A/N: I don't own Pokemon but I hope you all enjoy this lovely chapter!
Ranger School : Chapter 7
Once Kellyn and Wendy were at the second floor, they noticed that there were only five students studying in the nicely lit area. Considering that the two would possibly be there for a while, Wendy showed him to a table that was close to the bathroom as Kellyn sat down.
'Hmm, I really don't want to make Kellyn feel uncomfortable by sitting right next to him, or even across from him. What to do…' Wendy thought.
"Alright…now let's get started. If you need any help I'll be right here!" Wendy said as Kellyn arched an eyebrow.
"Thank you but…aren't you gonna sit down?" Kellyn asked as Wendy blushed.
"O-oh, um, o-of course! Do…do you mind if I sit close to you?" Wendy asked as Kellyn tried to hide a blush of his own, to no success.
"You can…i-if you want." Kellyn said as Wendy pulled up a chair right next to him.
Now that the two were sharing a space only a few inches from each other, Kellyn tried his best to calm himself as he took out all the homework that needed to be completed. Wendy on the other hand couldn't help but be a bit enthralled as Kellyn started doing his extensive amount of work.
'The way Kellyn's so concentrated and focused really is something else. He handles himself in such a composed manner and doesn't show off or act better than anyone, but…Kellyn just acts like himself. No wonder I fell for him so quickly.' Wendy thought as Kellyn glanced over at her.
"Hm? Something on my face?" Kellyn asked as Wendy flinched.
"N-no! Your face is fine! Sorry…please continue!" Wendy said as Kellyn smiled.
"No need to apologize, it really means a lot to have someone looking out for me." Kellyn said.
"You're…you're welcome." Wendy said as Kellyn continued his schoolwork.
About an hour later, Kellyn received a call from none other than his mother. Picking up his Styler, Kellyn looked around so that he wouldn't disturb anyone, something which Wendy smiled at seeing.
'He really is charming; it'd be great if he really does feel the same way…then that'll be something else. Remember Wendy, take it slow, don't rush.' Wendy thought as Kellyn began to talk in a hushed voice.
"Hi mom, good evening, how's work?" Kellyn asked.
"It's good son, I assume you're at the Ranger School's library since you're extra quiet." Kellyn's mom said.
"Your intuition's always been good, yeah, I'm here right now with the girl I was telling you about!" Kellyn said as Wendy had a small blush on her face.
"Oho, really? Making some moves on her already hm?" Kellyn's mother asked as Kellyn became quite flustered.
"N-n-no mom, it's not like that! She's a good friend!" Kellyn said as his mother chuckled.
"No worries, I'm just teasing you! I was calling to make sure you're okay and it sounds like you're in good hands!" Kellyn's mom said.
'Huh? Kellyn really talked about me? I mean…we're friends but the fact that he did that so soon is nice.' Wendy thought.
"I-I am…um…are you going to be free later tonight so we can chat?" Kellyn asked.
"I wish I was…I was able to call you for a few minutes…the hospital needs me to work a double shift tonight. I'm sorry son!" Kellyn's mom said.
"No, no, I understand. It'd just be nice to see you, I mean…I know you have to work but a short break every once in a while is good too." Kellyn said.
"You're right…I'll ask the hospital if they'll be willing to figure something out for me. For now though, I have to go since they need me to help out a patient, I'll do my best to talk with you soon, love you!" Kellyn's mom said.
"That'd be great, thanks mom, love you too!" Kellyn said as his mother hanged up.
While Kellyn tried his best to have an upbeat expression, Wendy could clearly tell he was a bit down from the situation.
"I'm sorry your mother is so busy all the time, I can't even imagine what that's like. Are you sure you're okay?" Wendy asked.
"Haha, don't worry about me, I'm good! I know she has to work but I'd love for her to take a break and hang out with me…even if it's for a day." Kellyn said.
"It makes sense you'd want to see her, especially considering how hard she works." Wendy said.
"Yeah, at least you understand it. Hopefully it'll happen sometime soon…well, let me go ahead and keep doing this homework, sorry for taking up more of your time just now." Kellyn said.
"You don't need to apologize, it's a good thing to have such a close bond with your mother!" Wendy said as Kellyn smiled and continued his work.
'I'm glad to see Kellyn holds his mother in such high regard, unlike how other people end up treating their parents. I can tell how much the two of them love each other…even though I still dearly miss my parents… I'm also happy for Kellyn.' Wendy thought as Kellyn continued page after page.
Hours later, it was now ten P.M., and once Kellyn finished the last page, he had very quickly fallen asleep. Under most circumstances, Kellyn would've been wide awake without any problem, however, the transition from a high school to a college lifestyle quickly caught up with him. Wendy was surprised to have seen her friend asleep and tried to poke him on the shoulder a few times to no avail.
"Kellyn…Kellyn…wake up…" Wendy said as Kellyn still stayed asleep.
'Man…I just can't get Kellyn to budge…I'll take him back to his dorm. I'll see if Luana's up and if she can keep us company considering how dark it is here.' Wendy thought as she got her Styler out.
Wendy quickly gave Luana a quick call, hoping that her friend would still be awake. Thankfully, Luana picked up after a few rings.
"Hi Wendy, what's up?" Luana asked.
"Hi Luana, Kellyn and I were at the library since he had to finish up some older schoolwork. But…he's so exhausted that he fell asleep." Wendy said.
"You're joking, right?" Luana asked.
"I wish I was…I mean I don't like to complain but no matter how much I nudge him, he won't wake up." Wendy said.
"Hrmm, sounds like a real dilemma…but what can I do to help?" Luana asked.
"Can you come here to make sure we're safe? This whole place is so dark…it freaks me out…" Wendy said.
"There aren't any lights there? Sounds like Kincaid isn't making sure the campus is safe…I'll be right over, stay there!" Luana said as she hanged up.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Wendy turned to look at Kellyn, who was still fast asleep. Wendy carefully packed up Kellyn's things and carried his backpack, while putting his arm over her shoulder. Kellyn's head ended up resting on Wendy's head, and the woman blushed from the close contact as she headed towards the entrance of the almost vacant library.
'Please come soon Luana…I don't think my heart can take this for too long…' Wendy thought as her heart continued to race.
A few minutes passed as Wendy stood there with Kellyn, and she was thinking to herself about how happy she was that the inside of the library was well-lit, considering how dark the path leading to and from the main campus was.
'Calling Luana to the library was a good idea. She's completely okay with coming here to study…but the path being so dark is really off-putting for me.' Wendy thought.
As Luana almost reached the library by running all the way, she couldn't help but think to herself about how close Kellyn and Wendy were becoming.
'I've never seen Wendy so happy to be around someone. Even though she's always super upbeat, it's really something to see just how joyful she is around Kellyn. Those two are so compatible…hopefully they end up dating, I'll try helping the two of them. I need to hurry before it gets later.' Luana thought as she continued to run, soon noticing the library.
Wiping some sweat from her forehead, Luana saw Kellyn leaning onto Wendy just behind the glass doors, with the latter being very flustered. Seeing that the two were waiting for her, Luana hurried up the pace, eager to help her two friends out. As Wendy saw Luana had arrived, she breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door, heading out into the cool, crisp air as Luana waved to her.
"Hah…sorry I took so long…" Luana said as Wendy shook her head.
"You didn't take long at all! I needed you because I felt unnerved leaving here with Kellyn totally knocked out, and you arrived quickly! If anything, I'm sorry for calling you out at this time, you're a real friend I can count on!" Wendy said.
"You're welcome, glad I could help! Man…Kellyn looks really exhausted…let's get him into bed quickly!" Luana said as the three of them made their way towards the dorms, while a figure lurked nearby.
Wearing a black jacket, black gloves, and a black face covering, the short woman watched the three as they walked away.
'Just you three wait…I'll find a way to make Kellyn mine…' The woman thought as she disappeared into the bushes.
In the meantime, Wendy, Luana and Kellyn were on their way to their dorms. Glancing over a few times at her friends, Luana couldn't help but see how knocked out Kellyn was, and wanted to take full advantage of the situation as she grinned.
"So…Wendy…are you glad I was able to come and escort the two of you back?" Luana asked.
"Of course, I appreciate it, thank you so much!" Wendy said.
"Not a problem, I came to help you guys out in case you decided to get serious in the library!" Luana said as Wendy turned dark red.
"Wh-what?! Ke-Kellyn and I weren't planning on doing anything, w-we were just studying upstairs, honestly!" Wendy said.
"Hahah, the look on your face is hilarious! I'm just messing with you; I know that you're trying to open up to Kellyn and be there for him. Don't give up, he looks so happy around you." Luana said.
"Well…I'm glad Kellyn's happy, despite how quiet he looks, he's opened up quite a bit. In fact, it seems that he's been more chipper ever since I spoke to him on his first day! That really makes me glad!" Wendy said.
"Sounds like he's warming up to you, that's good! I was just thinking about how the two of you are looking pretty tight knit! You guys look good together too…so once you really get to know Kellyn…you can ask him out on a date!" Luana said as Wendy blushed.
"A d-date? I…I don't think Kellyn would even feel the same way!" Wendy said.
"Well you don't know that, it's possible that he could…but also remember that because he's shy, he won't be upfront about it or show much signs. So that means you'll be the one to do the flirting!" Luana said.
"Hrm…when you mention it like that, you do make a good point…I don't have any issues flirting with Kellyn, so I don't mind!" Wendy said.
"Good, hopefully he'll soon fall for you like how you've fallen for him. I've never seen you blushing like that before…looks like Kellyn tugs your heartstrings!" Luana said.
"Heheh…he really does…I find that pretty funny…I feel like Kellyn's the first guy to make me feel so flustered!" Wendy said.
'She's so happy…I really hope Kellyn ends up liking Wendy back…' Luana thought.
"I'm glad for that…ah, looks like you'll need to help him inside too…he's still asleep and we've reached his dorm room!" Luana said.
Thankfully, Kellyn's dorm room opened once he neared it, so Wendy brought him inside as Luana helped taking off Kellyn's shoes before doing the same with their own. The three of them headed over to the bed and Wendy placed Kellyn onto the mattress before she covered him with the nearby blanket. The duo hurried out quickly as they put their shoes on, and the door automatically locked behind them, as Wendy breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew…I'm glad Kellyn didn't wake up…that'd be a bit embarrassing!" Wendy said.
"Hah, I know, having to explain ourselves would've been something else! I'll be heading to my dorm Wendy, but let me know if you need anything from me, alright?" Luana asked as Wendy smiled.
"Yeah, that really would have been awkward, see you tomorrow Luana, I'll definitely let you know!" Wendy said as Luana smirked.
"Good, especially if it has to do with your love life!" Luana said as Wendy's entire face became bright red.
"Wh-what?! W-what's the interest?" Wendy asked as Luana laughed.
"Well…the two of you are close with one another and both of you are also my friends…so I want to see you both happy. For now though…I won't intervene too much unless I can see Kellyn later on getting a crush on you, then I'll try hooking you both up!" Luana said.
"Thank you Luana, I really appreciate you as a friend!" Wendy said.
"Not a problem, glad I can do my best to help! I'll be going to sleep! Good night!" Luana said.
"Good night, thanks again!" Wendy said as Luana hurried off.
Heading into her own dorm room, Wendy turned the lights on and got ready for bed before covering herself in her warm blanket. As she laid down, the Student Ranger's mind began to wander.
'Today was…an amazing day…I was able to help Kellyn out with his backdated work by accompanying him to the library. It was even better because we were able to learn more about each other closer on the way there! However…while I have feelings for Kellyn…realistically speaking, if Kellyn makes it clear that he wouldn't want to date me, then I would respect how he feels and still be his friend. He's been through enough hurt, and I'd be mortified if I were to hurt him as well. He's a great guy, and I'd be a horrible friend to not respect how he feels.' Wendy thought as she soon fell asleep.
In the morning, around 9 A.M., Kellyn opened his eyes and began to rub them. Once he was no longer half-asleep, the young man was confused as to where he was, considering last night.
'…Huh? How am I in my dorm room? I was in the library last night with Wendy…oh! I remember, I fell asleep after finishing up all that work! Wendy brought me here…if this happened at the other schools I went to, then I'd just be left behind and picked on. I need to get ready and thank Wendy!' Kellyn thought as he put his uniform into the washer and turned it on before going into the bathroom.
Sometime later, after getting ready, Kellyn got out of the bathroom and changed into a fresh Ranger School outfit before putting his shoes on and leaving the dorm room, deciding to wait outside for Wendy. Meanwhile, Wendy is in her bedroom and is about to leave, though she can't help thinking about Kellyn as she's putting her shoes on.
'Last night was something else…I was able to help Kellyn when he really needed it, and that makes me feel good. Even if he doesn't acknowledge it, which I'm certain he would, then it's not a problem, I'm still glad I accompanied him at the library.' Wendy thought as she left the dorm room.
Turning to see Wendy, Kellyn shyly waved hello to her, while she enthusiastically did the same as she approached her friend.
"Hiya Kellyn, good morning! Did you have a good rest?" Wendy asked as Kellyn sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"Hello Wendy, good morning, I certainly did sleep well but…I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I felt horrible about having you accompany me all the way to the library, but I felt even worse when I woke up this morning and discovered that you had to bring me to my dorm room. I'm really, really sorry!" Kellyn said.
'Wow…he's super polite, and there wasn't even anything for him to feel sorry about. I definitely have to ease Kellyn's mind so he doesn't blame himself or anything.' Wendy thought.
"Don't feel so bad about it, okay? It's really not a problem at all!" Wendy said.
"W-well in that case, I still want to thank you! No one's ever done that for me before!" Kellyn said.
"You're welcome, though I can't take all the credit, Luana helped out too. I was…fearful of walking through the area, especially as it was dark. Plus you were sound asleep and your tiredness had me worried. Honestly, it was really because of Luana that we both didn't wake up in the library!" Wendy said as the duo laughed.
"Really? Since that's the case, I'll thank Luana when I see her! Got any plans when class is over?" Kellyn asked.
"Well since we don't have classes from Thursday through Saturday, I was planning on exploring Pueltown, wanna come with me? You don't have to if not interested, but I figured I'd mention it so you don't feel alone!" Wendy said.
"Pueltown…sure, I'll go! I've never been there too much, the only place I've really been to is Chicole Village, and that's only because that's where I was born. I only really passed there on the way to Ranger School, but I didn't get to really see too much of the place." Kellyn said as Wendy grinned.
"You might like it, Pueltown is a great place with a lot of stuff to do. I do have to say that Chicole Village or Haruba Town are a lot nicer for me, since I find those areas to be more relaxing. I'm glad you'll be joining me; it'll be nice to walk around Pueltown with a friend!" Wendy said.
'Taking in the sights of Pueltown while with Wendy…that sounds amazing…now I can't wait for today to be over!' Kellyn thought.
"W-well…thank you for having me!" Kellyn said.
"Too cute…" Wendy said as her face turned bright red from realizing what she said.
"Hm? Did you say something just now?" Kellyn asked as Wendy became flustered.
"N-nothing at all! Come on, let's get going to class!" Wendy said as the two hurried their pace.
After a few minutes, Wendy and Kellyn reached their class to discover that a few of their classmates were inside. Luana of course was already at her seat and waved her two friends over. Wendy went over to her seat and Kellyn opened his bag up as he walked over to Mrs. April to give her the homework.
"Here you go Mrs. April, this is the overdue homework." Kellyn said as he handed his instructor the work.
"Thank you Kellyn, I'm really sorry you had to do this. Kincaid came to me and your other instructors saying that you had to do the same classwork everyone else already did, even though you weren't here two weeks ago. Caplan told me everything and he was pretty annoyed with Kincaid." Mrs. April said.
"It's not your fault professor, I understand! I'm glad that at least I'm caught up on everything now! I'll be taking my seat!" Kellyn said as he went to his seat and sat down.
Around the same time Kellyn sat down, Keith entered the classroom with a bored look on his face. Seeing that Kellyn was already in class, Keith initially wanted to ignore him and continue to his seat, but Kellyn waved hello and the redhead did the same, not wanting to appear rude.
'Just seeing his face irks me…but I can't just act cold to him either, otherwise it'll look like I'm ignoring him or having a bad day, and then that would mean he'd just bother me some more. I can't wait for Linda to start toying with his heart.' Keith thought as he sat down in his seat.
"Well well, looks like someone's popular already, huh Wendy?" Luana asked.
"Sure is, nice work Kellyn!" Wendy said as Kellyn chuckled.
"Thanks guys, we met at the rock-climbing activity. Keith and I have only talked for a little bit before, so I don't know him all that well. Still, he doesn't seem too bad though." Kellyn said.
"Really? Well in that case, it sounds like what you're doing is a good way for you to make some more friends!" Luana said.
"Yeah…that would be true for most people, but for me, I usually try to be as reserved as possible when it comes to making friends, unless they approach me first." Kellyn said as the rest of the students soon entered and Mrs. April began speaking.
"Hello class, welcome back, I'll dive right into today's discussion now that everyone is here. So, something that's important to note is what happens when your Styler runs out of energy, which is similar to a health bar when a Pokémon Trainer is checking on their Party Pokémon. Your Stylers are indestructible and waterproof, so if you find yourself in a situation where there's hazards around you when you're in the field, such as falling rocks, you can put your Styler over your head as protection. The boulder would end up shattering into tiny pebbles and you'd be completely unharmed…but your Styler will take some damage, which depends on the boulder's size." Mrs. April said as students took notes down, while a curious student raised her hand.
"Ma'am I have a question…what would happen if your Styler is low on energy and that hazard ends up making the Styler's energy go down to zero? Also, what if the Ranger isn't quick enough, and the hazard is mere seconds from falling on them?" The student asked.
"Good questions, if the Styler's energy drops to zero, then the Partner Pokémon stays with the Ranger, as they're a permanent partner. However, the Friend Pokémon, which are temporary Pokémon for Poké Assists and Field Moves, do not recognize the Ranger's ability as the Styler is out of commission, so they end up going back to their usual habitats while the Pokémon Ranger goes to a Ranger Depot or Ranger Base to recharge their Styler. In the event that a hazard is dangerously close to hitting a Ranger, then the Styler would create an indestructible barrier around them, shielding them completely from all harm. Something to keep in mind is that the shield is not permanent, but only momentary. Also, any confrontations with people aren't going to be shielded by the Styler, only moves aimed at Rangers by Pokémon as well as hazards." Mrs. April said as everyone wrote down their notes.
'That's really cool…so if a wild Pokémon is attacking or if a large object falls on the Ranger, then the Styler would shield them from harm. It'd be nice to test it out in practice…but I'm surprised that I haven't seen any Pokémon on campus since I got here…not even any Flying-types in the plants or trees.' Kellyn thought as Mrs. April continued with her presentation.
The class continued to take down notes periodically as Kellyn whispered Wendy's name to get her attention.
"Hi Kellyn, what's up?" Wendy whispered.
"Well…I was wondering…aren't there supposed to be Pokémon wandering around the campus? Ever since I came here, I haven't seen a single Pokémon aside from the class demonstrations!" Kellyn said.
"You're right, it is pretty strange…I also thought the Ranger School would've had Pokémon around. Hm…say Luana, your boyfriend's been attending here longer than us, right?" Wendy asked.
"Yeah, Marcus is a year older than us, so he'll know about how things were like at campus beforehand! I'll give him a call once class is over and ask him about it!" Luana said.
"Thank you, sorry about any trouble." Kellyn said.
"It's no problem, I was pretty curious myself. Good thing this class isn't boring, it flies by pretty quickly!" Luana said.
After class was over, the students began to file out, with Keith being amongst the first to leave. Kellyn and Wendy got up and organized their stuff while Luana got on her Styler with Marcus. A few minutes later, Luana hanged up and headed over to her two friends.
"Alright, so I explained everything to Marcus; and he told me that initially, there were quite a lot of Pokémon wandering around on campus…until this semester. Specifically, the friendly ones that would help us improve our capturing skills. However, one night, Marcus saw Kincaid carrying a huge container of Pokéballs in a hurry." Luana said.