Chapter Five

It was only a matter of time before the first day of school was finally upon everyone. Even though it had been a couple of days since the exhibition match, Red was still feeling uneasy about everything that had happened that evening. From his altercation with Lance to that first match, he just couldn't shake off this feeling that he was biting off more than he could chew. He had to keep his mind off of it for now because classes would be beginning in only a few more hours.

"Mornin Red!" Brendan said to him as the two of them were getting their school uniforms on. "Looking forward to a great first day?"

"Yeah" Red responded, though not as enthusiastically as Brendan wanted to hear.

"You sure you alright buddy?" Brendan asked. "You've been kinda down since the exhibition."

"I'm good, but I appreciate it. I just need to get my head straight"

"alright man, lets get some breakfast! That always helps me in the morning!"

As the two boys began to leave, Pikachu gave a sad look to see Red go. "I'm sorry Pikachu but I'm not aloud to bring you to classes unless you stay I your pokeball"

"Pika!" Pikachu said in disagreement with the idea of being trapped in a pokeball all day.

"Alright, have it your way" Red responded. "Theirs kibble in the drawer but don't eat it all in one sitting."

The two friends then finished putting their uniforms together and met Tierno and Trevor outside in the dorm hall. The uniforms were quite spiffy and clearly expensive. They were made of a shiny black fabric and each came with a metal pin in the shape of a standard pokeball. Brendan had told Red that they were allowed to wear any personal headware so long as it wasn't too distracting so both made sure to have on their signature hats. As the four friends made their way to the dining hall, they saw Leaf waiting for them by the front door who gave a huge wave to the group but then a smaller friendlier wave to Red.

"Mornin boys" Leaf said to the group. "May and Shauna went to go secure a table for us"

"not surprised" Tierno responded with a chuckle "Shauna was probably the first in line for the waffle station."

Leaf took another look over Red who still seemed to be on another Planet. "You feeling any better Red?"

"huh? Oh yeah" Red responded, slowly realizing how much he was worrying everybody. "I'm just a bit nervous today"

"I can understand that" Trevor chimed in. "I too am nervous about the school year but I have faith that it will be great once we get started"

"Well said man!" Brendan said. "Now come on! Lets get some grub!"

The group eventually made their way through the mess hall where they found May at an empty table with another girl who seemed to be lightly but quickly jumping in one place. Her long brown hair was expertly done as she had two pigtails of to the side but then two tails of hair tied over both pigtails. Red recognized her as Shauna, who was a friend of Tierno and Trevor that he had only met the previous day. Tierno described her as a "social Butterfree" which was accurate as upon first meeting her, she immediately hugged Red stating that she was happy to make a new friend.

"Good morning everyone!" Shauna yelled at the group as they got closer to the table. "I can't believe its finally the first day!"

"me neither" May said as she went over to kiss Brendan on the cheek. "Shauna here took the liberty of getting everyone food, so I hope you guys like waffles!"

"called it" Tierno said.

"Called what?" Shauna asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"I'll tell about it later" Tierno said while still lightly laughing.

As the group partook in breakfast and conversation, Red started to feel a little better about himself and the pressures of the first day. For the longest time, he only had Pikachu by his side, but now he was sitting with an eclectic group of people he could gladly consider his friends. At one point, he looked over to see Blue sitting by himself at a table in the corner with his nose in a book and barely touching his food. Red wasn't going to make the same mistake as Blue and go it alone, but he also considered offering him to join his table, though doing that would probably make everything more uncomfortable.

"So Red" Leaf began to speak "What pokemon types are you studying this year?"

"Well on X days I'm taking rock and water and on Y days grass and poison."

"You're taking grass? That's great! We'll at least have one class to share together!"

"Hmmmmm?" May said in a teasing tone "Someone seems excited about that Idea"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Leaf said seeming a bit annoyed.

"oh, nothing" May responded with a giggle.

"I'm in grass as well!" Brendan chimed in "good to know I'll see some familiar faces in at least one of my classes!"

"Brendan, will you be taking the normal type class as well?" Trevor asked.

"what? No why would I?" Brendan responded in a less cheery tone than Red was used to at this point.

"But isn't the normal type instructor..." Trevor started to asked before he was interrupted by May.

"Oh we don't talk about that" May said to Trevor who gave a confused but understanding look.

"Oh, I'm sorry Brendan I didn't mean to.."

"Don't worry about it" Brendan responded quickly changing his tone back to his usual chipper self. Red was rather surprised by this. For the brief time he had known Brendan, he hadn't seen him in any mood other than optimistic. For him to not only seem unsettled by something but then instantly change his mood back was both impressive and kind of concerning. Red felt he should ask him about it but decided it wasn't the best time to do so as classes would be starting soon.

After finishing breakfast, Red and the rest of the group made their way to the main class hall. Although he had already been on campus for several days he was still absolutely mesmerized by the size of the campus alone. He was aware that the school was privately funded so it was clear that they had some very high connections. Because of how lost Red was by the sight of the campus, he eventually realized that he accidentally strayed behind lost track of the group. "Ugh" he said to himself. "Leaf won't let me hear the end of this".

Red noticed a lot of students heading to a large marble building and figured that it was the main hall he needed to go to. He turned out to be right when he entered the building as he saw students crowded around a bulletin board to see what homeroom classes they were put in. After finagling his way through the crowd, he looked to see that he was placed in Professor Oak's class, along with Leaf, May, and a name he hoped he wouldn't see.

"Well, well, well!" an all too familiar voice called out behind Red.

"oh boy" Red said in a tired tone as he turned around to see an annoyed looking Blue staring straight at him.

"I said, Well, well, well!" Blue said angrily to Red.

"Yeah I heard you the first time" Red responded.

"I'm shocked you showed up! I figured you packed up and went home after Lance put you in your place!"

"Dude, I really don't wanna talk about it" Red responded

"If Lance laying nothing but the truth on you didn't make you realize your out of your depth then you're either too stubborn or too stupid!"

"Or maybe he just doesn't care about whatever stupid bullshit idiots like you have to say" a voice in the near distance said to Blue who looked even more annoyed now.

"Who said that!" Blue angrily said as he looked around to see a student that Red recognized. It was the guy who commented on his hat on orientation day.

"Hmm" the boy started speaking again. "It seems your friend here is better at keeping his cool if that is your response"

"Pfft, whatever, I'm heading to class! Looking forward to seeing you bomb in homeroom Red! Smell ya!" Blue foully responded as he stormed off.

Red was quite surprised to see some guy he didn't really know come to defend him like that. He honestly wasn't quite sure what to say to him but felt that he should at least say something as the boy was already starting to walk into class

"uh, hey" Red started to say to the boy "Thanks for the save there"

"Don't mention it" The boy bluntly said as he continued to walk off into Professor Oak's classroom.

"Well" Red said to himself. "looks like this will be a fun homeroom." And he then entered the room to begin class.

The classroom Was just as impressive as the rest of the campus. Not only was it the largest classroom Red had ever seen, but the architecture was the kind of wonders. On the walls hung portraits of trainers with their pokemon teams. Red figured they were former students of great significance. One portrait in particular caught Red's attention as it was of a young Lance standing next to a Dragonite. The picture was both impressive and intimidating considering the encounter he had with Lance.

Red was able to find Leaf and May who had aready found seats for the three of them and very predictably teased him about once again getting lost on campus. Looking around, Red saw Blue sitting near the front, still in a bad mood from the earlier encounter. Off to the side sat the boy from earlier, who didn't seem to be socializing with anybody. He wondered why that boy would randomly defend him only to just disassociate immediately after.

"Hey, do either of you know that guy over there?" Red asked Leaf and May.

"I don't know em" Leaf answered.

"I think he's from Unova" May said. "I could have sworn I've seen him hanging out with the girls who live across the hall from us and they're from Unova. Other than that I don't know much about him"

As all of the students were conversing, Red saw Professor Oak walking up to the front which immediately caught the attention of everyone. He could hear students talking about how excited they were that Oak was their teacher and what a celebrity he was to them. For Red, Oak was simply just his neighbor so it was interesting for him to see this new perspective of him.

"Alright students, settle down" Oak started "It is my distinguished pleasure to welcome all of you to your first day here at Kobukan Academy. Before I go into anything else, please allow me to get attendance out of the way. Leaf?"

"Here" Leaf called out.

"May?"

"Here" May responded.

"Red?"

"Here" Red said

"Hilbert?"

"Here" The boy who defended Red earlier called out. It was about time Red finally found out his name.

"Blue?"

Upon hearing Professor Oak call his name, Blue stood up in a very arrogant fashion.

"I'm here gramps" Blue started saying "I just wanna tell everyone in this room that they better stay out of my way! I'm gonna be the next world champion and nobody is gonna stop me!"

"alright alright, settle down" Oak said as Blue sat back down at his desk. "Whitney?" Oak called out the next name to silence. "Whitney?" he said again to still no response. "hmm, absent on the first da…"

"Waaaaiiit!" a voice called out from the back as a girl ran into the classroom. She had bright pink eyes to complement her dark pink hair tied in a small bow in the back. "Whitney is here! totally on time!" she said as she quickly sat down in a seat in front of Red.

"Alright then, I will mark as on time today but please make sure to arrive exactly on time in the future." Oak said.

"yessir!" Whiney said in a chipper tone.

"Now then, Flannery?"

"I'm….here…." an exhausted sounding voice said from the back as another girl walked into the classroom although much more slowly compared to Whitney. She had very messy fire red hair that was barely being held together in a ponytail. "Sorry, had trouble getting out of bed this morning"

"I understand, but you need to make sure to get here on time, but I will mark you as on time today as well. Please take your seat while I finish role call"

"You got it" Flannery said as she plopped into the seat next to Whitney, her hair barely out of Red's vision. She looked like she was about to pass out right in the middle of class. Wanting to be a good classmate, Red took out a can of coffee that he bought and lightly tapped on Flannery's shoulders. "Hey, you want some coffee? I got an extra can"

Flannery looked over at Red with a growingly angry look on her face. "Do I look like a charity case to you?" she said furiously.

"No, you look like a hot mess" Leaf chimed in before Red could even give an answer.

"Excuse me?" Flannery responded sounding even more angry

"look, I'm sorry I just thought you'd like some coffee" Red said trying to diffuse the tension.

Flannery was looking beyond angry at this point "Why don't you take that coffee and shove it up your….."

"Calm down Flan," Whitney chimed in. "I'm sure he was just trying to be friendly"

After a taking a few seconds to calm down, Flannery spoke again "Sorry, I'm not that much of a morning person, I think I will take that coffee."

Eventually, Professor Oak finished calling role and began to speak with the class "Alright class, now that role is out of the way allow me to once again welcome you to Kobukan Academy. The fact that each of you are sitting here in this classroom means that you all have potential to do great things in the world of pokemon. However, that doesn't mean that your journey will be easy. Now, raise your hand if you plan to compete in the pokemon league."

Nearly the entire class raised their hands. Not wanting to feel like a fish out of water, Red raised his hand as well. "Now" Oak continued. "I want everyone on the left side of the classroom to lower their hands." As the students complied, Red was wondering where Oak was going with this. "Now everyone in the front two rows with their hands still raised, lower your hands" Oak continued as the students continued to comply. "Now everyone with their hands still raised represents the estimated percentage of students who will successfully complete their time here at Kobukan."

The classroom just sat in stunned silence after Oak said that. Red looked over at Leaf and May who could barely move. He then looked over to see Blue with a smug smile and Hilbert seemingly having no reaction whatsoever.

"Now now" Oak continued. "Just because that is the average number of students, it doesn't mean that average can't be changed, but it is up to all of you to make that change. I'm not going to make it easy on you, but nor will I give up on you"

Red wasn't sure how to feel at this point. He had known Professor Oak for a long time so he trusted his words, but he couldn't help but think back to what Lance had told him. He wanted to succeed at Kobukan would would he have to change who he is in order to do so? Red looked over at the portrait of Lance once again, only now it seemed even more intimidating to him than before.

"Alright everyone" Oak said "open your books to page ten"

Homeroom eventually ended and it was time for Red to move on to his first type elective class, Rock. On the walk over he thought about the things that Professor Oak said during homeroom. The pressure was certainly on and as hard as Red was going to try to make it at Kobukan, he still had doubts about how far he would actually make it.

Upon arriving to the classroom, Red saw Tierno who seemed to have saved a seat for him. Even If Red had not seen him he would have been able to find him anyway do to the loud sound of music coming from his headphones. "Hey Red! I guess I forgot to tell you I'm in this class too" Tierno said with a laugh.

Much like the previous classroom, this one was also impressive with its architecture. Being the Rock type elective the walls had variously colored gemstones engrained into them and at the front of the room was a banner with the Rock type insignia on it. Standing in front of the banner was a man around his late twenties whom Red figured was the class instructor. He wore gray cargo shorts with a black long sleeve shirt. Several small gems were elegantly placed in his black hair. Around his neck was a rock climbing clip that he wore as a necklace. His appearance certainly didn't come across to Red as somebody who would be a professor at a prestigious academy.

"Welcome Students" The instructor started. "My name is Grant and I will be your instructor for the Rock type elective this year. Rock type pokemon can be incredibly useful for your team as they bring both great strength and balance in this class we will…" As Grant was speaking a growing noise started to distract everyone in the classroom. Making an obvious guess, Red looked over to Tierno next to him with his headphones on blasting music. Realizing what it was, Instructor Grant Speed walked over to Red and Tierno and pulled the latter's headphones off of his head.

"Huh?" Tierno said as he noticed Grant in front of him "Oh hey Teach! What's going on?" he said in an upbeat tone which contrasted with Grant's clear annoyance.

"What's going on is your music is distracting the rest of the class!" Grant said angrily.

"oh" Tierno said feeling bad "I'm sorry Teach, I just can't help but listen to music, it keeps me calm and positive even during difficult times. You always gotta do things to stay positive right?"

After a brief time to think Grant once again spoke. "very well, you may continue to listen to music, but at a low volume so you can hear me and nobody else can hear your music"

"you got it teach!" Tierno responded as Grant returned to the front of the room.

Both Red and Tierno were surprised by the understanding that Grant portrayed. They both had a feeling that he would be easy to get along with as the year continued.

After Grant's class ended, Red and Tierno made their way to the next class on schedule, which was gym class. At first, Red was confused by the idea of going to gym class at a school for pokemon trainers but Tierno then informed him that it was a special pokemon training class. The gym itself was just as impressive as the rest of the campus. The marble room contained the pokeball insignia in the middle of the floor and dozens of banners draped on the walls signifying all of the victories Kobukan's battle team, showing that they have kept the championship title for the past ten years.

A quite eclectic group of students appeared to be in this class. Red and Tierno found Brendan, Leaf, May, Trevor, and Shauna all grouped up in the gym. Off to one side, Red could see Whitney and Flannery interacting with Misty and Sabrina, although Whitney seemed to be the only one invested in the conversation. On the other side was Hilbert who was standing over by some students Red didn't recognize, although one girl with them shared many physical features with Hilbert. Over in the corner was Blue who once again was refusing to socialize with anybody.

Two men walked to the middle of the gym and had the class all gather around them. The first man had flamed colored hair tied into a ponytail and wore a beige sarape with red and orange stripes going down it. Around his neck hung six pokeballs strung together as a necklace.

"Holy crap!" Brendan said to the group "I had no idea we'd be taught by a former champion!"

"Wait who are they?" Red asked to a now familiar look of disappointment from the rest of the group.

"That is Alder" May chimed in. "He famously won the Unova league without a single one of his pokemon fainting!"

"Alright everyone settle down" Alder began to say to the class who all seemed to have excited looks on their faces. "As some of you seem to already know, My name is Alder and I will be your instructor in your gym training class. Now, who can tell me the purpose of pokemon gyms?"

"Pff, that's easy!" Blue began to arrogantly answer. "Gyms are put in place to put amateurs in theirs!" As he was speaking he gave a snide glare over at Red who simply just rolled his eyes.

"Uh, not quite the answer I was looking for, anybody else?" Alder said as Blue looked annoyed by the response.

"It's the official process of qualifying for the pokemon league." Hilbert answered "Each league requires a minimum of eight gym badges earned within a year in order to qualify"

"Well yes, that is the official answer" Alder said "But I'm looking for more than simply the official answer"

"Gyms are where a trainer can test their progress" a voice in the back said.

"Exactly!" Alder said enthusiastically "Who said that? Come on up please!"

A rather pretty young woman walked up to the center of the gym. She had long dirty-blonde hair that was very well kept in a pink fedora with sunglasses over it. Red looked over to see Tierno in a trance as she walked by them. Even Brendan had a look of surprise which lead to a look of annoyance from May.

"What is your name my student?" Alder asked the girl who answered with "Serena"

"Serena, will you please elaborate on how a trainer can test their progress in a gym?" Alder asked.

"Well" Serena began "A Trainer isn't going to have all the necessary skills to challenge the league right of the bat. Gyms give trainers a chance to see where their strengths are and also improve their weaknesses. Even if one loses a gym battle, they can challenge as many times as compelled to in order to improve themselves"

"Very well stated! Well done Serena" Alder said approvingly "Now, as you may know every pokemon gym specifies in one pokemon type, who can tell me why that would be?"

After hearing the question, Red thought back to a match he saw on TV once. A trainer who specialized exclusively in water pokemon got caught of guard when every single one of his pokemon got knocked out by his opponent's single grass pokemon. Risking making a fool of himself, Red decided to give an answer. "Is it to teach the trainer to strategize their lineup?"

"Excellent!" Alder said "And whoever said that please walk up aswell!"

As Red walked up, he could see his friends giving a look of approval but could also see a disapproving look from Blue. He eventually found himself standing right next to Serena.

"And what is your name?" Alder asked.

"Uh, Red Sir" Red answered.

"Well Red, if you could please elaborate on your answer"

"Well sir," Red started "Since each gym uses a particular type, it would be smart to have pokemon that can better oppose that type, and since you need to go from gym to gym, it would be smart to have a big but eclectic pool of pokemon to choose from, since I believe some pokemon have double types. Is that correct?"

"Very!" Alder said approvingly "Couldn't have said it better myself!"

"Even I have to say I'm impressed" Serena said to Red giving a friendly and approving smile.

"Oh, thanks!" Red said back to her.

"Looks like you have some competition" May teasingly said to Leaf

"Once again May, I have no idea what you're talking about" Leaf responded in an annoyed manner as Alder continued speaking.

"In this class, You will be taught the standard rules of a pokemon league battle as well as battle strategies. Pay attention, for if you show good enough potential, you may have a good chance to join Kobukan's battle team." That last statement caught the attention of nearly the entire class, including Red. Hearing that reminded him yet again of Lance. He knew he shouldn't let that guy get to him, but it was like a cloud looming over his head. "It's a hard team to get into" Alder continued "but based on the bright minds I've heard here today, I have a feeling the battle team is going to get some excellent recruits."

Hearing that gave Red optimism for himself. The only other adult figures in his life that showed faith in him were his mother and Professor Oak. To hear encouragement from a professor he only just met was something special to him.

Lunchtime eventually came and Red and his friends struggled to cram the whole group in one small table as most of the bigger tables were already taken. They all seemed to manage well but Leaf complained about the table space more than the others. Brendan and May were making things slightly awkward by occasionally feeding each other bites of their food. Tierno of course was plugged into his headphones while Trevor and Shauna were comparing notes from their previous class. Overall, everybody seemed to be in good spirits if a bit tired.

"God, I can't believe its only lunchtime. I'm already exhausted!" Leaf said to the rest of the group. "That gym training class really takes a lot out of you"

"Oh lighten up Leaf, its not that bad" Brendan responded

"Speak for yourself man" Tireno responded "You work out all the time, you're used to this stuff"

"It has been quite a lot" Red chimed in.

"I bet it has for you" May said. "You made quite the impression to instructor Alder!"

"Yeah, as well as that Serena girl, she looked very impressed" Brendan coyly said while giving a wink to Red who began to blush a little.

"Yeah, you made me a bit jealous Red" Tierno chimed in as Leaf could be seen rolling her eyes.

"I don't know" Red responded to May ignoring the last two comments. "I just gave what I thought would be the right answer. It was really just a guess."

"I wouldn't count yourself out like that" Trevor chimed in. "Even if that was just a guess, It shows that you have good instincts in what makes a good trainer"

"Yeah! Also you got some early Training with professor Oak!" Shauna said "He was your neighbor right?"

"uh yeah" Red responded. "I guess he had a bit of influence on me"

As the group continued their lunch, a student walked up to the table holding a clipboard in a very professional manner. He had a mop of well kept dark blue hair with a tuft of it perfectly gelled up at the front. Red recognized him as one of the students who was standing over by Hilbert during Alder's class. "Hello my fellow students. My name is Cheren and I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time?"

"Uh, sure I guess" Leaf responded.

"Excellent!" Cheren responded. "Well, I would like you to know that I will be running to be the first year student council president and wanted to know what issues my peers would like to be addressed the most"

"Uh dude?" Brendan said. "It's the first day of school and you're already campaigning?'

"Well yes, it may seem a bit too ambitious to start early" Cheren said. "but would rather get something done immediately rather than wait, and I want to make sure if I get the position, I aim the council towards a direction our student body wants, especially since I am aware another student has started campaigning as well"

"I admire that" Trevor said. "Setting a goal for yourself and making sure its completed"

"Thank you" Cheren responded in a sincere tone. "so is there anything you wish to be addressed in the upcoming election?"

After several seconds of silence, Red decided it would be best to answer for the group "I think we're all just focused on finding our bearings right now, but we appreciate the thought."

"Hmm, I see" Cheren responded. "Well, anything comes to mind, do not hesitate to contact me via Pokenav. Thank you all for your time" Cheren began to walk away before he stopped again "Wait a minute, are Red?" He asked.

"Um, yeah?" Red answered seeming a bit confused.

"My roommate Blue has mentioned you quite a bit, can't say they are the most flattering words about you, but if your performance in Gym class is any indication, I'd say that he's wrong."

"Thanks, I appreciate it" Red responded "But could you keep an eye on him for me? I do worry about him"

"He's not exactly very sociable, but I will do my best" Cheren responded before walking over to another table.

"His mention of the student council has me thinking" Trevor started speaking. "Do any of you plan on joining clubs? I'm looking into the photography club"

"You bet!" May said. Brendan and I are signing up for the coodinator's club on the first day of signing!"

"I'm gonna sign for the outdoors club" Leaf said "mainly as an excuse to get off of campus every now and then"

"I'm starting a dance team!" Tierno chimed in "You think Serena will join?"

"Doesn't hurt to ask" Brendan said jokingly "Although I'm sure our buddy Red here has a better chance"

"Yeah yeah, give it rest" Red said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Man there are so many clubs! I just wanna be in them all!" Shauna excitingly said.

"How about you Red?" Leaf asked.

If Red were to be honest, he hadn't really thought about joining any clubs up to that point. He was aware that there were several to choose from but he had no idea where to start. But then he thought about Alder's comments about the battle team and how impressed he was by Red's answer.

"At the moment, I'm not sure but maybe the battle team when I'm ready" Red answered.

"Yeah, I'm thinking of trying out too" Leaf said "Although that would mean you'd have to deal with Lance"

"Yeah, that's why I said I'm thinking about it" Red responded. "Besides, I'm still focused on getting things in balance here."

"Yeah, I can agree with that, especially after what Professor Oak said about the passing rate"

"Yeah, its like four out of ten right?" Tierno asked

"Yeah but I'm not worried" Brendan said. "We all got in to begin with didn't we? I'm sure we'll all make it"

"That's the spirit!" Shauna chimed in.

The group of friends all finished their lunch with more casual consersation while Red thought about his odds of surviving at this school. He still wasn't completely sure of himself yet but with this group of friends by his side, he felt he had a good chance and was ready to begin the second half of the day.