And just in time, that one reserved character from earlier has finally arrived! Proudly introducing: Lucas Roslyn, submitted by Uspeon! You'll be seeing quite a bit of him this chapter!
Alright, review time!
coolhuh0526: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Ray is a character I find particularly interesting, so you can expect to see more of his POV in the future. I wasn't feeling particularly creative with Pokemon Training 101, which is why it feels so dull and uninteresting. However, I'll try to jazz things up later.
There were certainly a few surprises here, though, huh? But this is only scratching the surface...
Kuronicle: Blue is a master Trainer, so of course he had a few surprise comboes! Boulton got his Grass Knot attack from a Move Tutor, among others, so no sneaky surprises here.
I'm glad you love reading these chapters so much! I can't wait to share these characters' secrets, too...
pokemonking0924: No one was expecting it, that's for sure!
Rescue Wolf: Lots of exciting things are happening, alright! I never really thought about being a show director...but I do enjoy my writing.
No, Shelly is not a Ditto. I'm not even sure why you guessed that. Keep trying, though!
Poor Ray, there will be lots of illogical things though...
jjjdunk1: To be honest, I decided to bring in Blue because he seemed to be the most convenient pro Trainer I could use for this semester! He won't be here for too long, though I'm not sure how many chapters this semester will take. It took 500 chapters for Espeon of Shadows to even get to winter break!
Well, that's all of them for now, so let's get the chapter into writing! (-o-)
Lucas smiled at his reflection, more than ready to start the day.
He was a rather charming young man, with short brown hair combed to the left and soft brown eyes. He wore a brown tweed jacket over a white long-sleeved shirt, as well as brown slacks and black shoes. People frequently complimented his professional look, and he did his best to maintain those expectations.
Satisfied with his appearance, he walked out of the bathroom and into the main dormitory.
The sun had not risen just quite yet, and Lucas's fellow roommates all looked rather exhausted. Cristian had rolled onto the floor, mumbling, while Floris leaned on the desk with a dazed expression. Around them sat the majority of Lucas's Pokemon, since he was a firm believer of not keeping them trapped in their Pokeballs.
Perched on the top bunk was his loyal Talonflame, Helia. She was his very first Pokemon, and the two had stood together through everything life had to offer. If Lucas had to choose anyone as his ace, it would be her.
On the floor near Cristian's face, Menard the Mienfoo was meditating in her daily morning ritual. Lucas knew she was trying to build inner tranquility for when she evolved, although as far as he knew only Meditite actually needed to do that.
On the opposite end of the room was a large black chest, brought in by their fourth roommate last night. Lucas's third Pokemon was leaning against it. Their name was Jerome, a Fraxure, and wasn't very social.
Lucas walked over to the window and opened it, sending in a gust of chilly autumn wind. Outside, there was a tall tree, where Lucas's last two Pokemon were sleeping.
Terre the Sceptile was reclining at the top of the tree, and smiled at Lucas when he spotted him. Terre was his official starter, and had helped Lucas win many a battle. Although Helia was his ace, Terre was a very close second.
At the base of the tree, snoring rather loudly, was Lucas's final Pokemon, Gilda. Gilda was a Girafarig, and had been a close friend of his for quite some time. She'd gotten him out of several tight situations, and Lucas was always going to be grateful for that.
After waving to Terre, Lucas headed back inside, where he noticed his fourth roommate still sleeping.
The owner of the black chest, this fourth kid seemed rather unusual. They had only come into the dorm late last night, and instead of some duffel bags or anything like that they had this locked chest. The boy had simply told them to never look inside the chest, before proceeding to climb into his bed and fall asleep.
Lucas knew they needed to get going soon so they could get some breakfast and arrive at class on time, so he started trying to wake the young man up.
"Hey. Hey dude. Rise and shine.", Lucas whispered, trying to shake the boy awake.
Helia glided over with incredible speed, perching near the sleeping kid's head. She looked at Lucas inquisitively.
Lucas sighed. "I don't want him to hate me."
"Flame?", asked Helia.
Lucas stepped back, raising his hands to his ears. "Fine then, go ahead."
Helia took a deep breath, inflating her feathers.
"TAAAAALLLLLLLOOOOOOONNNNNN!", she screeched, causing the window to crack slightly and unleashing enough sound to wake the dead.
"Oh, Giratina!", cursed the boy, sitting up, "I'm awake, I'm awake!"
He was a tall gaunt fellow, with pale skin, long messy black hair that wouldn't look out of place on an emo character, and sad black eyes. He had fallen asleep in the clothes he wore last night, which consisted of a long-sleeved black shirt, a black hoodie with an image of a Crobat on it, and long black pants. As he stepped out of bed, Lucas realized he was still wearing his boots, too.
The boy looked over Lucas, who had only just lowered his hands, and sighed. "That was your bird, wasn't it?"
"Yeah.", grumbled Cristian, "He could've given us a LITTLE warning, right?"
Lucas smiled. "I could've...but you're all awake now because of it!"
Floris nodded slightly. "That's true...but still. Not. Fun."
The boy smiled softly. "Well, at least I'm up now. Pleased to meet you all, my name is Vladimir."
He held out his long, bony hand, and Lucas shook it. He noticed that it felt awfully cold.
After shaking everyone's hands, Vladimir walked over to the fridge, where he pulled out a tall bottle of Tamato juice. As he started guzzling it, he asked, "So, bros, what's the plan?"
Lucas answered, "First, we're going to pick up some breakfast at the Eevee Cafe. Then we've got our lessons to go through. All three of you are in the Research Course, so you'll need to head to the Oak Study Hall while I head to the Pokemon Center for my Medical Course lesson. We'll meet up again for lunch, sound good?"
Cristian nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Let's go!"
Vladimir nodded, before frowning at the nearly-empty bottle in his hands.
"Say, do you think this cafe has Tamato juice?", he asked.
Floris, Cristian, and Lucas glanced at each other, before shrugging.
"We'll find out when we get there, I believe.", Floris replied. (-o-)
As it turned out, they did have Tamato juice, although the lady at the desk warned that it was only for customers who had "complete and utter disregard for their taste receptors."
Vladimir ordered the tallest glass of it they had.
Lucas, who did not have complete and utter disregard for his taste receptors, ordered an autumn spice latte. Intimidated by Vladimir's odd drink choice, Cristian and Floris ordered the same thing as Lucas.
Lucas also ordered four Pecha Berry scones, and found a spot for them to sit where they wouldn't have to see the bartender staring at Vladimir.
For a few moments, there was an awkward silence.
"So, uh, you like spicy things, huh?", Cristian commented, staring warily at Vladimir's juice.
Vladimir looked up. "Hmm? No, not particularly."
Cristian looked aghast. "But then how on earth can you stand Tamato juice? That's like liquid fire!"
Vladimir looked confused. "Is it? I've never noticed."
Everyone at the table was absolutely dumbfounded.
Cristian buried his face in his hands and mumbled something around the lines of 'How?'
Floris's face resembled a Magikarp.
Even Lucas felt bewildered. How could someone NOT notice the pure concentrated spiciness of Tamato juice? It just couldn't be done!
He shook his head in disbelief. But he also knew that he didn't want to dwell on this, and started trying to think of something else to talk about.
However, Cristian beat him to it. "So, uh, what's the plan for today? After the lessons?"
Vladimir shrugged. "Do our homework?"
Floris replied, "That's basically a given. I think he means what are we doing AFTER that?"
Vladimir nodded. "Ah, yes, I understand of course." He thought for a moment. "Take a nap?", he suggested.
Cristian said, "Actually, that doesn't sound half bad..."
"We'll figure things out when we get to them.", Lucas replied, "I am not sure what all this university has to offer, and would prefer to look through things further before making any final decisions."
He glanced at his watch. "But right now, it appears we need to get to class. Catch you guys at lunch?"
"You got it.", Cristian replied.
All four of them got up, and as they headed out Lucas picked up a bag of berries to feed to his Pokemon, which had all been waiting patiently outside. When he walked out of the building, Helia swept down and perched on his shoulder, carefully making sure her sharp claws didn't dig in too much.
Lucas smiled at his Pokemon, and tossed them a few berries. "Alright guys, we're off to our first class of the day! I am excited to see what we'll learn, how about you?"
His Pokemon all declared their agreement.
"Let's go, then!", he declared, and they set off for the Pokemon Center. (-o-)
When Lucas arrived at the Pokemon Center, he noticed several students already there. Many of them were dressed professionally, as if they were going to work. From what Lucas had seen, this wasn't a common trait among the students, except possibly the Research Course.
He also noticed that there were lots of Pokemon out and about as well, much like his own. At least that didn't make him feel too much out of place. He'd often attracted attention with his Pokemon following him everywhere, much of it rather unwanted...
But he did not like to think about that. It was too painful remembering that time.
Looking around, he noticed two familiar-looking girls. There was Nancy, still dressed in her nurse uniform, and then there was Cecilia, who was happily chatting with Nancy while snuggling a Whimsicott. The fluffy Pokemon seemed to be taking a quick nap.
Lucas stood calmly to the side, not minding the other students as they gathered. He noticed the crowd was rather small. It was saddening how few people wanted to study how to be a doctor or a nurse or anything like that.
As they stood there, Lucas noticed a pretty young woman stepping up to the group. He realized that she was their teacher, and that they were a literal Nurse Joy.
Many people in the crowd was astonished, but Lucas didn't show much surprise. He had already known that their teacher was a member of the Joy family, after his research into the school. He wondered what she would have to teach them.
She waved at the students, giving them a cheerful smile. "Hello! I am Doctor Azalea Joy, and I will be your teacher for the duration of the Medical Course! As you have most likely noticed, I am part of the large and prestigious Joy family, which means I am uniquely qualified to teach you all that I know!"
She took a deep breath before continuing. "You all know about the high-tech regeneration machines found in most Pokemon Centers, which are capable of fully healing your Pokemon in a fraction of the time. The use of those machines is quite simple, which means that is NOT what I am going to be teaching you all!"
Lucas nodded. He had an idea of where she was going with this, although most people in the crowd seemed confused. After all, as far as many of them knew Pokemon nurses only operated the machines and kept the Centers running.
Azalea explained, "Instead, I am going to teach you how to heal Pokemon in a natural way! There are millions of situations where a big bulky machine will be unavailable to help you when your Pokemon or others are injured. This is a dilemma many soldiers, rangers, trainers, and denizens of rural areas face frequently. As such, it is very important for any aspiring medical officer to know what to do when faced with such a situation."
She picked up a large bin full of various berries and set it down in front of her, where everyone could see it.
"So today, we're going to start by seeing how well you know your berries.", she said, "More than just tasty treats for Pokemon, berries have a massive variety of healing properties, and knowing what all does what is a very important skill. I hope you are ready to begin." (-o-)
After the morning classes had raced by, with Basic Pokemon Care, Pokemon Biology, and Pokemon Training 101 all taking place, it was time for lunch.
Lucas found his roommates gathered near a small cafe called Hawlucha's Taco Fiesta, located next to the Ranger Campus, which appeared to sell southern food such as tacos, burritos, and nachos. Cristian was already eating some tamales, while Floris was studying Vladimir nervously as the strange student delighted in eating his nachos and salsa.
Since much of the cafe was outdoors, Lucas could easily pick up some food for his Pokemon and eat it with them. After he ordered some tacos for all of them, he walked over to the others and sat down beside his fellow roommates.
"Hey hey, Lucas. How are you?", greeted Cristian, "You've got to try some of this food!"
"These nachos are the lifeblood of my senses.", Vladimir stated, "To suspect such a wondrous combination of cheese, beef, chips, and salsa could exist...it defies any expectations!"
"Aka he likes it.", Floris commented.
Lucas smiled. "Well, I'm looking forward to trying this, that's for sure!"
Terre nodded in agreement, the Sceptile relaxing in a fifth chair he'd pulled over. Gilda, Jerome, and Menard all sat next to him, while Helia was flying circles in the air.
As Lucas and his Pokemon got comfortable, Floris looked over the schedule for the day.
"So, it looks like most of the general classes were covered in the morning.", he stated, "After lunch, we have Trainer's Education, as well as the rest of the extracurricular classes. Then we can kick back and relax for the rest of the day!"
Vladimir replied, "Not exactly. Homework."
"It's not due until Friday!", exclaimed Floris, "Can you blame me for wanting to have a few more days of relaxation before things get harder?"
Vladimir rose an eyebrow. "Yes."
Floris sighed in exasperation.
Cristian shrugged. "Vladimir does have a point, I guess. But what will be doing after that? We never figured that out."
Lucas took out one of the brochures. "Hmm...well, we could go to the Champion's Rest Stop later. I would like to do something that can involve all my Pokemon, though, and an indoor place isn't that."
Vladimir looked thoughtful. "There's a beach."
"Of course there's a beach. This is a freaking island!", Floris replied.
Vladimir thought a bit longer. "We could swim at the beach."
"In autumn? You must be insane!", Cristian replied.
Vladimir nodded. "Yes."
No one was entirely sure how to react.
"Okay, so, Champion's Rest Stop?", asked Cristian.
"Yeah, I think that would be good.", Floris replied.
Vladimir commented, "Why is it a Champion's Rest Stop when there are no champions here?"
Cristian and Floris politely ignored him.
Lucas flipped through the brochure, but nothing else was catching his eye. He sighed to himself. He knew his Pokemon would understand, though. They were always trying to encourage him to make some more human friends.
His food arrived at that moment, and his Pokemon cheered in excitement. After quickly dishing out the tacos, he took a bite of one, and was astonished by its taste. It was definitely a good alternative to the buffet, although he suspected this was going to be a bit more expensive.
As he and his Pokemon ate their food, Cristian and Floris were striking up an excited conversation about what they could do at the Champion's Rest Stop. Lucas tuned them out, glancing towards the forest in the distance and smiling at the thought of all the friends he could make there. He was always better with Pokemon than people.
He then spotted two students walking up to them. Lucas instantly recognized them as Kira and Mira, the twins who'd escorted them from the dock where they'd first arrived.
"Hello!", greeted Kira, "It's great to see all you freshmen again!"
Mira nodded. "Yeah, I guess."
Kira continued, "If you're wondering why we're here, let me elaborate!"
She tossed each of them a flyer. "Take a look - this isn't something to miss!"
Lucas glanced at the paper, which read:
Proudly Introducing Club Weekend!
Every student deserves a chance to branch out and meet like-minded friends. Unfortunately, this isn't always easy.
BUT NOT ANYMORE!
This weekend, all the school clubs will be setting up booths outside the Stardust Theater, where everyone can learn more about all the clubs and join whichever one strikes their fancy! This is an opportunity you do not want to miss!
The clubs here include, but are not limited to:
Oricorio Drama Club
Gym Leader Training Club
Scientific Research Club
Pokemon Appreciation Club
Extreme Camping Club
The Daily Pelipper Newspaper Club
League of Future Entrepreneurs
Alcremie Cooking Club
Lilligant Gardener's Club
Runerigus Relic Fanatics
Mystery Dungeons and Dragonites Roleplaying Club
I hope you enjoy your stay at this school, and we hope to see you this weekend!
At the bottom of the page, Lucas noticed some fine print that read: Sponsored by the Queen and her associates.
"This is cool-looking!", exclaimed Cristian, "I didn't realize there were so many clubs!"
Kira grinned. "Yeah! It's pretty spectacular, isn't it? And you could join any of them!"
"If they accept you, that is.", muttered Mira.
Kira glared at her brother. "MOST accept everyone! Are you still upset that you were rejected by the Gym Leader Training Club?"
Mira grumbled to himself.
Kira turned back to the others with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Mira's just like that sometimes."
Mira glared at her, but she didn't seem to care.
Lucas pointed to the bottom of the flyer. "Who is this Queen?"
Kira smiled, pressing her hands to her face. "Oh, she's just the greatest! So wondrous, and dreamy, and helpful..."
Mira explained, "She's one of the Five Legends, the greatest students of each course. The Queen is the one for Arts."
Kira continued, "She's absolutely amazing! She helped me and my brother rise up to be some of the greatest performers out there! She's one of my most very best friends!"
"She is also our boss.", Mira stated.
Lucas nodded. "Huh. I see." He wasn't sure what exactly this was all about. From what it sounded like, though, these 'Five Legends' had an awful lot of power. It was hard to imagine that they were students here.
Vladimir said, "So, this 'Queen' of yours is sponsoring the event?"
"Of course! Her Highness just loves getting people together!", Kira declared.
"Alright. Cool.", Vladimir replied, and proceeded to keep eating his nachos.
"Now we must take our leave!", Mira declared, "More people to talk to, you know! We'll see you later!"
The twins hurried off, in order to continue spreading their news. Once they were gone, Vladimir put on a more serious demeanor.
"As innocuous as this event may seem, I doubt this Queen is sponsoring it out of the goodness of her heart.", Vladimir stated, "There's an ulterior motive here. Possibly propaganda, possibly something else. I'll be playing rather cautiously here."
"First day of school, and you're already freaking out over conspiracy theories. I doubt there's anything to be worried about.", Cristian replied, "Heck, this is actually exciting! I knew there were going to be clubs here, and now we can get a good look at them all!"
Floris shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it's cool. But there will be lots of strangers there..."
Lucas was secretly excited as well, but he felt a little paranoid like Vladimir. However, he knew that it was very unlikely something bad would happen this early in the school year.
He would definitely look into these 'Five Legends' as soon as possible, though.
Vladimir said, "Well, I'm not stopping anyone, but I'm just making sure it's clear that there might be something up with this."
He glanced at the time. "We should probably hurry. Our lunch hour is almost up."
So they did. (-o-)
After finishing off his delicious lunch, Lucas made his way back to the Pokemon Center. He had signed up for the more advanced Pokemon Care class, and it was just about time for it to start.
Most of the students here were the same as from the Medical Course, with some extras from the other classes. He could see Cecilia and Nancy from earlier, but he also recognized Tori and Jennifer. Most surprisingly, Lucas could see Grant standing nearby, looking distinctively uncomfortable while his Meowth reclined on his shoulder. Compared to the others, Grant's massive stature and beat-up clothes stood out like a sore thumb.
Lucas noticed that their teacher was once again Dr. Azalea Joy. She was sitting down on a chair, looking a bit exhausted, and she was petting a beautiful blue Sylveon. A Shiny one!
Once she was sure everyone had arrived, she said, "Hello again, students. Today, I'm going to start teaching you some more specialized ways to care for your Pokemon and bring out their full potential."
She smiled. "There is a lot more to Pokemon than just teaching them how to beat up each other in stronger and stronger ways. To be a true Trainer, you must..hmm, what's the right word...ah yes! You must RESONATE with your Pokemon, and form a closer bond than the two of you would ever believe was possible!"
Lucas was snapped to alertness. The way she'd said those words...
It felt distinctively similar to some of his 'talents'.
But it must be a coincidence. Right?
Azalea continued, "I doubt many of you have reached that point just yet. But the seeds of your bond have already been planted, and today we will work on cultivating it. If everyone would send out the Pokemon they believe is their closest partner, please?"
Lucas turned to his Pokemon. "Alright, I'm gonna need you guys to stay back while I do this lesson. Except for you, Helia. I choose you as my partner!"
The Talonflame cawed happily, pleased that he had chosen her. His other Pokemon nodded their acknowledgement and stepped back a few feet, although still trying to stay close to him.
The other students started sending out their chosen Pokemon. Tori chose her Greninja, Dusk, while Jennifer had Mary the Ralts. Nancy sent out Purity, her Togetic, while Cecilia chose Aria, her Altaria.
Grant simply kept his Meowth out, who seemed rather smug about the whole thing.
After everyone else chose their Pokemon, Azalea said, "Okay, then! For the rest of the lesson, we are going to be working on building a connection with our partners. To do this, we're going to start by grooming them and gently talking with them. I'll be going around and helping each of you as necessary."
As a demonstration, she took out an elegant silver brush and began gently stroking it through her Sylveon's fur, causing it to close her eyes and start purring. Everyone else started following her lead, using one of the combs in a nearby bucket.
However, Lucas was no stranger to Pokemon grooming, and had a few combs of his own, including one specially designed for feathered Pokemon. He started running it through Helia's feathers, straightening them out and cleaning up what little dirt lurked in her feathers. As he worked, he couldn't help but notice her warm body heat, fueled by her internal fire.
He glanced around, and noticed that most people were doing just fine. It was quite obvious, though, who wasn't.
"Ow! Watch where you're pulling that thing!", shouted Tom Tom, as Grant snagged his combs on another tangle in the Meowth's fur.
Grant replied, "I'm trying, you little -"
"None of that, please.", Azalea said, standing in front of them. Grant was startled by how fast she'd gotten there.
Tom Tom crossed his arms. "It's not MY fault he's bad at this!"
"Technically it is, seeing as you're the one who signed me up for this!", Grant snarled.
But before the two could get into a fight, Azalea's Sylveon glided in, reaching out to the two of them with her ribbons. As her naturally calming aura enveloped them, Grant and Tom Tom visibly settled down.
"There, there.", Azalea said sweetly, "Now, how about I show you how to brush a Pokemon's fur the proper way?"
Lucas sighed in relief, glad that the situation had been defused. Although he hardly knew anything about Grant and his Meowth, it was obvious those two had been around the block quite a few times. A fight between them could have potentially been rather messy.
The rest of the lesson passed rather uneventfully, until finally Azalea declared, "Okay guys, our hour's just about up! I can almost sense your bonds growing! By the end of the year, I'm certain that you'll be unstoppable!"
She smiled at Grant and Tom Tom, who had quite visibly improved since the start of the lesson. Tom Tom was curled up, purring, and Grant was smiling as he brushed Tom Tom's fur with the grace of a professional.
It was rather surprising, but definitely a nice change.
As everyone started wrapping up and clearing out, Lucas put away the comb and stood up, Helia soaring into the sky. But when he turned around, he realized Mary was standing right in front of him, staring inquisitively.
"Oh, hello.", Lucas greeted, "You're definitely a cutie."
Mary then held up a blue flower, and tucked it into his pocket. She gestured towards Jennifer, who didn't seem to notice this interaction, and mimed talking.
"You want me to speak with Jennifer?", asked Lucas, "Can you tell me why?"
Mary tapped her head and shrugged.
"You just have a feeling I need to? Um, alright. After school lets out I'll see about doing that.", Lucas replied.
Mary smiled, before teleporting back to her Trainer.
Lucas glanced at his Pokemon. "Any idea what that's about?"
Jerome shrugged. Terre winked and pantomimed taking an arrow to the heart.
Lucas rolled his eyes at the Sceptile's antics. "I highly doubt there's anything romantic going on here. Now come on, we've got to get to Trainer's Education."
But as he walked off, he couldn't help but wonder if the reason Mary wanted him to speak with Jennifer was in any way related to something in his past... (-o-)
AN: There wasn't too much to see this chapter, besides the look at two new characters! Oh, and of course, a surprise event: Club Weekend! If you want to offer suggestions on where your characters will go, just review or PM me! You have several chapters to do so, but I'd recommend doing it sooner rather than later!
Next time, to the Research Course! This one should be interesting, and it will introduce quite a bit of worldbuilding! Nothing too exciting though. That's for later.
Well, I'll see you all next time!