Audino Agatha woke up and groaned. It was a school day, and she was actually going this time. There was a test today, but she forgot which class it was for. Her first guess was history, but it could also be language arts.
Regardless of what it was, she rolled out of her blankets and landed with a thump on the floor. She heard Claire leave a few minutes ago, so she had to head out soon. She put on the prosthetic feet, then covered them with the pink and black striped socks. Her gold earring was still on the strand of her ear, so all that was left to put on was the white shirt and black leather jacket. After adding her backpack on top, she was all ready to go.
Unlike other times, Agatha brought a few tools to work on some prosthetic upgrades she could implement later. It was better than being bored all day, and she wanted to figure out a way to adjust the balance. After Abigail showed her some basics, she knew that she'd have to make some changes. The doctors probably never made her the prosthetics with battling in mind. She'd have to make plans and visit some shops later.
The brisk air couldn't get through Agatha's black jacket, and it only grew warmer as the sun finished rising. After a minute or two, her bag started to hurt her left shoulder, so she held it over just her right shoulder instead of both.
On the winding path up to the school building, a small group of pokemon walked ahead of her. She loitered behind them to stop them from seeing her, slowing her pace to a crawl. Probably a minute or so after they entered the glass double doors inside, Agatha entered.
Unlike other days when she came in early, the hallways swarmed with people on the way to class. Agatha missed the distance her fake glasses gave her from it all. Now, she had to stare at the cream, tiled floor covered in a layer of brown, speckled dust to dodge grazing eye contact with strangers. She wished she got in early again.
Agatha came in the classroom along with the teacher, Mr. Rivers. The Flygon floated down the hallway, going through the door seconds before she did. She easily could have imagined the quick glance he gave her, but she doubted it. She couldn't quite read what the look was about, though. He thinned his eyes and blinked a bit more than usual just before turning through the door.
Inside, most seats were filled. Audino Agatha turned her head up to eye her seat in the back. For whatever reason, half of the faces in the room eyed her back. She kept her eyes glued on the seat as she made her way through the row of cushions.
"Is that goth?"
"No, that's not goth. Dude..."
"Who's the new girl?"
"New? Guys, she's been here."
Agatha's ears started to pick up more and more sound lately. It got annoying if she didn't cut out a bunch of noise, but she didn't plan to cut anything out in school. She reached the cushion in the back corner of the classroom just as Mr. Rivers started to talk.
"Alright, class. Now, I know I usually lead off with Language Arts and then History, but how many of you just want to get the history test done first?"
Most of the class gave different yes answers. Agatha didn't care either way. He ended up floating over different pokemon and passing them the tests along with small wooden boards to write on. He reached Agatha last.
She hadn't really taken a test in a classroom before, so it might not go well. Agatha gave herself tunnel vision on the two pieces of white paper stapled together.
Most of the class so far had been history on Valor, Verity, and Acuity. The very first question was about which of the Sacred Treasures belonged to the three nations. Agatha knew it was Courtain and wrote it down.
The second question was matching names and their royal families. The bonus part of the question was matching Zen, Aaron, and Gawain to their royal families. That question was easy.
There were a lot of questions about dates, and then true-false questions. She went on auto-pilot answering them.
The first essay question stumped her.
"Which of the royal families has some of the strongest combatants in the world? Why?"
The second essay question was about politics. Agatha had to explain how the Valorian and Veritan royal families balanced their powers. In Valor, the Nightlight Association's Council enforced laws that the monarchy created, or voted to deny them. They were voted in by civilians in different areas. In Verity, the same principle applied to the mayors of individual towns.
After answering as best as she could, Agatha pondered over the question she skipped. It was the only one left. She had finished everything else much faster, but most other students walked up and added their tests to the neat stack of papers before she did.
In the end, Agatha guessed it was the Valorian royal family. She reasoned that their cultural importance of bravery was backed by the royal family being impressive battlers. She probably missed the day with the real explanation, but it was the only logical answer she had. Even if it was wrong, she wouldn't be too embarrassed about it.
Suffering through Language Arts, Math, and Science was always a chore. Torkoal Mr. West had to be the most boring person in the entire school. Mr. Rivers teaching History and Language Arts was bearable, but anything funny that happened in Mr. West's classes went far over his head. Somehow, the most interesting thing he had to say was about different kinds of tea. Her classmates brought it up to distract him from teaching, and it worked.
Instead of wasting her time with things she already knew, Agatha worked on her prosthetic designs for both classes. She didn't make much progress balance-wise. It might have just been her.
Lunch came. This time, Agatha wanted to talk to someone. She progressively got more curious about the right answer for the question she had been stuck on.
The lunch room tables were long and cold to the touch. Light streamed in from windows, but it was overtaken by strong, white ceiling lights. It felt like the shrill cry of a dying cat on her ears, except on her eyes. Everything felt plain and unappealing on purpose.
Flygon Mr. Rivers sat at the teacher's table in the far right corner of the room. Their conversations were so quiet compared to the rush of talking, Audino Agatha had a hard time believing they could hear each other. He seemed to notice her coming long before she actually made it within earshot.
"Hello, Mr. Rivers?" Agatha asked. "I had a question about the test."
"Oh, sure. Which question?"
"It was the second to last essay question. About the strongest royal family in the world."
"Were you in school yesterday?"
Agatha paused, then shook her head.
"That's alright. I won't take points off since you weren't here."
"Oh, well, thanks," Agatha said. "So... what was the right answer?"
"Well, the Acuitan royalty became warlords after Robin Hood nearly wiped them out. The only one left was that one egg... You probably know how the story goes. After that pokemon hatched, he vowed revenge on Robin Hood, but he never found him. His son, King Amadeus, who rules Acuity now, was more or less made into a warlord on the off chance he could have revenge against Robin Hood's descendants. You know the Royal Parade?"
"Uh, yeah," Agatha said.
"That Quilava, Gawain? He's in the first generation of Acuitan royalty not to be trained as a warlord. But King Amadeus and his children are some of the strongest pokemon in the world. So, the Acuitan Royal Family has always been the strongest royal family in the world ever since Robin Hood. No other country can even compare."
"Uhm... Who... were his children again? King Amadeus."
"Lancelot, Percival, and Gareth. Most can only name Percival since he's the only one who stayed in contact with the Acuitans, though."
"What happened to the other two?"
Flygon Mr. Rivers glanced left and right, seeming to think about what to say.
"Well, he said, "I teach history, not rumors. Being honest, no one can say for sure other than King Amadeus himself. But I think that covers the answer you were looking for. The strongest royal family in the world in terms of battle strength are the Acuitans. And the reason was Robin Hood creating a kind of... tradition of violence. If you look up their standards, it's really quite gruesome."
"How gruesome...?"
"Everything they did everyday was to make them more proficient in war in one way or another. Their standards and way of going about it are rather unspeakable."
"But then why wouldn't I see them winning the Olympic battles every year? And why'd they stop for Gawain?"
"Well, the leaders of a nation can't represent themselves. As for Gawain, Acuity is trying to have closer relations with Verity and Valor. That's why they included Gawain, but then they went all the way and didn't tell him his own identity until he had matured. Most people agree that King Amadeus wanted a new approach after falling out with two of his sons. That, and the way of life has a certain toll."
"What toll?"
"Oh, you can see it on the news," Mr. Rivers said. "He sometimes has trouble walking. There's no doubt he's covering half a dozen scars, either. You can sometimes see it through his makeup."
He turned his head and stared off in the distance.
"Amadeus Acuity is a name you'd hear in battles like legends. I'm surprised you're so interested, Agatha. I bored half your class to sleep, and I don't have a clue why."
"Well, some of my family were historians. So, uh, just curious."
"Oh, I see."
Agatha checked Torkoal Mr. West and Eldegoss Ms. Wilman's faces. Neither of them seemed to react. It looked like the teachers didn't know anything.
"Uh, thanks," Agatha said.
"No problem."
Agatha nodded and turned away. As she looked back at her table, she saw Pikachu Simone sitting right next to where she had been. His small, white smile glowed under his crystal orange eyes. Her steps were stuttered in choosing whether to sit there or somewhere else, but she decided to stay.
Once she walked over, she sat down across from him. He rested his arms and the table and leaned his head in closer.
"That leather is amazing," he said, "it really suits you."
"Uh, thanks," Agatha said, feigning a weak smile.
"No problem. I actually heard somewhere ancient royalty used to wear that stuff."
"You're the second person to say that."
"Probably true then, right?"
Agatha shrugged. Her smile bounced up and settled back down.
"So, how come I never see you eat during lunch?" Simone asked.
"I dunno. Just not hungry."
"Well, you could eat something, right? Why don't I bring you in something tomorrow?"
"Something like what?"
"Something good," he nodded, pushing his lips together. "It'll be healthy. It'll be tasty. I'm actually not half bad at cooking. Trust me."
At this point, Agatha wouldn't put it past how her life was going for the food to be poisoned. It wouldn't be the first time in a while she's taken a bet on someone, though.
"Sure," Agatha said.
"Well, I was hoping you'd say that," his smile grew, "so, let's pretend tomorrow is today."
Pikachu Simone grabbed metal under the table and pulled up a huge, tiffany blue lunchbox. He pulled a metal handle that rested on top of a triangular shape apart in two to open it.
"Hummus sounds, like, really weird when you say it out loud or look at it," he said. "Pretty nice when you try it, though."
Simeone passed her a small, clear plastic tub of smooth, brown hummus and some white, square crackers. She dipped one in and tried it.
"Whatcha think?" he asked.
"It tastes... grainy and plain. But the flavor is so subtle I can't... tell. I can't tell if I like it but I want more."
"Exactly. I'm still trying to decide. Anyways, I have that and the spicy chicken meatballs. Other than that, it's all fruit."
Simone stuck a fork through a brown and red meatball and handed it to her. Agatha took and bit off half of it.
"It doesn't taste spicy," she said.
"Three," he smiled. "Two. One."
Fire hit Agatha's mouth. She swirled a cracker in the hummus and chomped down on it to extinguish it. Simone chuckled under his breath.
"Yeah, the hummus is for that too."
Agatha pounded on her chest and swallowed. "Yeah," she said. "Oh, geez..."
"Oof, sorry. Didn't know you didn't like spicy stuff."
"It's okay. I like it. Just needed some help to like it."
"Cool," Simone nodded. "So, what were you in Mr. Rivers talking about? Something about the test?"
"Yeah. I wasn't here for info on one of the questions. The essay one about the strongest royal family."
"Did you guess Valorian?"
Agatha's head fell lower. Her eyes shifted up to keep looking at his face. He giggled under his breath.
"Hey, it's alright," he said, smiling. "That's what everyone guesses when they don't know. I mean, with all the arenas and macho stuff going on."
"He told me the Acuitans were 'gruesome'," Agatha said quietly. "I wonder how gruesome he really means."
"Oh, he's not just saying that for show. They were the most brutal people in the world till they changed, recently."
"I just didn't expect it. I mean, most of their trade is engineering stuff, right? Like, science and development."
"Yeah, definitely. And, like, half of it used to be weapons. The people got so pissed that they nearly had civil wars about it way back when."
"You really know your stuff," Agatha said.
Simone shook his head. "Nah. Most people just don't care enough to know the basics. That's what I think."
The bell rang sooner than Agatha expected it to. She remembered it took her a few minutes looking around for Mr. Rivers, and even longer to talk to him. Even so, it still felt like it was over too fast.
"Darn," Simone said. "They make lunch so short just cause we can eat in study hall."
"It's not like there's anything else to do in study hall."
"Yeah. Forreal. Want to sit together?"
"Okay."
Audino Agatha waited and sat up parallel with Pikachu Simone. Once he stood up, he had to hold the lunchbox on top of his head to keep it from screeching against the floor. Agatha shook her head to herself as they followed the crowd to the hallway leading back to the classrooms.
"Maybe you could just bring two lunchboxes next time?" Agatha asked.
"Yeah, good idea."
"Hey."
At first, Agatha didn't react to the voice. When her ears buzzed from how close it was, she reeled her head back.
A Lucario walked right next to her on her left. He was a solid seven, just under Gawain at an eight. His sleek fur managed to stay impressive under hideous lighting.
"You're new here, right?" Lucario asked.
Agatha nodded to him. The constant veil of chatter around them felt like it became a little quieter.
"My name's Elijah," Lucario said. "Want to meet and greet some of the varsity battling team after?"
Normally, she'd say no. Agatha hated the sound of Elijah's voice after the first sample, however, battling sounded interesting. She wanted to see what their standards were.
"Okay," she answered.
"Oh, great! I'll catch you in the gym after class."
"Okay."
Elijah increased his pace. He joined the crowd ahead from the back, worming his way between a Slurpuff and Umbreon.
"I, uh..." Pikachu Simone stopped mid-sentence.
"I'm interested in battles," Audino Agatha cut in. "You're on the varsity team, right?"
"Yeah," he said.
"How good are the battlers in the long run?"
"What do you mean 'long run'?" he asked. "Like, professional?"
"Yeah. Stuff like that."
"Elijah's top of the team, so he wants to go pro. Talks about it all the time. That's why he's so popular." Simone leaned his head closer, shifting the lunchbox on his head to look at Agatha's face. "Hey, are you thinking of learning?"
"I am learning. That's why I said yes."
Simone's mouth became a shrinking circle. He turned back, walking forward.
Pikachu Simone sat next to Audino Agatha in the back of the classroom. She ate and drew out of boredom with her legs folded under her. With how sharp her hearing was, she was able to hear Simone whisper under his breath as clear as day. She had to speak up just a little bit more, but no one showed signs of listening. Lucario Elijah sat towards the front rows in the class.
"So, you don't like him?" he asked quietly.
"No," Agatha whispered. "Why?"
"Just looking out for you."
"Uh, thanks mom?"
Simone huffed and rolled his eyes away. Agatha smiled and tilted her head with half of her face tensed.
"Uh, you good?" she asked.
"I don't like him," he groaned. "He uses people."
"You know I'm technically using him, right?"
"I just don't want to see him get in your head or anything."
"Hey," Agatha said. She stared right at his crystal orange eyes with her eyebrows raised. "I'm good, dude. People won't take advantage of me cause I mind my own business."
"Oh, trust me. When there's a will, there's a way..."
In the back of her mind, Agatha had been wondering where the Electrike and Lillipup were. She rose her head and tried to look around the room, but she was too short to see past the wall of backs turned away.
"Where are your friends, anyways?" Agatha asked.
"Uh... Oh, the Electrike and Lillipup? Yeah, they hate me now."
"Oh. Mmkay."
"I also think they're mean."
"Yikes. Careful with those fighting words."
Simone leaned over and looked down at Agatha's drawing pad. She glanced at him, but continued drawing.
"Whatcha drawing?" he asked.
"Nothing," she sighed. "I'm bored."
Agatha looked up. No one was really glancing back in her direction. Convinced it was safe, she dropped her pencil and set the drawing pad off to the side. She crouched and stalked behind her cushion, then lowered herself face flat to the ground.
She started to do one-arm pushups to pass the time. Simone turned his head as far as he could to see, but had to shift and spin himself a little in place to look.
"Uh, you work out a lot?" Simone asked.
Agatha paused on the tips of her fingers and glanced up at him. She stared a moment. "Duh?"
"I mean, like, a whole lot?"
Agatha sighed and went back to it. Even though she had been doing it a while, one arm pushups took their toll fast. She switched to her other arm after thirty seconds, and then was done in a minute. She inched back to her bean bag with a bored grumble rumbling in her chest.
"Why am I here?" Agatha asked. "Can't someone call and tell them I'm too old for daycare?"
"Did you already finish the homework?" Simone asked.
"Yes. In the first five minutes," she groaned.
"You could ask the teacher to go to the gym or do something. I dunno if they'll say yes, just throwing it out there."
Agatha peered to get a glimpse of the Eldegoss, Ms. Wilman. She was reading a book at the front desk.
"She looks like she hates fun," Agatha said. "And children and puppies."
"Maybe next time, bring some books?" Simone suggested. "I mean, you could learn tons from battling about books. Better use of time."
"Who's talking?"
Ms. Wilman's yell turned Agatha to stone and back. She looked out over the sea of pokemon on cushions, then grumbled and turned her head down.
"She needs to get a life," Agatha hissed under her breath.
In the end, Audino Agatha laid back and took a nap. When the bell rang, she yelped just low enough for no one to hear. It stung her ears and gave her a pounding headache, but after the rude awakening, it was time for gym.
Pikachu Simone stood up in tandem next to her. With him behind her, they joined the end of the rows of pokemon walking out the door. Eldegoss Ms. Wilman stayed seated in place, not even glancing up from her book. Agatha's fur stood on end as she walked past.
As she exited to the doorway, Lucario Elijah waited on the right of it. He started walking side by side with her as the group turned down the hallway.
"So," Elijah said, "you think battling is cool, Agatha?"
"Yyyyup," she said quietly. ""Uh, so do you?"
"Well. I am one the strongest battlers in the school."
Agatha gagged and swallowed her reaction. He went down to a four at best. It was like he had snot all over his face.
"Pretty nice, right?" he asked.
"Yup..."
"You should come along when games start. Maybe you could sign up to be a cheerleader."
Agatha didn't even know the school colors. She wasn't curious, either.
"I wouldn't be a cheerleader even if it paid," she groaned. "That sounds like death."
Elijah fell silent for once. He shakily laughed it off, but his back hunched and made him a smidge shorter. Agatha groaned.
"Fine. When are they?" she asked.
"Oh!" a smiled popped on his face. "They're on Saturdays!"
"Fu-uuuu..."
"I'm sorry?" he asked.
"Yeah," Agatha said. "Okay. I'll go."
"Awesome! Great! You still staying after gym?"
Agatha shook her head. "Can't. Feeling a little run down."
"Aw, sorry about that. We do it every day after school, though, so there's no rush."
Audino Agatha looked down and nodded. Elijah jogged up ahead, calling out to a Deerling. Pikachu Simone bounded up next to her and looked up at her face.
"Hey," Simone said. "What's wrong?"
"Got a headache," she replied. "I just want to sleep."
"It's just gym. I'm sure Mr. Rivers will let you leave early so you can go home and get some rest."
"I dunno. I can tough it out."
"There's no reason to tough it out. C'mon now."
The line reached the cold, red metal doors leading into the gymnasium. Flygon Mr. Rivers entered first, turning on the lights by touching a button on the wall. The lights didn't help Agatha's headache. As the crowd dispersed inside, she gripped hard on the strand of her ear.
Simone waited next to her while the rest of the class filed in. Mr. Rivers glanced their way, but didn't look again until the class finished entering. Once they did, he flapped his wings and floated over.
"Are you feeling alright?" Mr. Rivers asked.
"She's tired and has a headache," Simone said. He looked up at Agatha. "You want to go home and get some sleep, right?"
"Oh," Mr. Rivers said, "by all means, you can go home now if you want to. I can fill out the papers for it later. And remember to count your blessings, Neon Star."
Agatha's eyes shot open. Simone and Mr. Rivers both stared at her.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Simone asked.
A shockwave went through Agatha's skull. She rotated the tips of her fingers on the sides of her head applying firm pressure. It disappeared as fast as it came, but dull pain lingered.
"Yeah," Agatha mumbled. "Just want to go home."
"Could I walk with her?" Simone asked Mr. Rivers. He turned back to Agatha. "How far do you live?"
"Like, a seven minute walk," she said.
Simone turned to Mr. Rivers for his answers.
"Sure," Mr. Rivers said. "Just try to be back in time for practice is all. But by all means, take all the time you need."
It felt a little too nice. Mr. Rives had to know something about her circumstances for him to be like this, at least a little bit. Regardless, Agatha appreciated it.
"Thanks," Agatha said.
"Not a problem. Feel better."
Mr. Rivers turned back and closed the doors to the gym. Agatha glanced at Simone as she rubbed her head.
"Thanks," Agatha croaked.
"Don't mention it," Simone said.
Agatha turned her gaze down the hallway. The light hitting her eyes felt wrong. Her migraine made it all foggy.
