Reed's about to get in really big trouble for sneaking onto campus! And don't forget how she blew up that pier, things are certainly not looking very good for her. Hopefully this won't be too much of a problem, legal issues would be bad for everybody right now, given we're trying to keep the existence of the Draconid a secret.

KedharS: I'm not going to lie, that would be a very funny situation for sure.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Yep, but she's got quite a lot of skill at getting out of trouble, so hopefully she'll be fine.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 796

Reed, Darla, and Lila walked out of the campus safety office.

Reed was all smiles as usual. The other two were less enthused.

"Well, that was fun! I've never had someone yell at me so much!" Reed laughed.

"How is this funny to you!? How are you laughing right now!?" Lila exploded. She had long-since crossed the threshold of being able to maintain her idol persona, and now she was just overflowing with white-hot rage.

Reed blinked, and tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Because the way his face turned red was funny?" She offered.

Darla buried her head in her hands and suppressed a scream. She loved Reed, but she really couldn't deal with her right now.

Luckily, Lila was doing enough screaming for the both of them. "You destroyed the dock! You're lucky they're letting you walk around freely, rather than throwing you in jail!"

"It was a pokemon battle!" Reed laughed. "Stuff like that is just a natural risk when dealing with Dragon types!"

"You nearly put Darla and Ayame in the hospital!" Lila fired back. "Fuck 'natural risk', we have rules here, you know!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it, it was all part of the test," Reed said, like that was any measure of a defense. Of course, Lila didn't accept that for an instant. Darla thought she was going to pop a blood vessel as she suppressed a scream.

"You realize that WE are getting charged for that?!" Lila screeched. "The school is making DARLA AND I pay to repair the pier YOU wrecked! Do you have any idea how much that's gonna cost?! Do you even care?! What grown woman doesn't have money, huh?!"

"We don't really use money among the Draconid, so-"

"THAT ISN'T AN EXCUSE!"

It had been going on like this for some time. Darla was doing her best to block it out as they walked outside, but it could only go so far. Reed was just a very special kind of person, and knowing Lila, there was no way that the other girl would ever be on good terms with her.

Which was why Darla was surprised when, as they stepped out into the sunny afternoon and the misty scent of the soaked ground filled her lungs, she turned to see that the two of them were nowhere to be found.

"Lila? Reed?" Darla called. She wouldn't say she was exactly worried, but she didn't want to deal with more headaches. Lila was manageable enough, but Reed was one walking headache, even now that they were on good terms.

The two of them together? Well, that was just asking for trouble. And since Darla wasn't in the mood for trouble after the incredible load of shit that she'd already been through today, she decided that the best thing to do was to wait for the situation to resolve itself. Reed probably wanted to talk with Lila about something, and they'd be back at any moment.

As much as Darla might have liked Reed, even after all they'd been through, she wasn't at all comfortable with the girl poking around in her school life. There were things she wanted to keep separate, and this was definitely one of those things. The further away she could keep Lila from the Draconid, the better.

Hopefully, Reed would be going home soon. She really wished that campus security had given her the boot, but apparently they were fine with taking her on as Darla's guest as long as she was gone by the end of the week.

And it was looking to be a long, long week.

But if Darla thought that Reed was just annoying, her feelings didn't hold a candle in comparison to Lila's. She wasn't all that thrilled when Reed pulled her away from Darla before she could say anything, and the only reason she'd gone along is because Reed had said it was important, and something Darla might not be ready to hear.

Lila wasn't at all comfortable with discussing things without Darla present, it felt like she was lying to her friend. But at the same time, if Darla was in trouble, then she would listen to what Reed had to say no matter what.

"What is it?" She snapped, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "What's so important that you had to drag me off around the corner like this?"

"It's about Darla," Reed said. "I'm a little… concerned for her."

Lila raised her eyebrow. Reed didn't look concerned with that big smile on her face.

"What are you talking about?" She demanded.

"…You know, I liked you better when you were all smiling and supportive," Reed laughed, changing the subject entirely, much to Lila's irritation.

"Well, you put me in sort of a sour mood. Now, what's this about Darla? Does your concern for her extend to all the debt you forced on her?" Lila scowled.

Reed shook her head. "No, it's about something she said to me, earlier…"

Lila immediately perked up about this. She'd been rather upset about the private conversation the two girls had shared, and the fact that she was still being kept in the dark hadn't made it any better. Was Reed going to finally spill the beans?

Unfortunately, the answer was no.

"How is she getting along at school?" Reed asked an innocent question that disappointed Lila. That was what she was concerned about? That was the big issue she and Darla had been discussing, that had needed all that privacy?

Well, Lila wasn't going to lose an opportunity to boast about how amazing her partner was, that was for sure.

"She's doing fine, obviously, great, even!" Lila said, putting her hands on her hips and holding her head up with pride. "Everyone loves her, she's an absolute star! There's absolutely nothing to worry about whatsoever!"

So what if Darla hadn't won the Miss Pokemon Academy Contest? In Lila's eyes, there was no one better. Darla was her Miss Pokemon Academy.

Reed nodded her head slowly, stroking her chin in contemplation. Her smile was inscrutable. "I see… well, that's good to hear. So she doesn't have any enemies or anything? No one holding any grudges towards her perhaps?"

Lila scowled. She was beginning to get irked now. No, irked didn't even begin to cover it, she was downright pissed.

"Enemies? Of course not, she's amazing!" Lila proclaimed.

Reed let out a sigh of relief. She closed the distance between herself and Lila and smiled, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm glad. That's all I wanted to know."

Lila was still scowling. Reed had caused all this trouble for that? What a complete waste of time.

"Your name is Lila, right? That's what Darla called you?" Reed confirmed.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Lila asked.

"Well, I know you probably don't think very highly of me, Lila, but I want you to know that the feeling isn't mutual," Reed assured her with a smile. "I think that you're a lovely young lady, and I'm glad that Darla has a friend like you."

Lila blinked, and her face brightened for the first time. She resisted the urge to smile while she fished for information. "R-Really?" She asked.

"Yeah. When I saw the way she brightened the second she caught eye of you, and the way her dragon force changed with you by her side…" Reed closed her eyes and took a deep breath, recalling the moment vividly. "It was like seeing something I never imagined before. Something amazing and glorious, and brighter than I ever could have believed. You brought that out in her, Lila, and because of that, I think you're just wonderful!"

Lila's animosity was quickly losing ground as she basked in Reed's praise. It certainly felt nice for her support of Darla to be acknowledged like this, even if it was by someone she didn't like all that much. But if Reed could tell that, was she really all that bad?

"So can you please do me a favor?" Reed asked, giving her a smile that made all that good will Lila had been feeling towards her evaporate instantly.

Of course, the girl was just buttering her up so she could ask her for something, Lila should have guessed.

"What is it?" She growled, eyeing Reed warily.

"I want you to keep being Darla's friend," Reed said. "Stay by her side and keep supporting her, no matter what. Even if it looks like she's doing fine on her own. Can you do that for me?" Reed asked, her eyes brimming with hope.

Lila couldn't believe she had been asked that.

It went without saying.

Shaking her head in disbelief, she had to resist the urge to laugh as she said, "Reed, don't worry about that at all."

Her smile was bright and bold. "Darla is my partner, you know. I'm always going to be at her side, no matter what."

Reed blinked, a little taken aback by that declaration. She let out a sigh of relief once more. "That's good," she nodded, her voice filled with so much compassion it was practically overflowing, nearly winning Lila over again. "I'm really glad that you were the one she chose, Lila. Knowing that, I don't have any qualms leaving this with you."

She reached into her coat pocket and withdrew a tiny box. For a second, Lila thought that it was a wedding ring, since it was about the right size. It was sealed with a golden thread.

"I brought this for Darla, in case she passed her test, but I want you to have it," Reed said, handing it over to Lila.

Lila took it, studying it closely. "What is it?" She asked, reaching for the string to open the box, but Reed quickly slapped her hand down over it.

"It's something important," she said, her voice oddly serious. "Don't open it right now, okay? It isn't the time yet."

"Huh?" Lila asked, confused and irritated once more. It was one thing to give her a gift, but now she was saying that she couldn't open it? "What? Why not?"

"Like I said, it's very important," Reed said. She wasn't smiling, and her serious tone actually made Lila consider what she was saying. "I was going to give it to Darla, but I think, given how close you are to her, it's better if you hang onto it for now. But that doesn't mean you should open it before the time is right, okay?"

"And how will I know when the time is right?" Lila asked. With the way Reed was acting, she was beginning to see her side of things, even if she didn't know what exactly she'd just been given. This clearly was important, and necessary to help Darla, and Lila was going to do her best. She clutched the box tightly to her chest as Reed let go of it.

"When Darla is at her lowest point and needs you the most," Reed said ominously. "That's the only time you'll need what's in that box. Until then, just hold onto it. Keep it safe. And if that day never comes… well, that would be for the best. Let the box gather dust somewhere on a shelf."

Lila didn't like the sound of that. But she wasn't going to disobey. If this was for Darla, then she'd do anything. "Okay," she said, nodding. "I will." She put the box in her purse, and tried to look more confident than she felt.

And like that, the tense mood was blown away completely, and Reed's cheery smile returned with a vengeance.

"Great!" She chirped, turning Lila around and guiding her back the way they'd come. "Then let's go meet up with Darla again! We need to go see if our pokemon are doing okay, right?"

Lila gasped. Darla! She'd completely forgotten that they'd just left her there! She picked up the pace, leaving Reed in the dust as she ran back, relieved to see that Darla was still there.

"Took you long enough," Darla griped, standing up from the bench. "What was taking you so long?"

"Oh, just…" Lila's voice froze in her throat. She didn't know if she was actually supposed to keep the box secret from Darla, she had just sort of assumed that given the fact that Reed had pulled her aside to give it to her. It was only now she was realizing that this meant she had to lie to her friend, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

She knew she should trust Darla over Reed, but her concern for Darla won out over her common sense, and she decided that this, just this, would be the one secret she would keep from her.

"Just girl talk!" Reed came to her rescue, skipping up and draping her arm over Lila's shoulder. Her beaming smile had a great way of lightening the mood, and Lila actually found herself feeling grateful for it for once.

Darla raised her eyebrow. "…Okay. Yeah. Right. Got it." She had no idea what was going on, but pressing the issue would give her an even bigger headache so she held her tongue.

"Darla, we should probably go to that… what was it called? A pokemon center?" Reed asked. "The place where our pokemon are being taken care of."

Before checking in with campus security to make sure everything was on the up and up with Reed, Darla had considered a visit to the infirmary for her wounds. She had foregone it because she felt okay and didn't want to cause any undue stress for Lila, but she and Reed had still both gone to the pokemon center to heal their pokemon. Reed had been amazed, of course, as the Draconid primarily relied on traditional remedies for ailing pokemon.

So to her, something like a pokemon center was quite a marvel.

The group of three, now in a slightly less tense situation than they were before, headed to the pokemon center to check up on their pokemon. But all Lila could think about was the tiny box in her purse, which now felt so much heavier in her hands.

I'm sorry, Darla, but I'm sure it's for your own good… she apologized.

While the two idols and Reed headed to the pokemon center, someone else was already there getting her pokemon looked after. Specifically, Callie.

With a heavy heart but knowing what needed to be done, Callie had headed to the pokemon center in order to have a thorough checkup done of the Jangmo-o. She didn't know anything about the pokemon that she had received from the mysterious stranger, and of course, she was being rather cautious about the whole thing.

"Is… Is he okay?" She asked the nurse for like the hundredth time that hour. "You've been checking up on him for a long time."

The nurse wore a positive smile on her face, but even she was having difficulty keeping her mood up. "Yes, don't worry, like I said before, this is just a standard checkup. Chloe?"

The nurse turned and called to her aide, a girl with hair dyed even pinker than Nurse Joy's. She quickly rushed up to the counter. Callie thought that she looked vaguely familiar, but was having trouble remembering where she'd seen the woman before.

"Y-Yes?" Chloe asked. She looked so tense standing behind the counter a person might think this was her first day on the job.

"Is the checkup of Jangmo-o done yet?" The nurse asked.

"Yes ma'am," Chloe nodded. "He's perfectly healthy, you can take him any time."

Chloe handed the pokeball across the counter to Callie. Callie was cautious as she took it, and as relieved as she felt, she was still rather uncomfortable about the whole thing.

She had a new pokemon. She didn't quite know how to feel about that. It was lovely, yes, but she hadn't been expecting it, and didn't have any idea how he would get along with her current team. It just felt strange, like it wasn't even real to her.

She hadn't even given him a nickname yet.

Now that they'd made sure he was in good health, her next step was going to be talking with Serefina. She didn't like the girl for obvious reasons (two really big ones) but she was friends with some of her friends, and Callie definitely respected her knowledge of pokemon. If there was someone who could tell her how to look after her Jangmo-o, Serefina was that person.

"Hey, Nick, what do you think?" Callie asked, turning to her boyfriend. She led the two of them over to an isolated corner of the pokemon center to talk, picking up on how tense Nick had been this whole time. All day, he'd been oddly quiet about the whole situation. She had invited him along for the support, and because it had been a while since they'd really had a good time together, but this certainly wasn't that.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Nick admitted with a sigh. "Callie, I'm happy for you, I really am. But that whole thing with the intruder…"

He lowered his voice and looked around warily. Callie had convinced him to keep his mouth shut on the subject. All she'd needed to do was ask, and he'd done it.

But it still made him feel uncomfortable.

"I know, you're a sweet guy, Nicky," Callie cooed, reaching up and cradling her boyfriend's cheek. "It's great that you're worried about the other students. But we don't want to cause a panic. Trust me, we're looking for that woman right now."

"I know, it's just-"

"We'll find her before you know it," Callie said, smiling confidently. "Don't you worry a-"

"Wow, this place is just as cool as it was before! Amazing!"

Callie's head turned and her jaw dropped in disbelief as she saw who it was that had just walked through the door.

It was that fucking intruder! The woman from last night, she had strolled in so brazenly that for a second Callie couldn't believe it was really her, but there was no mistaking that smile on her face or the gleam in her eye.

"YOU!" Callie screamed, charging across the room at the woman before Nick could even get out a word of protest.

Uh-oh, Callie and Reed have come into collision again! Will Callie be okay with this, or is another issue going to arise?