared his teeth at the sight of Snoops.
Charlie wasn't so concerned this time, though. Snoops was his ace, and Knucker didn't look very strong. If Charlie had to guess, Knucker was probably Sherman's newest Pokemon.
But that didn't necessarily mean anything. Knucker could potentially be quite powerful, and Charlie dared not underestimate his opponent now.
"Snoops, use Flame Wheel!", Charlie ordered.
The Quilava rolled up and roared towards Knucker, surrounding himself in ferocious flames. The Sandile braced himself for the incoming attack, and as Snoops rammed into him, latched his jaws around Snoops's paw.
"Quilav!", snarled Snoops, trying to get free.
"Use Defense Curl to dislodge him!", shouted Charlie.
"Knucker, keep it up!", Sherman yelled, "Do not let him go!"
An interesting scuffle was underway. Snoops was attempting to curl up, kicking away at Knucker's face and trying to pry his paw free, while Knucker was biting down harder and harder and refusing to give.
Then Charlie had an idea. "Use Flame Wheel to burn him!"
Snoops lit himself ablaze again, and Knucker wailed in pain, releasing his grip. Snoops darted away, being careful not to jar his wounded paw too much.
"Now, Smokescreen!", Charlie ordered, "He won't be able to find you!"
"Sand Tomb!", countered Sherman, "We'll slow him down!"
Snoops summoned a thick cloud of oily black smoke, and at the same time Knucker surrounded him in a whirling storm of abrasive sand. It quickly became quite difficult to see, but Charlie wasn't concerned. Snoops didn't need someone to constantly tell him what to do. He was more than capable of figuring out what to do himself.
But Sherman looked rather anxious about not being able to see what the Pokemon were doing, and Charlie smiled as he realized his assumption about Knucker being new to Sherman's team was correct.
There were several flashes of light and loud cries from within the smoke, and Sherman flinched. Charlie felt concerned, recognizing Snoops's voice, but most of the cries had come from Knucker.
After another minute or two of this fight, Snoops rolled out of the smoke, Knucker flying ahead of him. The Sandile crashed in front of Sherman's feet, knocked out.
But looking at Snoops, Charlie realized that the Quilava wasn't doing too well. The Sand Tomb was steadily whittling down his health, and Snoops had clearly been the victim of several more bites. But Charlie knew that they still had a chance. After all, Charlie knew what Sherman's last Pokemon was.
Sherman grinned. "So it comes down to this! I've gotta say, you really surprised me with that Quilava's strength. But I refuse to lose now! Amphithere, go! We're going to win this!"
With a graceful twirl, his Servine appeared, ready to fight against Snoops. The Quilava lurked in the Smokescreen, waiting for her to draw near.
"Start with Leaf Tornado! Dissipate that Smokescreen!", Sherman shouted.
"Snoops, take her down! Flame Wheel!", Charlie replied.
Amphithere whirled around, sending a tornado of leaves to shred the smoke. Several of the leaves scratched against Snoops, and he hissed in pain. Then he lit up with flames and raced for the Servine, building up speed as he rolled.
But as he reached her, the Servine whipped out with her tail, tying it around Snoops and trapping him in place. She winced from the flames, but now Snoops was in her grasp.
"Nice use of Wrap, Amphithere!", Sherman complimented, "Now that he's trapped, hit him with a Leaf Blade!"
"Servi!", chirped Amphithere, and she struck with a powerful blow from her tail fan. Snoops cried out, and attempted to counter by forming another Flame Wheel. But Amphithere was smarter than to let that hit her, and released him from her grasp.
Snoops quickly rolled away, but then shuddered deeply. Green light flew from him to Amphithere, and she smiled as she was reinvigorated.
"What the - gah, a Leech Seed!", cried Charlie.
Sherman smiled. "Quite effective, you know. Now Amphithere won't burn up so easily!"
Charlie declared, "Fine then. We'll just have to damage you faster than she can heal!"
Snoops snarled in agreement, lunging for the Servine again. But she nimbly danced aside, and lashed him with a Vine Whip. Even though the Grass attacks weren't very effective, they were still damaging the Quilava. It didn't help that the Sand Tomb was still wearing him out, although it was beginning to die down.
Amphithere summoned another Leaf Tornado. Although Snoops's flames managed to incinerate some of them, the majority hit him anyway. Weakened as he was, he was now on his last legs.
But then his Ability triggered, and his body roared with bright flames.
"Yeah, Blaze them down!", Charlie cheered, "Flame Wheel, again!"
"Amphithere, strike him with another Leaf Blade when he gets close! This fight ends now!". Sherman shouted.
The two Pokemon raced towards each other, and struck at the same time.
Snoops plowed into Amphithere, while she tried to slash him down with a Leaf Blade. There was a burst of flames, and then it was over.
Snoops passed out, exhausted from that final attack, and Amphithere remained standing, although quite injured.
Charlie returned Snoops, feeling rather disappointed in himself. He knew he needed to train more, and this battle was the perfect example of why.
"Well, that was fun!", declared Sherman cheerfully, "Thanks for battling with me at last! Now, I'm gonna go heal my Pokemon. You coming with?"
"Yeah.", Charlie sighed, "I'm coming too." (-o-)
Evening was beginning to fall, and Grant was standing in front of the Snorlax Buffet.
He'd styled himself up perfectly. He'd ran a comb (very quickly) through his hair, and he wore a devilish scarf and sunglasses. Tom Tom had put on a pair of sunglasses too, and next to him was Grant's Geodude, Bro, who also was wearing sunglasses.
Grant gave a few flexes, showing off his well-toned muscles. "Alright, my dudes, the time has come! Tonight, we're gonna win over some lovely ladies!"
"Who hopefully have gorgeous lady Pokemon.", Tom Tom added dreamily.
"Dude!", Bro agreed.
"Our first step: we're gonna show off our stuff right outside this door, and use our flashy pickup lines to catch any girls who walk through!", Grant declared, "It can't fail, especially with Bro by my side!"
He spotted someone walking up the path, and smiled. "Aha, here we go!"
The young woman reached the door, and Grant grinned. "Hello, beautiful. It's kind of cold tonight. Mind if I keep you warm?"
Next thing he knew he was flat on the ground with a busted nose.
Tom Tom, who'd tried to flirt with a certain Luxio following her, retreated from her threatening hiss.
Gwendolyn looked down at Grant, her expression stormy.
"First thing worth knowing about flirting with me.", she said, "Don't even think about it."
She stomped through the door and slammed it behind her.
Grant sat up, feeling his face and wiping away the trail of blood he found there.
Then he whistled loudly. "Now THAT'S my kind of girl!"
Tom Tom sighed and shook his head. Bro nodded in sympathy. (-o-)
Dravilius stood quietly by the Reserve fence, looking out at the tree beyond. His Flapple, Daenerys, fluttered nervously over his shoulder.
"Do you hear it?", he whispered, "I can hear a dragon out there. It calls my name. It needs me."
He focused. "No, no, it's not just me. It wants...it wants...the others? Who are the others?"
"Flappa.", Daenerys said.
"Hmm. Perhaps you're right. But I hear the voice of all dragons. They compel me to aid them, to restore their forgotten power. I cannot simply ignore them.", Dravilius replied.
"Flapple!", Daenerys said, more insistently.
"Since when have human rules bothered me?", asked Dravilius, "I hear the voices of the gods. Their word surpasses all mortal law."
"Flappleflap!", Daenerys said.
Dravilius sighed. "I guess you have a point. Very well. I will wait two weeks. But as soon as I can, I will find this dragon and see what it desires."
He turned around and walked back to the campus, admiring the darkening sky. Twilight had always intrigued him. The majestic purple hues, the shifting balance of night and day, the way the stars shone like the eyes of mighty beings, greater than he could even try to understand.
It was times like this when he recognized how small and insignificant he was. Just one man out of many.
Yet, he was at the same time greater than they could believe. His ears heard what no one else could, his body could do what no one else could, his bond with his Pokemon greater than anyone could achieve. He was chosen, chosen to carry the gods' work.
Chosen to save all these other humans.
As he returned to the main campus, he saw Victor waiting for him, a stern expression on his face.
"Hey, where have you been?", he demanded, "Kealoha was looking for you."
Dravilius smiled. "Nature called."
Victor rolled his eyes. "There's a bathroom in our room."
Dravilius shrugged. "I doubt you would understand."
He slinked to the armored man's side. "So, what does Kealoha request of me?"
Victor sighed. "They want us to eat dinner as a group. Cooking it themself and everything. Come along, will you?"
"I wouldst not turn down such a gracious offer to eat a homecooked meal.", Dravilius replied, "From what I have learned, neither would Cole."
Victor scoffed. "Yeah, of course. Now please, let's go. I have enough trouble keeping Sigrun from wandering off without you doing it too."
"Sigrun. The Lurantis, I presume? Your Noibat has expressed much annoyance involving them.", Dravilius replied.
Victor snorted. "Yeah, Kasane is often the one chosen to keep an eye on her."
As they started walking, he frowned. "How did she tell you about that?"
Dravilius shrugged. "It's not hard to see, if you know how to look."
After a few minutes, Dravilius was back in the dorm, where he saw Kealoha petting their Shiny Galarian Ponyta.
Dravilius flinched. "Egad! Keep that away from me, would you?"
Kealoha frowned. "Why? Nani is my Pokemon."
Dravilius shuddered. "They evolve into powerful fairies. I cannot stand fairies! The pink, the glitter, the dragonslaying power...it would destroy me if I permitted it!"
Kealoha chuckled. "Oh, right. You're a Dragon-type specialist. Don't worry, Nani won't bother you."
"I would hope not.", Dravilius replied crossly, as he strode to his bunk. He threw himself onto it in what he hoped was a regal manner.
Nearby, Cole gulped as he realized Dravilius was sitting near him. Dravilius shot him a winning grin, but that only seemed to make the pudgy boy even more nervous.
Kealoha came over to the table with a large tray, steaming with a luscious scent. "I started this as soon as I could.", he said, "Pulled pork slow-cooked with a special Pinap berry marmalade!"
Dravilius felt his mouth watering. "Now, that is a kingly meal if ever I smelled one. When do we get to consume it?"
Kealoha started dishing it up. "Right now, for your information."
Dravilius beamed. "Excellent!"
He could hardly bear the thirty seconds it took for Kealoha to serve him some. As soon as he got his hands on the bowl, he took a nice big bite of it.
It was indeed fantastic! One of the best meals Dravilius had ever gotten the pleasure of trying!
Then he realized everyone was staring at him.
Ah. He hadn't even grabbed a fork. Dravilius sighed inwardly. He had eaten with Pokemon for far too long.
But soon everyone went to their meals, and Dravilius could toss aside his embarrassment as easily as if it were a messy napkin. (-o-)
Elsewhere in the university, Victoria was up to something.
The Oak Study Hall and its library had been closed up for the night, but that did not bother her. One bobby pin later, and she was inside, searching the building carefully.
For she had come to the university for knowledge. And not just the knowledge they taught to everyone.
No, she was after some things that were more...covert.
She crept through the halls, sending disruptive signals to the cameras everytime she spotted one. This was hardly her first break-in, and not nearly her hardest one.
After all, her mom was a secret agent. And so was she.
Victoria slipped into the main library, looking around carefully for a certain door. Every library had an archive somewhere, and if her assumption was correct, this archive contained some knowledge she wanted desperately. She just had to find it.
She stood in the shadows for a minute, keeping an ear out for any potential patrols.
Silence.
Then she heard something snickering.
Victoria turned and glared at her backpack. "Hush! We're on a mission right now!"
The backpack unzipped itself, and flying out of it was an unnatural, purple dragon-like Pokemon with large poisonous spines. It had a big grin and oddly-shaped blue eyes, and zoomed around delightedly in the air.
"Zoyle!", Victoria hissed, "Get back in the bag before someone sees you!"
The Poipole giggled. "Nope nope nope!", she said, in a telekinetic voice that had a strange echo-y quality, "I don't want to stay there any longer! Besides, no one's here right now."
Victoria sighed. "Just please be careful, Zoyle."
Zoyle beamed. "Sure!"
The Poipole zipped into the library, weaving through the shelves and stopping whenever some book caught her eye, which was most of them. Victoria quietly walked after them, making sure Zoyle stayed within sight. The alien Pokemon was her first partner, and Victorua refused to let anything happen to them.
Soon she reached the center of the library. In the dark, the faces of the three Pokemon in the mosaic seemed almost sinister, staring fiercely up at Victoria. They seemed to know that she didn't belong there - at least not right now.
Zoyle glided down to inspect the mosaic. "It's funny-looking.", she said, after much deliberation.
Victoria rolled her eyes. "Come on.", she said, "Let's find that archive."
But as she raced towards the other side of the library, Victoria heard a sound that made her blood run cold.
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
Zoyle shivered. "What's that noise?", she asked fearfully.
"Trouble.", Victoria replied, slipping a knife out of her boot..
The two crept towards the noise, which was coming from a nearby hallway. The strange, steady scraping grew louder, as if the source was coming towards them.
Victoria inhaled sharply, preparing herself to see something terrifying.
But then rounding the bend was...a Shuckle.
Except this one looked strange. Its mouth looked wrong, and it had splotches of red liquid across its body. For a second, Victoria feared that it might be blood, but then she realized the Shuckle was hauling a bucket of red paint, a brush tossed haphazardly into it.
Victoria felt a peculiar prickling sensation across her body. This Shuckle just radiated a general sense of WRONG. Zoyle seemed to sense it, too.
"That thing shouldn't be here.", she stated.
The Shuckle looked up, and its eyes met Victoria's. For several long moments, they stared at each other, neither doing anything.
Finally, the Shuckle sneezed, and started dragging itself away. Victoria didn't dare move until it was out of sight. Once it was gone, she looked at Zoyle.
"That thing shouldn't be here.", Zoyle repeated cryptically, looking towards Victoria. "What do you think it was doing?"
Victoria looked towards the hallway the Shuckle had come out of. "Let's find out.", she said.
The two cautiously ran to the hallway, and looked around the corner the Shuckle had come from. At the end of that hall, there was a painting of a strange, white Pokemon surrounded in a golden ring, rising above a great mountain. It had been a beautiful painting, but now it had been defaced.
A blood-red X had been scrawled over it, and the words FALSE GOD had been scribbled above it, still dripping red paint.
"Well...that's disturbing.", commented Zoyle.
Victoria shuddered. "Let's just find that archive, and then get the Distortion right out of here." (-o-)
Kellie was walking across the campus, making her way to the Arts Campus. She had discovered there was an art gallery located there, and she wanted to check it out.
As she was walking along, she noticed the sun getting low. She knew her roommates were each doing their own thing this evening, and felt glad about that. Socializing could get exhausting, especially when half the people didn't want to do it.
As she was walking along, Travis came over and started walking with her.
"Hey.", he greeted.
Kellie smiled. "Hi."
Travis smiled back. They walked silently for a minute, then he commented, "Beautiful evening, isn't it?"
Kellie nodded. "Yeah. Perfect for the end of our first school day."
Travis asked, "Anything particularly challenging come up?"
Kellie shrugged. "Not really, unless you count doing ANYTHING with Jennifer and Gwendolyn. One decided to stay in our room and the other just took off on her own as soon as class let out. Tori has her work cut out for her trying to befriend those two, especially since she's letting off on trying to get them to interact socially so much."
Travis nodded. "Sounds like it. At least my roommates are pretty friendly. Well, not so much Danforth, but the others are nice."
Kellie smiled. "What are they all like?"
Travis answered, "Well, Jeremy is really nice and friendly, although for some reason his Shuckle gives me the shivers. Danforth seems alright, but he's kind of distant and doesn't seem to like conversation too much. And Donovan is a bit strange. He's often lost in thought, and it almost seems like he's seen all this before. No sense of wonder or anything."
"Hmm. That is strange.", Kellie replied.
Travis exclaimed, "Oh, but looking at me talking about myself! I want to talk with you! So, uh...where are we heading?"
Kellie smiled, slightly amused by his flustered state. "We're heading to the Smeargle Art Gallery. I've heard that it's an amazing place to visit, and it's full of the finest artwork created by former students! Every year, they add something new, taken from a selection of all the art students created that year. Isn't that exciting!?"
Travis nodded, "Yeah, it sounds like it. But I'm a musician. I'm not sure if anything I made would show up in there."
Kellie smiled widely. "Well, that's where you're wrong! There's a special room filled with stored music volumes, composed by students and available for anyone to listen to! Who knows, one of your songs could be put in there, especially if it's anything like your performance in the Arts class today!"
Travis looked thoughtful. "Hmm...perhaps..."
Kellie looked ahead, and grinned even wider. "Yes! We're here! Race you there!"
Travis grinned. "You're on!"
The two ran towards the doors, excited to see what was stored within. (-o-)
Gwendolyn reclined on a secluded boulder near the Nature Reserve, enjoying the peace and quiet of night time. No one trying to forcefully socialize with her, no one telling her what to do, no one doing anything to her.
No one trying to hunt her down.
Safe had not been a word Gwendolyn had been used to. That was a word that only meant something to a little girl that had been lost seven years ago. For years she'd roamed, never in one place too long and constantly on the run from those who would try and control her.
To be somewhere safe and secluded like this university, safe from anyone who might still be pursuing her, was an alien concept to her. She knew it would take a long time to grow accustomed to that. She might never be able to do so.
In the end, she doubted that it would matter. She could not stay at the university forever. They would not be permitted to remain after the school year was up, and then it would be back to running.
Perhaps it would be best if she never shook off those habits...
Gwendolyn noticed Nala perk up, and frowned. Someone was approaching.
Gwendolyn was on her feet by the time the mysterious person drew close, and she frowned even deeper when she realized they were hiding their features. The person was dressed in a dark cloak, and their face was hidden in shadow.
"Miss Gwendolyn.", they said, revealing themselves to be female. "I expected to find you somewhere isolated."
"Who are you?", Gwendolyn demanded, "What do you want?"
The cloaked figure flicked a dark green envelope into their gloved hand. "An invitation.", they said, "Sent to you by the Hunter."
The title sent Gwendolyn's mental alarm bells ringing. "A Hunter, you say?"
"The Hunter is a powerful individual here at the university.", the figure replied, "He dreams of exploring distant lands and uncovering forgotten secrets. He wants talented, powerful individuals to join him on his journey. Such as you."
Gwendolyn crossed her arms. "And what if I don't want to bother? I don't get along with HUNTERS."
The figure chuckled. "I assumed that. Rest assured that the Hunter doesn't want to harm you. I think that you'll want to hear what he has to say."
The figure drew closer, too close for Gwendolyn's comfort. "After all, he knows all about your...special talents."
Gwendolyn glared at them. "Fine. Where do you need me to be?"
"Saturday. The Club Weekend. One of us will await you there.", the figure replied, "But our actual meeting-place is secret from anyone the Hunter does not wish to learn of it. Our associate will lead you there."
The figure slipped the envelope into Gwendolyn's bag. "I look forward to seeing you there."
Gwendolyn growled, "The feeling is NOT mutual."
The figure laughed. "Understood. Well, good-bye. I'll see you this weekend."
They strode off, and Gwendolyn shivered. Suddenly the night felt cold and threatening.
"Let's go, Nala.", she ordered, "I don't want to stay here much longer." (-o-)
Ray stepped out of the Pokemon Center, his Pokemon refreshed from a hard evening of intense training.
He may have told Charlie that he wasn't going to focus entirely on getting stronger, but that was not the same as saying he wasn't going to focus on it at all.
Ray looked up at the starry sky, admiring its beauty. But he didn't do that for long. It was about time for him to head back and get some much-needed rest.
But as he walked away from the Pokemon Center, he was confronted by another boy.
The kid looked like the very definition of average. They were neither tall nor short, their eyes looked dull and without defined color, and their hair was a very simple brown. Their clothes continued this trend, consisting of a plain t-shirt and blue jeans.
But Ray could sense a subtle aura about them, the aura of an experienced battler. The six Pokeballs gleaming around their waist lent credence to this fact.
"Who are you?", asked Ray.
"My name is Norman Casul.", the strange boy answered, "I am one of the Nine Warriors. You may have met Ember already, our Fire-type master. I am the Normal-type equivalent. And I come bearing a message from our champion, the Mystic."
"The Mystic...", mused Ray, "I feel like I've heard that name around campus before. Who is she, and what does she want with me?"
Norman answered, "She is the strongest Trainer on campus, and is always seeking new talent. While you may not have won any battles so far -"
"Gee, thanks.", muttered Ray.
"- she sensed a great potential within you.", Norman continued, "She values intelligence and willpower above all, both of which you have demonstrated. She knows there is a great strength within you and your Pokemon just waiting to be unleashed, and she wants to bring that out herself. She sent me here to request that you meet with her at your earliest convenience."
Ray frowned. "I don't even know her. Why should I meet with her, if she's being so mysterious?"
"The Mystic is...not good with company.", Norman answered, "She appreciates her privacy. But I know that she means no harm to anyone, much less someone like you."
He sent out a rather large Toucannon, and climbed onto its back. "Meowth Dorm, room 144. The door will be unlocked. Good-bye."
"Wait-" But Norman had already flown off.
"Well, darn.", muttered Ray, "Now I have even more questions. I didn't come to this school for a bunch of mysteries to be dumped on my head."
He sighed. "I'll give this meeting thing some more thought before acting on it. I don't trust anyone who won't even share their real name."
He picked up his phone, and stared at it. "Well, I know someone who can give me some advice."
He dialed a number, and waited.
"Hello 'Bray'!", exclaimed a loud voice, "Wow, I wasn't expecting you to call again so soon! What happened? You can confide it with me!"
Ray rolled his eyes. "Hey there, sis. Is Gran awake? I want to talk to her."
He could almost hear his sister pouting over the line. "Aw, do you not want to talk to me or something?"
Ray replied, "What? No! It's just that I need to talk to Gran about something. I need some advice."
"Hmph! Alright.", his sister said, "She's enjoying some tea right now. I'll go get her."
There was some rustling, and then a familiar, comforting old voice spoke. "Hello, Ray. Artemis says you need my advice?"
Ray sighed. "Yeah. There'a lot of crazy stuff going on over here." He explained everything that had been happening in the last couple days, right up to Norman's message.
After he finished, his grandmother said, "Well, my school years weren't quite so adventurous! But it does look like you have some troubling things to think about."
Ray nodded. "Yeah. I'm not sure what to do about this 'Mystic' and her message. On one hand, I don't trust this person, seeing as I know nothing about them or what they want. But on the other hand, this sounds like a major opportunity, and I don't want to toss that aside. What do you think I should do?"
His grandmother thought for a moment. "Do what you think would be best. This isn't a decision I can make for you. But my advice is this - first impressions aren't everything. Someone who seems like an enemy might actually want to be a friend, and someone who seems like a friend might actually be a fierce enemy. There are all kinds of people in this world, and far too often they are misunderstood."
Ray nodded softly. "I understand, Gran."
"Good.", she replied, "I'm putting your sister back on the line now."
"Oh, no, wait, surely we can wait a little-"
"Hello again, 'Bray'!", declared his sister, "You're stuck with me again, and don't you think I forgot that promise to call you in the middle of class!"
Ray sighed. "Of course not."
"What time is it over there, anyway?", asked his sister.
Ray answered, "Oh, it's evening right now."
"Wait, you mean I missed your first day in class! Darn it, now you've most likely given your teachers that perfect good boy impression again!", his sister complained.
"Sorry, Artemis, but you'll have to try harder than that to tear your reputation down with me.", Ray teased.
Artemis huffed loudly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. But don't worry, I'm gonna have plenty of opportunities to try that in a few weeks."
"Uh oh.", Ray replied, "How?"
Artemis exclaimed, "Why, the Freshmen Cup, you dummy! The school allows all sorts of guests to come over during that time, and you better believe I'm showing up for that! Your first big battle tournament! And I'll be cheering for you at the top of my lungs!"
"Of course.", Ray said, smiling, "I'm looking forward to it."
"You better be!", Artemis replied.
After a minute, she said, "Alright, Gran's insisting we cut the call now. Phone bill racks up dollars fast when you're chatting with someone on the other side of the world."
"Yeah.", Ray sighed, "That's unfortunate."
"But don't worry!", Artemis declared, "I'm calling you in class tomorrow, just you wait!"
"If Gran will let you stay up until past midnight to do it.", replied Ray.
"Who says she needs to know about it?", asked Artemis devilishly.
Ray sighed, "See you later, 'Artery'."
"Talk to ya later, 'Bray'.", Artemis replied.
The phone call ended, and Ray smiled.
He stretched, and started walking back towards his dorm room, planning out what he was going to do the next day. (-o-)
Donovan sat in his room, staring at the pile of books near his bed. He had been trying to do some research, but he was finding it quite hard to focus. And that was for one primary reason.
Shelly was not in the dormitory.
This was bad for multiple reasons. Firstly, this meant Shelly was doing his nightly excursions much earlier than before. Secondly, that meant OTHER things might start happening earlier or in different ways than before. All of this led to one, terrifying conclusion.
Donovan might NOT know this story already, which meant it could go in virtually any direction. And judging by what was changing, that meant it could end in an even worse way than before. Which could literally mean the end of the world.
Donovan took a deep breath to calm himself. Perhaps he was just jumping to conclusions far too early. To be honest, he did not KNOW when Shelly had started wandering. It could've easily been day one and he just hadn't noticed it. That was very likely.
But that did not confirm that things weren't different. After all, this time he KNEW about everything, which would subconsciously influence his actions and change things anyways. Plus, he could not in good conscience just let things happen the same way. He knew all about the risks of messing with the timestream, but he just couldn't help but think of all the lives he could save, all the disasters he could prevent if he just did something.
He shook his head. 'Danger, Donovan, danger.', he thought to himself. This was a very dangerous rabbit hole he was approaching. He couldn't let it trap him.
But he couldn't help but feel guilty about not wanting to change things, even for good reason.
He distracted himself by glancing at his other roommates. Jeremy was snoring away, completely oblivious to his Shuckle's absence, and Danforth had fallen asleep at the desk, his homework sitting in front of him. Travis had yet to return, and Donovan knew that that was because he was hanging out with Kellie. He smiled softly to himself, thinking fondly of what that meant.
He couldn't help but start thinking about Gwendolyn again. He cursed to himself and sighed sadly. Things were complicated around that subject, to say the least. He wished he knew what to do about that. All potential paths would just lead to sorrow if history kept its course.
"Why me?", Donovan whispered to himself, "Why, Arceus, why?"
He shook himself and stood up, slipping on his coat. Boulton snuffled quietly in his sleep, but did not wake.
Donovan slipped out of his room and walked down to the common room, knowing the best cure for a clogged mind would be a nice walk. But before he could step out the door, he saw Victor nearby, watching him.
Donovan sighed. "Hello there. Couldn't sleep?"
Victor gave a gruff nod. "Neither could you, I presume."
He unclipped a flask, and offered it to him. "Thirsty?"
Donovan eyed it cautiously. "That is water, right?"
Victor glanced at it, and his eyes widened. "Whoops!" He switched it with a different flask. "There you go."
Donovan took a sip of some of the water. "I hope for your sake no one else learns that you have alcohol."
Victor shrugged. "I'll just tell them it's for my work. Cleaning tools and such. Technically that's not a lie. But if I'm feeling down in the dumps, then yeah I take a sip once or twice."
Donovan sighed.
"So.", Victor said, sitting down, "What's got you up so late?"
Donovan answered, "Just, you know, things. I have a LOT on my mind right now."
"Ah. Seems a bit early for that.", Victor replied, "It's only the first day. No one's given me too much to wonder about, besides, you know, Dravilius's weirdness. But that's nothing you would be bothered with."
'Actually, it is...', thought Donovan. He'd completely forgotten all about Dravilius, but Victor mentioning him just brought up a whole host of additional memories, several of them troubling.
Donovan instead said, "Not everything that's bothering me is related to today. Just...a bunch of bad memories."
Victor nodded. "Hm. I see. I have my own share of those. But remember: memories are just that. Memories. They can't hurt you any more than you let them. All you should do is look to the future, and leave your past behind."
Donovan wished he could do that. But in this instance, his past WAS his future.
Or...was it?
"Thank you.", Donovan said, "That was helpful advice."
"Anytime.", Victor replied.
Donovan stood up, and walked back to his room, where he laid down and finally fell asleep. (-o-)
Jennifer sighed as she looked into the mirror.
"I literally JUST dyed it...", she muttered.
At the roots of her white hair, green could be seen showing. She wondered if the sea air was dissolving the dye or something. She had to fix this as soon as possible, lest her secret be uncovered.
"Ralts?", asked Mary, and Jennifer sighed.
"Can it wait?", she replied, "Your sister has to fix a few things."
"Ralts!", Mary replied.
"What are you-" But before Jennifer could finish, there was a knock at the door.
Jennifer called out, "Um, coming!" She shoved her things into a hiding place and hurried over to the door, and she opened it to reveal Lucas.
"Oh, uh, hi.", she said, not sure how to react.
"Your Ralts asked that I talk to you.", Lucas said, somewhat awkwardly, "Can I come in?"
Jennifer gave a quick "we'll talk about this later" look towards Mary, before looking back at Lucas and nodding. "Just please close the door after you come in."
Lucas smiled and walked in, followed by his typical entourage. His Fraxure and Mienfoo started chatting with each other, while Helia perched on top of one of the beds and began preening her feathers.
"So, um, do you have any idea what your Ralts wants us to discuss?", Lucas asked.
Jennifer focused, and frowned.
"She thinks that you might be...like me.", she said, "But that's not possible."
Lucas frowned. "Maybe it is. It looks like you two can communicate with each other?"
"She's a Psychic-type.", Jennifer immediately answered, "She's telekinetic."
It was a true enough lie. But Lucas could easily see past it.
"Perhaps...", he replied, "But there's more to it, isn't there? You share a close bond with all your pokemon, right? So close, you can communicate with a simple thought, so close that you can influence each other's powers?"
"How did you -", Jennifer started.
"I'm the same way.", Lucas replied, "There's a name for us, you know."
Jennifer frowned. "I do not want to discuss this. We're not supposed to exist."
Lucas sighed. "But we do, and we must stick together in order to stay that way. I know firsthand what happens if we don't."
"The Purges.", whispered Jennifer.
Lucas nodded sadly.
Jennifer gave him a defiant look. "And THAT is exactly why I don't want to discuss it in any way. I've done quite well avoiding knowledge of what I am from being found, and I'd like to keep it that way."
Lucas muttered, "Well, at least one of us succeeded at that."
Jennifer gave him a sympathetic look. "I see."
She sighed, "Well, at least that means you know the risks. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go to sleep, and maybe we can talk again somewhere else tomorrow."
Lucas nodded. "Very well. I understand. See you tomorrow, then."
He left with all his Pokemon, and Jennifer sighed deeply. Mary looked up at her with concern.
Jennifer glanced towards another mirror, and traced a finger down her pale white cheek. "Well, he is right. I am like him. But at the same time...I am not like him or the others at all." (-o-)
AN: Well, this took forever. But we have reached the end, with an intriguing finish! What implications does this chapter have for the rest of the story? We'll just have to find out!
Don't forget to send in your chosen Paldean Pokemon, and I'll see you all next time!