I get up early, wanting to get a run in before we start our tour.
I change back into the shorts and shirt from last night, and wake Effie and Cleo.
"I'm going for a run, you girls in?" They both growl, pulling the blankets back up, and I laugh.
"I'll be back in an hour, be ready!" I tie my shoes up, and jump down the slide.
I land quickly and quietly into the commons room, and Meloa squeals as I appear.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, Meloa. I didn't mean to scare you!" She laughs, waving me off.
"Is okay, Mr. N always does me a scared." She giggles, her accent thick, as she pats my arm.
I wave as I leave, and make for the courtyard. It's a bit bigger than my old neighborhood, which makes it the perfect distance.
I enter the cool, morning air, and notice Prim, who is sitting on a nearby bench with Minerva, sipping from a steaming mug.
"Hey you!" Prim hugs me as I approach.
"Hello." I shake Minerva's hand, and she smiles.
I make polite conversation with them for a few minutes, before breaking off to begin my run.
Running has always given me time to think. Whenever I've ever had to make any decision that is somewhat big, like what I should buy mom for her birthday, or what I should make for dinner, I always run first, to clear my head.
I decide that three laps is enough, and fall into a steady rhythm.
As I run, I think about my family. Think about how Kai would just be getting up for school, how Mom is probably washing last-night's dishes, how Missy is probably still asleep in my bed.
Then I think about N. And the kiss, and what it meant.
That wasn't a 'Hey you!' kiss, it was more of a 'Dont EVER let me go' kind of kiss.
And then Cosmo to top it all off? What?
That kiss didn't mean as much as the one with N, but I still can't quite figure it out.
I don't realize how far I've run, till I see N, sitting on the steps that lead to the dorms. I'm almost dripping with sweat, having over-exerted myself as I got faster without realizing it.
I stop in front of him, breathing heavily, and he holds out a bottle of water.
"Here, drink this." He laughs as I take the entire bottle in one gulp, but it helps to slow my breathing.
"What are you doing?" He asks, resting his head on his hand.
"Thinking." I gasp, finally starting to catch my breath.
"Oh? About?" He inquires, a smirk playing on the corners of his lips.
"Shut up." I laugh, and he laughs too, playfully pushing my arm.
"I have to shower, I'll meet you in the commons room in a bit." I laugh, as he nods and pouts dramatically.
I head back to my room, where Effie and Cleo are finally awake, and chatting away.
"Hey girls." I kiss them both before hopping into the shower.
"Alright everyone, we will now begin our tour." N begins, as we all meet in the commons room.
He leads us out, and down a hallway we haven't been to before.
"First, the training grounds. Here, you can train your pokemon to be big and strong, or for those who like to exercise-" He looks directly at me, and Prim giggles. Cosmo gives me a confused look. "-there is a running track, and lots of weight lifting equipment."
We walk by a large glass window, that spans the entire hallway, and ends in a glass door that leads out to the grounds. The grounds are behind the castle, and end in a ivory beach, that leads out to what looks to be a large lake.
He leads us right out, into the morning sun and crisp air.
"The lake is fair game for pokemon, please never hesitate to go on a catching spree!" As he finishes, there is a large ripple just off the shore.
Shooting out from the water, a large pokemon emerges. It's pink body emerges first, followed by its fins. It twirls in the air, throwing water all around and making rainbows appear all over. She winks at us, before falling back into the lake with barely a ripple.
"Ah, Jellicent! She's one of the first pokemon I released into the pond, almost six years ago now. No-ones been able to catch her, even though many have tried.
Prim's eyes light up.
"What a beauty..."
"That she is. Now, next we head to..."
N leads us around the rest of the castle, showing us the designer-y, as Minerva called it, the kitchens, the study areas and library, and finally back around to the inner courtyard.
"Now, there are a LOT more interesting places here and around the castle, but I will let you figure the rest out! Now, we will head down to Humilau, and I can show you the best places to eat!" We all laugh as he leads us through another Hallway, out to the front where a car is waiting.
"There is always a chaperone that will take you down to the city, but anywhere past there is of your own volition." We all hop into a bigger car, then take off.
We make it to Humilau in about half an hour, and the car drops us off at the entrance.
"Here in Humilau, everything is boosted above the water by stilts, but dont let that scare you! See those holes in the wood?" He points to a few large openings along the walkway, and we nod.
"The citizens use those to get around, so don't be too scared if someone jumps up beside you!" As if on cue, a mother and her young son pull themselves out of one of the openings, and walk down the path like nothing happened.
"There are a few restaraunts, and a couple shops in the area, but remember, this is technically still a village." N waves at a woman who walks by, and she bows quickly, a beaming smile on her face.
N leads us right into a larger building, that is on it's own platform, near the middle of town.
"This is the gym. Now, as Team Plasma recruits, you are not YET allowed to battle the gym circuit. After you are promoted to Executive, or Associate, then you can. But until then, train your pokemon to the best of yours and their abilities." We walk in, and my eyes light up with wonder.
First thing I notice is all of the water. We enter the building, and right away the floor gives way to floating platforms. There are large lily pads floating lazily along a set route, where the water is going in a complete circle around the gym. There are a few large fountains, bursting right out of the water itself, and they rain a shimmering mist along the entire gym. There are tonne's of pokemon, swimming and splashing around in the water, and even a few that climb the fountains, and dive off of the top. Along the many platforms floating around the gym, there are trainers waiting, pruning the many aquatic plants that are floating about. At the very back of the gym, there is a large platform.
"Oh, Everyone, meet Marlon!" N waves at a man, who is swimming extremely quickly towards us.
He waves quickly, before diving under the water, and bursting out at high speed. He somersaults over top of us, landing quietly and gracefully. He spreads his arms and bows dramatically.
"Why hello there, my dear N! How's it going?" He stands, and his smile almost knocks me off my feet.
He's wearing tight striped turquoise pants, that look to be made out of spandex, or something else water proof, and look to be quite uncomfortable, size wise. The legs have large fins coming off of them, and they quickly melt into the legs of the pants as he clicks his heels together. He is not wearing a shirt, and water drips down his impeccably sculpted body, causing my face to go red. His upper body is quite dark and tanned, but I notice the line where his pants have slid down a bit, and how pale he is under them. His dark navy blue hair is swept to the side, out of his face. His eyes pierce right into me, the light blue of his iris' melting me from the inside.
He notices Prim, and quickly steps over, kissing her hand.
"Well hello there, pretty lady!" He winks, and her eyes flutter for a moment.
"Oh no, we are NOT doing that again, Marlon!" N pushes Prim lightly towards me.
"Awe, but why not?" He pouts, and they both laugh.
"So, these are the new recruits, eh?" He looks us all over, smiling and shaking our hands.
"That they are! A very promising group, as you can tell." Marlon nods, scratching his chin.
"Any of you got water pokemon yet?" He asks, and his eyebrows go up as I raise my hand.
"I have one, Persephone." He smiles wildly at me.
"Can I meet her?" He asks, all of a sudden reminding me of a kid on Christmas.
I laugh, nodding, and send Effie out.
"Car!" She flips gracefully, landing in my arms.
"A Carvanha! Wow!" He leans forward, readily offering his fingers to the excited Effie, who chomps on them happily.
"Sorry, she tends to bite when shes excited." I blush, embarrassed, and he shakes his head vigorously.
"It's perfectly okay, all pokemon show their emotions in different way's. My parents had a Sharpedo that would nibble your toes when you swam." He laughs as Effie finally lets go, beaming up at him, before taking off into the water, socializing.
"Sharpedo?" Prim asks, and Marlon nods.
"The evolved form of little miss here." He grabs a handful of something from a pack I cant quite see, throwing it across th water. All of the pokemon swim quickly up, taking a few pieces of what looks to be food.
"Well, I have to get these guy's back, so they can explore for a bit. Can we expect you up for dinner tonight?" N asks, and Marlon winks at Prim again before answering.
"Of course. Should I bring the usual?" He asks, hands on his hips.
"Yep! Bring it by a bit earlier, we will get it all set up. Cilan, Chili, and Cress are cooking again." Marlon's eye's light up.
"The triplets are coming?" He laughs and jumps, clapping.
N smiles, and we walk out.
We make it back to the castle a while later, and N sets us free, but gently grabs my arm to hold me back.
Everyone waves and heads out, but Cosmo spares me a weird glance before leaving.
"Whats up?" I ask, and he smiles, leading me into the castle. We head right up through the commons room, the stairway, and into my room.
He sits me on the bed, and sits beside me, placing both of his hands in my lap.
"Yes?" I ask quietly, and he looks up at me, his eyes alight.
"I have a proposition for you." He asks, his voice excited.
"Okay..." I gesture for more information, and he giggles.
"Well, and I know this is pretty early on, but..." He stops, sighing as he looks into my eyes.
"But...?" I drag on, and he laughs again.
"I want you to assist me on a trip." His eyes go wide as he awaits my answer.
"A... trip?" He nods.
"I have to head over to Nimbasa City, help out a bit with their shelters." He explains, and I nod slowly.
"When would we be leaving?" I inquire, squeezing his hand gently.
"Tonight, after dinner. The triplets will come with us, and drop us off on their way." I nod.
"Okay. I'm in." I say after a few moments of deliberation.
"Really? Thats fantastic!" He leans in, locking our lips together.
He pushes me back, down onto the bed, and I'm just starting to get excited when the door opens.
"Hey, I was wondering if I could borrow-" Prim stops short, eyes wide.
N quickly jumps off, walking over to her.
"Borrow what, sweetheart?" He asks gently.
Her eyes dart awkwardly between us for a second, before she answers.
"I was hoping to borrow a pair of shorts. I saw how tight they were, and wanted to try loosening them up." She finally stammers out.
"Oh, yes please!" I hop up, grabbing a few pairs from my closet, and handing them to her, her beaming smile returned.
"Thanks so much! You wont regret this!" She turns quickly, her sundress billowing behind her as she leaves.
She turns at the door, leaning back a bit.
"By the way? Couple goals." She giggles at our red faces, then skips out, and I can hear Princess yapping in the stair well.
"Oh, great..." I moan, and he laughs.
"What? The thought of being with me is that bad?" He tries to put on a serious face, but he laughs through it.
"It's not that its BAD, per se, its more that... I don't want the other recruits thinking that..." I trail off, and he nods.
"Fair enough, hun. I wont force a relationship that isn't wanted. Maybe later?" He asks, and I nod.
"Once I've been here a while, then we can always talk about it." He nods.
"Pack some bags, there are Plasma bags in your closet. Bring mostly uniforms, but a couple leisure outfits, jeans, that sort of thing." I nod.
He leans in, kissing me gently, and sending my heart into my stomach.
"Even though we may not be together, doesn't mean we cant BE together." He whispers.
He plants one more kiss, before launching himself down the slide.
"WHOOOOoooo..."
Laughing, I shake my head, and head to pack my bags.
"What do you think we're having for dinner tonight? Its a pretty luxurious event, apparently. Only us recruits, N, Marlon, and those triplet guys." Prim asks as we walk.
Her hand is linked with my arm as we walk, and she leans against me.
"I'm not sure, but I hope its good!" I moan slightly at the thought of food, having forgotten to eaten all day.
She laughs, patting my arm, then she stands straight.
"Wait." She stops me, then stands in front of me, studying my arm.
"Flex for me." She asks, and I do, my face etched in confusion.
As I flex, the fabric against my bicep tears slightly.
"You know, I can fix that for you!" She laughs at my expression.
She had brought both pairs of my shorts back earlier, and done an amazing job at stitching in more fabric on the sides, to give it more give in the front. It now fits quite well, and is comfortable to sit in.
"Oh my god, Prim, please. I would love you to death!" She laughs, and we walk into the dining room.
"Hey guys!" Marlon waves as we enter. Effie instantly swims through the air, over to him.
"Hey sweetheart!" He kisses her fins, and lets her go. She instantly heads back for Princess and Cleo, and they saunter off.
"Whats for dinner?" Prim asks, smiling.
"Fresh pasta, with a homemade meat sauce! I also brought some ingredients so that Cilan could make us his signature garlic bread." My mouth waters as he finishes.
We grab seats next to Cosmo and Sky, before N walks in.
He sits directly across from me, but spares me a quick wink as he sits.
"Alrighty guys! The triplets should-" Hes cut off as three men walk on stage.
They all have distinct colours, one red, one green, and one blue.
"Dinner!"
"Is!
"SERVED!"
The words connect, and soon a handful of people walk out of a back door, carrying steaming plates of food.
"Dig in!" N throws his hands up in a grande gesture, but we've already started.
"So, you all packed?" He asks, as we walk up the stairs back to my room.
"Yeah, all ready to go."
"Awesome. Grab your bags and meet me out in the courtyard in half an hour." He kisses me gently, before heading back down the stairs.
I open the door, and both Effie and Cleo rush past me to get in bed.
"Girls, we arent going to bed yet!" I laugh as hey both growl at me.
I grab my two bags, and place them by the door. I quickly shower and shave, get changed, then head down to the courtyard with two very grumpy pokemon.
As I enter the commons room, I see Prim coming out of the girls tower with some bags as well.
"Oh! Hey you!" She smiles as I approach.
"Hey Prim! Whats up?"
"Oh, just meeting N in the courtyard for something. Something to do with a trip?" She tilts her head in confusion, and Princess jumps into my free arm.
"Hey sweetheart!" I kiss her playfully before letting her go to run around with Effie and Cleo.
"Me too! We are going to Nimbasa City, not sure for what though." Her eyes light up.
"Ooh! A trip! Yay!" We hug and laugh, before heading back down to the courtyard.
We exit the castle, and there is a small plane on one side of the courtyard, with N's small figure standing beside it.
We hurry over, the chill evening air nipping at our skin, and enter quickly.
"Glad you guys came, now lets get this show on the road!" N laughs as the plane takes off.