Thanks all for your support and contributions! It means a lot to me! Let's see just how far we can go from here!
Let's do some review reviews now!
Victor John Foxfire: Wow, looks like you're first this time! Good for you!
Nope, Shelly is not a time traveler. He was just clever enough to see that Donovan was trying to stop him and set up a backup plan (or two). Donovan wasn't exactly making it subtle that he was keeping an eye on this Shuckle.
Yup, Victor's gonna need some upgrades. We'll just see if that saves him...
Additionally, if Victor was going to punch Dravilius, it was not because our dragon master was saying Victor was stupid. Dravilius was simply saying that he himself did not know (or care) what a sensei was.
Nope...Shelly was not Patient Zero. You'll learn why later.
jjjdunk1: Really? Maybe I'm not so bad at giving stuff away after all!
Yes. We've had them a bit longer than you thought.
And more people are growing aware...not that that will save them.
Rescue Wolf: Yup. Dravilius is perhaps one of the wealthiest students on campus, not that many of them are aware.
Hmm...yes.
Yeah...the makers of the amulets were aware that that would be a problem.
Yes...but it's pretty clear this Beedrill is more than a Mega.
Yup...I have plans in place for that.
And Shelly had suspicions but didn't realize that they were accurate.
Oh, I think you know exactly who was singing...
coolhuh0526: Yeah...Xavius is a tricky one.
I think for the purposes of this story that armor counts as a held item. Wouldn't be fair otherwise.
What, you didn't already realize that Dravilius was insane?
Victoria refuses to accept a break. She's as bad as Gwendolyn when it comes to stubbornness.
That wasn't Cole - that was Owen. Gwendolyn would've probably felt worse about it if it was actually Cole. And yes, that would seem to be the case...
Yup. Those necklaces are no joke. But neither is an Omega. Also yay, Cosmog!
Shelly and the Pikachu have quite the story to tell...
AnonChan1: We'll see...the fighting has gone on for quite a while...
It's a two-way street as they say. What Oramasuta and Xavius did to each other is a secret for now though...
Well, Kealoha does understate things that happen to them, so it's not much of a surprise...
It is impressive. If we were to look at Kuang's perspective though, he's not too happy about it.
Oh, fear not, I make myself hungry too. It's miserable.
Yeah, I've needed to give Victoria more screentime. And yes, these weird Pokemon are quite similar to Ultra Beasts...wonder what will happen if they meet? Not that that's ever gonna happen...heh.
I'm probably gonna have Kealoha participate in the tournament...their team is rather good at the moment.
Hmm...good thing to wonder. Where is Ayumu?
Oh, yes, Xavius is a genius. He also doesn't particularly want to get involved in these pesky situations if he doesn't have to...so why not have some more 'expendable' students go out and see if the situation is worth his attention?
Gwen is not going to seek out a therapist...she's that bad with other people. Plus she prefers to handle her own problems...whether that's good for her health or not.
Good question. What is a Cosmog doing here? We'll find out one day.
But it is a Beedrill! But it is also something more...
As you'll discover later each of these strange Pokemon have their own gimmick. Beedrill's is devouring people's essence and using it.
Hmm...what do we know 'enslaves' Pokemon?
Yup...lore dump in the Discord. One of the perks of joining it you see?
Yes...yes that will be very interesting. It was part of Victoria's original concept in fact...
The Emerald Book truly is fascinating. I will start writing it at some point, don't worry.
Yeah...those berries are gonna be interesting. And too late. Donovan's definitely going to blame himself.
Uspeon: Glad you caught up! Let's go through your second review, as always.
Yup...this virus and these Pokemon are not good news, especially combined.
Yeah...the auraspeakers are coming. With the tournament we'll finally prepare the first major lore reveals about them, although I've discussed them with so many of you guys it's kinda an open secret.
One day, one day maybe, Gwendolyn will start healing. Unfortunately no one knows when that will actually happen.
Oh yes. A VERY big group of antagonists is being revealed. You guys don't even know what I have in store for it...
And it's definitely much more complicated than at first glance.
Yes, the virus is called Omega. What does it do to its victims...we'll see. And yes, Lucas will definitely need to look into it.
Well, that's all of them for now! Let's get this chapter started! (-o-)
Another sunrise, another day at the Pokemon University. But this day was no normal day, for the tournaments were to begin tomorrow. That meant this was the last day people could practice, and today was when the friends and family of the students were to come to the university!
Unfortunately...some people didn't have anyone to look forward to seeing today.
Gwendolyn sat on the roof of the maintenence shed near the docks, hiding next to the small tower next to it. This tower worked as a lighthouse, not that it saw much use. But it was the perfect place to allow Gwendolyn to watch everyone without them watching her.
Gwendolyn knew people would probably find it creepy if they found her here, but she didn't care. All the better if it caused them to leave her alone.
She watched as the SS Plato came into view on the horizon. A crowd of students was gathering to greet it. Every one of them had a friend or a relative to expect on it, and all of them were excited.
Gwendolyn wished she could be nearly so enthusiastic. But that had been stamped out of her long ago.
The boat glided closer and closer, and Gwendolyn sighed. There was really no point in her staying here. She would just make herself miserable watching everyone have happy, joyous reunions. It would be better for her sanity to do something more worthwhile instead, like train just a bit more for the tournament and get stronger.
Yet she stayed anyways. She wasn't sure why.
The boat glided gently into the dock, and people began to disembark. Most were parents, but there were plenty of other people to see as well. Gwendolyn could see that many of the students had someone there for them. It made her lack of any friends or family feel even worse by comparison.
But of course, she COULDN'T have a friend or a family. She was too dangerous, too unstable. The incident a couple days ago just proved that. What if she accidentally created a similar explosion, but they were caught in it? Or worse, what if she got mad, or upset, and touched them? The images of Marge and several other people after her flashed through Gwendolyn's mind, and she shivered. It was too easy...and once it happened there was no turning it back.
Gwendolyn shivered at the memory. No, it was better that no one get close to her. Better for her to suffer alone than torture anyone else.
As she sat on the roof, though, she noticed a particular person on the deck of the ship. They were too far away to see clearly, but they had blond hair and a familiar black coat.
Gwendolyn froze. It couldn't be possible. There was no way she could be seeing who she was seeing.
But who else could it be?
Gwendolyn crept backwards, trying to hide even though she knew she couldn't be seen. She hadn't wanted to be found, hadn't wanted to hurt one of the only people she could count as family. She'd made it quite clear in her note.
But Cynthia had tracked her down anyways. Why else would the champion of Sinnoh, the epitome of female Trainers, come all the way out here? There were far more pressing matters for someone like her to attend to...unless she was trying to find a member of her family.
Gwendolyn felt nervous. She was afraid of what could happen if Cynthia found her. Would she be mad at her? Would Cynthia try to take her back home? What if Gwendolyn's powers reacted to whatever strong emotions a meeting between the two triggered? She could hurt Cynthia and have only herself to blame.
No, it would be better if Cynthia never found out she was here. But how could Gwendolyn prevent that from happening? She refused to drop out of the tournament over this.
Gwendolyn frowned as she thought over it. What was she going to do? She had no idea how she was going to hide from Cynthia and make sure no one else knew. But she had to do something...
As she sat there, though, she was distracted by a sudden, alarming aura surge nearby.
Gwendolyn leaped off the roof in a flash, readying her Pokemon as she hurried over to investigate. It appeared to be coming from the cave where everyone had celebrated Ray's birthday.
Gwendolyn arrived just in time to see a glowing green rift tear open, a strange Pikachu waiting for it. It disappeared inside before Gwendolyn could act, leaving her alone with just the strange green portal. It radiated a weird energy that made Gwendolyn feel rather sickly. The aura it gave off felt twisted...broken.
Gwendolyn stepped back, knowing it would be a bad idea to stay here long. But as she did so, something lashed out of the portal and grabbed onto her ankle, tugging and throwing her facefirst into the sand. Gwendolyn yelped as it began dragging her towards the rift, clearly with the intent to pull her into it.
Gwendolyn struggled, grabbing uselessly at the ground as it pulled her closer and closer. She twisted her head around to see a strange, black tentacle wrapped around her leg, with several more green and black ones coming out to assist in dragging her through.
She lithely twisted herself over and grabbed onto the tentacle with her hands, sending her aura flowing into them. But the tentacle seemed to suddenly shift its composition, and it turned slimy and slick, her hands slipping off of it. The other tentacles descended, and Gwendolyn's eyes widened as sharp spikes grew out of them.
Her fear fueled her aura, however, and her body lit up with blazing blue flames. The tentacles recoiled, and Gwendolyn immediately slipped free, rolling to a crouch nearby. Her aura extended into her fist blades again, and she glared defiantly at the tentacles coming for her.
She lunged towards them, slicing down two of them before they could react. Sticky, fluorescent green blood splattered across the sand, and an unearthly screech emanated from the portal. But as Gwendolyn watched, the tentacles fully regenerated, and lashed forwards far faster than Gwendolyn anticipated.
She managed to dodge around most of them, but one slashed across her arm and scattered a mist of red droplets into the air. Gwendolyn hissed as the wound burned, but she did not slow. She cut down more of the tentacles, even as they continued to regrow.
But then the rift shuddered, and another screech resounded from it. The tentacles were dragged back into it as the portal closed, and it disappeared as fast as it had appeared.
Gwendolyn panted for breath, adrenaline still flowing through her. Looking around, the tentacles she had cut off dissolved into green ooze, staining the sand the color of mold. A putrid stench stained the air, and Gwendolyn's cut burned fiercely. She grimaced and tried to focus her aura to heal it, but the slime left from the tentacle seemed to block it. She cursed and ripped off a piece of her sleeve, wrapping it around the cut and trying to clean off the slime. Then she started walking towards the campus, hoping that she did not run into anyone on the way there. (-o-)
Meanwhile, Kealoha and the other freshmen were gathered at the docks as people climbed off the boat, eagerly looking for familiar faces. Kealoha's eyes were looking for a whole family of said faces, and they were definitely not disappointed.
The first one off the boat was their mother, U'ilani, who immediately hurried over to them and gave them a hug. "It's hardly been a month but I've missed you so much!", she cried, practically crushing them in her strong arms.
Following was Kealoha's father and the rest of the family, all five children and all filling Kea's spirit with joy.
"Alola, Kea!", greeted Ikaika, Kea's younger brother. He brushed aside his long black hair as he walked over, gray eyes shining. "How's the university life been like?"
"Interesting to say the least.", Kealoha replied, chuckling.
Kea's little brother and sister, Makana and Leimomi, were both staying close to their parents' legs, seemingly nervous about all the strangers around them. Their somewhat older sister Haunani stood nearby, sunglasses shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight.
Last off the boat was Kealoha's younger twin, Kailani. She had her phone out and seemed to be filming everything, presumably for her MewTube channel. Kealoha wondered what some of her followers would think of the things she could potentially film here. There was lots of weird stuff here.
Kea glanced behind them and saw one such example.
Dravilius strode over, grinning. "So this is your clan, friend Kea! They look much like you!"
"Oh, are you one of Kea's friends? It's nice to meet you!", greeted Kailani cheerfully, "Love your hair."
Dravilius stroked back his extraordinarily spiky hair. "Ah, thanks! A master of dragons must always have a distinctive hairstyle!"
"Master of dragons?", asked Kailani, somewhat puzzled.
"It's, uh, kind of his thing.", Kea explained, "He trains dragons and stuff."
Dravilius gave a stiff bow. "Indeed! You shall soon see my prowess on the field of conflict, where I shall fight long and hard to prove my glory and valor! Blood, sweat, and tears may fall, but I shall prove superior!"
"Is he always this overly dramatic?", asked Haunani.
Victor strode over, his armor clanking. It appeared he'd added a few upgrades to his breastplate and legs, perhaps with the leftovers from Dravilius's exorbitant payment. He looked almost like he was preparing to march for war.
"Yes. This and more.", Victor grumbled.
"Ooh...", Kailani replied, taking in how big and muscular he was.
"These two are my roommates.", Kealoha explained, "I don't know where Cole is but he's the third one. They all are interesting!"
"Did you hear that, Victor!? I am interesting!", Dravilius cheered.
Victor groaned.
"I'm glad you're making friends here.", U'ilani said with a smile, "I was worried that you moving here away from all your friends in Alola would've been hard for you, but it looks like that was unjustified! Are you all participating in that tournament tomorrow?"
"Of course!", Dravilius declared, "Alas, poor Cole does not consider himself strong enough to join us, but will instead be performing the fine arts in the theater."
Victor sighed. "That's not necessarily a bad thing, Dravilius..."
"Of course not!", Dravilius replied, "I offer him only my best wishes. He could make a wondrous performer one day. After all, if everyone was a battler it wouldn't be so wonderful would it?"
"Finally, a sensible comment.", Victor muttered.
"I am always sensible!", cried Dravilius with a mock insulted tone.
Victor sighed. "Why do I say anything?"
"Well, why wouldn't you?", Dravilius asked.
Kealoha looked towards their family and shrugged.
"Your friends are certainly special.", U'ilani commented, smirking.
At that moment, Charlie and his roommates arrived, looking towards the boat expectantly. Sherman looked somewhat bored, Ray was unreadable as always, and Grant stood stiffly nearby, with even Tom Tom acting well-behaved. Interesting.
"Oh, are these more of your friends?", asked Ikaika.
Kealoha shrugged. "We're acquainted."
Coming off the boat was a young woman who smiled at Ray, while also waving to everyone else. "Hi guys! I'm Ray's girlfriend."
Grant whirled around and gave Ray an incredulous glance. "She's your girlfriend!?"
Ray sighed. "No, she's my sister."
"She's your girlfriend and your sister!?", cried Tom Tom.
"What? No!", Ray replied.
The girl smirked at the chaos she had caused, then yelped as she was whacked on the head with a cane.
"Now, now, Artemis. Let's not cause any mischief on our first minutes here.", said an old woman, walking down the gangplank and stopping in front of Ray.
"Hello dear. I can hardly believe it's been only a month since you came here.", the old woman said, "The house just hasn't been the same without you."
"Yeah.", grumbled Artemis, "I've been having to do all your chores for you."
Ray's grandmother (for that was clearly who this was) replied, "It's good for you. Builds character."
"I don't need to build character...", Artemis muttered.
"Sure you don't.", Ray's grandmother replied, "At any rate, I'm glad to see you again. You're definitely going to plow right through this tournament, I just know it!"
Dravilius appeared besides Ray, giving him a charming smile. "If that is so, I will truly be excited to battle him for myself! We'll see how well he can stand against the master of dragons!"
Ray sighed.
Artemis declared, "You'll find my brother will be quite a challenge, especially with me cheering him on!"
Dravilius smiled. "That certainly will be an interesting sight, then, won't it?"
Next off the ship was a nervous-looking middle-aged man, dressed in a lab coat and with short blond hair and large glasses. He carefully watched his steps down the plank, but still somehow managed to trip on something and rolled the rest of the way down the plank, barreling past Artemis and rolling to a stop right in front of Charlie.
"Hi dad.", Charlie greeted.
"Ah, hello!", he greeted, staggering back to his feet, "Oof I feel dizzy. Ships never agreed with me."
"Neither did your feet.", Charlie replied.
Charlie's father gave a nervous laugh. "True, that! At least there was nothing breakable this time around."
Charlie nodded. "Yeah...I'd tell you to be more careful in the rest of the campus, but that always seems to cause you to trip more..."
Charlie's father nervously laughed again. "Yes...anyways, uh, hello children! I'm Charlie's father - you can call me Mr. Howston. I promise I'm very interesting and not just a clumsy old man!"
Dravilius nodded. "Of course! Everyone is always different from first appearances you know. I always find it truly fascinating to discover the real person behind everything!"
Victor rose an eyebrow. "Really?"
Dravilius nodded. "Indeed! I have found I can see things about people no one else has. Of course, I don't share what I see with anyone - removes the fun in it!"
He winked at Victor. "I can't wait for you to see the true me. Consider it a challenge!"
Victor frowned. "Hmph."
Dravilius looked up towards the sky, grinning. "I'm not telling any of YOU either! All of you must find these things out for yourself. I can't wait to see how long it takes you!"
"Who are you even talking to?", asked Sherman, frowning.
Mr. Howston shrugged. "Best not to question it. Fourth walls are best left alone, or else we'll end up questioning our whole existence."
"What are YOU even talking about?", asked Sherman.
But at that moment, there was an audible gasp throughout the crowd. Somebody shouted, "Look! It's her! It's really her!"
Kealoha felt curious. Who were they referring to?
They got their answer soon enough, as an immediately recognizable woman started climbing off the ship. Everyone who knew anything about Pokemon battling and the League could identify her name, as well as a short summary of her many achievements. She was the youngest female Trainer to ever become champion, she had single-handedly fought off legends and stopped them from destroying towns, and her Garchomp was rumored to be nigh undefeatable. People from all over revered her battle prowess, and many stories were told of the woman herself, and her kind and caring personality.
After all, this was the legendary champion Cynthia, the strongest Trainer in all of Sinnoh. Perhaps even arguably further than that.
As she walked off the boat, people started swarming around her. She offered a few greetings, but it was clear she was busy looking for someone. Her eyes kept scanning the crowd, searching for some familiar face.
Kea had no idea who she was looking for, but they hoped she could find them. However, Kea had no idea who it could be. They were sure that if anyone here had any connections to Cynthia, they probably would've been flaunting it already. After all, it would be quite the status symbol to be associated with such a legendary champion!
Kea decided that she was probably looking for a teacher or something. She had almost certainly been invited here by the headmaster - after all, what else could it be?
Kailani was holding her phone up excitedly. "Wow, I had no idea she was here! To think I've been on the same ship with her and never noticed - it's amazing!"
Haunani sighed. "Well, of course. If I were that famous I'd want to hide away from the publicity too. Look how many people are swarming her right now."
The entire crowd had become aware of Cynthia at this point, and were all swarming her. Cynthia's Garchomp was helping keep them off her, but it was clear everyone was overwhelming her.
Thankfully for the young champion, Principal Stiffren appeared, accompanied by Professor Boris and Sergeant Forrest. A few quick glares and words from the two most intimidating teachers in the university helped drive most of the crowd off.
"Thank you, good sirs.", Cynthia said, "I'm no stranger to crowds, but they do get overwhelming sometimes."
Principal Stiffren nodded. "If I may inquire, what brings you all the way out here? None of us were expecting you."
Cynthia nodded. "That was on purpose. I came here to see if I could find a certain someone, but she's very flighty and probably would've disappeared if she had advance warning of my coming."
She sighed. "I do wish I knew why...but this is a discussion for a more private setting. Where would we find a suitable location?"
"Follow along, my dear. I think I know just the right place.", answered the principal, escorting Cynthia off into the campus.
Once they were gone, Sherman asked, "Any idea what they were talking about?"
Dravilius answered, "Clearly Cynthia is here looking for a girl who is apparently flighty. Personally though I think it doesn't matter to us. We're not girls so there's no reason for her to be looking for us."
Ray frowned. "Well, it is still something worth looking into."
He muttered, "For once I wish I could go a day without finding another mystery to look into..."
His grandmother said, "Well, I believe that this young man is correct. It is none of our business. How about we all just enjoy each other's company and get to know each other better for this afternoon?"
"Yes, I do believe that would be fantastic!", Mr. Howston agreed, "Wouldn't you agree, Charlie?"
Charlie nodded, before looking around and frowning. "Say, where did Grant go?" (-o-)
Meanwhile, Grant was standing behind a nearby building, staring at the man ahead if him.
They were huge, buffer than even Grant, with dark tan skin marked with tattoos of various Fire and Steel type Pokemon. He wore a sleeveless black jacket, thick red gloves, a chainlink belt, and tall combat boots. He wore red-tinted shades and had thick black hair, with an even thicker mustache. Scars marked his arms and face, and a silver skull bracelet shone grimly in the late morning light.
Most people who saw this man would run straight in the opposite direction, and Grant wouldn't blame them. But to Grant, this man was family...his only family.
"Hey there, Uncle X.", he greeted.
"Hello, Grant.", Uncle X replied, leaning against the wall. "How have things been going?"
"Just swell!", Tom Tom replied, "I just wish he wasn't so thickheaded all the time. Thankfully, I do believe he will manage to pass. Somehow."
Uncle X nodded. "Good to see you're still keeping a good eye on him. Wouldn't want you two to get into trouble this early."
Tom Tom and Grant both nodded in agreement.
Uncle X sighed deeply. "So, about that assignment. What have you learned so far?"
Grant replied, "Not much...but there are dozens of mysteries here. My roommate, Ray, keeps finding them and struggling to solve them. At least one of them has to be related to what you're looking for."
Tom Tom stood up, smirking. "I have found several things of note that Grant here has been missing. Two of the upperclassmen bear striking similarities to your targets. Plus, there are rumors of aura manipulation going around campus, although as of late they've been replaced with wild tales of 'Omega' Pokemon."
Uncle X looked curious. "Indeed...and what about Rocket? Any signs of them yet?"
Tom Tom answered, "No. Not yet. I believe the school is outside their radar, or at least their spy is remarkably above average. Plenty of room for us."
"Very good.", Uncle X replied, "Things are going smoothly."
He looked towards Grant. "I have added some additional objectives to our efforts now, though. First, tell me: have you by chance seen a young woman known as Gwendolyn?"
Tom Tom paled. Grant's face turned deep scarlet.
"She, um, punched me really good a couple weeks ago.", he said, rather embarrassed.
Uncle X looked amused. "So she's a tough one. Good."
"Why are you looking for her specifically?", asked Grant.
Uncle X explained, "Rumors have been floating around the criminal world rather recently, of a girl with innate power equivalent to a god and a burning hatred against the world. It took some digging, but I found her name and a bit of her record. She was taken into government custody several years ago, yet less than a year afterwards the facility she had been contained in was razed to the ground. She is very dangerous...and could be a useful weapon, with the right conditioning."
Grant stared. "Wow...I wouldn't have guessed."
Tom Tom commented, "I think there's a bit of sarcasm in there, or else you really ARE thick. That lady really is scary."
"Takes after her parents, then.", Uncle X replied, "At any rate, I need as much info on her as possible. The places she frequents. The things she does. The people she talks to. This tournament will probably also demonstrate what she and her Pokemon are capable of. I need to know everything, and I need to make sure the others don't find out about it. Can you do that?"
Grant gulped. "Yes."
"Wonderful. Do try not to fail.", Uncle X replied, "Additionally, I also need you to record any suspicious activity from anyone. It is best to know who our enemies are...as well as our targets. Tom Tom, I trust that you will be able to find this for me."
Tom Tom saluted. "Of course, boss. Anything for you."
Uncle X smiled. "Thank you. Now, lastly..."
He scooped Grant and Tom Tom into a big hug.
"I love you both. Don't get yourselves hurt. For me, please. I couldn't bear it if my nephew and his friend died...not after what happened to my brother.", he whispered.
Grant snuggled up against him. "We won't let that happen.", he whispered, "Count on it." (-o-)
Jennifer sat on a bench, huddled up and trying not to make eye contact with anyone. Everyone who passed by seemed to have a family member or friend from afar with them, happily chatting away and enjoying the day. Everyone had a loved one with them, feeling nothing but happiness and joy.
The carefully hidden crystal in the center of Jennifer's chest hummed warmly with all the happiness in the air, but the emotions didn't seem to make it to her mind. She was too busy feeling sorry for herself. After all, she had no one of her own worth thinking about.
Her father was a drunk and a monster. Her mother was technically a literal monster, but she'd never acted like it. Yet some hotshot Trainer had just walked by and saw her only as that, walking away with a newly-filled Pokeball and leaving behind a broken-hearted young girl.
Jennifer had no friends to speak of. Back home, she was a freak, a monstrosity that didn't deserve to exist. Out here, she was the weird, shy girl, who had a mortal fear of every empty Pokeball she caught a glimpse of. And while some WANTED to be her friend, well...Jennifer had no idea how to react to that. In her own mind she was interesting in the same way the fossil Pokemon from Galar were interesting - a bizarre, intriguing monster that shouldn't exist yet somehow did.
After all, she was half-Pokemon.
And none of those were ever supposed to be real.
Jennifer's mother had warned her of this many times - that human society couldn't ever, wouldn't ever accept anything OTHER than itself. It was meant for humans - not half-bloods and freaks. It was a harsh truth, but Jennifer's mother hadn't wanted her daughter to go out into the world unprepared.
And she hadn't. Jennifer did everything in her power to keep her identity hidden, making sure that people only saw an odd girl and not a half-Pokemon monstrosity. Yet no matter what she did, people found out.
People ALWAYS found out.
Jennifer shivered and huddled closer to herself. She had done remarkably well so far - it had been nearly a month and no one was the wiser. But she knew that someday, probably someday terrifyingly soon, someone would find out. And then it would be over.
She still wondered why she'd made the decision to come here. Surely a proper education wasn't worth all this future torture. Yet here she was anyway.
She sighed and started searching for a book when her heartstone started picking up a familiar raging storm of emotions approaching. Jennifer nervously turned around, and noticed Gwendolyn nearby, walking along forlornly. It appeared today's storm was heavy, dismal grey rain, threatening to drag everyone attuned to it down with her.
"Um, hi.", greeted Jennifer timidly, trying to push away the storm, "Are you okay?"
Gwendolyn looked around cautiously, before dropping herself down on the bench next to Jennifer. Jennifer noticed a makeshift bandage wrapped around Gwendolyn's arm, saturated with blood. What had the girl gotten herself into?
Gwendolyn sighed deeply, and the quiver of sadness in her voice was noticeable even if you didn't have a magical emotion sense. "No.", she murmured, "I'm never okay."
Jennifer resisted the urge to comment, 'I can tell'. Instead, she asked, "Do you, um, want to talk about it?"
Gwendolyn took a slow breath. "No...not really." She sighed. "My burdens are my own to bear."
Jennifer shivered slightly. She knew the feeling, and could sense it from Gwendolyn right now. They both didn't feel like they could share anything - they were both scared of how vulnerable it could make them. Plus, they were scared of how other people would react to it. Jennifer could sense a deep darkness in Gwendolyn, barred off by several cages forged in hatred and suffering. Jennifer shivered even glancing at it. Whatever Gwendolyn had been through...it made Jennifer's own trials seem simple in comparison.
"I...think we're more alike than we both know.", Jennifer whispered.
Gwendolyn frowned. "Really." She closed her eyes. "I see..."
Looking towards Jennifer, she said, "For some reason, my powers are reaching out to you. It's almost as if we could form a bond, somehow. But...I'm not sure how that is."
Jennifer shivered as she sensed the blazing aura suffused throughout Gwendolyn glow, stretching and timidly touching her mind. She knew why.
"Um, well, you see...I think that's because I'm...not...really..." Jennifer found it hard to say it. But Gwendolyn could pick up on what she was trying to say.
"By Arceus...", Gwendolyn whispered, "You're part Pokemon."
Jennifer wrapped herself tightly together, bracing herself for what might come next.
Gwendolyn smiled slightly, very slightly, as if her face had forgotten how to do so. "I hate humans and their society. They've done too many horrible things to me. But you...you're not truly human either, though not in quite the same way as I. We are both outcasts."
Gwendolyn placed a hand on Jennifer's, sending an involuntary shudder throughout both girls' bodies. Neither of them were used to physical human contact.
"I think...I could actually have a friend in you.", Gwendolyn whispered, "I think."
Jennifer nodded. "Yeah...me too."
The two heard people coming, and glanced nervously towards each other.
"I must go.", Gwendolyn said, the strange tenderness and weakness in her voice from before slammed out by her iron will. "But maybe later we can have a proper chat."
Then she was gone, leaving Jennifer alone once more.
But this time, she wasn't so sad about it. (-o-)
AN: This chapter took far longer than it should've. But at last, we have reached an end to it!
Next up, the tournament! I guarantee that it will be quite exciting and intriguing! New secrets shall be uncovered, new foes shall make their entrance, and new students will appear! I can't wait to share it all with you!
But for now, this chapter is done! See you next time!