As thanks to all of you who have read, and especially, reviewed this fic, I am giving you a present...this week, I am posting two chapters this time, not just the one. Enjoy!
Chapter Three: Class Is Important
Keita's alarm went off and he sat up and stretched as he yawned. "Morning, Kazuki."
Kazuki stirred and opened his eyes. "Is it morning already?" He didn't return until two in the morning and once again received a lecture from Kouji for missing curfew.
"Come on, Kazuki, class is starting in two hours, we need to get ready, meet with Tracey, get breakfast and then go to class."
"I'm sorry, Keita...but I'm just feeling too tired to do anything today..."
"Those people should know better than to make you attend a meeting that goes until midnight..." Keita grumbled. "Okay, since we don't have classes together this morning, you can keep sleeping."
"Thank you." Kazuki snuggled closer to his pillow. "I wish you didn't have class this morning, I want to stay with you..."
"I don't want to leave you, but..."
"I understand, Keita."
Keita frowned. "I'll keep you company and make sure you rest well. I just need to tell Tracey we won't be joining him for breakfast."
Kazuki nodded. "Okay..." and with that he fell asleep again.
Keita leaned down and kissed Kazuki on his temple. "I'll be right back."
Tracey had just finished changing into his uniform and was about to call out his Pokemon Marill to give her a feed, he'd left Venonat and Scyther back at the lab, when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in, it's open!" he called. He released Marill from the safe confines of her Pokeball.
Keita opened the door. "Good morning, Tracey, did you sleep well?"
"Yes, I did." He noticed Keita's questioning glance upon the blue mouse-like animal. "Oh, this is Marill, she's my first Pokemon."
Marill looked up at Keita and smiled. "Marill ma rill, rill ma!" If you're Tracey's friend then it's good to meet you!
Keita knelt down and patted Marill on her head. "She's very cute."
"I was just about to give her breakfast before we headed off to the cafeteria for breakfast."
"Actually, that's why I'm here. I'm afraid Kazuki isn't very well and he wants me to stay with him today." It wasn't an all out lie, Kazuki wasn't doing too well, and he would become ill if he pushed himself too much.
"I see. It's a shame Kazuki's sick. You should get back to him then and keep him company. It's never fun to be under the weather."
"Sorry about this, Tracey. Maybe see if you can go to class with Kakeru and Wataru, they're the only twins in this school so it's not hard to identify them. I'd better get back to Kazuki now. See ya later. See ya, Marill."
"See ya, Keita, please tell Kazuki I hope he recovers soon."
"I'll do that." Keita got to his feet. "See ya." He then left the room.
"Marill ma, rill marill marill?" Tracey, are you alright?
"I'm fine, Marill, it can't be helped that Kazuki became sick, and he and Keita are close so of course Keita would keep him company. Tell ya what, how about you come with me today? I have biology first and the teacher knows about Pokemon."
"Marill!" Of course, just like old times!
Tracey set down a small plate of some food for Marill before he set down his own plate. "The food here is great, Marill, try some!"
"Look at that, he's talking to a stuffed animal!" someone whispered harshly.
"Honey!"
"Please don't call me Honey, my name is Tracey," he murmured to himself as Yukihiko bounded to the table. "Good morning, Yukihiko."
"Good morning to you too, Honey, did you sleep well?"
"I did sleep well, thank you for asking, and please do not call me Honey."
"Oh, don't be that way, Honey..." He noticed Marill. "What a cute stuffed animal!"
Marill looked up at Yukihiko. "Marill?" Stuffed animal?
"Um, Marill's not a..." He saw Yukihiko was about to pick her up and squeeze her. "Please don't disturb her while she's eating."
"Oh, Honey, you are cute, but that's a bit crazy, you know?"
"Please don't call me Honey, and Marill isn't a stuffed animal, she's a Pokemon, a living, breathing Pokemon."
"A Pokemon? For real? But, I'd heard there was no such thing, Honey!"
"Please don't call me Honey, and where I am from, Pokemon are real."
Yukihiko sat down on the third seat. "If you say so, Honey."
Before Tracey could open his mouth to once again ask Yukihiko to stop calling him Honey, Marill spoke up. "Marill ma rill marill!!" Tracey said to stop calling him Honey!
Yukihiko blinked after being yelled at. "What did she say?"
"She said Tracey said to stop calling him Honey."
"Has it really been bothering you that much, Honey?"
"It has been bothering me, Yukihiko. There is someone else that both of us know who wants to be called your Honey, but you haven't given him the time of day."
"Speaking of time, you should finish your breakfast, class will begin soon. I need to get going myself, gotta meet up with the team for a warm-up jog. See ya later!" Yukihiko got to his feet and walked off.
"Oh no, I think we hurt his feelings..." Tracey murmured to Marill.
Marill pushed away her plate. "Marill rill marill..." I'm not very hungry anymore...
"Neither am I to be completely honest. Let's just try to find the biology classroom. Hopefully our day will improve."
Marill nodded and hopped down. She waited for Tracey and walked beside him.
Umino Satoshi-sensei finished typing some more details he'd discuss in his class while his cat Tonosama played with a ball of yarn. "It seems the student from the distant land is in my class first thing this morning! I wonder if he can actually help me convince everyone Pokemon are real." He heard his cat let out a meow.
Tracey glanced around at all of the buildings and found himself completely lost. "This isn't good..." He bent down and picked up Marill. "Maybe we should find someone we can ask."
Marill closed her eyes and focused to hear out any voices nearby and heard two. "Marill!" That way! She pointed one of her stubby paws in the direction of the voices she heard.
"Thanks, Marill." He turned in the direction and jogged towards where the voices came from. He saw two young men; one had long, pink hair and the other was taller and had short, silver hair. "Excuse me, can you please help me?"
The taller male nodded. "Of course, you must be one of the freshmen, correct?"
"Yes. My name is Tracey Sketchit and this is Marill, my Pokemon."
The one with pink hair spoke up. "So, you are the one the chairman told us about. I'm Saionji Kaoru and this is Shichijo Omi, we're from the treasury department."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. May I please address you by your first names?"
"Very well, Tracey."
"What is it that you need help with?" Omi asked with a kind smile marking his lips.
Tracey felt very calm around Omi, he had a gentle air. "I'm afraid we got lost on our way to biology class. Could you please give us directions?"
"We have to go that way anyway, so we'll take you there," Kaoru stated.
"Thank you very much. We appreciate this."
All three of them made their way to the right building. "I heard that your room is beside Ito-kun's room, is that correct?" Omi questioned.
"Yes, it's correct. Both Keita and Kazuki have been good to me."
"How come Keita isn't with you? Doesn't he have biology with you?"
"Kazuki isn't well and so Keita is staying with him."
"He's a very kind person," Kaoru stated. He sent a glance to Omi. The chairman must've either pushed himself and is sick in bed or the case is he had a really late emergency meeting. "So, is Marill a stuffed animal?"
Marill looked to Kaoru. "Marill rill ma ma rill marill." I'm not a stuffed animal at all.
"What exactly did Marill say?" Omi asked.
"She said I'm not a stuffed animal at all in response. She's a living animal, a Pokemon," Tracey explained.
"You can understand her saying her name over and over again to talk?" Kaoru queried.
"It comes from experience. Marill and I have been together since I was five years old, and in time, I learned to identify exactly what she's saying."
"Does it come in a translation manual or something?"
"No, it's the bond between the Pokemon and the trainer. She has been with me through really tough times as well as the good times."
Marill looked up at Tracey. I was also your very first friend. Our bond can never be broken.
They finally arrived at the classroom. "Thank you very much, Kaoru, Omi, I appreciate it."
"It's alright, it was along our route anyway," Kaoru reassured. "We need to go now before student council starts trouble again. Goodbye." Kaoru and Omi then departed.
Tracey entered the classroom and found a seat. "Let's sit here, Marill."
Marill hopped into the seat beside Tracey's.
Umino-sensei entered the classroom. "Alright, students, class is now beginning!" He set his books and papers on his desk and turned to his students.
"Marill...?" A child...?
The teacher noticed Marill. "A Pokemon?" He hurriedly stepped over to Tracey and Marill. "Is this really a Pokemon?"
Tracey nodded. "This is Marill."
He gently started to pat her. "Marill...number 183 in the Pokedex, an aqua mouse with super sensitive hearing and oil in the ball on the end of the tail that enables the tail to act as a buoy to keep it from drowning in rough waters."
"I am impressed, Mr. Umino, you know a lot about Marill."
"I think I'm going to change the lesson plan today...if it's alright with you and Marill, Tracey?"
"It is, Mr. Umino...how did you know my name?"
"I heard about you from the chairman. You're a Pokemon watcher and Professor Oak's assistant, right? If I get anything wrong, could you please correct me?"
"If it's alright with you to do so."
"Great!" He returned to the front of the room. "Class, today we will speak about Pokemon!" He then noticed something else. "Ito-kun is absent?"
"Kazuki isn't well today and he wanted Keita to keep him company."
"I see. In that case, would you be able to pass on the work we do today to Ito-kun?"
"Sure."
"Okay, class will begin! I'd like to first start by talking about beginner Pokemon you can get from Professor Oak, Professor Elm, Professor Birch and Professor Rowan." He started to draw images of Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle on the chalkboard. "Sorry if these aren't perfect. Anyway, first we have Bulbasaur, this Pokemon is a grass type, however because of how it appears, it is hard to classify it and its evolved forms Ivysaur and Venusaur as animal or plant. This bulb was there when Bulbasaur was born and as it evolves, it grows into a flower. Next, we have the fire type Charmander. See the flame on the tail, that pretty much shows the health of the Charmander, same for its evolved forms Charmeleon and Charizard. The bigger the flame, the healthier it is. If the flame should ever go out, it will die. And here is Squirtle, a water type Pokemon. Squirtle's shell starts out soft when born but becomes harder as it grows. Its evolved forms are Wartortle and Blastoise. Okay, now for the ones you get from Professor Elm."
Tracey and Marill paid close attention to the lesson, glad that there was someone else who knew a lot about Pokemon. Tracey heard an error and raised his hand. "Mr. Umino, I'm afraid you made an error. The flame can go out, but is lit again whenever Cyndaquil is battling or startled. Even if the flame goes out, it's alright."
"Right, thank you for the correction, Tracey."
"Teacher's pet," one student stated in a teasing tone.
Not again... Tracey thought to himself.
Marill turned her attention to the student. She sent him a glare knowing that if she said something then Tracey would have to translate it and then he'd get in trouble.
Class ended and most students were leaving. "Tracey, could you please hold on for a minute?"
"Sure." Tracey stood by Umino-sensei's desk.
"I have a lot of information on Pokemon that always needs to be updated. If you don't mind, could you please go over it and see if everything's right?"
"It's fine, Mr. Umino. If you'd like, I can also share some of my reports with you, there may be some differences between Pokemon that you'll find interesting."
"That would be great, Tracey, thank you." He started to pat Marill again. "This might be a long shot, and sorry if it's personal, but are you related to Andrew Sketchit by any chance?"
"Yes, he's my father."
"If I may ask, how is it that he...?"
"He was terminally ill."
"I see. Sorry to ask you something so personal, Tracey."
"It's alright, Mr. Umino." He picked up Marill. "I'll be certain to give Keita today's assignment."
"Okay, and come by my office sometime this afternoon, I'm just a few doors down from here, my name is on the door."
"Okay. I look forward to more of your classes. I need to go now. See ya this afternoon, Mr. Umino."
"Okay, Tracey. I'll see you and Marill later." He watched Tracey leave. So, he really is the son of the greatest Pokemon watcher to have ever lived...
Later in the afternoon, Tracey headed back to his dormroom so he could collect some of his sketchbooks, as well as pass on Keita's assignment and see how Kazuki was doing. He stopped at Keita's room first. He gently knocked on the door and waited for a response.
Keita opened the door. "Hey, Tracey, hey, Marill."
"Hi, Keita. I can't stay for long, but Mr. Umino wanted me to give you the notes and assignment for today's lesson." He reached into the satchel pack he carried for classes only and pulled out a plastic folder. "The lesson was about beginner Pokemon, so if you need help, just ask."
"Thanks, Tracey."
"How is Kazuki?"
"He's feeling a bit better, he should be able to attend dinner. Wanna join us?"
"Thank you, Keita. I'll come back after I show my portfolio to Takuto and deliver some notes to Mr. Umino. Oh, is it alright if Marill stays here? Strong paint fumes make her ill."
"Sure, she can stay."
Marill hopped out of Tracey's arms. "Marill ma, marill rill." Tracey, be careful not to get lost.
Tracey chuckled. "I'll be fine, Marill. Well, I'll be back later. See ya!" And with those words, he moved towards his room and heard Keita shut the door.
Tracey had to pass the tennis courts to get to the class buildings and he saw Yukihiko, only he wasn't practicing with much flair, not like he saw the day before when walking this way with Keita. I must've hurt him this morning...I should clear it with him before things become much too awkward between himself, Keita and myself. He turned towards the tennis courts. "Yukihiko, can I please speak with you for a minute?"
The twins on the court turned to Tracey. "He doesn't seem to have any manners, does he, Kakeru?" he said loudly.
"No, he doesn't, Wataru," the other replied just as loudly.
"Interrupting our practice so he can talk, who does he think he is?"
"Yes, you're right, who does he think he is?"
Yukihiko placed his hands on both of their shoulders. "It's alright, we need to have a break anyway. You two deserved it."
The twins nodded. "Okay." They sent one more glance towards Tracey and then left to sit down and have a good drink of water.
Yukihiko approached Tracey. "What's up?"
"Can we please talk about this morning?" Tracey asked.
"Sure." Yukihiko jogged to the gate and went to meet up with the watcher.
The two teenagers sat on a bench not too far from the tennis courts, but far enough so the twins wouldn't eavesdrop. "I'm sorry about Kakeru and Wataru, it takes them a while to warm up to people. It took them a couple of months to warm up to Keita."
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about for me." I'm used to it...
"So, what's up?"
"I want to apologise for this morning, it's just that I kept telling you I didn't really like being called Honey and yet you did it anyway. I did not mean to sound harsh this morning, and Marill is feeling bad about it as well."
"You don't owe me an apology, actually I owe you one. I'm sorry I continued to call you Honey when it was making you feel uncomfortable. And you didn't hurt my feelings or anything if that's what you're worried about, Tracey."
Tracey blinked in surprise, Yukihiko finally addressed him by his name!
"Actually, what you said had me thinking. Can you tell me who it is that desires to be called my Honey?"
The watcher shook his head. "No, I can't. That was all I could tell you without interfering in someone's personal life. It's up to you to find him yourself."
"Okay then. Oops, better get back to practice, we have a tournament next week."
"I need to get going as well, I'm meant to get some notes from Mr. Umino and show him some of my reports."
Yukihiko got to his feet. "Well, I appreciate your concern over what happened this morning. Hopefully I'll see ya at dinner?"
"Sure, I'll be at the same table as Keita and Kazuki."
"I thought so. See ya then, Tracey." He then took off in a jog back to the courts.
Tracey got to his feet and continued on his way to the class buildings. He remembered which building he had to go to in order to find the biology classroom, now he had to find Umino-sensei's office.
Umino-sensei had finished saving the reports onto a disk when he heard the knock at his door. "Come in!" He picked up Tonosama and started to pat him.
Tracey opened the door. "Good afternoon, Mr. Umino."
"Hey there, Tracey, come in. Oh, where's Marill?"
Tracey entered the office and closed the door as he explained, "I'm seeing Takuto next and strong paint fumes make Marill feel unwell."
"I see. Ah, Tracey, this is Tonosama."
Tracey approached the teacher and reached out a hand so Tonosama could sniff it. He received a sniff and lick in reply. "I think he approves of me."
Umino-sensei chuckled. "Yep, he likes you! Oh, right, my reports, I saved them onto a disk. Do you have a laptop?"
"I'm afraid not..."
"That's alright, we have a computer lab in the next building, you can check the reports there." He ejected the disk and put it into a clear cover. He then handed it to the teenager.
Tracey accepted it with thanks and then reached into his satchel bag. "These are reports I made while travelling around the Orange Islands with some friends of mine." He handed them to the teacher who happily accepted them.
"Thank you very much, Tracey, I look forward to reading them!"
"I'll send an email to Professor Oak when I can and find out if he can send some information to you as well."
"I appreciate that very much. Pokemon are just so interesting to learn about."
"Yeah, they are. That's why I decided to become a Pokemon watcher, as well as wanting to keep up the family legacy. Oh, I'd better get going now, I still have to meet with Takuto before dinner."
"Sure. I'll see you in class tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay." Tracey reached down and gave Tonosama a scratch behind the ears and heard loud purring. "It was good to meet you, Tonosama." He looked back at the teacher. "Thank you for these notes, I'll do my best to update them as soon as possible."
"No need to rush. See ya, Tracey."
Tracey raised his hand in a waving gesture before he left the office and closed the door after himself.
Umino-sensei glanced down at his cat. "What do you think, Tonosama? He's a good kid, huh?"
"Nyao!" the cat meowed in response.
The teacher cuddled his cat.
Tracey glanced at the building. "I think this is the one I need to enter. Let's see, he said artroom 5-G...must be on the fifth floor...well, I may as well find out if this is the right building." He entered the building. He found the staircase and went to ascend it.
Tetsuya was jogging down the stairs and didn't notice Tracey until he crashed into him. He quickly reached out to keep the student from falling. "Sorry about that, are you alright?"
Tracey recovered from his shock quickly. "Yeah, I'm alright, thanks." He inhaled deeply to calm his rapid-beating heart after such a fright.
"It was my fault for not looking where I was going while running on the stairs. You sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I have been through worse," he replied with a reassuring smile.
"That's a relief. Hmm, don't think I've seen you around here before. You must be one of the freshmen."
"Yes. My name is Tracey Sketchit, please call me Tracey."
"Okay, Tracey. I'm Niwa Tetsuya, but everyone calls me Ou-sama."
"Ou-sama? King?"
"Correct, and Kaoru-chan is Juuou-sama."
"Queen? Now that you mention it, he did seem to carry that kind of air about him."
"Oh, you've met him?"
"Both Kaoru and Omi helped me find my way to my biology classroom this morning."
"Is that so? But, the treasury office is over the other side of the campus..."
Over the other side? But, they said that...maybe they just wanted to reassure me that I wasn't causing trouble for them...
"I was just seeing Iwai, he's in a bit of a mood today, so...by the way, how come you're up here? Class is over."
"I was on my way to see Takuto, he's seeing my portfolio."
"Well, like I said he's in a bit of a mood, so if he lashes out suddenly, it's not because of you. If he becomes harder to deal with, call Shinomiya on your cellphone and tell him. His number will be programmed into your phone."
"Right."
"Anyway, I'd better get back or Hide will chew me out for skipping more paperwork. See ya!"
"Right, see you later, King."
Tetsuya continued to jog down the stairs.
Takuto sat down heavily on a seat and rested his head in his hands. He didn't understand why exactly he was in such a mood on this day. there was no significance to the date. Things were going well between himself and Kouji, his artwork has earned a lot of attention from famous art sellers, so what was wrong with him? He lifted his head and glanced at his wrist. He saw a scar from another time he was in a deep depressive state. He had promised Kouji he wouldn't even consider such a thing anymore, but surely Kouji didn't have to know, right? He found something sharp and unfastened his jacket and shirt before quickly running it along his smooth skin, deep enough to hurt, but not deep enough to bleed. Some of his heart's pain left as he felt the physical pain on his chest. He buttoned up his shirt and jacket just as a knock on the door sounded. "Come in," he called softly.
Tracey opened the door and closed it as he entered. "Good afternoon, Takuto."
"Hello, Tracey. Did you have difficulty finding this room?"
"A little, but I soon managed. Is it alright if I just leave my portfolio with you for you to look at when you want to?"
"Sure, you can just leave it here."
"I'm also leaving my father's sketchbook so you can make a comparison."
"A comparison?"
"My father was a fantastic artist and Pokemon watcher. I wish to someday achieve the same level he reached. Could you please compare his sketches with mine?"
"I understand. However, it's unnecessary for me to do so. I wish to see your artwork, not your father's."
Tracey stayed quiet.
"I want to see your own portfolio and find out myself if you are a good artist like rumour has been claiming ever since word of you coming here spread through the school."
"I see."
"However, I would like to see your father's sketchbook as well, I am curious about his artwork."
"Okay then. Thank you."
"Could you please leave now? I wish to be alone..."
"Oh, of course. Thank you for taking the time to go through my portfolio." Tracey then turned to leave.
"Before you go, I apologise if I sounded harsh."
"It's alright, we all have our off-days." He then opened the door stepped out of the room and closed the door after himself. I hope you feel better soon, Takuto...
Keita played with Marill while Kazuki was changing into his uniform. He dangled a pencil over Marill while she kept jumping up for it. He heard the knock on the door. "Come in, it's open!"
Tracey entered the room. "Hey there, Keita, hey, Marill."
"Marill ma!" Marill abandoned the game and jumped into her trainer's arms. She nuzzled him affectionately.
"Did you have fun playing with Keita?"
Marill nodded and continued to nuzzle him.
Keita got to his feet and brushed his pants. "Did you find the art building alright?"
"Yeah, I did. I left my portfolio with Takuto. He's not at his best today, so he will look over it when he's feeling better."
"Oh, he's in one of his depressive states?"
"Afraid so."
Kazuki entered the room now in his uniform. "Good day, Tracey, sorry about this morning."
"It's alright, Kazuki, glad to see you're up and about."
"Well, we'd better hurry to the cafeteria before the lines become too long," Keita stated. "Is Marill coming too?"
Marill nodded. "Marill!" Of course I am!
"Then let's get going," Kazuki stated as all three of them left the room. "Keita, don't forget to lock your door."
Keita rubbed the back of his head before reaching into his pocket, taking out his keys and locking his door. "Thanks for reminding me, Kazuki."
Keita/Tracey: HAMU-HAMU HEAVEN!!
Once again, Tracey was walking along hoping to find something to sketch. He noticed a large shadow on the ground in front of him and decided to investigate what it was. He saw..."A giant cat-hamu!!"
Umino-sensei, also in a chibified hamster form, was sitting on the giant cat's head. "Oh, Tracey-hamu! Up here-hamu!"
Tracey looked up and saw his biology teacher. "Is it safe for you to be up there-hamu?"
"It's fine-hamu. Tonosama-hamu doesn't mind-hamu. So, what brings you out this way-hamu?"
"I'm looking for something special to make a sketch of-hamu."
"Any luck-hamu?"
"None-hamu..."
"How about making a sketch of Tonosama-hamu?"
Tracey considered it.
"But, before you do-hamu..."
"Yes-hamu?"
Umino-sensei slid down the giant Tonosama's back and tail. "I want to learn more about Pokemon-hamu, can you please teach me more-hamu?"
"I don't see why not-hamu..."
"Yay-hamu!"
Next thing Tracey knew, he was standing in front of some charts and pointing to them while Umino-sensei and Tonosama sat at desks and made notes.
Umino-sensei raised his paw to ask a question like a student would, funny that the student and teacher had reversed roles.
Tracey now stood by the blackboard, his cheeks were slightly pink due to modesty after realising he'd been teaching his teacher. He continued to tap the title of the next chapter with a little baton.
Umino-sensei jumped in front of the blackboard. "First day of class is over-hamu. And now it seems that a rough day is approaching for Tracey-hamu. Next time in Newest Student At BL Gakuen: Reliving The Past. If you read, you'll learn more-hamu!"