So I know it's been a while, and while I'm stuck writing the next chapters, I still wanted to give you guys some content, so I figured that now would be a good time to introduce the idea.
Jay Hayden: Yeah, Callie is savage.
ZenoZen: Well, we'll see.
ReallyRaichu: That she definitely is.
Duskzilla: I haven't really noted them.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Bonus Chapter 1: Daily Life
Blake and Cynthia
"Hey, Cynthia," Sango said, turning to her roommate. The two were in the process of changing into their school clothes for the morning, Sango having returned from her post-caretaking jog and Cynthia, as usual, being half-asleep.
"Hm, what?" Cynthia asked, yawning.
"Guys… they, um, they like boobs, right?" Sango asked, looking down, embarrassed.
"…Uh…" Cynthia turned to Sango, her mouth falling open, a list of potential options flashing in front of her face.
Guys like boobs, right?
Options
Yes.
No.
Don't worry, you're still growing.
Please show me your boobs.
Okay, this isn't the best set of options I've received… Cynthia thought, frowning. In fact, it seems the Sango route is a lot harder to clear than I expected…
"So yeah, that's what Sango asked me this morning, can you believe that?" Cynthia sighed, shaking her head. She and Blake had sat down on the veranda to eat breakfast.
"What did you finally tell her?" Blake asked, surprised.
"…" A guilty smile flashed across Cynthia's face, Sango walking up to the table with a rather serious expression, holding a tray of food.
"Blake, I have a question for you."
Blake whipped his head to Cynthia who whipped her head away to avoid his gaze, the guilty party obvious here.
"Y-yes?" Blake asked, turning back to Sango.
"Guys like boobs, right?"
"Huh…" Blake said, thinking about the question.
Guys like boobs, right?
Options
Yes.
No.
Don't worry, you're still growing.
Please show me your boobs.
Considering his options, a series of scenarios flashed through Blake's mind.
Scenario 1
"Guys like boobs, right?"
"Yes," Blake said, nodding.
"I knew it! Die, you dirty piece of crap!" Sango exclaimed, hitting Blake in the face and running off in tears.
Scenario 2
"Guys like boobs, right?"
"No," Blake said, shaking his head.
"Then why is it boys are always checking out girls like Serefina, huh?" Sango asked icily.
"Um, well, that's…"
"I knew it! Die, you lying piece of crap!" Sango exclaimed, hitting Blake in the face and running off in tears.
Scenario 3
"Guys like boobs, right?"
"Don't worry, you're still growing," Blake reassured her.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Sango cried.
"Well, I…"
"Die, you insensitive piece of crap!" Sango exclaimed, hitting Blake in the face and running off in tears.
Scenario 4
"Guys like boobs, right?"
"Please show me your boobs," Blake said with a straight face.
"Die, you perverted piece of crap!" Sango exclaimed, hitting Blake in the face multiple times with a barrage of fists imbued with righteous fury.
No… no matter what scenario I think of… every option is a bad end… Blake thought, his face going pale.
"Why aren't you answering?" Sango asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Hey, Sango," Cynthia said, catching her attention. "Check this out."
Cynthia handed Sango a stuffed Clefairy doll. Sango took it, looking at it in confusion before raising her head.
Cynthia and Blake fled from battle!
"That was close…" Cynthia muttered, she and Blake collapsing on the ground behind one of the school buildings, out of close.
"Why did you drag me into this?" Blake panted, glaring at her.
"Well, you know how it is…" Cynthia said, smiling, "real friendship is dragging as many of your friends down with you so you never have to suffer alone… or whatever."
"So what do we do now?" Blake sighed. "I mean, there's no way we can go to class, she'll find us."
"Then the only option becomes simple, we're cutting class!" Cynthia decided, rising to her feet. "We just need to find somewhere to hide until Sango calms down."
"Yeah, but what do we do until then?"
"Well," Cynthia said, narrowing her eyes at Blake while tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, "I guess we could… watch a movie?"
"Your body language says something else," Blake said, rolling his eyes, Cynthia giggling.
"Oh, come on. I have the entire Kanto League 2014 box set we can watch!"
"…The one with the match between the Tyranitar and the Dragonite?" Blake asked.
"The very same," Cynthia said, her smile widening.
"I guess watching a few matches wouldn't hurt," Blake said, shrugging.
"Right! To Blake's room!" Cynthia declared.
"Why my room?!"
"Because Sango has keys to mine," she explained, as though the answer was obvious.
As Blake pulled his TV up to his bed, Cynthia flopped onto it, stretching.
"Ah, nothing like playing hooky for the day," she sighed lazily.
"I can't believe you talked me into this," Blake said, shaking his head, turning on the TV and sitting down on the bed, the shake of the mattress rousing Cynthia up into a seated position beside him.
"Oh, come on, it's not like you're failing any of your classes or anything," Cynthia said, clapping him on the back, laughing. "Ya need to learn how to relax, and not take all this so seriously, y'know?"
"With that attitude, your last test score makes sense," Blake chuckled, Cynthia swatting him in the arm and huffing in mock-outrage.
"Oh, shut up!"
As they began playing the DVD, Cynthia rested her head on Blake's lap, stretching out her arms.
"…What are you doing?"
"Oh come on, we're friends," Cynthia said, turning her head to look up at him, the mischievous glint in her eyes betraying her not-so-secret intentions.
Blake pressed his hand against his temple, shaking his head. "Urgh, you really are way too much like her, you know?"
"'Her'?" Cynthia asked, her lips curling into a feline smile, her eyes narrowing. "Who, exactly, is 'her'?"
"An old friend of mine," Blake said, a smile crossing his face. "You remind me a lot of her."
"Oh, I look a lot like her, huh?" Cynthia giggled.
"No, she's pretty, tall, and has a big chest," Blake said, laughing.
"Jerk!" Cynthia elbowed him in the gut, sitting up, glaring at him.
"Oh yeah… that's a familiar feeling," Blake muttered, holding his stomach.
"Hmph," Cynthia huffed, the smile slowly returning to her face. "You don't have to tease me, you know!"
The two returned their attention to the screen, Cynthia reclaiming her position in Blake's lap. The match continued on, Blake mindlessly flicking through the strands of Cynthia's hair, humming to himself.
Kitty and Oscar
"Nice hidden power, Marisa!" Kitty said, clapping, her Sylveon smiling back to her, running over to Kitty's side. Kitty ran her hand lovingly over Marisa's head, smiling warmly. Okay, Meomo, let's see your fury swipes attack!"
"Per!" Meomo nodded.
"Getting some training in, Miss Katherine?" Kitty jumped up in surprise, spinning her head around, her twintails flinging to the sides, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Um, um, um, I'm… yes?" Kitty stuttered, looking down, before raising her eyes up demurely.
"Do you remember me?" Oscar asked, walking up to her.
"Oscar, right?" Kitty said, nodding.
"Ah, I'm glad. Oscar, Oscar Silph." He held his hand out Kitty's eyes jumping to it and then jumping back to him. She gulped and took his hand, shaking it robotically.
"So, w-what are you doing here?" Kitty asked.
"Actually, I'm here to talk to you," Oscar stated, Kitty's face turning a deeper shade of pink. "I've actually harbored an interest in you for some time."
"An… interest?" She asked, stepping back, her face bright red. "I-I appreciate it… really, um, but, I… I… I don't like, erm… boys… so… sorry?"
"Oh, my apologies, I didn't mean it like that," he chuckled. "No, I just had a suspicion that you might be similar to me."
"Similar?" Kitty asked, looking back to him for the first time, embarrassment replaced with confusion (and still embarrassment). "Um… how?"
"Ever since I was a child I wanted to be a Pokemon Ranger," Oscar said, a sad expression crossing over his face as he removed his sunglasses. He smiled slightly when he saw the lack of a flinch on Kitty's face when she saw his scars. "Of course… that dream died quite a while back…" His eyes fell to his right leg.
"The reason that I wanted to be a ranger, though, was so that I could make a difference, and help pokemon. Because when I was younger I discovered I had a particular ability. The ability to hear the voices and hearts… of pokemon."
Kitty's eyes widened in shock, her eyes jumping to Marissa and then back to Oscar.
"I don't… voices?" Kitty asked. "What do you mean?"
"I think you know," Oscar said, turning to look to her pokemon. "If I'm right… you've begun hearing them too, haven't you? The voices of your pokemon?"
Kitty looked down, playing with her fingers, before raising her eyes with a look of resolution.
"Yeah," she said, nodding. "It started… a few months back… after a battle… it started with dizzy spells, and… then I realized that I could begin hearing my pokemon… first, Marissa… then Meomo, then Larosa… I thought it was nothing… it wasn't even voices, really… it was just… I mean…"
"It was a feeling," Oscar said, nodding his head. "A connection that you hadn't felt before. Like you could reach out… and touch them, connect with them on a deeper level?"
"…Yeah…" Kitty said, nodding, a shy smile crossing her face as she looked up at Oscar.
"I don't have a lot of friends," Oscar said, sitting down, laying a hand on Marissa's side, smiling. "So if it's not too much trouble, do you think we could meet up every now and then like this? And… talk?"
"I… I'd like that, yeah," Kitty said, sitting next to him, smiling.
Julia and Daryl
"Um, ever since the first day of class, I-I've had a crush on you!" Julia was standing behind one of the school buildings, a boy standing in front of her, his face flushed red.
"Okay, look, I'm flattered, okay, but I don't really have any interest in dating," Julia said, holding her hands up, shaking her head in exasperation. "I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather not. Okay?"
"…Um… sure, I guess," the boy said, looking down, turning and walking away. Julia sighed, shaking her head, walking into the building. She entered a classroom filled with several computers. The only other student was a freshman with a darker complexion and brown hair, and glasses over his dark green eyes.
"Another confession, is it?" Julia turned to look at the student, sighing.
"Oh, shut up, Daryl," Julia sighed.
"Come on, I'm kidding," the boy, Daryl, chuckled.
"Yeah, it's getting kind of annoying, honestly." She plopped down on a chair beside him, holding her hand over her face. "Who would have thought I'd have so many boys confessing to me? I'm here to become a pokemon trainer, not date."
"Just boys?" Daryl asked, smiling.
"What do you mean?" Julia asked.
"The way I heard it, a couple of girls in my Pokemon Battling class have crushes on you."
"Uuugh…" Julia groaned, slumping down in her chair. "So what did you want to talk to me about, calling me into the computer lab like this?"
"Blake Harker," Daryl said. "You know how we were talking in Type Specialties about that guy who you're friends with?"
"Yeah, what about him?"
"Is he really as good as they say?"
"How good do they say he is?" Julia asked.
"The rumor has it that he's Kanone Harker's younger brother, and that he's just as powerful as he is. Is it true?"
"Why do you think so?" Julia asked. "I mean he's a strong trainer, no doubt about that, but as strong as Kanone Harker?"
"Indeed…" Daryl said, nodding. "There's a video of his battle against Akira on the campus sight, take a look."
"Oh, no need, I was there," Julia said.
"So was I, but that's not the point," Daryl said. "There's something strange about his pokemon, you know?"
"Strange? Strange how?" Julia asked, scooting her chair up to sit next to him and look at the screen.
"So the way I heard it, he has a Salamence, doesn't he?" Daryl asked. "And yet he never used it against Akira. Why?"
"Because he doesn't have control over it," Julia said. "I thought that was clear? Not only that, but he even hurt Kitty when she was trying to train him! The nerve of that little…"
"Oh yeah, that little small girl, huh? You know, I got a feeling that maybe she likes you too, what do you think?" Daryl aked.
"Ur… we're just friends, that's all. Moving on," Julia humphed, looking away.
"Back to my point, don't you think it's a little weird?" Daryl asked. "To have a pokemon of the power level of a Salamence, and no control of it, just as a freshman? Don't you think that's a little strange? My strongest pokemon is my Braviary, and even then he's nowhere near the power of a dragon-type like Salamence."
"I admit it is odd," Julia said, nodding, holding a hand to her mouth, lost in thought. "You don't think it's his brother's? That he gave it to Blake, you know, as a present or something?"
"Makes sense," Daryl said, nodding, "that would explain why he doesn't have much control over the darn thing. But still…"
"What?"
"In all the records of Kanone Harker's matches, he's never had a Salamence that I've heard of," Daryl explained. "So it's entirely possible that it isn't Kanone's Salamence."
He paused, then looked back to Julia.
"Julia, have you actually fought Blake yourself?"
"Well… no, not really in an official match, or anything," Julia said, shaking her head. "We've mostly just sparred against each other for practice sometimes. I mean, I would certainly like to fight him, it's just never really been something I'd have gone out of my way for."
"Well, I'd like to fight him too," Daryl said. "He's still an unknown variable, you see. There's a lot of information on Kanone, but as for his brother… nothing, as far as I know."
"Really?" Julia asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Yes. In fact, most of Kanone's personal life is kept rather private. It's pretty curious. I've decided, after this upcoming tournament, I'm going to challenge him myself."
"You aren't participating?" Julia asked, surprised. "I'd have thought everyone would want to compete."
"Oh, I definitely joined," Daryl corrected her, "but I still want to fight him, outside of the tournament, on my own terms. The tournament will give me the opportunity to see if he's really as big as all the hype says he is, or if he's just a novice coasting on his brother's fame."
"I see," Julia said, nodding. "Well, good luck with that. I have training to do." She turned and walked out of the room, before ducking her head back in.
"Oh, Daryl, I almost forgot. Don't fight against Blake with the mindset that he's just like his brother, or even that he's trying to live off of his brother's success."
"Oh?"
"Blake… I don't know necessarily how strong he is, but I know that you shouldn't ever judge someone based on their family. Blake isn't his brother, just remember that."
"If you say so," Daryl said, shrugging, turning back to the computer.
Callie, Nick, Alcea, and Kate
"You gotta be kidding me…" Callie said, staring down at the number printed on the scale.
"Okay, Nick, let me show you one of my favorite techniques! Come on, Jania!" Callie and Nick were training after club activities had ended, Nick watching Callie's moves intently. Jania ran forward and leapt into the air, spinning her leg in a kicking motion, landing on the dojo floor.
"Okay, now watch my moves, got it?" Callie asked, returning Jaina to her pokeball, Nick nodding. She ran forward and leapt up, mimicking Jania's moves perfectly, spinning her leg into a kick. As she turned though, she felt that her body was drained of all energy. Oh no… what the… darkness began closing in on the edges of Callie's eyes, and as she passed out she found herself unable to properly land, instead plummeting to the ground in a heap.
"Callie!" Nick cried out, running over to her prone form, lifting her upright.
"Wh-what happened…?" Callie asked groggily, shaking her head. "Nick? What was I…"
"I don't know, it looked like you just kind of fell over," Nick said, Callie smiling slightly as she saw the worry on his face.
"I-I just felt lightheaded, that's all," Callie said, Nick helping her to her feet. "Don't worry, I feel fine…" As she stood up, she felt another bout of lightheadedness, clutching his arms to remain standing.
"Okay, maybe, but you don't seem fine, let's get you to the nurse's office, okay?"
"…Okay," Callie agreed, too tired to even appreciate the fact that she was leaning against Nick as he helped her out of the dojo. Well, mostly too tired.
"Okay, I think I know what the problem is," the nurse said, looking at Callie's results. "It was just a brief fainting spell, no need to worry. Maintain a healthy diet, and it shouldn't happen again. However…"
"What is it?" Callie asked.
"You're overworked. Stressed. When was the last time you had a full night's sleep?" The nurse asked.
"I don't know, a few weeks," Callie shrugged. "I mean, I've had a lot on my plate, classes, club activities, training with Nick, responsibilities of being one of the Eight Leaders…"
"Listen, you have low blood pressure right now, which isn't very good. You need to eat more to get your energy up. Why don't you consider cutting back on your responsibilities, and take things easy for a few weeks?"
"…Okay," Callie said, nodding. Walking out of the nurse's office, Nick greeted her, Callie smiling at him.
"Um, Nick, do you mind coming with me for a little? I want to visit someone," Callie asked.
"Sure," Nick said, nodding.
"Callie, I'm glad you could join us for tea," Alcea said, sitting with Callie and Nick at a table in the garden, Kate pouring tea into four cups before sitting down. "What can I help you with?"
"Recently… I've been getting a little overworked… and I was just wondering…"
"Overworked, is it? I thought you could handle your responsibilities as a student, leader, and president of the Pokemon Fight Club?" Alcea asked sharply.
"I do… I can," Callie said, frowning. "I've just been overworked recently… having trouble sleeping and all… and recently I passed out…"
"Passed out?" Alcea said, surprised. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I am, I guess the issue is that I haven't gotten a lot of sleep recently, and I've been trying to lose weight so I've had to cut back on meals…"
"Cut back on meals how?" Alcea asked.
"Well, I mean, I haven't been able to work out as often, so in order to lose weight I've been skipping breakfast, and lunch, and dinner… and just eat stuff like fruit every once and awhile…"
"Is that so?" A tone of anger ran through Alcea's voice as her eyes narrowed. "You think that's a good idea?"
"Um, what?" Callie asked, confused.
"You should know as well as I that a healthy diet is part of overall wellbeing," Alcea said. "And that means you can't skip meals."
"It's just been for the last few days, until I can trim down my figure a little, that's all…"
"Unacceptable!" Alcea snapped, rising out of her chair. There was fury in her eyes now, and she glared at Callie with such intensity that she and Nick felt frozen. Even Kate was shocked at this display of outrage from the normally even-tempered queen.
"…Uh…" Callie said, looking helplessly at Nick.
"Tell me, Callie, have you ever been starving? Gone so long without any food that you felt like your stomach was going to eat itself?" Alcea demanded. "Has your throat ever been so parched that a drop of water is like honey?"
"N-no, I…"
"Milady…" Kate said, looking at her worriedly.
"Don't take your body lightly," Alcea said, calming down. "You need to take care of it. Respect it. When you push your body to that extreme… you can do major damage to it, understand?"
"I'm sorry, I just… you're so amazing," Callie said, looking down. "You're a club president, a model student and an amazing trainer, and you're one of the eight leaders, I just… how do I become like you?"
"Personal discipline, that's how," Alcea said, sitting back down. "As a martial artist, you should be familiar with that, yes?"
"Yeah…"
"But since you asked for my help, I will share my personal diet with you," Alcea said, smiling kindly to Callie, Callie relaxing. "And don't get me wrong, maintaining your health, sleep, and responsibilities is very difficult. But if you listen to my advice, I should be able to help you get things more balanced, sound good?"
"Yes, I would appreciate that," Callie said, smiling. "So I can be as healthy as you are, if I follow your diet?"
"And maintain proper exercise and sleep, yes," Alcea said, nodding.
"And… will my chest grow like yours?" Callie asked, looking up at Alcea hopefully.
"…Sure, why not?" Alcea said, looking away, blushing.
"Okay, I promise I'll do it! I'll listen to whatever you want, just tell me!" Callie said excitedly, smiling at Alcea.
"Then my first piece of advice," Alcea said, turning to Nick, "is cutting down time with your boyfriend."
"I'm not her-"
"Spend that time getting rest, or applying it to other parts of your duties. Dating comes after you've met your other responsibilities, including those to yourself, understand?"
"I think so," Callie said, nodding. "So what you're saying is because you can't get a date, I have to spend my time single too?"
Reiner, Gabrielle, and Will
"Is that the most you're capable of?" Elle asked, frowning. She was staring at Will and Reiner from across a pokemon arena in Charizard Hall. They were fighting a two-on-one battle against her, their one pokemon each against two of hers.
"Sol, use heat wave!" Will ordered. His Larvesta's fur began shimmering with heat, releasing a wave of it across the battlefield.
"Warm breezes won't match up to one of the Eight Leaders," Elle chastised. "Froslass, use blizzard." Her Froslass held up her arms and opened her mouth, conjuring a wave of freezing cold ice and snow. The wind blew across the battlefield, pushing the hot air out of the way, pushing the Larvesta and Reiner's Metang backwards.
"This thing just isn't fair…" Will frowned.
"What's unfair is that I have to spend my free time babysitting you all," Elle said, frowning. She muttered to herself, "Gerard thinks my time isn't as important as his is, I'm the vice president, for god's sake…"
"Invictus, use metal claw!" Reiner ordered. Energy began shining in Invictus's claw, and they shot toward the ice type.
"Empoleon, counter," Elle ordered. The large penguin pokemon raised a claw, using a metal claw of his own. The two steel type attacks collided with a shrill "clang" the shook the battlefield, but Empoleon's metal claw was far stronger than Invictus's, and the psychic pokemon flew backwards, tumbling through the air.
"Invictus!" Reiner shouted.
"You two clearly haven't been practicing," Elle sighed. "I expected far more growth. Maybe you two are not cut out for the Eight Leaders."
"Oh, yeah?" Will said, frowning. "I managed to take that Froslass down before, and I can do it again."
"It took you four pokemon last time. You need to do better than that."
"Will, it's okay," Reiner said, frowning. "We can take her. Just watch."
"You two are participating in the upcoming tournament," Elle said. "Such a mediocre display is unacceptable."
"We'll show you mediocre!" Will shouted.
"You have been," Elle replied.
"Urgh… I mean… Reiner! We're gonna win!" Will said.
"I'll do the best I can," Reiner said, frowning. "But don't lose your head, got it? If we're gonna win, we need to stay calm, and think strategically."
"I am calm," Will said, calming down. "Sol, we can handle this, right?"
"Lar!" Sol said, nodding.
"Froslass, shadow ball," Elle ordered, her Froslass firing a ball of dark energy at Sol while the two were distracted.
"Lar!" Sol cried, tumbling backwards
"Distracted," Elle chastised.
"Okay, Reiner, new plan," Will said. "We're going to take down the Froslass first. One good hit from either of us should be enough, right?"
"Right," Reiner said, nodding. "Invictus! Use psychic on Froslass. Then, when she's knocked back, hit her with a metal claw!"
"Sol, you follow that up with a flame wheel," Will added.
"Metang!" Invictus cried, holding their arms up, glowing blue. A blast of psychic energy knocked Froslass back, and both pokemon charged in at her, Invictus preparing a metal claw and Sol coating his body in flames.
Elle smiled.
"Empoleon, waterfall," she ordered. Her Empoleon coated his body with water, charging straight at Invictus.
"Invictus!" Reiner shouted. "Counter it with your metal claw!"
Invictus turned away from Froslass to face Empoleon, holding up their hand, swinging it at Empoleon.
Empoleon ducked down, avoiding the swipe, moving around Invictus.
"What?!" Reiner cried. Empoleon continued his charge, colliding with Sol head on. Catching the fire type off guard, Empoleon barreled him right into a wall, the powerful water move knocking the pokemon out.
"Next," Elle said. "We all specialize in a type. But we can have pokemon outside those types. Fanatics like Gerard and Alcea don't, but I do. Empoleon is trained to take out fire types. If your opponent is a type specialist, always assume they will work to defeat whatever checks that type first. And not only that…"
"Metang!" Invictus cried out, Froslass hitting them square with a shadow ball, the steel type falling to the ground, unconscious.
"Take advantage of your opponent's type weaknesses but keep yours in mind," Elle continued. "Steel might beat ice, but ghost beats psychic."
"We haven't lost yet," Will said. "We'll show you what we're made of, right, Reiner?"
"Exactly," Reiner said, nodding.
"…" Elle said, nodding. "We'll see."
Sango, Aidan, Erik, and Andre
"Freaking cowards!" Sango exclaimed, hitting a tree in anger. She, along with the other members of the Pokemon Survival Club, were out in the fields behind Pichu House for a club meeting.
"Wow, that's some… passion, you got there," Andre said, walking up to her.
"Sorry, sorry," Sango said, shaking her head. "Sorry. My friends are just avoiding me right now, that's all, and it's pissing me off."
"Sure, but let's not take it out on the tree, okay?" Andre asked, Sango nodding in agreement.
"Okay, all of you, get your butts over here," Erik called out.
"Coming, Sarge," Andre replied, he and Sango walking over to where the other members were standing. Andre stood beside Erik, while Sango sat down next to Aidan.
"Now then, as some of you may know, the Pokemon Ranger Probationary Tests are coming up," Erik explained. "Well, the freshmen might not know, but the rest of you have probably been looking forward to this, right?"
There were murmurs of acknowledgment throughout the club, Sango and Aidan looking at each other in confusion.
"So, for our freshmen, let me explain to you what a Probationary License is," Erik said. "Now, many of you are trying to become Pokemon Rangers, right? Raise your hands." More murmurs, more nodding. Sango and Aidan's hands both went up, along with many others.
"Now, the Ranger Association does a program where they allow a handful of students to take a test to receive Probationary Ranger Licenses like the ones Andre and I possess. What this means is that we are allowed to work in the field with actual Pokemon Rangers. Uniforms and everything."
Sango raised her hand.
"Yes, Sango?"
"Um, so these licenses… what do you mean by we have to test for them?"
"Well, the Ranger Association distributes roughly 15 licenses or so to different schools each year, but to obtain one, you have to pass a test. And before that, you have to submit an application. Grades, extracurricular activities, experience, you get the idea. They go over the applications, and accept a few students from each school to take the test. The 15 students who score highest obtain probationary licenses. There are four tests each year, so you get a total of four shots, understand?"
"And can any student take this test?" Aidan asked.
"Well, in theory, yes, but to keep the number of applicants at a manageable level, there's a cutoff. No freshmen. We can't afford the liability, really, without experience, freshmen could get hurt. You have to prove yourself, by at least a year, understand? Sophomores and up, only."
Sango and Aidan's faces fell.
"Okay, you can get application forms back at the campus office, and have them turned in by the end of the week, sound good?" Erik asked. "Now then, let's all get started with club activities, sound good?"
"Hey, how are you doing, Sango?" Aidan asked. "Everything going okay? You seemed pretty mad earlier…"
"Yeah, it's fine," Sango sighed. "My friends are assholes, that's all."
"Sango," Erik called, Sango turning away from Aidan.
"Yeah, Sarge?" Sango asked.
"Can I speak with you for a second?"
"Sure," Sango said, walking over to him, Silver following after her.
"So I know I said that freshmen were not allowed to submit applications," Erik said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "But honestly, I think you should."
"Is… is that okay? Is that even allowed?" Sango asked, not wanting to get her hopes up.
"See, technically as long as you're a student here, you can submit an application," Erik explained. "But I have to sign off on them since I'm part of the review council for student applications. And yes, you're a freshman, and yes, it is dangerous working in the field, I want you to understand that. But you're one of the most promising students we have, and you're just a freshman! I can only imagine what you'll be capable of in a few years. So… I think you should do it."
"Really?" Sango asked, her eyes lighting up. "Seriously? Like… seriously? Seriously? Silver, did you hear that?!"
She hugged her Castform and spun around, smiling widely.
"Now, don't get me wrong, as a freshman, they might not even accept your application," Erik added, backtracking, "and the test is really difficult, too, so you might not even pass."
"But you think I should give it a shot," Sango said, turning back to him, "which means you think there's a chance, right?"
"…I do, I think there's a good chance. If you get your application accepted. At the very least, there's no harm in trying, right?"
"I know, I'll go get started on my application right away!" Sango said, smiling. "Thanks, Sarge!"
She turned, and ran back over to Aidan, "hey, Aidan, guess what?"
Akira, Elizabeth, Serefina, Dakota, and Lukas
Serefina walked over to the knocking on her door, yawning. She opened the door, to see Akira, Eli, and Lukas standing in the hallway.
"Hey Seri, mind if we party in your room?" Eli asked, smiling, holding up chips and soda. "We brought snacks."
"And cards," Akira mentioned, holding up a pack of playing cards.
"And my charming personality," Lukas added, smiling.
"Uh, yeah, I don't know if that's a good idea," Serefina sighed.
"Come on Seri, it'll be fun, just unwind a little before the weekend, you know?" Eli asked.
"Uh… sure, I guess," Serefina sighed. "But my roommate is here, so…"
"Yeah, not a problem," Akira said, walking past Serefina.
"…Come on in," she sighed, opening the door to allow the others inside.
"Oh, hey Akira," Dakota grinned, hopping down from her bed, smirking up at him. "Sorry you won't be able to flirt with Serefina since I'm here? I can just imagine it, 'sophomore love blossoms behind closed doors', what do you think?"
"Oh, yeah, I think it's great," Akira said, nodding. "Hey, can you come here for a second?"
"Uh, sure, why?" Dakota asked, confused, Akira leading her out of the room. He slammed the door behind her, and locked it.
"Hey! Let me in you jackass!" Dakota exclaimed, pounding on the door. "This is my room! You can't just lock me out!"
"Write about it in your paper," Akira shot back, walking back to the others. "So, who's up for cards?"
"So what do you guys think of the freshmen?" Eli asked. "See any that catch your eye?"
"That cute little redhead, Cynthia," Lukas said, grinning. "She's totally my type. Cute, and fiery, you know what I mean?"
"Dude, that's not what I meant," Eli said, shaking her head.
"There's a few that I find pretty interesting," Serefina said, nodding. "Sango and Blake. They're in Professor Reese's Pokemon Caretaking class."
"Oh yeah, Blake, that's the guy who kicked your ass, right, Akira?" Lukas chuckled.
"Don't change the subject from your awful hand, Lukas, are you in or not?" Akira asked.
"…I fold…" Lukas sighed, throwing his cards on the table.
"Yes, now that's what I'm talking about," Serefina said, laughing, pulling the chips closer to her.
"And Blake did not 'kick my ass' Lukas, it was a close fight. Very close!"
"Yeah, and you 'very closely' didn't get your ass kicked, that's all I'm saying," Lukas shrugged.
"Sango and Blake though," Serefina continued, they're good kids. "They take such good care of the pokemon, even though they work early in the morning. Blake, well, he's not always fully awake the way I hear it, but Sango is always super-energetic. It's honestly impressive."
"Yeah, Blake is a pretty cool guy," Eli said, nodding. "He's in our club, the Pokemon Friends club, and he seems pretty nice. There's another freshman though that has my attention."
"Really? Who?" Serefina asked.
"Kitty," Eli said. "Katherine Kuroso. She's very shy, and not very confident… but there's just something about her, something that tells me she's amazing."
"It's called your libido," Lukas chuckled, Eli smacking him in the back of the head.
"No, not that," Eli said, shaking her head. "She's not my type, anyway."
"No, I know," Lukas said, nodding. "Serefina's more your type, right?"
"Uh…" Eli said, looking down, her and Serefina's faces flushing.
"You know, I remember when you all were a bunch of cute little freshmen," Lukas said, shaking his head. "You all were so much more fun, you know? Now everyone's so serious…"
Suddenly, the window flew open, Dakota jumping into the room.
"Hah! See that, Akira?" She asked, laughing. "I made it back in! This isn't the first fourth story window I've had to break into!"
"Cool, want to break out of one?" Akira asked.
"Look, I get it, you three want to perv on Serefina, so that's why you kicked me out," Dakota said, shrugging.
"No, we kicked you out because we don't like you, you're annoying," Akira corrected.
"Shove it up your-"
"Listen, Dakota, it's fine. You can stay," Serefina sighed. Dakota turned back to Akira, sticking her tongue out.
"Thanks, Seri," Dakota giggled, leaning down, kissing her on the cheek. She plopped down where Akira had been sitting. Akira stepped around her and sat on the other side of the circle, Dakota raising her eyebrows daringly.
"Behave yourself," Serefina said, frowning disapprovingly.
"Yes, mom," Dakota sighed, chuckling. "But only if Akira apologizes."
"Akira?" Serefina asked, turning to him.
"Not a chance."
So, that was that. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I'll do the best I can.