It's time! I'm on Spring Break and I've got the energy and the ideas to write for not only this story, but also Guardians of Remnant, Path of the Duelist, and a couple secret projects I have in mind. This last quarter was definitely busy but I actually feel better about it than the previous one which totally kicked my butt. Made it as a psych major, though, so I know that all of this hard work and stress is worth it.
Very important notice: I finally learned how to put accents on letters so from here on out, there will no longer be "Pokemon" (unless I miss it while proofreading) and instead, you will see "Pokémon." Now for some responses to reviews.
Legolas Dragon Ranger: I didn't consider confiscating fishing rods but I did think about confiscating ALL Pokéballs to prevent the students from catching new Pokémon. Given the circumstances and quick thinking that Cedar had to do, it's believable that he just forgot about that and is more concerned about his students' safety and the school's reputation. He also forgets about another, more important loophole that will be revealed in this chapter so stay tuned!
Aviator Capi: Please don't give me the motivation to do that. I've been considering doing a Pokémon Ranger SYOC but with all of the stories I have going on, it would never get updated. But my writing started when I wasn't happy that the author of my favorite story, which was an academy story, stopped updating so maybe you could give the Pokémon Ranger story a swing.
Zlaxe: Warmeyesshipping for Mark and Anya, perhaps? I'm interested to see how you feel about Jarrel in this chapter.
Keeveeo6: I'm actually not accepting OCs anymore because I've already got a diverse cast to work with at SA however stick around until the end of this chapter for more information. Also, I recommend that next time you're interested in submitting a character to any story, PM the author. You'll usually get a faster response especially if they're like me and only like to answer to reviews in their A/N. Sorry about not replying to your review with a PM and keeping you in suspense but my philosophy is that if someone wants to submit, they have to be proactive and approach the author, not the other way around. It's a very strict and stern way to look at it, I know.
As a quick reminder, I don't respond to all reviews. I only respond to the ones with questions that aren't about spoilers or the thought-provoking ones so please don't feel bad if I don't respond to yours here. Trust me, I read them all at least twice: as they come in and while I'm writing my responses. Now, on with the show!
Chapter 9: Moth to a Flame
"Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!" Alex's knees were beginning to burn from rubbing against the inside of his jeans as he stirred on the rough outdoor terrain at Aaron's feet. The brunette's hands were clasped together tightly, preventing any air from escaping. They shook with each plead. The nearby waterfall was loud but Alex easily trumped its volume.
"I said no, mon," the taller boy said casually. He rested on a hammock equipped with a pair of sunglasses to eclipse his eyes from the sun's harsh rays however, the canopy of trees lessened the threat from above. The colorful net slowly swung back and forth, propelled by his right foot.
"But it's the only chance I have to find Mark and the others."
"No means no."
"But–"
"What does no mean?"
Dejectedly, Alex responded, "It means no."
"Dat's raight."
After the small moment of defeat, Alex continued his attempt to reason with his dark-skinned friend.
"I swear I won't break your fishing rod."
"And still I find mehself sayin' 'no'."
"Aaron!" he whined. "I just need it for an hour. Don't you want to find our friends?"
Finally, he stood up and countered, "Of course I do! But let me ask you dis! Where would you start looking?"
"I–"
Alex stopped himself right there, realizing that Aaron was right. The brunette hadn't even thought of where he would start looking or the process by which he would search for the others. He had no method, no strategy, no plan. If anything, he'd probably get himself in a situation in which he would be the rescue-y instead of the rescuer. His hands curled into fists that shook from frustration, which made both Aaron and Pikachu worry.
"I know that I have no idea how to find them…but I can't just sit here and do nothing!"
Aaron took a good look at his friend, especially his shaky emerald eyes which were filled with so much determination that he could practically see the essence leaking from his irises. Alex was set on doing something to fix this problem even if he did not know how. Against his better judgement, Aaron caved.
"Alraight, alraight. You win, mon. You can borrow meh fishin' rod." Alex inhaled with excitement, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling with vigor. "But! Only for an hour? Okay?"
"'Kay," he said childishly.
"Come on, I've got to go get it from my room."
"Roger that!"
"Help me wit de 'awmmock?"
"Sure thing…mon!" Alex added playfully.
The taller teen could not fight against the powerful tugging at both ends of his mouth so he simply rolled his eyes.
As they untied the ropes and rolled up the colorful net, Alex started, "Hey Aaron?"
"Mm?"
"What is this place, anyway?" he asked, referring to the strip of land that they were currently on.
The three stood near the edge of a cliff with a nearby waterfall pouring its contents into the stream below. It all seemed so serene with the occasional Pokémon passing by either through the woods atop or the creek gurgling at the foot of the cascade. Butterfree and Beautifly would hover by, Pidgeotto and Fletchinder fortified their nests and fed their chicks, and a variety of aquatic Pokémon followed the stream, often jumping into the water below.
"It's meh happy place."
"Happy place?"
"Yeh. Everybody's got one."
"I don't."
"Of course you do. It's wherever you're happiest. Where is dat place?"
Before he could answer, Alex pondered to himself until the only response he had was, "I dunno."
"Well it don't hurt to find one, yah?"
"Yeah, you're right! I know! I'll start searching as soon as I get Mark and the others back!"
Aaron chuckled. He couldn't help it. The boy's enthusiasm was just too much. However, a small part of him did actually believe in this effort, even if it was only because Alex was the one behind it.
"Mark! Are you okay?"
The crimson-eyed boy held the sides of his head, on the brim of ripping his raven locks straight out of it as he paced back and forth in the sleeping quarters, repeating "No!" He did not stop to explain to Anya what was wrong and instead fixated on his problem, unable to tear away from it.
Fed up with not being answered, she stood in front of him and forcefully dropped his hands. With nowhere to look but directly into her burning orange spheres, Mark finally made eye contact with her and once it was established, she said, "Let's try this one more time. What's wrong?"
"Y-you guys didn't find a backpack with me, right?" She had already made it clear that Mark was found with absolutely no one and nothing around him but it was apparent in his voice that he was hoping that she was lying to him.
"Right," she reconfirmed.
"This is bad. This is really, really bad!"
"Kid, I'm going to knock your block off if you don't explain to me what you're freaking out about."
"I-it's this e-egg."
"An egg?"
"I had a Pokémon egg with me inside my backpack when my friends and I were attacked by the wild Gyarados. I was holding it for a–" Mark knew exactly what Jarrel was to him but he did not feel it important enough to mention so he settled for calling him, "a classmate…"
"A Pokémon egg, huh?" This was bad. Anya was not used to comforting others. All of the help she'd been to Mark was really just her trying to make his time onboard easier but how was she supposed to handle a problem this big? Considering that the egg was not with him, it was safe to assume that it was long gone.
She began, "I-um, I'm not really sure what else to say, but I don't think that it's not around anymore."
Anya could literally hear something crack and it was most likely the boy's heart. That shot a bullet right through hers. What else was she supposed to say? She had absolutely no experience with Pokémon let alone one of their eggs.
Mark's eyes fell from defeat. He wasn't worried about what Jarrel was going to do with him if he made it back to Star Island. He felt like a complete failure for letting down that unborn Pokémon. It was dead before it was even alive. How much more twisted could that get? And it was all because of him. If he had been responsible like Aaron and stayed at home for the wellbeing of the egg, this would not have happened. Instead, he selfishly put its life at risk all for an afternoon with friends. Why didn't he realize that the whole trip was dangerous to begin with? If he had, it wouldn't have died.
"M-Mark…" she started. "It's not your fault."
His jaw tightened and he failed to make any eye contact with her.
"Listen to me. Mark!" She shook him, forcing him to look up at her. "This is not your fault. Okay? It's not. Please don't beat yourself up about it because there was no way of knowing that a thirty-foot sea snake was going to attack you. Did you know that that Gyarados would attack?" He just didn't have the energy or the will to respond. "Hey! Answer me." He weakly shook his head. "Then it wasn't your fault. Alright?"
He slowly nodded, "Yeah…"
"Okay."
There was a strained silence between the two. Anya slightly regretted being so aggressive with him not knowing that Mark berated himself for resisting her so much. She was only trying to help and he kept pushing away her advice.
"We're almost at Valor Island. That means you're almost home. You just have to wait a bit longer. Is that okay?"
His lips curved slightly, "Yeah, it is."
"Great!"
There were a few swift knocks on the door, which Anya responded to by saying, "Come in!"
On the other side was Trey, who wasted no time in telling Mark, "You have a visitor."
"A v-visitor?"
Trey nodded, "an instructor from your school."
The abysmal feeling that swirled in Mark's heart churned into hope at the sound of the news, manifesting into a wide smile. This was the largest smile Anya had seen since she met the boy and she herself could not fight the urge to grin along with him.
"You hear that? You get to go home a little sooner than we thought!"
"Not if you two stay there," Trey pointed out.
He turned to his side so the two smaller forms could walk past him. The three of them walked to the captain's quarters in silence, but it was not unwelcome. It was that quiet moment that came right before an achievement. Mark saw the captain's door open and in his mind, rays of white light burst from inside as though it were his doorway to heaven. Finally, this nightmare would be over and he would be reunited with his friends.
Then, doubt hit him. He instantly stopped walking, making Anya and shortly after, Trey, do the same. Horrible thoughts started to claw away at his brain folds, leaving gashes that would haunt his dreams. Images of his friends floating lifelessly in an expanse of oscillating blue and of bloody Sharpedo teeth flashed in his skull. Soon, he grasped the pendant underneath his shirt, having thought of Sharpedo teeth.
Anya cautiously approached him and muttered, "Mark?" His eyes sluggishly floated up, fighting to meet with hers. "You okay?"
"Y-yeah."
He continued walking until they stepped through the captain's door. Inside were Misael and two men that Mark had never seen before. Or at least, he did not think that he had seen the ghostly man wearing a dress shirt. He assumed that the man with the fantastic grey mustache sitting behind the desk was the captain. If that wasn't enough, he wore a coat and hat that screamed "Captain!"
The other man had his frizzy light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail that barely reached his neck. He studied Mark closely with faded blue eyes.
Mark could not remember if he had ever seen this man on campus but there were still many instructors he had not met yet. He tore his eyes away from this man to look at the captain and Misael and that is when he noticed that all eyes were on him and it made him incredibly uncomfortable.
Trey broke the silence by presenting Mark to the captain, "Captain Horthy, this is the boy we found."
A gruff voice vibrated through the thick mustache, shaking it with each word, "Ah! Very good! Well, Mathias. Here is your student."
The man, named Mathias, took one more moment to analyze the boy, paying particular attention to his face. Finally, an eerie laugh broken by small intervals escaped his chapped lips.
"You've probably never seen me, young Markus, but I am Dr. Mathias Levay. The good captain here contacted Star Academy to tell us that a student of ours was on his ship so I came to retrieve you. Come now, we must get going." He walked towards Mark and placed his bony fingers on the boy's sweater to nudge him towards the door. Dr. Levay turned back around to tell Captain Horthy, "My sincerest gratitude on behalf of the academy, Captain."
The gruff man nodded and bid the student and teacher farewell. On his way out, Mark turned to Anya who wore a warm smile and waved to him, to which he returned the gesture. He felt like he should say something to the person who had been by his side during a time when he was alone and confused but he could not bring himself to burden Dr. Levay by halting him. Instead, a wave would have to suffice as the wall blocked her from his field of vision.
While strolling through the ship, Levay comforted Mark, "Rest assured, child. Most of your friends have been returned safely to the academy."
The sharp fangs on his lungs relinquished their ferocious hold, allowing him to release a breath of relief.
"R-really?!" He could not hide the excitement in his voice, which brought the instructor enough amusement to make him chuckle.
"Yes. Kari, Alex, and Sergio are all on campus."
"What about Rafi?"
"Young Rafi has not been found but rest assured, police and even my fellow instructors are searching for him."
Mark gulped, hoping and praying that Rafi was okay.
Raven slammed her dorm room door wide open and heard a high squeak in response coming from further inside. Already used to her roommate's tendencies, the bluenette mindlessly walked to her bed and threw her bag underneath it.
"Sorry, Alaina," Raven said as she passed by.
Her roommate mumbled, "I-it's okay…" before returning to her homework.
Raven flopped onto her bed, face-up, and allowed the bed's springs to push her up until the tension stopped and she was lying with her orchid eyes staring at the ivory ceiling. Thoughts refused to pass through her brain, leaving it hollow and dry, and this was reflected on her distant expression. Finally, she started to think about the situation with Kari and the others and soon, memories from the previous day slipped through the gyri in her cerebrum. Her bright pink orbs began shaking and her jaw clenched tightly from those thoughts.
To avoid thinking any more of that bald scum, she sat upright and suggested to Alaina, "Hey do you want to catch some battles at the Battle Club?"
Alaina turned around in her chair and meekly asked, "M-me?"
"Is there anyone else in the room?"
The black-haired girl was caught off guard because it was a rare occurrence that Raven would ask to spend time with her. The previous day was actually the first time that they went out together.
"N-no, I'm okay. Thank you."
Raven's eyes narrowed.
"You've gone through like three books, 'Laina. Have you even left the room?"
"Y-y-yes…"
"So why are you still in your pajamas?"
Icy spheres fell to black sweatpants that sheathed her pale legs.
She tried to defend her case, "I-I stepped outside for a moment."
"You don't have socks on." Facing defeat, Alaina set down her copy of How to Kill a Delibird.
Raven pulled up her chair and sat down close to her roommate. "Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?"
The tiny girl slowly shook her head while avoiding eye contact which was why she let out a yelp when she felt Raven tugging at her shirt, easily pulling her off her chair.
"If you're not going to talk about it, then you need to distract yourself. The worst thing you can do is sulk about it."
"O-okay, but can I at least c-change first?"
"Why? You look cute in your pajamas. You'll get all the boys." Raven smiled at the sight of a red hue filling Alaina's pale face to the brim like a cup of hot coffee. "I'm just messing, 'Laina. Go on and get showered and dressed. I'll wait for you."
Raven waited until the bathroom door opened to reveal Alaina fully dressed and her hair in a ponytail.
"Cool. Let's get going."
On their way to the door, the two girls were stopped by the sound of something solid falling onto the floor. When Raven realized that it was Shizukana's Pokéball, she slapped her forehead and walked to pick up the red and white sphere. A button click later, and the dark/steel-type appeared before her with an irritated look on his face.
"Don't give me that," Raven sassed. "I've got a lot on my mind." The Pawniard held his strong gaze until his trainer groaned, "Fine, I'll get you a scratching post to cut up. Okay?" He nodded and followed Alaina out the door so Raven could lock up behind them.
The walk to the Battle Club was compromised by a painful silence. Raven knew that her roommate was not a conversation starter but she herself was not going to continuously go out of her way to communicate with the girl. The bluenette thought it best not to pressure Alaina after what the two of them had gone through. This trip was Raven's effort to comfort the meek girl but without any input from her roommate, the bluenette had no idea what she was feeling. Hopefully she could open up with time. For now, this was good enough.
Entering the Battle Club, the girls and the dark/steel-type were met with a cool blast of fresh air from the vents and a warm smile from Don George, who simply waved to them like he did to all students that passed by his desk.
Raven heard mumbling coming from behind her and turned to ask, "What did you say Alaina? I couldn't hear you."
"I-I've never been here before."
"Really? Not even for the battle royal?"
She shook her head, "I was unaware that there even was one."
"You need to get out more often." Alaina's tiny head drooped, causing a sharp pain in Raven's heart when she realized that she hurt her feelings. "H-hey! But we're outside now, right? Come on. Let's go to the stands to see what kind of battles are going on."
"O-okay."
Raven led her roommate and Pokémon to a middle section of the arena – close enough to see and far enough from the actual action. There were individuals and small clusters of students scattered throughout the stands, watching their friends and peers battle against one another in the designated fields at the base of the building.
"You see any good battles, 'Laina?"
The black-haired girl slowly scanned the area, too timid to give her input. Finally, her icy spheres fixed themselves on a black and yellow hoodie. Raven followed her gaze to find Chase standing on one end of a field with his Beedrill hovering before him. Across from them stood a curvy, slightly tanned teenage girl with scruffy dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a yellow shirt with a red Pokeathlon symbol on the front, a pair of black jogging shorts, and red and white trainers that had been used enough to make them well worth their price.
A blue alligator with red spikes and a round beige stomach stood proud and tall between the girl and Beedrill. His jagged teeth crept out of the confident smirk he wore.
"Hey look, it's Chase and Lennie," Raven said. Her orchid eyes shifted to a tall dark-skinned boy with spiky black hair, marked with white streaks that reached the nape of his neck. "And Kordell too. Come on, let's join them!"
When they neared Kordell, they could see that he wore a completely black outfit, save the golden shirt underneath his sleeveless hoodie and the golden highlights on his sneakers. Having seen someone approaching him from the corner of his eye, Kordell turned and smiled at the girls.
"Hey there, Blue!" he greeted.
"Hey Kordell," Raven responded.
"And, mmm…Alaina, right?"
She nodded slightly.
Raven asked, "What are you up to?"
"Just watching Chase and Lennie go at it."
Putting a fist on her hip, Raven pointed out, "You look kind of bored."
"Yeah, we played water-grass-fire to see who could go first."
"And you lost," the bluenette finished.
"You got it."
"Want to have a battle then?"
"I don't see any open fields so let's wait until they're done down there."
"Sounds like a plan to me! Mind if we sit with you?"
He shrugged, "I don't see why not."
Once seated, Raven told Kordell, "You guys don't seem to be bothered by the lockdown."
He gave another shrug, "It's whatever. Lennie's been keeping us busy all day. Hope they catch those criminals soon though because this place is going to start feeling like a prison."
"What makes you say that?" the bluenette inquired.
"Well sure, there's stuff to do here like train here at the Battle Club or in the woods, play sports, study, watch TV in the lounges, but this is going to get boring real soon. It's no wonder that second-year took off."
Alaina submitted to the urge to ask, "W-what d-do you mean?"
"You guys didn't hear?" They both shook their heads. "Well when they came to take a second-year trainer's Pokémon, he tricked the R.A. into waiting for him to get the Pokéball. After a while the R.A. realized he'd been tricked and used his master key to get inside and it turns out that the student climbed down the window and went off into the ocean on his Dragalge."
"That's nuts!" Raven shouted.
"What is?" asked Chase as he casually approached the group.
"I was just telling them about Felix."
"Oh that guy? Yeah, it is pretty crazy," Chase commented. "Wonder what he plans to do once this all blows over."
"Chase!" The group turned to find the dirty blonde running towards them. Her lips flapped ferociously, "You'redonealready?!Whysosoon?!Weshouldhaveanotherbattle!Oh!HeyRaven!Youupforabattle?!"
Alaina had retreated behind Raven's navy locks, completely immobilized by Lennie's intensity.
"Sorry, Len," Kordell said as he lifted himself off the bleacher. "I've got Blue next."
Lennie huffed, "ButI'mnottiredofbattlingyet!"
Chase rolled his eyes, "You're never tired."
"That's!" She prepared a rebuttal but smoothed down her response, while still speaking rather quickly, "Completely true. Oh well, want to go do some laps around the Battle Club?"
Chase sat down next to Alaina, who inched away slightly. He paid no mind to this and replied, "No, I'm good. On your way back, bring me back a Soda Pop, though." He handed her some cash and she nodded before running off.
"Energetic, ain't she?"
By this time, Kordell and Raven were almost on the field so Alaina was thrown off by his question.
"M-me?"
"Do you see anyone else around?"
How had she walked into that twice on the same day?
"I, um, I suppose so."
Chase nodded to her then directed his attention to the Raven and Kordell, understanding that Alaina was not all that talkative.
On the battlefield, Kordell asked Raven, "So how many we rockin' out with?"
"How many you got?"
"Just three. You?"
"Three. First to knock out two, then?"
"Sounds good to me."
Kordell reached for one of the Pokéballs on his golden belt, never breaking eye contact from his opponent. Raven plucked one of the spheres as well and quickly tossed it up. He also threw his and two bright flashes dropped two Pokémon onto the dirt.
Ironically, Raven's Pokémon of choice was a small violet-colored cat with piercing green eyes while Kordell's was a small brown lion cub with a tuft of red-orange fur on his head. The two felines stared each other off, both anticipating their owner's orders.
"Ladies first," Kordell offered.
With a smirk, she replied, "You know being a gentleman might not always be the best thing. Hime, Fake Out!"
In an instant, the Purrloin appeared before Litleo and clapped her paws together on his face, making him flinch. Using the opening, Raven had Hime use Fury Swipes. The violet cat continued her barrage of scratches until Kordell commanded Litleo to use Fire Fang. Seeing the cub's canines ignite, Hime pulled back to escape the biting attack.
"You didn't even have to tell her to pull out," Kordell marveled. "Interesting thing you've got goin' on, Blue."
She smiled victoriously despite not having won anything yet and responded, "Thanks! Compliments won't spare you, though."
"Is that so? Guess we better start fighting seriously." His sly smirk challenged her, propelling her to command Hime to use Fury Swipes once again. When the Purrloin approached Litleo, Kordell called out, "Noble Roar!"
The quadruped grounded his paws into the dirt and readied himself to release a small roar – that bordered adorable more than it did threatening – causing Hime's physical and special attack to drop slightly. This allowed him to take another flurry of swipes and counter with an Echoed Voice attack. The sound wave threw Hime backwards and just as she was about to get up, she was knocked back by another one. The tiny lion repeated this onslaught, refusing to let her stand, until the victory was his.
Placing her hand forward, Raven called back the unconscious cat into the red and white sphere before replacing it with another and summoning a green blob-like Pokémon with a red diamond between its eyes.
"That was just a warm up!" she called.
"I sure hope so," he teased. "Litleo, use Echoed Voice!"
"Light Screen!" The Duosion created a barrier of yellow energy that reduced the amount of damage she withstood from the attack. "Great job, Mirai! Now follow up with a Hidden Power through the Light Screen!"
A bright light formed within Mirai until she released it in an outward-moving wave of spherical blasts that passed through the Light Screen, adding a yellow tint to it. The Hidden Power connected with Litleo, but did average damage, meaning that it was a type that was neither super-effective nor not very effective.
Chase leaned forward in his seat and nodded his head comprehendingly. He spoke out loud – mostly to himself, but also for Alaina to hear.
"Interesting. She battles just like she would in a contest."
Kordell laughed, "Pretty flashy move. I dig it. But so will Litleo's fangs in your Duosion. Use Fire Fang!"
Recovering from the blowback, Litleo set his fangs on fire and pounced onto Mirai. To his surprise, she slipped right from under his paws. Kordell cocked his head back slightly indicating a confusion that matched his Pokémon's.
"Perplexed?" Raven baited.
"Alright, I'll bite. What's the deal?"
"What you see is what you get. Think of Mirai's body like jelly. Unless you stomp down directly on her, she'll slip away."
"Interesting. We'll just have to go fang-first this time. Use Fire Fang one more time!"
"Psychic!"
Mirai caught Litleo midair and allowed him to simply float before slamming him onto the ground. A small cloud of dust covered the cub but when it dissipated, he was found unconscious. After returning his fallen friend, Kordell called forth his oldest companion.
The Pokéball burst open and a blue frog with a scarf-like tongue flipped out of it and landed on its webbed hands and feet.
"You ready to end this, Greninja?" Without moving his ruby eyes from the psychic-type, he nodded, simply waiting for orders. "Hit her with Water Shuriken!"
Placing his hands within close proximity of each other, water gathered between them and swirled until it took the shape of a bladed four-pronged star. It spun rapidly between the frog's hands before he shot it off in Mirai's direction.
"Set up another Light Screen!" Following orders, she created another barrier but Greninja's Water Shuriken was not slowed down at all and hit the green blob directly on the nose, splashing water into her eyes.
"Oh no! Mirai!"
"Quickly! Night Slash!"
Greninja dashed across the field before the Duosion could lift its eyelids and swung a blade of dark energy that formed around his hand. A large gash formed on Duosion's body and the immense pain made her pass out.
With Mirai back in her Pokéball, Raven stared at the silver button, bothered by her failed plan. "Why didn't it work?" she muttered to herself.
"Because Water Shuriken is a physical move."
Her head snapped up at the sound of Kordell's voice approaching her. She watched his large frame approach her, casting a long shadow over her in the process. Orchid eyes peered up at him, patiently waiting for him to elaborate.
"You know how different moves hit a Pokémon's physical or special defense? Well Water Shuriken hits the physical defense and Light Screen only increases your Pokémons' special defense. Clear?"
She allowed the new concept to sink before smiling up at her opponent and smiling, "Yeah! That makes sense."
The crack in Kordell's smile revealed gleaming white teeth. He continued, "You're kind of new to battling, aren't you?"
"I'm used to the contest setting. It's more about pizzazz and accentuating your Pokémon's inner beauty and strengths rather than brute force."
He chuckled, "Well it ain't just brute force. There's strategy in regular battling too. If you're game, I'd be willing to teach you."
Raven eyed him with an eyebrow raised, a tad skeptical of his claim, but ultimately accepted his proposal. "Tell me the time and place."
"Aight. Mind if I get your number?"
She smacked her lips and playfully accused, "I see, so that's what this is about, huh?"
He laughed in response, "A guy's gotta' get the number some way, amiright?"
"I suppose." She took his Holo Caster and started fiddling with it. "This is strictly just for training, got it?"
"Like this number, I got it," he joked. "Well it looks like Lennie's back from her little jog. I'll see you around, Blue." He retrieved his mobile device and walked away, holding his index and middle fingers up. She waved back to him.
Breaking her eyes away from him, Raven decided to return to her roommate but stopped when there was a distinct lack of metal steps. She turned around to find Shizukana with his blades crossed. Her orchid gems circled her eyelids.
"Are you mad about me not using you in that battle?" No response. "Fine, I'll get you two scratching posts when this lockdown is over." His beady black eyes slowly moved to look at her to see if she was sincere. Reaching the conclusion that she was, he walked towards her, dropping the attitude.
Alex cheerily hummed a Unovan Authors song while dangling his feet over the edge of the rock he sat on that overlooked a small creek. Pikachu had gotten bored of waiting for a water-type to tug at the line so the brunette allowed him to run around and bother nearby bug- and flying-types. Aside from the humming and the small bit of commotion Pikachu caused in the background, everything was quiet. In fact, the area felt even still, save Alex's swinging feet and the slow-moving fishing line that created ever-expanding ripples on the marine surface.
Under these conditions, Alex was finally given the time and solitude to process everything that had happened to him and his friends thus far – the attack, losing Mark, Chimchar, and Rafi, and Sergio making it to the boat…by himself. He quickly shook the dangerous thoughts, whipping chocolate tresses as he did so. No! Sergio wouldn't do that! He chuckled to himself, "What were you thinking? You should focus more on getting yourself a new Pokémon! This is gonna' be sooweet!"
Pikachu stopped his mischief and cocked his head confusedly at his trainer talking to himself. He then ran to the brunette to investigate the matter further.
"Pika?"
Alex looked down at the mouse and said, "Oh hey, Pikachu! What's up?"
"Pika! Pikapika pi!"
"I'm glad you're having fun!" he exclaimed with a goofy grin.
Pikachu sighed, not finding the need to correct his trainer. Alex would probably not understand what he was saying either way. The brunette had gotten accustomed to hearing the mouse's speech but it was a hopeless effort without context clues and gestures.
For the next few minutes, the two sat there, stamina draining with every passing second that the fishing line floated aimlessly without even a nibble. That is until the long string tightened and Alex found himself pulling back on the rod.
"This is it, Pikachu! Quick, use Thunderbolt on the water before it gets away!"
"Pika?"
"Yes! Hurry!"
The electric-type nodded, "Pikachu!" and then unleashed a bolt of lightning into the small pond. Soon, water-types unconsciously floated to the top.
"Huh. Maybe we didn't need Aaron's rod anyway."
Alex spoke prematurely as the casted line still led underneath the rocking water indicating that the Pokémon he was after was still underneath.
"That's weird. Shouldn't it be rising?"
"Pika, pi!" he suggested while pointing to the line.
"Yeah, I guess I should check it out."
The boy stood from his spot, lifted the bottom of his jeans, and carefully stepped into the water, making sure to walk around the unconscious Pokémon. As he approached the spot where the line dipped underneath the water, he saw something rise from below the surface. A large blue Pokemon with beady eyes and a round tail stood, startling Alex. It did nothing to harm the boy, however. Instead, it just stood there with a blank expression.
Jumping out of the water, Alex shouted, "Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu shot another bolt, this time directly at the new Pokémon but the attack seemed to have no effect whatsoever.
"W-what?! B-b-b-but how?! It's a water-type, isn't it?!"
His Pokémon shrugged and tried to give an explanation, "Pika, pikapika pikachu!" however the boy understood none of this.
"Wait! It must be a ground-type too!" The awkward blue Pokémon turned away from Alex and Pikachu and began walking off aimlessly. "H-hey! Come back here!"
Alex ran straight into the water to chase after his target but was stopped when a smaller blobby Pokémon surfaced in front of him, ceasing his advance. This Pokémon looked like a miniature version of the other one except with a wide head and small purple feelers on its cheeks. Alex analyzed this creature before deciding to step around him to pursue the larger one.
Ten minutes into the search, Alex found himself in the middle of a lake with no sign of his target. Deciding to abandon his efforts, he went back to his fishing spot and told Pikachu, "Sorry to come back empty-handed, bud, but I couldn't bring back anyth–"
Pikachu's gaze was aimed just to the right of Alex who looked down to find the tiny blue Pokemon from before, still wearing the lost look on his face.
"Huh? Alright! We got a catch! So does this mean you want to come with us?!"
The tiny creature did not respond. He merely stood there with unfocused beady eyes and his lips slightly tugged upwards.
"Is that a yes?"
He remained still.
"No?"
The silence continued.
"What's your answer Arceusdamnit?!"
Fed up with not receiving a response, Alex huffed, "Come on, Pikachu let's get out of here."
Collecting his backpack and Aaron's fishing rod, the brunette took a few steps but was stopped by his companion who was trying to get his attention. He looked behind him to find the other Pokémon walking alongside Pikachu.
"So you do want to come with us!" he shouted excitedly.
Still no response.
"Do something!"
After walking Kari to her dorm so she could get some rest to ease her headache, Sergio decided to sit in the first floor lounge of the Ventus dorm to distract himself with some television. Unfortunately, there were some obnoxious first-years tossing crumpled up paper balls at each other so he went back to his room. He assumed that Alex was still with their friends but did not pay much mind to it. As he sat on his bed, gently pushing the metal strings on his guitar while tuning them as he saw fit, he thought of his other roommate. There was no word of the red-eyed boy's whereabouts but somehow, Sergio had a strong feeling that he was okay. He couldn't explain it but he just wasn't worried about Mark and it wasn't because he didn't care. Some inner mechanism in his head suppressed the dark thoughts and cleared away the fog so that he could say without a doubt that his missing roommate was okay.
Then, another face drifted into his head and this one made him twist a knob on the headstock abruptly, snapping the string that was wrapped around it. His jaw muscles clenched tightly and so did those in his arms and hands. This was all his fault. If that hyperactive idiot didn't insist on some stupid little trip, then they wouldn't be in this horrible situation. They would all be here on campus, free to go to and from Crescent Island as they pleased, and in perfect health. Kari was full of worry, Mark and Chimchar could be dead, and in addition to Kari and Alex's Pokétch and Pokégear being fried, Sergio lost his glasses. That obnoxious brat put their lives and physical health at jeopardy and not only cost Sergio and his friends expensive possessions, but also their peace of mind. And now that infuriating imbecile made him break one of his guitar strings.
Sergio let his thoughts slip into the physical world and uttered, "I hope that retard stays lost." Immediately after the words penetrated his ears, Sergio's eyes widened and his breathing hardened. His eyes narrowed and he stood up from his bed. He left the room with his incomplete instrument lying on his bed.
Running out of options for a place where he could find solace, the silver-haired boy made his way to the campus activities center and took the stairs to the third floor – it was faster than the elevator in that building. When he reached the top floor, Sergio found a few students sitting on the couches either on their laptops, reading a book, or talking to the students currently playing with the pool tables. There were three pool tables so it wouldn't take too long for Sergio to get a game.
His patience rewarded him with the opportunity to play, which he took as soon as one of the tables freed up. After pulling one of the cue sticks from its stand, he went to rack up the balls, making sure to alternate between solids and stripes around the edge, just like his dad taught him. He pushed and pulled the rack before stopping it so that the apex ball was right at the foot spot and carefully lifted the triangular piece of equipment from the table. Sergio took a moment to admire his work and awarded it a smile of satisfaction but was broken by his celebration when he heard a voice that sounded as though it were caught somewhere between a boy's pubescent years. He recognized the owner as female, though.
"Wanna' go for a round, Paint Brush?"
When his obsidian eyes rose to meet the person standing on the other side of the pool table, they narrowed slightly and his lips curved into a small smile. She stood with one of her pale hands on the edge of the pool table and the other balled up into a fist and pressed against her hip.
"I'm up for a game…Veera."
The mispronunciation of her name threw Vera from her composed confidence and caused her to lose balance. She quickly regained it and flailed her arms, "It's Vera! Veh! Ra! You already know this!"
Sergio chuckled before rolling the cue ball over to her and said, "Yeah, yeah. Ladies first."
With a smirk, she countered, "Come over here and start then."
Pleased with her comeback, Sergio made his way around the table and placed the cue ball near the left-hand corner and positioned himself to strike it. Vera waited patiently for her opponent as he brought the tip of the cue stick closer and further away from white sphere. Finally, he struck his target, forcing it to slam into the assorted triangular figure, which burst apart upon impact. None of the balls went into any holes so Vera aimed for an easy target and made the 3-ball inside a corner pocket.
As she set up her next shot, she stated, "You look like shit, by the way."
Sergio shrugged, "I haven't gotten much rest."
"Any word about the others?"
He was surprised by how open she was about the topic, considering that they were in a lounge public to the student body. Sergio scanned the area quickly to see if anyone else was paying attention before responding, "Nope. Still lost."
"Kinda weird how that Gyarados attacked you guys all of a sudden. It was probably sent after you." She missed her next shot and made way for Sergio to take his turn.
The silver-haired boy rolled his eyes and thought to himself, here we go with her paranoia.
Catching the eye-movement, Vera jumped onto the table and crouched down so that she was eye-to-eye with her opponent. Having his shot disturbed, Sergio first moved back from shock but then glared at her with cold eyes.
"I'm not crazy," she stated.
Sergio mimicked her with a ridiculous impression, "Hey Sergio, you're probably under attack by some government spy for studying something so mysterious like Mega Evolution."
"I don't sound like that!" she shouted, while stomping ferociously on the table. She moved wildly enough to hit her head on the hanging lamp and the next thing she knew, she flat on the ground. Sergio took a look around at various pairs of eyes aimed their way. He was hoping that none of them could make any sense of what he just said.
"What seems to be the problem here?"
A tall young dark-skinned woman with circular glasses and a frizzy black ponytail sticking out the back of her head approached the two students. Her outfit was pretty casual with the jeans, a blouse, and a cardigan, although the upper two garments could barely suppress the mounds underneath. Sergio and Vera knew this woman as the activities director.
"S-sorry, L-Lydia," Sergio stammered in his attempt to not look directly at her breasts. It was difficult considering that they were right there in front of him. "V-Ver-ra and I w-were in a, um, a heated di-iscussion abou-out, um…" Think fast! Think fast!
"Whether Draconids are aliens or vampires!" Vera cut in.
Lydia sighed, "Are you two trying to get kicked out?"
"N-no ma'am." Sergio just could not find a good place to leave his eyes. Lydia would get mad if he didn't look at her but her stern gaze made his falter and when it fell, the only spot to look at was directly below her face so he would aim his sight lower and then the cycle would repeat.
"Well just don't cause any more trouble or I will have to kick you two out."
"Roger!" Vera called as she casually strolled over to reorganize the billiards.
"G-g-got it!" he choked out.
Once Lydia had left, Vera scoffed loud enough for her friend to hear, "Pervert." That little comment earned her the finger.
Pikachu, Aaron, Stacy, and Cherilyn burst into laughter as Alex demonstrated that the Wooper would not stop following him no matter what he did. He would run around a tree and the tiny water-type would follow. He'd throw the Pokémon and it would rush back to him. He would spin it around and run and after falling from dizziness, it would get back up and chase after him.
"This isn't funny, guys!" he whined. "I've tried everything to get rid of this dopey 'mon! I've trying trading it, I've tried selling it, I've tried abandoning it, but nothing works! It keeps coming back!" At this point, he had a handful of Aaron's shirt in each fist.
"Let. Go. Of. De. Shirt."
Alex released his grip and slowly backed away until he was a comfortable distance from his friends.
"I do suppose you should be careful what you wish for," Stacy lectured.
"I didn't wish for this! I wanted something I could use to get off the island like a Mantine or a Poliwrath! Not this thing! And look! It doesn't respond to what I say or do!" He turned to the Wooper and commanded, "Use Water Gun."
His new catch just stood there with the same brainless smile he'd worn all day. Alex then pushed his head, but he bounced right back. He then grabbed the purple antennae on either side of Wooper's head and pulled on them which only made the smile look even more ridiculous.
"See?! He doesn't do anything!"
"Oh, it cannot be zat bad," Cherilyn said as she strolled up next to the first-year and lifted the water-type. Immediately she felt something slimy on her smooth golden hands, which made her yelp and release the Wooper by sheer reflex. "What did I touch?!"
"It's a water/ground-type," Aaron explained. "It's bound to 'ave mud on it."
Cherilyn muttered while carefully scratching the goop off of her finger nails, "And I just got zem done." A dark hand with ruby polish held out a napkin, which the tiny blonde gladly accepted to wipe her hands with. "Merci!" she sang.
Stacy then turned to Alex and asked, "Does it even know Water Gun?"
"Idunno, don't most water-types?"
"Maybe you should check."
"Oh right! My Pokédex can do that! It's a good thing the Professor made these things waterproof or I'd be in a heap of trouble with him."
He aimed the red device at the Wooper and waited for the list of moves that the water-type knew to appear. The only two moves to appear were Water Gun and Tail Whip.
"It does know it! See?! This thing is useless!"
Pikachu's ears drooped, hearing such harsh words exit his trainer's mouth and personally, that was the last straw for Stacy.
"Alex!" Stacy scolded, "There's no such thing as a useless Pokémon. Only useless trainers." That stung the boy a little and for a second, Stacy regretted letting those words escape but ultimately kept her stance.
Aaron agreed, "She's raight. Maybe dis Wooper is still a newborn and doesn't know 'ow to use its moves yet."
Alex nodded slowly – however it was a bit mechanical. His gaze was distant because he was thinking about what his friends just told him. Dull jade eyes regained their vigor when he came to a conclusion.
"I know! Maybe if he just sees some battles, he'll learn a bit about them!"
Pleased with his sudden revelation, Stacy nodded her affirmation with a proud smile.
The brunette turned to Pikachu and said, "Looks like you've got yourself a student!"
He raised his left paw in the air and cheered, "Pi-ka!"
Alex turned back around to his friends and asked, "So, who wants to spar?"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaleeeex!"
The group turned to find another emerald-eyed boy running towards them with speed that rivaled a Dodrio's. He stopped suddenly in front of Alex and hunched over, placing his hands on his knees to catch his breath.
"Riley?" Alex questioned.
The eccentric boy snapped his head up, stood up straight, and aimed his pointer finger at the brunette, accusing him, "You haven't answered any of my texts!"
Alex laughed guiltily and held his hands defensively, "My Pokégear's kind of fried."
"Fried? What do you mean?"
Crap, he doesn't know. Alex looked over at his friends, asking with his eyes for permission to explain the situation to Rafi. Cherilyn nodded, Stacy shook her head, and Aaron simply shrugged, giving him mixed signals.
"Ah! Who cares?!" Riley said energetically. "Whelp, how's about we go for a good ol' fashion battle? I've been itching for one especially since…" His head dropped as he explained, "Since you guys went on that trip without me." His vitality quickly returned, "By the way, how did that go?"
Alex glanced again at his other friends for advice. This time, Stacy nodded, Aaron shook his head, and Cherilyn shrugged her shoulders. The brunette gave them a frustrated look before returning to Riley to say, "Buddy, it's been a long day. I'm always up for a battle, though. My new Pokémon needs to see what a real battle is like, anyway."
"New Pokémon?" Riley found the little water-type happily standing next to his trainer. "Oh cool! Yeah! I want to see it in action!
Alex laughed to himself, Did he just completely forget what we were talking about? Better for me, I guess. "Riley, that's the thing. My Wooper doesn't know how to fight yet. He's just a newborn. I was hoping I could use Pikachu against you."
"Oh look! Pikachu's outside of his ball. That's neat! Anyway, I'm down for that. Jazz could use a bit of practice too."
Placing a hand on his knee for leverage, Aaron said, "Alraight, I'll referee den." He stood between the two first-years and announced, "You two may begin when you're both ready!"
Alex looked to his right and said, "Pay attention, alright Wooper?" Despite finding a determination to teach this Pokémon, it still irked him that the water/ground-type refused to respond. Turning to his left, he commanded, "Let's get them, Pikachu!"
"Pikachu!"
He swiftly ran before his trainer and readied himself for battle.
"Let's do it, Jazz!" Riley called as the Pokéball he tossed released his Snorunt.
"Begin!"
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
"Jazz, use Ice Wind on the ground!"
The Snow Hat Pokémon released a breath of icy air, which froze over the grass on Pikachu's path. Caught off guard by the tactic, the electric-type slipped and continued forward by sliding on his back.
"Now Bite!"
With the yellow mouse quickly approaching uncontrollably, Jazz opened his tiny mouth and clamped down his tail.
"Pika!" he cried while jumping to his feet and running around in an attempt to shake off the ice-type.
"Hold on tight, Jazz!"
With each shake, Jazz called back, "Sno! Sno! Sno! Runt!"
Alex grinned, "If he won't let go, we'll just make him! Pikachu, Electro Ball!"
Pushing through the intense pain on his tail, Pikachu gathered energy into his tail and the forming sphere managed to open Jazz's mouth. Free from the Snorunt's jaw, Pikachu distanced himself before following through with Alex's next command to use Quick Attack again.
Cherilyn sighed, "He never learns."
"Jazz, Icy Wind again!"
Stacy rhetorically replied, "Doesn't he?"
Using the same strategy, Riley and Jazz created an obstacle for Pikachu but he was prepared this time and sidestepped the frozen trail. With Pikachu fast approaching, Riley reflexively commanded Jazz to twirl while continually using Icy Wind. Obliging, the ice-type spun around, spreading the attack all around him.
Alex told Wooper, "Alright, now watch this. Pikachu, up!" Once the mouse was high in the air, he called out, "Electroball!"
Riley expected an attack like that once Alex commanded Pikachu to jump so in response, he told Jazz to use Double Team. The electric orb crashed on a mirage so Riley took advantage of Pikachu's immobile state in the air.
"Jazz, hit him with Ice Shard!"
From all around, Pikachu saw incoming frozen projectiles, making it impossible for him to know which ones were real. Soon, he felt sharp edges digging into his side and the momentum managed to toss him aside. Pikachu fell hard on his side but still fought against the pain to stand up.
Once he was up on all fours, Alex asked, "Can you still fight, buddy?"
"P-pi-pikachu!" he called proudly.
"That's the spirit! Pikachu, one last Electro Ball!"
In response, Riley called out "Double Team!" His head snapped back when he realized that Alex called out the same move at the exact moment that he did. Soon, multiple images of Pikachu and Jazz stood side-by-side in a circle leaving everyone except the two Pokémon in the mix lost and confused.
"A-amazing!" Cherilyn awed.
Aaron chuckled, "Looks like we got ourselves a Coloan stand-off. Multiple of them," he joked.
"Jazz, prepare an Icy Wind!"
All of Jazz's afterimages obtained a cyan glow in their mouths and all of Pikachu's afterimages had a static-filled yellow sphere forming on the tip of their tails. There were a few moments of suspenseful silence between the trainers, their Pokémon, and their friends viewing from the sidelines before both boys ordered, "Fire!"
Dozens of electric spheres and trails of icy air met in the center but only one of each was real. All attacks – both tangible and illusionary – met a target but only one connected with the correct target. Pikachu's Electro Ball passed right through one of Jazz's phantoms but by luck of the draw, Icy Wind blasted the yellow mouse, throwing him out of the circle and dispelling the Double Team.
"Pikachu!" Alex shouted as he ran over to his Pokémon with Wooper waddling behind in pursuit. Taking the mouse in his hands, Alex thanked him for his effort and allowed him rest inside his Pokéball.
Riley did the same with Jazz and cheered, "Yes! I did it!"
Alex walked over to his friend and said, "Yup, that was a good one for sure."
There was something off about what the brunette said and Aaron immediately caught onto it. He could tell that there was a bit of spite behind Alex's words so he placed an arm around him and asked, "Hey, do ya mind talkin' for a bit?"
"Huh? Um, sure…"
As the two friends walked away from the group, Riley turned to the girls and asked, "Was it something I did?" They merely shrugged in response.
"What's de matter wit ya?" Aaron asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Are ye mad that Riley won?"
The brunette let out a sigh and said, "Yeah, you got me. But not because I can't take a loss!" His head drooped and his gaze fell upon Wooper. "I wanted to win so Wooper could see how to battle good and Riley won by luck so he couldn't learn."
Aaron placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder and responded, "Alex, only showing Wooper de wins isn't going to teach 'im 'ow to win. It's only going to teach 'im what winning looks like. In fact, he'll learn more from the losses dan he will from de wins, especially if he's de one losin'."
"What do you mean?"
"Who's yer favorite trainer?"
"Ever? Mmmm, I'd have to say Blue."
"And why's dat?"
"Well most people like Red because he beat Blue but I can't really get behind a guy that just goes off and leaves everyone the way he did. Besides, Blue became the champ first and ended up becoming the strongest gym leader in Kanto. Part of me doing the gym challenge is getting the chance to meet and face him."
"Well guess what. Blue might have gotten to de Indigo Plateau ferst and he might have been the champion ferst, but he never once beat Red in a battle. Does dat make him a failure?"
"N-no…I guess not."
"Of course not! Blue is a well-respected man in his region, even dough he can be a little cocky, and it's because he became strong through all of his failures."
Applying the lesson to a person that Alex viewed as a hero must have gotten the message through to him because the brunette's emerald gems glistened with enthusiasm and he carried a determined smile with him.
"You're right, Aaron! Wooper, I'm going to show you all of my battles no matter what the outcome is! Okay?"
It could have been his optimism, but Alex could've sworn that Wooper's smile grew slightly.
Before Alex could go off to congratulate Riley appropriately, Aaron called his attention.
"Wooper wasn't de only one you didn't want to lose in front of. Am I raight?"
The brunette knitted his eyebrows from confusion. He glanced back at his friends then snapped his head back to Aaron who wore a victorious grin. The older boy knew he was right and Alex just realized what he was right about.
"Y-you mean Cherilyn? N-no, no! I don't–We–" He sighed from defeat. "Is it that obvious?"
Laughter erupted from Aaron's powerful lungs. He patted the shorter boy on the back, forcing him to stumble a bit. "Oops! Sorry about dat, mon. Yes it's dat obvious but don't sweat it. You're doing fine. If you really want to impress her, show 'er 'ow big of a man you are. Carry yerself wid dignity."
Fighting the blush creeping on his face, Alex nodded his understanding and made his way back to the others. The boy then rushed over to Riley and said, "Dude! That really was an awesome battle, but I'll be sure to beat you next time!"
Riley laughed, "Bring it!"
Alex could not help but glance at Cherilyn who looked directly at him with a sweet smile. Feeling good about the outcome, he smiled back at her. At least one thing was going his way that day.
After saying goodbye to his friends for the day, Alex decided to stop by the Pokémon Center to get Pikachu healed up. He got Wooper into his own Pokéball and was now sitting in the lobby on his own, waiting for Nurse Joy to return with Pikachu. Soon, a familiar face from earlier that day entered and their eyes met almost immediately.
"Hey Alex!" Jarrel called.
"Hey, Jarrel! What's up?"
The older teen sat down next to Alex and said, "Nothing much. What are you up to?"
"Just waiting for Nurse Joy to finish healing Pikachu?"
Serves the little fur ball right for growling at me. "Oh. Is he alright?"
"Yeah, we just got out of a battle with one of our friends. He'll be good as new."
"That's good. So I've been meaning to talk to you."
"About what?"
In a low voice, Jarrel explained, "Not in here. Meet me on the front steps of the Uxie Library in fifteen minutes"
"O-okay?"
Jarrel left and shortly after that, Nurse Joy called Alex to receive his Pikachu and the Pokéball that he rested in. Placing the device on his holster, the boy thanked the nurse and went to the library to reunite with Jarrel. The sun was already beginning to set so the brick and cement structure shaded them from the dimming light.
"So what did you want to talk about?"
"Alex, I get the feeling that there's something going on with you and your friends and I want to know what it is."
"W-what do you mean? There's nothing going on."
"I'm getting the suspicion that there is because I went to check on Kari earlier and she looked tired beyond anything. I asked her why she hadn't answered my texts and she told me that she lost her phone."
"Yeah? So?"
"Sergio said that she lost her charger."
Crap. "S-she was tired. She probably meant her charger. Yeah! That's it!"
"Alex," he growled sternly.
"I swear, nothing's going on!" he stammered.
Jarrel regained his composure and said, "Oh, ok. And here I went through all of the trouble of getting these back for you." He held out a pair of Pokéballs. "This Charizard and Pidgeotto belong to you, right?"
"H-how did you get those?! Professor Cedar took them from me himself."
"I'm going to be honest with you, Alex. My dad donates a lot of money to this school and he gives me a lot of money for spending. Sometimes it really pays off like when tipping some generous employees to give me my Samurott back. I thought I'd be a pal and get you your Pokémon back too."
The spherical devices drew Alex's gaze like a moth to a flame, tempting him regardless of how dangerous they may be. His body began to shake involuntarily as his mind fought against himself. The Pokéballs urged his arm to rise but he stiffened it to keep it still. Then his legs itched to move forwards but he pushed both of them against the ground to restrict them. It was torture seeing what rightfully belonged to him resting mere feet away with the reminder of punishment nagging at him during every moment that he stood there. He knew he could not take a step forward but turning around never crossed his mind. Slowly, his hand lifted, finally overpowering his will, and reached out for the Pokéballs.
Jarrel pulled them back and said, "Tell me what's been going on first. Then you get them back."
With a painful swallow, Alex asked, "H-how do I know that they're actually in there?"
"Would you risk someone seeing them if I were to prove it to you?"
Bastard.
He wanted to talk where students hardly passed by at this hour but enough did to make it unfavorable to release the Pokémon inside those devices.
"F-fine."
Alex began to recount the events of the previous day and that morning, ending with his and Kari's return to the island.
So the twerp's missing? He better still have that egg.
"Alex…" The boy's head snapped up at the sound of his name. "Thank you for telling me. Here." He tossed the miniature spheres, which the first-year caught – one in each hand. "You'll need those to find your friend and I'm coming with you."
"W-what?"
"You heard me. We're going to find Mark, Rafi, and Chimchar."
Excitement splattered across Alex's face as shouted, "We are?!"
"Shh! Keep it down!"
"Sorry. This, this is just awesome! Thank you so much!"
"No problem. We need to get going soon."
"Um…Jarrel?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm excited to start searching ASAP and all but it's getting dark soon."
"I know but the chances that something horrible happens to them increases the longer that they're out there. Besides, the Bullseye Marts on Crescent Island close soon."
"What are we going there for?"
"To get you a new Pokégear, of course. We need to keep in close communication in case we were to somehow separate. Luckily, the trip to the island won't take too long if we take your Charizard and my Samurott."
"What about the others?"
"Others?"
"You know. Sergio, Kari, and the rest of my friends. They want to find Mark, Rafi, and Chimchar too."
"I couldn't get any of their Pokémon back. I didn't have the time to find out which ones were theirs but I've seen your Pokémon in Mr. Q's class so I knew which ones to look for. Your friends won't be of any use to us."
Alex stood still for a moment. Should he trust this boy whom he barely knew? But he finally found a way to find his friends. Their reunion was within grasp and all he had to do was trust Jarrel so why couldn't he? Why was it this hard?
"Alex. I need your answer now. The stores will be closing soon and we're losing daylight really quick."
The brunette stared his peer in the eyes, reading his expression. It was one of urgency. With a deep breath, Alex agreed and the two boys headed to the easternmost part of the island where their journey would begin.
Special thanks to:
SaiyanKJ for Kordell Young
Thief of Stealth for Lennie Mary Darren (you've been waiting since Pokemon Academy: Power of Chaos for Lennie to appear so I'd like to say thank you for being this patient with me.)
HUGE thanks to Kashimo's Comet for the book title, "How to Kill a Delibird" and the idea to turn real world pop culture and literature references into Pokémon versions like I did in this chapter with Unovan Authors (the band American Authors)! He's a very creative guy with a fun list of Pokémon-themed names for musicians. He's also got a Pokémon fanfic called "Trainer High" which is a work in progress but definitely worth checking out!
For those of you who were paying close attention to the match between Alex and Riley, you might've noticed a word you're unfamiliar with. That word is "Coloan." It is not a word used in the Pokémon franchise but given the context, you might be able to figure out what it refers to. Its significance, however, will not be as apparent to you as of right now and will be revealed later on.
So as some of you might notice, the SYOC is now closed but don't be discouraged! In several chapters, it will reopen for a select group of characters that will play an important part in the next arc. Also, there's always the possibility that I reopen the SYOC later down the road after the upcoming reopening in case I've used all of the ones I currently and have room for more.
Lastly, I want to give a big thanks to my readers who have stuck around despite the slow updates. I know that slow updates are a major turn off for readers so I greatly appreciate those of you who continually support me and for the newer readers who show their interest and support. Remember to leave your questions and comments in the review section and I'll see you all for the next chapter when Alex and Jarrel begin their search! Legacy, out!