Perryapsis
Chapter 4 - velut luna
I decided to adjust my writing style slightly. Instead of using double line breaks between pieces of dialogue, I will use single line breaks. This style is just a bit neater, more condensed and also a more popular method on this website. Not to mention it makes editing more convenient. I may get round to changing this on the earlier chapters, but it might not be right away. By the way, hope you like my slight adjustments to O Fortuna. If you know what the lyrics of the song means, it will make sense (ish).
Also, for the battle scenes, I won't necessarily be following either game or anime logic. I'm just going to write them how I like. This chapter will be a little longer than usual.
Thanks to Wubking97 for reviewing!
EDIT: 1st August 2016 - Some basic continuity edits, as well as a change in Sam's and Lucy's dynamic.
Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I didn't own Pokémon. I don't suppose much has changed since then.
Perry jogged into his form room and looked around. He wasn't late, and not everybody had arrived. Even so, April had still decided to sit in the seat next to Perry's, despite the options available. He sighed and went over to his seat, a little hesitantly.
"Hi, Perry!" greeted April joyfully, "How are you?"
"Ugh, fine," he replied, annoyed, "You know, you don't have to sit there. You could sit anywhere in the class. I have an allocated spot."
"I could, couldn't I? But I like sitting next to you!" she said, acting oblivious to Perry's attempt to get rid of her.
"Really? Well, don't disturb me," he said, sitting down, unzipping his bag to find his book... What? Where the-
At that moment, Mr Shank walked in, carrying a large sports bag. "Hello Gale," said Miss Enguard cheerily, looking up from her own book.
"Hello, Viola, hello class. I've got something for Mr Salyut," he said in return, unzipping the side pocket of his bag and dumping its content on Perry's desk; "There you go, it's all yours."
"B-but how did you find these, sir? I was just looking for these!" exclaimed Perry, confused.
"I found them dropped on the side of the road after your... excellent display of skill," he said with a wink.
"Wait, you were-"
"You're shortlisted. Nice work," he complimented, but then he gestured to Perry's cuts, "but you should get yourself patched up."
With that, he picked up his sports bag and strode out of the room.
"What was that about?" asked April, summing up the thoughts of her new classmates, "And why are you covered in little cuts?"
"Oh, it was nothing. Just... Just a bit of a run-in."
"By the way, are you doing anything at lunch?"
"Er, no..."
"Great!" said April, before her face fell slightly, "Oh, right, I have the choir auditions. I missed them yesterday."
Oh, Arceus... I have to go as well. Not only will I be at some dumb singing audition, I have to be there with April, he thought, his situation maddening. But he wasn't going to tell April; he just prayed they would arrive at different times.
Maths was their fifth lesson of the day, and so far it had been quite uneventful. Perry and Sam strolled through the corridors to their final lesson before the lunch break, April trying to integrate herself with the two close friends. "Perry, you know we got some homework yesterday, when you were in the sick bay, for maths," Sam pointed out.
"Really? Well it's not my fault that I haven't done it," Perry replied.
"Well, you haven't met our new teacher, have you?"
"I think he's kinda nice," said April.
"Of course you'd say that," Sam snapped, frustrated.
"What was the homework, anyway?" asked Perry.
"We had to do a worksheet on equations," said Sam, "and it was quite long."
"Well, he can't be too hard on me because I wasn't even there."
"I think that's why he'd be hard on you," said Sam with a frown.
The three of them walked into the classroom, just on time, and sat at their desks. April followed Perry and sat right next to him, which Perry sighed at. Their new teacher was a burly and quite intimidating Electivire, and his smirk wasn't quite pleasant.
"Welcome back, class," he boomed, sounding like a military commander, making the red spots on April's back flare up for a split second. "I hope you've all completed your homework, which was...?"
There was silence for a few seconds.
"Hmm?!"
April reacted, and answered cheerily, "It was to complete the worksheet on equations."
"And how many equations were on that sheet?"
"Thirty-two, sir," said April, her eyes darting around for confirmation. Wait, how does a Quilava write equations? She hasn't got any opposable thumbs! Wait... I haven't either. And I get by playing simulators.
"And have you completed it?" April gulped for a second. That was the first time Perry had seen her nervous. And it doesn't look too bad.
"Y-yup, I mean yes, yes sir, I've- I have completed it- the homework, sir," replied April, stumbling on every word. There was a singular snigger from somewhere in the classroom.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" the Electivire yelled, before waiting a few seconds, "That's what I thought it was. So, if anybody has had any problems with completing their assignment, feel free to sacrif- admit yourself."
Only Perry raised a hand.
The Electivire's eyes shot towards him, like the targeting systems of a Magneton. He slowly stood up and walked over towards Perry menacingly. The Electivire's eyes were made of pure malevolence. Perry tried to put on his steely glare, the same one he shot at the Grottle from earlier, but all he could show for was a weak snarl, kind of like the ones little Poochyena give to their parents. As if they had their own memories, every one of the small cuts on Perry's body seemed to flare up, reminded of how they were born.
"And why have you raised your puny paw?"
"Er, w-well, i-it's because... well, I didn't com-"
"THAT IS FRANKLY UNACCEPTABLE-"
"B-but I wasn't here y-yesterday, I was in the sick bay-"
"You weren't in my lesson? You were shirking off?!"
"No, no, oh no! I c-collapsed in PE!"
"Did you now? Well, I'm sure Mr Shank can confirm that for me," said the Electivire, of whom Perry still did not know the name. The terrifying creature before him seemed to light up at the prospect of giving Perry the psychological torture of a detention... As well as having to explain this to dad. Of course, Mr Shank would back him up... he hoped.
Eventually Perry was able to get April to tell him the Electivire's name, through very careful and stealthy whispers. The rest of the lesson was, thankfully, relatively uneventful, and it ended with Mr Ternator leaving the room, and storming back in about five minutes later, presumably after a conversation with Mr Shank. Now it was lunch, so Perry and Sam snuck as quickly as possible away from the rest of the class so as to avoid dragging April along with them. Sam was slightly less keen on their escape, because apparently "Your conversations are healthy for you, and they're also quite funny. Not to mention she likes you!" Biggest joke of the century. Then Perry remembered, again, that he had to go to the choir auditions.
"Really? You have to go to some choir crap? Well, I guess it'll be fine, 'cos April's gonna be there," said Sam unhelpfully.
"What're you on about? Her being there is what'll make it crap. Oh, and the singing. Especially for me and my voice," coughed Perry gloomily.
"You're really, like, overly horrible to her. Come on, stop being all grumpy, and at least try to connect with her," Sam said sternly. Perry simply grunted.
The two Pokemon queued up at the cantine, got their trays of food, but Perry was forced to wolf his down because of the auditions. He was running out of time.
"Okay then, I gotta go now. See ya," said Perry, before taking his try to the trolley and dashing away down the corridor.
April was sat on a chair in the auditorium, with about seven other Pokemon, whilst a Granbull was on the stage, singing. A large Xatu was sat at a desk just in front of the stage, taking notes on the singers. All of a sudden, Perry burst through the doors of the large room, and dashed over to where the other Pokemon were seated.
"And who are you?" asked the Xatu, a little confused, but not angry. The Granbull kept singing a confusing Latin song from her script.
"Er, Perry Salyut," said Perry quietly.
"Excellent! My name is Mrs Buzzard. Please could you sit next to Miss Fuji, at the end of the line."
Perry did as he was told and sat down next to April, to his dismay. Alright, dad, it's your fault if I die, whether it's hyperventilating or being driven to suicide, Perry thought to himself.
"Perry, you came? You want to sing?" whispered April excitedly.
"No, no I don't. My dad made me come to sort out my voice condition," replied Perry.
"Your voice condition? I think your voice sounds great," said April. Her frankly quixotic remark made Perry flush a little, "Okay, maybe not-"
"Ugh, I sound like a dying Ariados," Perry gloomily pointed out. Silence ensued, thankfully, as another singer was called onto the stage. Pokemon went on and off, until it was April's turn.
"Alright, wish me luck!" she said cheerily. With that, she bounded onto the stage and picked up the script that was on the floor.
"Um, yeah... I guess," said Perry apprehensively. He still didn't want to sound as if he wanted to be friends with the Quilava, but he didn't need enemies either.
"Can you read music?" asked Mrs Buzzard.
"Yup! I can!" replied April, eager to begin. Mrs Buzzard went over to a piano and hammered out a starting note.
"Key of D minor, got it?" asked Mrs Buzzard. April nodded.
"O Jirachi velut luna statu variabilis," she began to sing. Something about how high, smooth, yet firm her voice sounded mesmerised Perry. Wow... Oh Arceus, she sounds beautiful, he thought to himself. The sound completely flooded all Perry's thoughts, and his restraint for compliments was destroyed.
"semper cupit
aut concedet;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem,
egestatem,
potestatem
dissolvit ut regice."
Both Perry and Mrs Buzzard were lost for words at April's singing. Perry's gaze seemed to settle behind April's eyes, which were looking intently at her sheet.
In no time at all, however, she was finished. The sudden end to the serene sound startled Perry for a few moments. "Okay, Perry, you're next!" said Mrs Buzzard excitedly, after hearing April's voice. All the other singers had left, except April, who waited to hear Perry's singing. His throat went dry. He cleared his throat for a moment. And the sound that followed surprised Perry more than anyone. He was forced to sing a couple of octaves lower than April. It wasn't truly top class, but it did sound okay;
"O Jirachi
velut luna
statu variabilis,
semper cupit
aut concedet;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem,
egestatem,
potestatem
dissolvit ut regice."
The song went on for another few verses. Perry was actually quite pleased... until he remembered he wasn't supposed to be pleased. April immediately started clapping.
"You know, sometimes I am pleasantly surprised. This is one of those times! Well done!" congratulated Mrs Buzzard. Damn. Now I'm screwed.
"Wow, that was great!" complimented April with a toothy grin.
"Ugh, well, thanks Miss, thanks April... I guess."
"Okay, well, we're all done now! You can go!" said Mrs Buzzard, Perry and April swiftly walking towards the atrium doors; "Actually, could you hang on for one second, April?"
"Sure," she replied and she trotted back towards the Xatu.
"That was some truly stunning singing, and I would be disappointed if you decided not to join, because I've shortlisted you now."
"Wow, really? Awesome!" exclaimed April.
"But one thing... what's wrong with, er, Mr Salyut? Perry?"
"Well, you mean his voice?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Well, I think he's been quite negatively affected by something a little while ago, and I think he's quite depressed about it... He's pretty stubborn about the subject, as you would expect," explained April.
"Yes, I understand. I'm accepting him as I think it'll do him some good. Well, take good care of him."
"Umm, what do you mean?"
"Well, it's obvious you like him, and although he probably won't admit it, not even to himself, he does like you. And he needs someone else to care for him, aside from his family," said Mrs Buzzard.
"Y-you think so?" stuttered April, "How can you tell?"
"I'm a Psychic-type Pokemon, remember."
"Oh, of course, Miss."
The last lesson of the day ended with music, which was with Mrs Buzzard for the second time of the day. Nothing interesting happened, except for April giving Perry some unusually warm smiles. Perry had quite a dilemma on his mind; should he go to the battle try-outs? He new he was already shortlisted, but that could change if Mr Shank saw any other exceptional battlers. His father had plainly told him not to go, but the battle with the Grottle earlier in the day was proof Perry could control his power. In the end, Perry gave in to Sam's urges for him to go, as it turned out Sam himself was participating as well. Annoyingly, April insisted on coming to watch the two battling.
The three of them walked out to the arena and sat in the stands. There were about one-hundred Pokemon all waiting for a chance to prove their worth. "I had no idea so many Pokemon were going to come!" exclaimed April.
"Me neither," said Sam.
Eventually the din of voices died down and Mr shank walked into the arena.
"Oh damn," sighed Perry, "I forgot to go to the sick bay to hide these." He gestured to his little marks from the morning.
"Welcome, everybody!" he boomed, his voice amplified just like the previous day, "It's great to see such a large turnout. That means our battles have to be short and sweet. Up on the big screen you can see the names of those already registered, your opponent or space for an opponent next to it. So, if you haven't already, please go to the front of the stands to sign up."
The arena was really quite high-tech, with electronic registers and a ridiculously huge screen for battle close-ups and match-up trees. Perry noticed that he was already registered, probably because Mr Shank had registered Perry for him earlier in the day. Sam was also registered, but there was one name he was less keen to see.
Ferdinand Cane.
He was a big Infernape, two years older than Perry, and was generally seen as a bully. The previous year he would often pick on Perry, but after one particular, never-spoken-of run-in, he hadn't physically bugged Perry since. He just hoped they didn't have to fight later on.
In battles, the Pokemon are trained to be able to knock-out the opposing Pokemon, not draw blood or cause injury that can't be quickly recovered from. Drawing blood is illegal in battling, so users of moves like Slash and Razor Leaf are forced to restrain themselves, unlike the Grottle from the morning. Splash is especially dangerous as it can easily cause drowning.
After roughly ten minutes of registering, everybody settled down and was quiet.
"Standard highschool battling rules apply; no drawing blood, obviously, and you have to stop attacking your opponent when they are knocked out. You will have read the rules when you registered. When the battle is over, the victor must help their opponent to the medics at the edge of the arena. Okay, so the first battle is between Perry Salyut and Tony Carter," announced Mr Shank. Wow, so you really want to give me the spotlight? Perry thought. He stood up and April gave him an encouraging "Good luck!" with a cute smile. Sam nodded.
Perry made his way down to the arena and several laughs were shot his way. His first opponent was a Toxicroak. Perry glared fiercely at those who laughed at him, his swiftness in spotting them surprising them. He took his place on the arena and Tony took his, giving Perry a mocking smirk. Perry stared hard and cold back. He just waited for the mark. "Let the battle begin!"
Perry stood his ground as the Toxicroak's arms began to glow purple, as he charged a Poison Jab. He charged at Perry with impressive speed, but Perry was faster. He used Extreme speed to dodge and he launched himself away. It looked as if he had disappeared. After about twenty seconds of nothing happening, people began to boo.
"Hey, the Treecko chickened out!"
After another second, Tony was lying with his face in the dirt as Perry slammed into him with Extreme Speed. Tony tried to get up, but Perry struck him down with a Leaf Blade. Tony was out.
There was a general air of surprise and shock, that a first-stage Pokemon could so easily defeat a powerful opponent like a Toxicroak. There were some whispers of disapproval, but April decided to suddenly shout "Way to go! Great job!" and Sam joined in. Perry nodded and smirked at the Pokemon in the stands who said he'd chickened out as he helped his shocked opponent to the medics. He sat back in his seat with Sam and April to either side and gave a victorious grin.
"Well, I had no idea," said April with a grin herself.
"Me neither, you're definitely on the team!" encouraged Sam.
"Yeah, well there are plenty of battles to come," said Perry.
April was absolutely in awe. She had no idea he possessed such skill and power. More interestingly, however, was the fact Perry knew moves he should only be able to use once he was a Lucario. This made April want to become friends with him even more, so she could hopefully fix whatever what was wrong with him and discover what made him so unique.
After several battles had taken place, it was now Sam's turn. "Sam Otto, please, and Lucy Raymus."
Sam and a Luxray of a similar age went down to the arena awaited their signal. The Luxray shot Sam a look that was half a glare and half a seductive smile. Sam nervously shuffled, before taking his battle stance. She mouthed him devious a good luck from the other side of the battlefield. "Begin!"
Lucy's body began to glow and sparkle with electricity as she prepared to use a Wild Charge. Sam, like Perry, held his ground as she came charging straight towards him. With only a metre between them, Sam created a strong Protect that blocked the attack. Lucy staggered back with the recoil, allowing Sam to unsheath his scalchops. They began to shimmer a little as he lashed out, striking her under the chin. She leapt back and dropped into a pre-pounce position. Her fangs began to glow bright yellow. She leapt forwards, just grazing Sam's fur with her electrified fangs, shocking him for a second before he dived into the ground with a Dig. Lucy slammed into the ground and her charge was earthed, making her shudder. She watched the battlefield for a few seconds, but one of a Luxray's talents is its ability to see through anything. She quickly used Electric Terrain, making arcs of electricity course from her into the ground. Sam had no choice but to move.
He launched himself straight upwards, but Lucy had another Thunder Fang ready and her sharp canine teeth sank deep into Sam's fur. The electric shock was devastating. Small arcs of electricity would jump from his body as he was paralyzed. He was now heavily slowed down by the status condition, but he had a counter. He looked straight towards Lucy, crouched and then launched himself into the air, a trail of water following him like afterburning gases behind a jet aircraft. She simply didn't have the time to react as she was struck by the full force of an Aqua Jet and she was sent flying. She crumpled in a heap on the other side of the arena. Mr Shank was just about to announce Sam's victory when Lucy suddenly got up and let loose a massive Thunderbolt that struck Sam instantly. The massive, burning shock knocked the wind out of his lungs and he exhaled explosively. Electricity coursed through Sam's watery insides and he desperately tried to retaliate with Scald. The forceful stream of boiling water didn't have too much of a direct effect on Lucy as Sam was restrained by his paralysis, but Lucy received a painful burn. Lucy Snarled fiercely at Sam, which had some sort of psychotic effect on him, making him feel weaker. Before Sam could get off another move, everything suddenly went white as Lucy unleashed a painfully bright Flash. Sam was temporarily blinded and this gave her the opportunity to hit him with a devastating Giga Impact. Everybody in the stands gasped at the power of the move.
But Sam refused to be defeated.
Lucy had exerted all her energy in the attack and was panting on the floor. Sam prepared a huge Water Pulse between his palms and threw it with maximum force towards Lucy. It completely engulfed her, and she became extremely dazed and confused by the attack as she was almost starved for oxygen. Lucy furiously tried to release a Discharge, but the water around her diverted the attack straight back at her, shocking herself, only a little bit of the electricity leaving the sphere. Sam decided it was time to use a move he'd been practising for a while. He took a step back, a deep breath and filled his lungs with the densest, most pure water inside him and pumped it all out with an impressive Hydro Pump. It destroyed the watery sphere that Lucy was trapped in, but it sent her flying. She crashed into the wall at the edge of the arena, knocked out. Now it's Perry's turn to cheer. He jogged over to his downed opponent. "You gave me a tough battle. You very nearly had me there!"
"Well, it looks like our next battle isn't gonna be so hard to win," said Lucy with a cheeky smirk.
There was tremendous applause as the hot steam that had formed around the arena began to clear. Many people had been initially in support of the Luxray, being quite an intimidating but attractive Pokemon. However, Sam's persistence and determination was enough to pull him through.
"Amazing work!" shouted Perry through the applause.
"Yeah! That was fantastic!" added April with a wide grin. Not the same cute one she gave to Perry, but encouraging none the less.