As you might have guessed, we're taking things a little slow, focusing on characters we don't get to see a lot of depth on in individual oneshot chapters as we build towards the bigger stuff. Right now, we have a chapter focused on another character we don't see much of. Remember to review!

Thunder Fire: Maybe. Maybe someone else.

KedharS: And what would they do in that room, I wonder?

Aquahaze675: Seeing Misato play the role of having emotions is certainly a terrifying thing, maybe even moreso than being a yandere.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 462

"Aaagh! I hate this!" Callie whined, slamming her head down on the table in frustration. "Why do I have to do all this paperwork?!"

"It's all part of being a member of the Eight Leaders, sister," Rafe laughed, taking a sip of tea.

Brother and sister were both working at desks, sitting in one of the private study rooms that had been reserved for the Eight Leaders. They were both filling out forms, and going over submissions for the upcoming school trip that was only a few months away.

"I hate it!" Callie sobbed, wiping the exhaustion out of her eyes as she filled out another line of signatures and initials. "Why do we have to be the ones to authorize all this stuff, huh?! Aren't there six other schmucks we can assign this to!?"

Rafe laughed, taking another sit of tea with one hand and signing on the forms with the other. He was moving agonizingly slow, taking the time to finish one page at the speed it took Callie to get through three.

Which meant that he was forcing them to be there even longer than they had to be, which was driving her absolutely up the wall.

Callie loved her brother, she really did, but she wished that he would take things a little more seriously sometimes! He was a year older than her, and yet it was like she was the older one! She had to take care of both of them, because whenever he was supposed to do something responsible, he might end up going wandering off somewhere, it was like the story of her life.

And even now, he wasn't taking this seriously! Callie just wanted to scream! She hadn't seen Nick since she'd come back, or any of her other friends! She was texting him like crazy, but she hadn't seen him in weeks, and she was growing a little bit close to insane at this point.

"I just want to go eat dinner with my boyfriend…" Callie groaned.

"Oh, come now, Callie, you were so excited about this even last year," Rafe laughed again, taking another sip of tea. "Remember? You were complaining about how it wasn't fair that juniors and seniors got to go on their own private trip? Well, now you'll get to go this year, isn't that great? I would think you would be excited!"

The only reason I was upset last year was because I was afraid that an airhead like you would wander off a cliff if I wasn't there to keep an eye on you! Callie resisted the urge to scream. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Control. Focus. Discipline. That was what her sensei taught her, and what her senpai Bea beat into her head.

…Yeah. It was this jackass of an older brother who had gotten her into martial arts in the first place, to temper her aggression. If not, she would have most likely beaten him into the hospital in frustration by this point.

Temper my impulses, temper my impulses… she urged herself, closing her eyes and practicing her breathing. She'd rather think about Nick instead. That always brought a big dopey grin to her face, his sweet smile making her feel all fluttery inside.

"See? We don't need to worry about every last thing," Rafe laughed. Callie gasped, realizing that in her fawning over Nick she hadn't been getting any work done!

And wait, now Rafe was mocking HER for not focusing on her work?! Callie could just scream, but she was trained to overcome this.

Sometimes, Callie wondered what her life would be like if she wasn't forced to be responsible for her brother too. A part of her wondered if the stress was what was stunting her growth. Rafe was nearly six feet tall, and didn't she share those genes?

Big brothers sure were stupid.

When Callie stumbled out of the study room, it was dark outside and she was exhausted. She said goodbye to her older brother, who wandered off into the snow towards the senior dorms. She assumed he'd either get there or end up falling asleep in a snowdrift somewhere, but by this point she was too tired to really care about keeping an eye on him. If he hadn't died yet he could last another night, right? And anyway, between classes and her extracurricular responsibilities, she'd had little to eat and spent exactly zero time with her boyfriend. She was way too worn down for this, she couldn't bear his weight any longer tonight. She sighed, digging her phone out of her pocket, and tried a half-hearted attempt to text with him.

"Hey, you awake? Want to chat?" She asked, futilely.

It was almost 11, no way he was still up… she sighed, looking at the "sent" indicator on the message app.

It shifted to "seen" and she blinked.

"Yeah! Absolutely!" Nick texted back, Callie's heart stopping momentarily. It was followed by another line that would have had her pronounced legally dead. "I'm just chilling in my room right now, want to come by?"

Callie dashed down the path to the Bulbasaur House, not even bothering to reply she was so eager to get there. It wasn't until she pulled to a stop outside the building that she realized she still needed to actually say yes.

"Yes! I'm outside right now, come let me in!" Callie texted him in a flash, jumping up and down eagerly as she waited for him to come get her.

A few minutes later, Nick came downstairs, and her heart swooned as she saw him through the door. He was just as handsome as she remembered! No, even more handsome, absence really did make the heart grow fonder. He had barely opened the door when she threw herself at him, jumping into his arms and knocking him back onto the floor.

"Nick!" Callie cried, squeezing him as tightly as she could. She felt that if she let go he would disappear again, and there was no way that was happening. "You're finally back! I'm so glad to see you! It's been way too long!"

"Hey, Callie, it's good to see you, too," Nick said, smiling sheepishly up at her. "How was your break? Did you have a good time?"

Callie's face shifted into a scowl for a second. Break had been miserable. Back at their parents' house, keeping an eye on her brother? A nightmare. But no! Nope, that wasn't who she was! She was Callie Crawford, and she only did her best, and showed her best! Nick always liked when she smiled, after all, and she liked when he was happy! It was the perfect match!

"It was as expected!" Callie said, forcing a smile to her face. That was true, anyway. She scooted back, so she was sitting in his lap, letting him sit up and face her.

"…Really?" Nick asked. He raised his eyebrow. He looked like he had something he wanted to say, but she didn't know if it was something she wanted to go into.

"Yeah, why don't you think, silly?" Callie laughed.

Nick sighed, and smiled as well.

"Anyway, want to go upstairs?" He asked, making a move to get up. Callie took the hint, getting off of his lap and letting him stand up as well. "We're playing some video games if you want to join in, just winding down after our first day of classes."

"Uhum, actually, well…" Callie twirled her fingers through a lock of her hair. Since she started dating Nick she'd been growing it out, and it was down to her shoulders now. He hadn't said anything about it, which was kind of annoying, but she didn't let it get to her. Nick was just shy.

"Yeah?" Nick asked.

"Can we, uh… I was thinking that maybe, instead of going upstairs and hanging out with your friends, we could… go for a walk, maybe?" Callie asked, wanting to finally get a little bit of alone time with her boyfriend for the first time in way too long.

Nick glanced outside. It had started snowing again, and the glass was already looking like it was icing over from the cold.

"Seriously?" He asked, turning back to Callie. "It's freezing outside, you want to go for a walk right now?"

"I'm wearing my jacket," Callie insisted, gesturing towards her clothes and then gesturing to him, "and you can get yours, right? I just, well…"

I just want to spend more time with you, I haven't been able to see you in weeks…

She didn't have the courage to come right out and say that, though. It was too embarrassing! She just stared at him with a hopeful look in her eye, hoping he would get the message and agree to go for the walk.

Nick met her pleading gaze and sighed. It probably wasn't as cold as it looked. He smiled shyly. He wanted to spend time with her, and she wanted to spend time with him. It had been a long time since he'd seen her, too.

"Yeah, I'll be back," he grinned. "I need to go get my jacket."

Callie's eyes widened and a huge grin spread across her face. Nick turned to head upstairs, but Callie followed after him, grabbing him by the arm and wrapping it in a tight hug, pressing her breasts again him.

"Err, that's a little…" Nick glanced at Callie, then away from her. Most of her body was toned and well-muscled, but there were still… all sorts of parts that were soft, much to his embarrassment. "Do you really have to, well…?"

Callie pouted. "You don't like it?"

"W-well, it's not like that…" Nick didn't want to admit to enjoying the sensation and seeming like a pervert, he got enough ribbing about stuff like that from Cynthia, hypocrite that she was. Apparently being a pervert was only a bad thing if you were a guy.

…And he wasn't a pervert!

"I already was away from you for way too long," Callie continued, hugging him even tighter. "So I'm not letting you out of my sight until I get my fill!"

Callie rubbed her cheek against his arm, sighing.

Nick led her to his room, walking inside. Reiner and Blake were there, of course, but so was everyone else, Nikita, Kitty, and the girls from room 321. And they were all staring at him with knowing smirks on their faces.

"Hey, it's the short couple!" Cynthia waved. Nick flushed and Callie scowled, sticking her tongue out at the other girl.

"You're not much taller, so shut it!" She scowled. Her face softened as she turned to Kitty, giving her friend a smile and a wave.

"You come up to play some games?" Reiner asked. "Maybe you can finally be the guy to take your boyfriend down. Who knew martial arts moves translated over into video games?"

"Nah, he just spent his winter break brushing up because he didn't spend his break flirting it up with his girlfriend," Cynthia smirked, shooting Blake an aside glance. Blake rolled his eyes.

"Hey, come on guys," Nick laughed.

"No, no, they're right," Callie agreed, nodding. "This really is a grim tragedy. You've gotta think of your roommates next time, Nick! For their sake, you really should spend our next break traveling home with me. It's only fair."

It was agonizingly nerve-wracking to be that forward, and Callie felt herself dying of embarrassment inside. But it was easier to say stuff she wanted to say in a joking tone when around other people, no way she could have pushed that as a serious suggestion in private!

Cynthia gave a high whistle, clapping her hands. Reiner and Sango laughed, while the more reserved Nikita and Kitty blushed. Blake buried his face in his hands. He hadn't done anything like what Cynthia's whistle insinuated, but clearly that wasn't the important thing right now.

"Way to go, Nick," Julia smirked. Great. If Julia was getting in on it, that meant there really was nowhere to hide. Good thing they weren't going to be spending time here, he had chosen wisely to go for a walk with her instead of being teased for their relationship. He glanced at Reiner and Nikita. Why did they never get subjected to this kind of treatment, huh? At least Blake could sympathize with this treatment, anyway.

"Don't lose your heads, guys, we're not staying," Nick asserted. "I just came up to get my coat, we're going out for a walk."

"Ooooh, a nice romantic walk?" Cynthia grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. "I see how it is, go for it Nick! It's about time!"

"What, are you expecting that we're just going to go and do it in the snow?" Nick asked, trying not to sound as embarrassed as he felt.

"Like I said, about time you lost your-"

Nick didn't listen to another word, grabbing his jacket and quickly dashing out of the room, pulling Callie along with him.

By the time they reached the first floor, Nick had calmed down, although his face was still flushed with embarrassment. He glanced at Callie, and her face was also hot. Both were feeling more than a little awkward about what Cynthia had just said.

"Uh-um, Callie, I-I can't put on my jacket with you holding onto my arm like this," Nick stuttered, glancing at her.

"O-oh!" Callie gasped, pulling back and dropping his arm, her face bright red. "R-right, sorry, I didn't mean to… you know! It-it's not like I'm planning to… you know, what she said! It's just a walk, that's all, okay? OKAY?"

"Y-yeah, I never… never thought otherwise," Nick said, nodding, slipping his jacket back on. Callie nodded, and sighed in relief. She smiled at him.

"Okay, let's go," Callie said, nodding. She held out her hand, wishing that she wasn't wearing mittens, and locked hands with him, the two walking out the door and out into the snow.

"So you asked me about my break, but how was yours?" Callie asked as they walked across campus, the snow blustering around the two of them. Not quite a storm, but not a light drizzle of snowflakes, either. It was a rather romantic sight, though, and Callie was happy that the two of them were together to see it, watching the snow fall down as they walked hand in hand.

"Uneventful," Nick admitted. "I went back home to visit my mom, stayed there the whole time."

"You're from Kanto, right?" Callie remembered.

"Pallet Town," Nick said. Callie whistled.

"Wow, that's the famous one, right? All the greats come from there! You're aiming to be a pokemon master too, right? Sounds great!" Callie reached up and placed her hand on his shoulder, rising up and kissing him on the cheek. "You're going to be just like that Red guy, I'm sure you'll take 'em by storm! And I'm going to be rooting for you!"

Nick blushed, reaching up and scratching his head in a mixture of embarrassment and flattery as he beamed at his girlfriend.

"I, uh, I also told my mom," Nick said, smiling bashfully at her. "You know. About you. Us."

Callie blinked, her jaw dropping in surprise.

"R-really? You told your mom about us?" Callie asked, her eyes shining in excitement. "What did she say? Does she want to meet me? I want to meet her! Why didn't you tell me? We could have facechatted and I could have talked with her!"

"Well, uh…" Nick glanced down sheepishly, and then looked back up at Callie. "My mom is a little… excitable. And clingy."

Callie's face fell.

"So… she doesn't like me?" Callie asked, biting her lip to keep from bursting into tears. "She wants us to break up?"

Nick blinked, so shocked by what Callie had just said that he didn't assuage her fears at first because they sounded so out there.

"N-No, not at all," Nick said, shaking his head, worried that Callie was about to start crying. "She doesn't want us to break up, just the opposite!"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Callie asked curiously, blinking the tears out of her eyes as she looked at her boyfriend hopefully.

"She, uh… when I told her that I had a girlfriend, she practically exploded with joy," Nick sheepishly admitted.

Callie blushed, brushing her hair away from her forehead. "J-joy, you said? Really?"

"She, um…" Nick was having difficulty admitting that the way Callie had reacted when she had seen him before looked tame in comparison to the excitement his mother had showed when he told her about Callie. "She thought that I was going to have a hard time, you know, finding a girlfriend. So when she heard about you, well…"

"She was happy?" Callie pressed. "She's a big fan of mine now, right?"

"She chewed me out for not bringing you over," Nick admitted. "She said 'how dare you be going out with such an adorable little angel and not bring her home to introduce her to me as soon as possible? Do you think you'll ever meet such a lovely and caring girl again?' Stuff like that."

Callie held her hand over her heart, blushing, her eyes widening with joy. She felt weak in the knees, practically swooning.

"Nick, your mom, she called me an angel?" Callie asked.

"Yeah," Nick nodded.

That one struck her in the heart, and she clutched her chest, falling over into the snow.

"C-Callie?!" Nick sputtered, rushing over to help her out, brushing the snow off of her jacket and pants. "What, uh-"

"Your mom sounds like a wonderful lady," Callie murmured, staring off into the distance, her eyes glazing over. "I can't wait to meet her. You have to let me meet her! Video call her, right now! I want to meet her!"

"It's the middle of the night," Nick said. "Look, I don't want you guys to meet like that, some sort of video thing. My mom is a wonderful woman, she's the most important person in my life. So… when I want you guys to meet, I want it to be perfect."

Callie smiled. She felt the impulse to kiss him, what a great boyfriend!

So she went for it. Their faces were red when they parted, but… the kiss was great.

"I… I want it to be perfect, too," she admitted, smiling bashfully. "Nick, what I said before, my break… you were right. It wasn't great."

"I didn't think so," Nick said sympathetically.

"I love my family, believe me," Callie said. "But my brother, he just… he just gets on my nerves all the time! And my folks, they aren't much better, they just let him do whatever he wants, and sometimes it's like… it's like I'm the only one who takes things seriously in my house, you know?"

Callie pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest, puffing up her cheeks in frustration. "I mean, I'm a kid, too. And sometimes I want to take it easy, but… I can't, you know? I always have to be the responsible one," she grumbled.

She sighed, glancing up into Nick's eyes.

"Thanks, Nick," she said, smiling at him. "I'm not… you know, dealing with some major issues or anything, but even I have times I want to vent, you know? I'm glad you listened."

"Of course," Nick grinned, reaching out and taking her hand. "I'm always happy to listen to you, Callie, you know that."

"Oh! And don't tell anybody!" She insisted. "About what I said before, about being a kid? Don't misunderstand that! Don't tell anybody! I don't want people to think I'm a kid because of my height, Nick, got it!"

"Don't worry," Nick said, shaking his head. "I won't tell anybody. I like having the more sensitive side of you being my little secret anyway."

Callie smiled, her eyes flashing. She wanted to kiss him again, but restrained herself this time. Right now, just being with him was enough.

Just for right now, though. She wasn't holding back forever.

Another heartwarming chapter, between a couple that doesn't get much focus. I wonder who I should focus on next? Who would you guys like to see?