Chapter 17: Mis-Taken
I was Master of Team Glop'emm.
I was Master of dark Pokemon.
I was Master of my emotions.
My memories…
Those remained unmastered.
There was a baseball field, a playground, and a swing set at the Vintage Village Elementary School. During the recess hour, the well-kept baseball field and playground were populated by several children while the rusted, old swing set usually remained unoccupied.
Except today.
Today, a six-year-old boy with hair the color of the midnight sky and eyes brighter and greener than the moon sat on a decaying swing.
Usually, the boy could be found on the outskirts of the baseball field or on the edge of the playground. The boy always watched the other children play, though he refrained from participating in their games. Aside from the occasional bully, the other children ignored the strange boy. A few months ago, some children had kindly reached out and talked to the boy; the boy had coldly rejected them.
On this day, nobody noticed the absence of the quiet boy mingling where the grass met the woodchips—with one exception: a girl with raven-colored hair and eyes just as dark.
She had watched the lonely boy before, but never dared approach him. Now, however, the boy looked so miserable that her pity overcame her fear. She skipped over to the boy and sat down next to him on another worn swing.
"Hi! My name's Lillian Isabelle Penelope Smith," the girl said, wiggling her legs to get the swing moving slightly. "But you can call me Lily. What's your name?"
"Go away," the boy replied stiffly, staring into the sky.
The girl's stomach went sour and her throat clenched. She knew the boy did this to everyone, but she couldn't help feeling hurt.
Tears slowly trickled down the girl's face. She pumped her legs, forcing the swing to move. Then she slumped over, letting gravity take control. The wind brushed her cheeks, drying her tears as they fell.
The boy watched her for a moment and then turned back to the sky. "Sorry," he mumbled.
The girl smiled bitterly and slowly let her swing come to a stop. "I understand. You're sad and lonely."
"I'm neither sad nor lonely," the boy replied harshly.
"Then what are you? Why aren't you on the edge of the playground, where you always are? Something's wrong," the girl said, almost accusingly.
"I'm thinking. Nobody noticed anyway."
"I noticed." The girl paused to blow her nose in the sleeve of her shirt. "What are you thinking about?" she asked more kindly.
The boy hesitated, but decided to tell the truth. "Death."
"Oh." Then the girl spoke in almost a whisper: "My grandpa died last year. I miss him. He used to read me stories…"
"I'm sorry," the boy responded solemnly.
The two children sat in comfortable silence for a time.
Finally, the boy confided, "My mom drowned two years ago. I miss her too."
The girl nodded.
The unusual sound of nearby crumpling woodchips sounded in the boy's ears. He looked up.
A large kid with taunting eyes and wind-whipped hair approached. Apparently, the occasional bully had tired of whatever game had previously been occupying his time.
"Hey, Cat, who's the new puss?"
The boy refused to acknowledge the bully. 'Cat' was the name the bullies had given the boy—his eyes glowed like a cat's.
The girl wound her fingers nervously.
"I asked you a question, Cat."
Still no reply.
The large kid turned to the girl. "So are you the Cat's girlfriend? You're a freak, just like he is."
The girl looked down at her shoes, her face and eyes red with tears.
"Stop it," the boy demanded, staring down the bully. "She didn't do anything."
"Ooh, your mom did teach you to talk!" the bully exclaimed in mock excitement. "Did she teach you to be chiv-al-ruz too? Standing up for little ladies? She must be a dumb—"
WHAM
The black-haired boy jumped from the swing and tackled the bully. Despite the size disadvantage, the large kid fell on his back.
"DON'T TALK ABOUT MY MOM!" the boy shouted, punching the larger kid in the nose. Blood flowed freely. The bully made a grab for the boy, but the boy darted back. He aimed a sharp kick at the bully's stomach.
With an "Oof," the bully rolled into a ball.
Ding-ding.
The bell rang, signaling an end to recess. The boy and girl quickly left the swing set and the fallen bully. They walked inside towards their classroom while adults checked the outside to ensure that no kids tried to stay behind.
"That was brave," the girl whispered. Even though other students were chatting, the hallway seemed abnormally quiet.
The boy shook his head, but didn't say anything. He walked with the girl all the way to her assigned desk when they reached their small classroom. As he hurried to his own desk, he expected to be called down to the office at any moment.
The moment never came.
Neither did the bully.
The only time the matter came up in class was when one of the bully's friends raised his hand and asked, "Where's Tommy?"
The teacher calmly replied, "He fell during recess. He's going to be alright though. I'm sure he'll be back tomorrow."
The boy was surprised, but glad. Apparently, the bully was not a tattletale.
The minutes ticked by. Not soon enough, school was over.
The boy gathered his lunchbox and wandered over to the girl's desk. He waited silently while she packed her bag. Together, the two children strolled out of school.
Once outside, the girl started toward the playground. "Wait," the boy said. "Isn't your mom or dad here to pick you up?"
The girl shook her head. "My parents work far away near the mountain, and I live near the mountain, too. It's really hard for them to pick me up and drop me off at home before six."
"What do you do till then?"
The girl shrugged.
The boy held out his hand and smiled slightly. "C'mon. My dad can take you home. Maybe we can get ice cream!" The boy led her to his car, a small black convertible with the top up.
"How was school?" the boy's father asked as the boy entered the car.
"Dad, can we go get ice cream with Lily?" The father smiled. This was the first time the boy had ever made plans with another child since they moved to Vintage Village.
"Of course."
o o o o o o o o o o o o o
"This is all your fault," Erin hissed to me quietly. "If you hadn't yelled so loudly…"
"And you gave me that 'Don't hurt the poor, confused man look' before!" Liam whispered. "I would have kicked his ass!"
"I thought he would actually listen to us! I thought someone would listen to us!" I hissed back at them.
"Ahem!" The teacher cleared his throat loudly and stared at us. That's right. I said teacher. The man (I think he was a security guard) had escorted us into the building and told us to get back to class. When he wouldn't listen to our objections, we decided we'd just leave after class and walked into a random classroom.
So now, we were sitting in a large room with about one hundred other students. The teacher was lecturing and writing some nonsense on the blackboard. He, apparently, had too many students to realize that we did not go to this darned school.
Apple sat in my lap and watched the teacher intently. I think she was actually paying attention…
{Anita, I had another vision.}
…or not.
{I think I'm getting them because we're near Mint Mountain…it's about—well, I better show you.}
Apple opened her mind, allowing me to view what she was viewing, to think what she was thinking, to remember what she was remembering—
A dark cave.
Tickety, tickety, tickety…
My heart was racing, skipping an occasional beat.
Pounding because time was up.
I took in a deep breath and shut my eyes. With my last reserves, I reached around my cave to ensure my safety…
Or rather, the safety of my child.
"Yes, we've detected strange psychic readings around Mint Mountain in the past few days. My team and I are checking it out…" a voice said from directly below my large cave's entrance.
Too close! Too late…
My eyes flew open.
No! I would not allow my child to be endangered! I could hold it off until I found a new haven. With a psychic pulse, I propelled myself out of my cave.
Pain shot up my spine. My body convulsed.
I was falling.
My energy was drained. I had not enough to levitate, not enough to save myself, not enough to save my child.
I plummeted through a purple cloud. Little purple townhouses rushed towards me.
Everything was purple.
I closed my eyes.
The purple remained but a second.
Red and blue burst through the air.
I gasped, causing Erin and Liam to give me funny looks. {That's not what's going to happen to you, is it?}
{Not any time soon. No, I'm afraid, that is what has already happened to me… Those, I believe, were the dying moments of my father Mew.}
{I'm sorry.}
{Don't be. If it weren't for those moments, I probably would have never met you.} Apple retreated back to her own mind.
I shook my head, attempting to drive the images from my mind. It was too painful… Slowly, I breathed in. I imagined a picture of the vision I had just seen, and I imagined shoving that picture to the back of a very messy file cabinet. I slammed the cabinet shut, and breathed out.
That, my friends, is what I did with painful things.
Pretending I had never seen Apple's vision, I looked around the room and saw that a few other kids had Pokemon beside them or on their lap. There was a Zigzagoon, a Mankey, and a Delibird that I could see.
I watched Erin and Liam for a moment. Liam was staring off into space and Erin was doodling hearts on a piece of scrap paper.
Curiously, I peeped into her mind.
—his hot rugged breath filled my nose. So delicious and warm. I leaned in for more, and received not just his breath, but the eccentric tingle of his lips on mine. His arm wrapped around my waist—
I leapt out of her mind and gagged. This, I reminded myself with a mixture of guilt and disgust, is why I shouldn't go drifting into other peoples' minds, unless absolutely necessary.
Minutes ticked by slowly. Eventually, I became so bored, I actually turned my attention to the teacher. I noticed the teacher was placing a stapled packet upside down on everyone's desks. I peered past the teacher to the board as the man distributed the papers to my row; it read Quiz.
"Alright, class," the teacher said as he returned to the front of the room. "Remember, Kadabra will catch you if you try to cheat. So don't. Now make like the Browns and turn it over!"
There was a loud shuffling of papers throughout the room as the students turned their papers over. Liam, Erin, and I did the same.
"What are the Browns?" I asked Liam quietly. Liam was glancing over the test.
"They're a fantasy football team," Liam replied.
"Fantasy football?"
"It's the most popular Gameboy game," Liam explained. "The player picks teams based off of certain skills and then plays a game utilizing these skills. The game involves attempting to make a team throw and pass an oddly shaped ball to score points. Practice can improve a team's skill. It is actually a bit like a Pokemon battle, with all the strategy and recognition of weaknesses involved in the game… Anyway, the Browns are notorious for being the worst team a player can choose to play with on the game. 'Turn it over' refers to giving the possession of the ball to the opposing team."
"Huh," was all I could say. These researchers and their rants…
"Ahem."
Liam and I looked up to find the teacher standing in front of us. His hazel eyes were filled with a smug happiness, as if he found joy in catching students misbehaving.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but you two have an appointment with the dean." He spoke like he thought he was actually funny. "Now!" he added with a warm fuzzy smile. The kind of smile that made me wish a pot would drop from the ceiling and knock the man out cold.
Liam shrugged and got up from his desk. I followed suit. We wound our way back to the wooden door we had entered through.
"Oh, and zeros for both of you!" the teacher called after us as we reached the exit. Like that was a big threat to us.
I looked back at Erin, who seemed at a loss of what to do. {Get yourself kicked out of class,} I suggested.
Taking my advice to heart, Erin stood up and punched the teacher in the stomach.
Erin's greatest moment, in my opinion.
The teacher doubled over while the other students began chuckling and murmuring. Pointing to the door, he muttered, "Dean's office."
Erin didn't hear because she was already with us at the door.
Liam delayed a moment while he watched the teacher. "I've never seen you resort to physical violence. Why'd you do it?" Liam questioned.
Erin stuck her thumb in my direction. "She's the one who told me to get thrown out of class." Erin changed the subject as we left the classroom. "So, anyone know where the dean's office is?" she asked jokingly.
"I'm pretty sure it's not on the campus," I answered, walking towards a door below an EXIT sign.
There was a white flash of light in front of us. The assistant Kadabra appeared.
{I will be escorting you to the dean's office.}
We all sighed and followed the Kadabra.
o o o o o o o o o o o o o
"So you see, sir, we really aren't students here," Anita finished explaining to the dean. She had recounted our adventure with the Geodudes and Gravelers, which explained how we came to this remote school. Apparently, most people did not travel the way we came through the hills. I had a good idea why.
The dean stoked his tiny goatee thoughtfully. The man was ugly and unfashionable, wearing extremely high waisted Cauchy pants and an orange striped shirt.
The dean poked his keyboard and sighed. "Well, you kids have valid Ids and you aren't in the school's system…"
Anita and I looked at him hopefully. Please, I begged silently, let us out of this hell-hole…
The dean cleared his throat. "Clearly, you three are not students. However, I think it would be beneficial for students to learn from you—actual trainers—"
"Actually, Liam and I are researchers," I interrupted.
The dean eyed me, agitated. "Nonetheless," he continued. "It would be beneficial for our students to interact with you. Plus, due to… bad behavior… I believe you three owe me. Why don't you stay a night or two? I'll have someone get your rooms ready for you." He said this all in a tone that made it seem like we had no choice.
This is why I always hated school. They're always filled with controlling adults who think they know everything. Like that teacher… he was such a jerk to Anita and Liam. When he acted like a kid himself, I wasn't going to treat him any differently than I treated other boys I deemed nasty.
I peered at the faces of my fellow travel buddies to gauge their reaction.
Liam, as usual, looked like he didn't care, and Anita looked a bit worried. I think she wanted to leave, but wasn't quite sure how to ask. When she turned her attention to Apple, I knew she was discussing something telepathically.
"What if we don't want to stay?" I asked the question Anita wouldn't.
"Kadabra!" The dean called. The annoying psychic Pokemon appeared out of nowhere. "See to it that these kids don't leave the campus." He took a last look at us. "You three are dismissed for now. Enjoy your stay. Kadabra will show you where the mess hall is for dinner."
As we walked out, Anita glared at me. Well, if she'd known this would happen, she should have spoken up.
As we entered the mess hall through plastic double doors, strange fumes filled my nose. It smelled like cinnamon, grease, pineapple, and maybe meatloaf?
I took one look at the food and lost my appetite. "I'll go find us a table," I said. Neither Anita nor Liam looked surprised, though they both got into the food line.
I wandered about until I found a group of nice-looking kids about our age. "Are these seats taken?" I asked a girl with dark skin and sun-bleached hair and a freckled boy with orange-tinted hair.
They shook their heads. "Are you new here?" the girl asked. "I'm Tara, by the way, and this is Max."
"I'm Erin, and no, I'm not a student…" By the time I was finished explaining our situation, Liam and Anita had already sat down. Anita had taken a plate of food for her bizarre Eevee as well.
"Most faculty members don't approve of Pokemon eating human food," Max said, nodding to a group of teachers staring Apple down from across the room. "They say it's a waste. I've gotten detention before for doing it."
Anita shrugged.
"It's not like they can actually do anything about it," I pointed out. "They can't really give us detention."
Just as I spoke, Apple's plate of food started floating away. Our Kadabra "escort" was deeply concentrating on the plate.
"Eev!" Apple complained. Anita turned around and saw the problem. She stared at the plate for a moment and clenched the fork she was holding tighter. Just as the plate was nearing the Kadabra, her eyes glowed for less than a second and she smiled.
The plate flipped over, spilling its contents all over the Kadabra.
We all giggled while the authorities threw mean glances our way.
"Attention students, attention students!" We heard the dean's voice ring over the PA system. "There has been a change in the schedule. All students are to report to the arena and sit in their assigned row. Also, I would like to see the following people in my office immediately: Brandon Vilcove, Tara Kain, Aaron Arnold, Liam Mendol, Anita Parkwood, Erin Kendle."
"Looks like we were called to the office," Tara commented dryly. "Wonder what cockamamie scheme he has this time…"
"You mean it's not because we're in trouble?" Anita asked in surprise.
Tara raised her eyebrows. "I'm one of the school's top students. So are Aaron and Brandon. We don't get in trouble."
/ / / / / / / / / / / /
The dean clapped his hands. "This is simply marvelous! A chance to show the good of the Standard Trainer Academy Boarding School and prove the academy is a more effective way of teaching kids about Pokemon than becoming a trainer at age thirteen!"
Anita and Tara both rolled their eyes.
"Anyone else notice the school's acronym spells STABS?" I asked.
The dean ignored me. "Kadabra, make sure you get all of it on tape. We can use it for a promotional video."
"Kadab," the Kadabra agreed.
A video camera floated beside the dean as he hustled us out of his office down a flight of steps to the arena's entrance.
"Alright, kids. You six will be battling each other." The dean turned to look at the floating camera. "Kadabra, turn the camera on!"
The Kadabra nodded and a green button flashed on the camera.
"Here in Pokemon Academy's own arena we have three experienced trainers battling our own students—" The dean spoke to the camera until I interrupted.
"Excuse me! Liam and I are researchers," I exclaimed. "Not trainers! And it's hardly fair that you're having us battle your top students!"
"Kadabra, remind me to edit that out later." The dean blatantly ignored me. He smiled at the camera and continued, "The battles will be one on one. Brandon versus Liam, Anita versus Tara, and Erin versus Aaron."
Liam stepped in between the camera and the dean. "We did not agree to any of this nonsense."
The dean shrugged.
Anita stepped beside Liam. "I agree. If any of us do not wish to battle, we shouldn't have to. I, for one, would like to battle, but Erin, for instance, might not want to. You can't force her."
Actually, I suspected Liam was the one who didn't want to battle, but whatever…
The dean frowned.
Anita's eyes flickered between the dean and the Kadabra. She saw I was watching her.
{Kadabra noticed we were eager to leave by picking up some of our thoughts,} Anita said. I grimaced at her voice in my head. I hated when she did this. It was like my mind was invaded… {Not that he needed to read our minds to know that—}
"Anita," I said sharply. She stopped speaking.
The dean smiled smugly. "How about if you win two of three battles, I won't attempt to stop you from leaving after. You won't be followed by your escort." The dean gestured to Kadabra.
"We could leave now if we wanted to," Anita replied challengingly. She narrowed her eyes.
"Not with Kadabra on your tail!" the dean answered cheerfully.
Anita opened her mouth, but closed it after a stern look from Liam. Apparently, Liam wasn't keen on other people knowing their abilities.
The dean checked his watch. "Time's being wasted!" He opened the arena doors and herded the six of us forward.
We were standing on the far side of the arena stage. The floor was made of dirt and the ceiling was open to the stars. It looked like about a thousand people were in the stadium. Bright lights illuminated the area. An announcer's voice boomed, "First up is Brandon Vilcove versus Liam Mendol. It is a one-on-one battle. Participants, please report to your sides."
Liam and Brandon walked in opposite directions and then stood facing each other on either side of the field. The audience was murmuring quietly. I sat down next to Anita in a plastic chair provided by the dean.
Liam crossed his arms.
In the very center of the stadium, the dean held a red flag up. As he pulled the flag downwards, he yelled, "Begin!"
Brandon released a Wartortle.
Liam stood still, his arms stilled crossed.
Anita started yelling at him frantically, telling him he had better battle or she would "feed him to the Geodudes without his balls! Both types of balls!"
Funny, I thought. She had said earlier we shouldn't be forced to battle. Then again, that was before the dean had sort of made a deal with us…
"If you do not release a Pokemon, you will be disqualified and Brandon will be declared the winner!" The dean said to Liam gleefully.
Liam rolled his eyes.
Ten seconds later, the announcer declared. "The challenger has failed to release a Pokemon within the time limit! Brandon Vilcove is the winner!"
Brandon looked baffled, but he returned his Wartortle and walked off of the field.
Liam smiled and strode over to a still yelling Anita. He silently withstood her insults until she finally yelled, "Now we'll be stuck here for at least another night!"
Liam's smile widened. "Not if you win."
"Will Tara Kain and Anita Parkwood please take their positions on the playing field," the announcer requested.
Anita gave Liam a final glare before marching out onto the field. Her Eevee skipped after her.
Tara already was in position; she had a confident air about her. The dean waved his red flag, signaling the start of the battle.
Anita nodded to Apple and the Eevee assumed a fighting stance.
"Kit, go!" Tara ordered. In a flash, a beautifully-coated Delcatty appeared. "Sing!" Tara yelled while Anita ordered a "Dig!"
I covered my ears as the Delcatty's voice blared throughout the stadium. Apple popped up beneath the Delcatty, abruptly cutting off his voice. The Delcatty proceeded to attempt to hit Apple with his paws, but Apple dodged with a spin.
The battle went on.
Bored, I turned my attention to my opponent, Aaron.
He was a well dressed boy, wearing a loosely collared shirt. His dark, curly hair fell about his face. Next to him an older boy, Brandon, whispered something in his ear.
Aaron's eyes flickered from the battle to me. I smiled, and he returned the favor.
I watched the battle again.
Apple was now lightheartedly flirting with Kit. The Delcatty's cute charm ability seemed to have finally affected Apple, but I wasn't so sure it made a difference. Anita was yelling at Apple in frustration and while Apple ignored Anita's commands, she continued to playfully dodge Kit's attacks to the point Kit couldn't lay a hit on her.
This was so stupid. We were battling these kids because the dean wanted publicity… because the dean wanted us to stay… because the dean wanted yada-yada-yada.
I wasn't a student here. I didn't give a flying shit about what the dean wanted.
I wanted to kick his rude ass.
Aaron caught my eye again. I grinned and walked over to him. Before he could say a word, I said, "I'm not going to battle you."
Aaron's smile faded. "I was looking forward to it."
"Sorry, I'd rather kick the dean's butt though," I replied.
Aaron grinned. "Now that's something I'll look forward to even more."
"Delcatty is unable to battle! Anita Parkwood is the winner!" the spokesman announced.
I looked at the field and saw Apple jumping around Anita.
Tara returned her Delcatty, frowning. She stiffly congratulated Anita and walked back to us. Apparently, she didn't lose well.
"Next up, it's Aaron against Erin!" The announcer chuckled lamely at the play on words. "Aaron Arnold versus Erin Kendle!"
I boldly stepped forward and yelled, "If it's alright with you, Mr. Dean, I'd rather battle you than Aaron."
The crowd hushed.
Scratching his head nervously, the dean stared at me. He obviously didn't know how to react.
"You don't think you can take me?" I challenged.
"Of course not," the dean replied quickly. "I mean, of course I can beat you. I just… Aaron, is this okay with you?"
Aaron shrugged and nodded.
"It seems there had been a change in match-ups! Our very own dean, Mr. Johnkloven will be battling Erin Kendle!"
The crowd roared.
The dean strode across the field to his position as I walked to mine. Aaron took over the role as referee. He waved the red flag about his head and then thrust it downwards, giving us the signal to begin.
"Kadabra!" the dean called. Our stupid "escort" Kadabra teleported to his side. I noticed Brandon had picked up the video camera. He was zooming in on his own toe.
"Griffy, go!" I released Griffy from his Pokeball. {All we have to do is get a physical hit in. Kadabras have crap physical defense,} I thought, knowing Griffy would hear.
"Agility," I yelled, remembering Kadabras were extremely fast.
Kadabra's eyes were already glowing with a psychic. Griffy had started to pick up speed, but was stopped abruptly by the Kadabra's attack.
"Light Screen!" I ordered. Although I couldn't see it, a barrier must have formed between Griffy and the Kadabra because Griffy could move again.
"Keep it up!" I hoped to force the Kadabra towards Griffy by blocking his psychic attacks. The dean took the bait.
"Fire punch!" He commanded.
"Let it hit!" Griffy stood still and prepared for the punch. The Kadabra's fist glowed as he rushed at Griffy. "Once he hits you, finish this with a stomp!"
Kadabra hit Griffy on the side. Griffy reared and stomped down hard on the Kadabra. The Pokemon visibly flinched.
"Bite!" I demanded, irked that the stomp didn't finish off the Kadabra.
Griffy turned around and jumped backwards. His tail lunged at the Kadabra and bit down hard on his long ear.
Our Kadabra "escort" was knocked out cold.
The dean stood still, a stunned look on his face. The students all whistled and hooted loudly.
I approached the dean and held out my hand. He took it, eyeing me oddly, like I was an endangered bird or something.
"So long, control freak!" I said before spinning around to join Anita and Liam.
Anita high fived me and Liam gave me a quirky smile. I peered past them to Brandon, Tara, and Aaron. Aaron gave me a thumbs-up.
A teacher accosted us as we walked toward the arena entrance.
Before he could say a word, Anita sharply replied to his thought: "We'll escort ourselves out. Thanks anyway."