We had a very thrilling climax in the last chapter, with Sylvia going head to head with the legendary pokemon Mewtwo and coming out on top! It was a great conclusion to an arc dealing with pokemon genetics and the creation of an artificial pokemon that brought a lot of things into the light and resolved several issues. But now it's finished. We'll be moving on from Akira, Sylvia, Dakota, and Serefina and turning our attention towards someone else!

KedharS: But not nearly as good of a person.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Shedinja makes for a great counter to Mewtwo, especially the one you fight in FireRed and LeafGreen. There's just not a whole lot that he can do when he can't hit with his psychic attacks! As usual, Sylvia completely throws off her opponents with her Shedinja. As for Mewtwo's performance, remember that he hasn't exactly been honing his fighting skills hiding away in this cave, and he's being overloaded with Sylvia's mind. That would make anyone behave a little foolishly.

Rowlets and Oshawotts: Interesting, huh?

JoshGamerV: It is the Psychic Oracle yes.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 854

While Akira and Sylvia had been training the Cerulean City Gym, other students had applied to work in pokemon gyms all across the world. There first days were spent finding the gym and getting acclimated to life working their practicum with a gym leader.

Turning back the clock, today was one of those days.

Kate had to take a boat from Castelia City to Virbank City, because there was no airfield. The city was certainly large enough for one, but it was a port city first and foremost, and most of the land was occupied by docks for hauling freighter cargo.

She wasn't that inconvenienced by it though. Kate had grown up in cities like this before, she was definitely more of a modern girl than someone who would enjoy life in the suburbs. So she felt right at home walking the dingy streets of Virbank City, just as she'd felt at home in the bustle of Castelia City as well.

Kate didn't like spending time around people. But it seemed that everywhere she went, the people were there.

"Okay… if this map is right, then… the gym should be somewhere around here…" Kate peeked up from behind her map and glanced around the street. The street lamps flickered, gaudy neon signs advertised seedy clubs and cheap motels, and the walls were slathered with graffiti. The few other people she saw were not the sort that a teenage girl would be comfortable asking for advice. She swallowed. She may have been in the right place, but she was definitely in the wrong part of town.

But this was Virbank City, not Castelia City. In Virbank, pretty much everywhere was the "wrong side of town".

She wasn't going to be discouraged by that, though. She had come here for one reason, and one reason only.

She wanted to be a better master of the Poison type. She wasn't going to go back until she accomplished that goal!

For a brief period of time, Kate had dismissed her passion for Poison type pokemon in favor of the Grass type, like her idol, Alcea. Even the pokemon she had caught reflected that, with three of her five being part Grass-type.

But that was then. She was a brand-new Kate Nomia! And people had noticed. She was smiling a lot more now, and holding her head up high. Even Alcea had complimented her, saying that she had more confidence in herself these days.

"I'm glad to see you're doing so well," Alcea had told her before they separated for their individual school trips. "I know that I wasn't… in the best place recently, is it? But having you by my side, being someone I could rely on… oui, it really made me feel special."

"I wish I could take the credit, but it's thanks to your support," Kate had replied. She sighed, and scratched her head sheepishly. "Well… actually, it's thanks to you, and Blake."

"Oh? Blake, is it?" Alcea asked, raising her eyebrow. "And here I thought that you had gotten over your crush on him, is it?"

Kate could still remember how hot her face had gotten when she tried to deny it. "That's… I mean, that was… of course I'm over him! I'm, like, so over him it's not even funny!"

It wasn't funny. The day she spent with him at the pokemon store had made it clear just how not over Blake she really was.

She sighed, and looked down.

"Even if Blake doesn't think of me like that… it's fine. Because he's done more than enough for me already. If it wasn't for him, I would still be chasing your shadow. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have had the confidence to put what happened with Val behind me. So yeah, I really am a better person now, thanks to Blake." She had tried to reassure her closest friend with the best smile that she could, hoping to make Alcea feel better.

And Alcea had felt better. She'd given Kate a smile, a real smile, like the kind she'd given before her heart had been broken. They had always been rare, but Kate had been afraid that she would never smile again after what happened.

"We've both had our hearts broken by Harkers, is it?" Alcea had mused with a bitter laugh. "Alas, so it goes. I have no regrets, is it? And like you, I am grateful to him, in my own way. Oui, just as you're grateful to Blake, is it?"

Kate had nodded. "Grass types are your thing, milady. But for me, I'm not going to aim at anything but the Poison type anymore!"

"Oui, magnifique, is it?" Alcea agreed. "I am glad. With how ashamed you are of your past actions, it is good to move forward, is it?"

"Oh, um…" Kate had gasped, feeling a little embarrassed. While she may have regretted the time she'd spent fighting against her nature and trying to be someone she wasn't, she wasn't ashamed of it. "I'm sorry to correct you milady, but even if it was stupid of me to train a type that wasn't the best fit for me, I don't feel ashamed of that time."

Alcea had been curious about that. "Oh?"

"That time… brought me closer to you. It helped me become the kind of person I am now, and reminded me that Poison types are what's meant to be. If I hadn't tried and failed at something like that, then I wouldn't be here with you now, right?" Kate still treasured that time when she asked Alcea for advice, when Alcea took her under her wing and trained her.

Alcea breathed a long sigh, and smiled. When she had met Kate in her sophomore year, she'd trained her a little bit. And when she'd returned from Celadon City in the spring and seen Kate's transformation, it had shocked her.

But she was glad that Kate was herself.

"Do your best in Virbank," Alcea wished her farewell. "I know you'll be excellent, is it?"

Kate had beamed, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Back then, she had been excited.

And her excitement hadn't changed now. She was finally going to meet Roxie!

Back when Kate had distanced herself from the Poison type, things had been different. It had been hard to admit what she liked. She had gotten so swept up in Alcea's shadow! But when she'd tried to embrace the Poison type again, she'd learned that things had changed. The perception of Poison type pokemon wasn't as bad as it had once been.

Roxie, the gym leader of Virbank City, had been a big part of that. She hadn't been a gym leader for very long, she was very young. Only a few years older than Kate, in fact! Kate was completely blown away when she'd learned about her. She was the head of a rock band, Koffing and the Toxics, which had swept the Unova Region by storm.

Kate had wanted to meet her. She'd never wanted anything more! And she was finally going to get her wish. Against all odds, Roxie had accepted her application. She wanted Kate training in her gym! She wanted to help her!

It was like getting a personal letter of friendship from rock star, even if this was a professional thing. Kate had treasured her acceptance letter.

"Okay, okay, you can do this," Kate reminded herself, pumping herself up as she stood at the entrance to a grunge club. Poison type pokemon and flashy words were spray-painted in neon all along the walls of the outside, and the glow of stage lights could be seen coming through the fogged windows. The beat of the drums carried all the way out to the street corner where she stood.

This was the Virbank City Gym. It doubled as an underground music club, where Roxie performed shows every night. Due to her responsibilities as a gym leader her band couldn't go on tours, but that hadn't ever been a problem. Her music was niche, and her fame ensured that people would come to see her from all across the region.

Summoning up her courage, Kate opened up the door and walked inside. She descended the staircase down to the lower level, where she was stopped by a bouncer. She explained to him that she was here to work under Roxie, showing her ID, and hoped that he was aware of the situation.

She was relieved when he let her inside.

And boy, the music was loud.

The gym was packed wall to wall with throngs of cheering fans. The only part of the club that WASN'T filled with gyrating bodies was the large battlefield smack-dab in the center, hemmed off by a wire fence.

Music clubs weren't Kate's thing. She loved the music, sure, Roxie was one of her favorite artists, but when it came to the atmosphere, well…

Kate wasn't one for the mosh pit, to say the least.

But the crowds of people didn't catch her attention. It was the girl with spiky white hair rocking it on stage, singing her heart out in the center of the trio while strumming away on her Scolipede-styled bass guitar. A punk girl with a black side ponytail played to her left, while a bald man beat the drums with a fierce grin on his face. Their music was loud, it was rude, and it was everything Kate loved.

Kate could see it in Roxie's face how much fun she was having being up there. Roxie was just the kind of girl she wanted to be, confident and proud! For a moment, she thought their eyes had met, but no, there was no way she could be seen among all these people.

She clung to the outskirts of the mob, making her way to the only source of information she could reliably count on. Slammed into the rear corner of the club was a bar, and the cool, mature-looking bartender was mixing drinks unbothered by the noise.

"Hello!" Kate shouted over the music. The woman glanced up, peeking at Kate through her bangs, which were swept over one eye.

"What can I get you?" She asked, her voice doing a marvelous job of carrying over the music.

"Oh, um, nothing, I'm here to meet Roxie!" Kate explained. "I'm the practicum student from the Pokemon Academy!"

The bartender nodded thoughtfully. "That's right!" She said. "She's been expecting you!" A smile crossed her face and she nodded to the stage. "But you'll have to wait. When the set's over, she'll see you. In the meantime, can I get you something to drink?"

Kate swallowed. The atmosphere had gotten her blood pumping, and her mouth felt dry. But this didn't look like the kind of place that served tea.

She finally settled on a soft drink and sat down on a barstool, watching the stage as Roxie continued to rock out.

Roxie and her band played four more songs before finally taking the microphone and addressing the crowd.

"I want to thank y'all for coming out tonight! It was a blast!" Roxie shouted, receiving a roar of approval from the crowd. "But the party's not over just yet!"

That got their attention, although she'd already grabbed it successfully.

"Ya see gang, we got ourselves a special guest in the house tonight! She's come all the way here to Virbank City from the Pokemon Academy!" Roxie called out. "She's here to study under me! But she ain't gonna be learning about music, I'mma teach her all there is to know about being a totally rocking master of the Poison type!"

Kate felt her heart stop in her chest. She didn't like being put on the spot like this. But if she was going to be working under Roxie, she knew that it was something she'd have to get used to.

"And there she is right now!" A large spotlight struck Kate in the face, causing her to shield her eyes and squint. She couldn't see their faces, but she was certain that the crowd had turned to get a good look at her.

"Let's hear it for Kate Nomia! C'mon up here, Katie Girl!" Roxie shouted, and the crowd went nuts. Kate felt her face heat up from more than just the glow of the spotlight. She swallowed and finished her drink, and headed for the stage.

The crowd made a path for her, and she could catch hints of whispers and murmurs as she pushed past them. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she was afraid that she would disappoint.

It took all her courage to climb the steps up that stage, but when she did, she felt more alive than she ever had before. The heat of the stage's lighting burned brightly on her, and she looked Roxie in the eye, feeling her soul sing out with joy.

Roxie was shorter than her, but Kate felt like a tiny Venipede in comparison to her.

"H-Hello," she greeted the gym leader awkwardly.

Roxie grinned. "C'mon now Katie Girl! That ain't how we do things 'round here!" She laughed, slapping Kate in the back. "Ain't that right, guys!"

"You said it!" The bald drummer grinned, nodding.

"Just gotta loosen up, the pretty guitarist agreed.

"Now I don't normally do this, but we promised these guys a show," Roxie smirked. "Whaddya think Katie Girl, ready to perform?"

Kate went pale. "B-But… I've never even played an instrument before…"

Roxie blinked, surprised for an instant, then burst out laughing. Kate felt ashamed. Her idol was laughing at her! Her face fell.

"Hey now, don't ya get all down in the dumps!" Roxie said through chuckles. "I'm not laughing atcha, don't worry 'bout stuff like that! I was talking 'bout a pokemon battle Katie Girl! So, whaddya say, ya up for it or ain't ya?"

Kate sighed in relief. Oh, that's all it was. A pokemon battle, that…

That wasn't better! Kate was going to battle Roxie in front of all these people?! That was insane, no way she could do that!

But she wasn't going to show Roxie something so shameful.

"Y-Yeah!" Kate said, trying to get as pumped up as her idol. "I'm all ready for it, Roxie!"

"Rock and roll, Katie Girl!" Roxie grinned, nodding excitedly. "But ya see, we're gonna do this all special like! These folks want a show after all, and I can't just go an' steal the spotlight all for me, ya catch my dig?"

"Uh… yes?" Kate had no idea what she was talking about.

"See, Nicky and Billy Jo over there, they're trainers too," Roxie said, nodding to her band mates. "And they're just itchin' for a chance to take ya on! So whaddya say Katie Girl, ready for a toxic rush? Fight against both of 'em, one after another, and when yer finished, I'll take ya on!"

Kate gulped. So she wouldn't be fighting against Roxie, but Roxie and her entire band? In front of a crowd of their cheering fans? This was way more than she signed up for!

But again, she wasn't going to look weak in front of another one of her idols.

"You… You got it!" Kate said, nodding.

The crowd cheered and Roxie strummed a chord on her bass. "Yeah! Now that's the kinda spirit I love to hear! Yer gonna fit in right proper 'round these parts, Katie Girl! Now get on down there'n show these folks ya got what it takes to rock!"

Kate climbed down off the stage and entered the wired-off battlefield, feeling like she was entering the death cage of a post-apocalyptic wasteland gang. But win or lose, she wasn't going to make a fool out of herself!

She turned back to see that the drummer, Nicky, had started out first.

"We'll be using two pokemon," he called over to her through the cheers of the crowd. "You good with that?"

"Sounds good!" Kate shouted back.

"Excellent!" Nicky grinned. "Then I'll start things off! Grimes, let's do this thing!"

Nicky's first pokemon was a Grimer. The puddle of toxic sludge had the most adorable little grin on his pudgy face, stretching his arms out towards Kate. It was all she could do to resist giving him a big old hug!

But Kate wasn't here to admire, she was here to fight! And she knew that her Sludgy could handle a Grimer.

But that wasn't the best plan. She would be facing Billy Jo next, and then Roxie right after her. She couldn't afford to let Sludgy get exhausted on the first battle, she was going to need him to play the role of the anchor!

Kate was sweating. And it wasn't just the heat of the lights, or the pressure of performing in front of all these people. Before the match even began, Kate was getting caught up in her own head. After all, her team was good, but it was unbalanced.

Her months of training Grass pokemon meant, ironically, that while no one could hold a candle to her in a competition about knowledge of Poison types, when it came to actually fighting against them, she was at a bit of a disadvantage.

Not that something like that would stop her, of course!

"Rossa, let's do this thing!" Kate shouted, putting a bit of flair into her performance. She sent out her Roselia as the crowd cheered, and a crooked grin spread across her face.

So this was what it was like to have a bunch of people rooting for you! Her highness must have loved standing out like this!

That's right, now that she was seeing things with a clear head, she was realizing that the crowd wasn't just cheering on Roxie and her band. They were cheering for her, too! Kate and Nicky were both putting on a show, and getting praised for it!

Kate wasn't going to let them down.

"Rossa, start things out with your stun spore!" Kate ordered. Normally, she would have used toxic. But they were both using Poison type pokemon! Rossa's typing may had put her at a disadvantage, but she could overcome it! Being a Grass type meant she had access to more status than just poison!

"Roselia!" Rossa raised her roses high and began to spin, sending a cloud of sparkling gold powder across the battlefield in a wave, settling down over the Grimer.

"Grimer!" Grimes winced, feeling his sludge start to thicken as the paralysis set in, slowing down his movements.

"Oh man, Grimes, didn't expect that one!" Nicky laughed. "But let's show those two what's what! Hit her with your sludge!"

"Grimer!" Grimes nodded, opening his mouth and spitting a large chunk of toxic sludge at the tiny Grass type.

"Rossa, dodge it," Kate ordered. Rossa turned to the side, twirling her way out of the path of the sludge with a smile on her face.

Kate wore a smile on her face as well. This was going excellently!

We've switched things over to Kate! How will she handle herself working at the Virbank City Gym? Will she impress Roxie and her fans with her mastery of the Poison type, or will she discover that she still has a lot to learn?