Alright! Chapter 3 is edited now, so happy! Thank you again to my readers! A shortened down version of the old chapter 4 is at the end. So yeah. Just to let you know, all of you guys are some of the best. :)
A flock of wingulls hovered in the sky as the S.S Sea Gallop sped through the ocean, headed straight for a small dot on the horizon. On the deck of the ship, Diamond and Pearl lounged about, seeking some way to escape from their boredom. Platinum, however, was brimming with excitement about going to a school.
A few hours past noon, the boat slowed down to land at the docks of the island. Despite what Platinum's brochure showed, the building in front of them was not what she had in mind of how a school should look. The three were quite frankly shocked at what they saw.
"This place is just... I have never seen anything like it." Platinum breathed.
"Umm... are you sure this is a school?" Pearl asked a little uncertainly. "We didn't come to the wrong island, did we?
" I wonder where the cafeteria is…" Diamond looked around, reaching into a green bag and pulling out a rice ball.
"Are you serious Dia? Those other rice balls weren't enough?" Diamond shrugged.
"And why is the first thing you ask about is the cafeteria? Especially when..." Platinum waved her hand in front of her.
The Sinnoh trio were standing at a small, shoddily built dock looking at an enormous wall that seems to encompass the entire island. From a distance, the island had not seemed so big. Of course, now up close, they could see that the island extended for a good few miles behind. Near the middle of the wall, directly in front of them were two steel doors about twice their height, each door with the width about twice the three of them standing shoulder to shoulder. The trio was still in shock about the school that they did not see a lone figure leave through a smaller door on the side and make its way down to the dock. When the figure got close enough and they finally realized they were not alone, they could see it was a fairly old man in a white lab coat. Platinum on instinct reached for her pokéballs.
"May I see you're registration forms please?" He asked politely.
"Our what?" Platinum was still a little disoriented. Shaking her head a bit, she apologized and handed the man a stack of papers that she pulled from her bag. The old man scanned them quickly before he clapped his hands. "Good, good! We've been awaiting your arrival with much anticipation. Follow me please." The man took off at a brisk walk towards the 'school'. The three hesitated before following, catching up to him while he was in the middle of talking to himself.
"You three will love it here. We offer some of the finest education, taught by the finest teachers. Or at least, I think of them as the finest teachers."
Platina cleared her throat lightly. "Excuse me, mr...?"
"Oak. You may call me Professor Oak." The old man smiled down at the girl.
"Eh?" Pearl cut in. "You mean THE Professor Oak?"
"Yes, that's me. I'm glad you've heard of me, young man."
Platinum pushed Pearl aside and continued. "Excuse me, Professor Oak? I do not mean to be rude, but why does this school look like a..." She paused, looking for the right word.
"A prison?" Diamond chimed in.
"Yes, a prison." Platinum nodded in agreement.
"Oh, I'll tell you once we're inside. This way please." The group had reached the gate and the Professor was now digging in his pockets for something. "Where did I put it... ah, here we are!" Pulling a silver key from his pocket, he inserted it and the gates opened. The soon-to-be students gasped at what they saw.
"Oh my..." Platinum breathed.
Diamond dropped the rice ball he was eating and just gaped while Pearl on the hand, couldn't hold in his excitement anymore and started to jump, shout and point, earning him a slap on the back of the head from Platinum.
"Welcome to Sevii Islands Academy!"
The inside was nothing at all like the outside. The path became less rocky and more paved, the dead shrubbery along the edges was replaced by blooming flowers, lush hedges and bright green trees. The walls from the inside looked less menacing and more comforting with a few lamps and tapestries on them. Student's mingled and occasionally shot fleeting glances as they walked by. Platinum could not quite hear what they were gossiping about. At the far left end of the main plaza, they could see a path with fairly big houses on each side. The professor laughed at their expressions and continued on.
"Quite impressive, isn't it?"
Diamond was the first to recover. "But then, what's with the outside?"
Oak just chuckled. "Oh, that? We designed it that way just to keep unwanted guests out. Much like how we only send directions to the island if we accept you. We take our privacy very seriously here." The professor gave them a wink. "It also helps save us money."
Pearl fell back a bit whispering to Platinum while Diamond continued on ahead with Oak.
"You think this is just a little... I don't know? Strange?" He whispered, the excitement and curiosity clearly audible in his voice.
"Whatever do you mean?" She giggled.
"What do I mean? Missy, did you SEE those walls?"
"Yes, they were quite lovely, were they not?" The girl said nonchalantly, though she tensed a bit at the sound of her nickname again. "And please, stop calling me Missy."
"You have to be kidding me..." Pearl slapped a hand to his face. "Than what is THE Professor Oak doing here?"
Platinum laughed at her companion as she bounded out a few steps in front of him. "Let us catch up to Diamond and the Professor! You can ask him then." She smiled as she ran towards the two fleeting figures.
"Man! You change your attitude fast."
The two friends rushed off to catch up to their friend. When they reached the glass doors of the main building, the professor had already left, giving Diamond strict instructions to wait for his assistant.
While the two boys talked about what they should do first, Platinum took in her surroundings. Looking back towards where they had come from, she had just realized how far they had walked. Sadly, she could not see any pokémon battle fields anywhere. Students were told they were only allowed to bring two pokemon with them, but it was a rarely enforced rule. And while it was a school, she had still be looking forward to battling other students. And crushing them of course. She smiled to herself at the thought of her other pokémon in her bag that she had sneaked in, thinking of herself as some cunning master thief.
"Hey! You three in front of the doors!" Platinum was snapped out of her thoughts by the shout. When she turned around, she could see a girl in a white lab coat with black pigtails walking towards them. Platinum thought she looked strangely familiar but shook the thought out of her head. The girl's shout had also attracted the two boys attention as well.
"I'm assuming I'd be correct in guessing that you three are the new students here?" She gave them a welcoming smile.
"That is correct." Platinum answered cautiously. "May I ask your name?"
"My name's Crystal, Professor Oak's assistant. But you can call me Crys for short." The older girl gave a friendly wave.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Crystal. My name is Platinum Berlitz."
"And I'm Diamond! But you can call me Dia if you want."
"My name's Pearl!" The boy chirped, excited at meeting the girl.
"Pleased to meet you guys." She gave a curious glance at Platinum before resuming. "Follow me and we can get your schedules, books, and supplies. Then, I can give you a little tour of this place. You're a few days late, so you missed the start-of-the-school assembly, but don't worry. You really didn't miss much." Crystal laughed to herself and walked through the sliding doors.
After getting their supplies from a conveniently placed student store, Crystal spent the rest of the day leading them around the campus, showing them the different classrooms and teachers. Platinum almost fainted at the sight of school. It was like heaven to someone such as herself who strove for knowledge. What really caught her eyes though, were the battle fields inside. She quietly said a thank you to herself.
"This place is amazing!" The girl grinned broadly. "I bet there is so much more I can learn here." The older girl smiled at the girl.
"We don't get that very often." She chuckled. "I can tell we're going to be good friends." As they reached the glass doors they started at, a loud ringing sound resounded through the building. Crystal laughed. "And perfect timing. That was the dinner bell. We should start heading to the cafeteria before everyone gets out of class."
Diamond's eyes lit up at the word 'dinner'. Aiming to get the best spots in the cafeteria, the group rushed to the cafeteria, surrounded by like-minded students. As they waited in line, the two girls began chatting about their classes.
"So we have eight classes in total, but we only got to half of them a day?"
"That's right." The older girl smiled back. "The school runs on a sort of 'A day, B day' schedule. So classes one through four, you go on an A day. Classes five through eight, you go to on B days. They alternate between the days. Saturdays are free days though, so we don't have any classes on that day."
"I see..." Platinum nodded seriously. "I shall do my best to remember what classes to go to on what days."
When they finally got their food, the small group scoured the cafeteria for a table. Crystal pointed to one where two others, a boy and a girl, were already at. The boy with black hair covered by a black and yellow cap stood up when they came. He had a goofy grin plastered on his face, which was directed at Crystal.
"Hey, Super Serious Gal! How's my favorite girl?" He laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulder.
Crystal had annoyance written all over her face. "Buzz off Gold. And don't call me that!"
Gold put on a look of fake disappointment. "Damn Super Serious Gal, why you gotta be so cold to me? I just wanted to talk to my girl."
"Watch your language in front of the new students! And for the last time, I am not your girl!" Crystal looked furious now, much to Pearl and Platinum's amusement. Diamond however, was watching the other girl at the table. She had on a blue bandana with brown hair hanging down, framing her face. He was amazed at how much food she had stacked up on her plate. Just before she was about to start eating, the girl noticed Diamond staring at her food.
"Uh, what's up kid? Do ya need somethin' from me or my food?" She scooted her plate further away from Diamond, turning protective of her meal.
Diamond snapped back to reality. "Oh, um, no. I was just wondering, are you gonna eat all that?"
The girl just laughed. "Of course I am! I wouldn't have gotten this much if I wasn't gonna eat it!" Diamond's face turned into that of a kick poochyena, looking back at his own measly plate full of food. The girl sighed and took his hand. "Here, c'mon." The boy looked shocked at his hand in hers but she didn't take any notice. They started walking towards the line "So what else do ya wanna eat?"
"Eh? What do I want?" The girl nodded. His face turned pensive for a second before suddenly lighting up the next moment. "I want everything that you got!"
Sapphire looked shocked at this. "Eh? Are ya sure ya can eat all that?" The boy nodded. "Alright then! How 'bout a little contest between the two of us?"
Diamond had a blank look on his face. "A contest?"
"Yeah! An eatin' contest!"
Diamond's face lit up immediately at this. "You really mean it?"
"Of course! I mean, all the food here is free so there ain't no reason to hold back! And it's pretty decent food for school food." She gave Diamond a toothy grin.
"Alright!" Diamond grinned.
"The name's Sapphire by the way. What's yours?"
"My name's Diamond! But you can call me Dia if you want."
"Alright, Dia! I can't wait to eat ya under the table!" Sapphire smiled broadly. "This is gonna be so much fun."
By the time Sapphire and Diamond returned, three more people had shown up. One was a boy in a red cap that covered his spiky black hair and wore a blue jacket. The boy excused himself to get food for the two girls while they waited. Seeing Crystal and Gold arguing they giggled to each other.
"My, my! Arguing again like an old married couple?" The older one teased. She had a long brown hair and wore a plain light blue shirt and red skirt. "Young love is so cute!" The way she said this frightened Platinum for some reason.
Crystal blushed and muttered something about a 'stupid boy' while Gold wore his goofy grin on again.
"You shouldn't tease them Blue. You're only a year older than them anyway." The younger girl said. She had her long blond hair tied back in a ponytail while she wore a simple orange dress over a black shirt.
Blue just waved her hand, dismissing what the younger girl said. "Oh Yellow, the two of them are obviously going to hook up sooner or later. No point in not having a little fun with them."
"Really?" Yellow pondered at this realization.
The boy who had left earlier came back with three plates, two in his hands while he balanced the third on his arms. "Here we go! Dinner time!" He announced.
Blue winked at the boy. "Thanks handsome." And took two plates for herself and Yellow, leaving the boy to blush. Yellow stiffened slightly at the off-handed compliment. When they all sat down together. Blue finally noticed the two Sinnoh trainers sitting there.
"Hey, you two! I haven't seen you around here recently. I'm guessing your new?" The two nodded. "Hooray! New students! My name's Blue, and this is Red." She gestured to the boy next to her. "It's nice to meet you."
"I am pleased to meet you as well." Platinum gave a polite nod towards the older woman. "My name is Platinum."
Yellow gave a shy wave to Pearl and Platinum. "Um, my name's Yellow."
"Mine's Pearl!" He gave her a big grin. "Nice to meet you!" The girl recoiled a bit as Pearl thrust out his hand. She tentatively took his hand, smiling softly.
"It's nice to you meet you." Yellow turned to Platinum and waved. "It's nice to meet you too, Platinum."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." The rich girl smiled back. "Excuse me for asking, but are you also a freshman here?" Platinum had spent the night before heading to the boat researching school. She had found out so-called nicknames for their grades and was thrilled to be able to say it.
"No, I'm actually junior... So I'm two years your senior..." Yellow blushed at the word. The younger girl looked shocked at this. A junior was an eleventh grade student, but the girl in front of her was so child-like. Platinum felt herself turning slightly jealous.
"A junior? But you look so... young." She cleared her throat at the end. "I apologize for my rudeness, I was just a little taken back."
Yellow laughed softly. "I do look young. It's annoying at some times though, but it has its advantages." The two girls immediately began chatting about random things, talking already as if they had been long time friends. Sapphire and Diamond had returned to the table with more plates of food, only to place them at the table to go get more. When they came back with four more plates each they sat down and prepared themselves. Red looked at the two strangely.
"So, what's with all the food Sapphire?"
"Oh, nothin' much Red. Just a friendly competition with my new pal Dia." She said this without looking at him, opting to stare at the food instead.
Diamond gave a small wave to Red, who returned it, then turned back to his food.
"Can I be referee?" Gold piped up.
"Sure, just hurry up and start!" Sapphire said impatiently.
"Alright! Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! The start of our first ever eating tournament is about to get underway. Our contestants this year are-"
"Skip the bullshit and start already!" Sapphire yelled. A few of the surrounding students at other tables glanced over. Most however, ignored the outburst and went about their business as if this sort of thing were normal.
Crystal sighed at this. "Please not in front of the younger students, Sapphire. You're almost just as bad as Gold!"
"I take offense to that Super Serious Gal! And, begin!"
Immediately after he said that, Sapphire and Diamond began swallowing food at an alarming rate. Platinum and Crystal just gaped at how much food was gone while Pearl was laughing, falling to floor. Blue and Red started to flirt, ignoring the contest as if it were just the two of them. Yellow gave a soft sigh at Blue and Red together. Platinum gave her a sympathetic look. Platinum immediately empathized with her new friend.
"Is something the matter, Yellow?" She tried to ask this softly, which was incredibly hard given they were in a cafeteria.
"No, it's nothing. Please excuse me, Platinum. I think I'm gonna head to bed. It was wonderful meeting you." Yellow got up and hastily walked towards the exit, bumping into a taller, brown-haired boy walking in.
"Sorry, Green..." She muttered before she continued her exit. Green looked back at her retreating figure and frowned a bit. He decided he would find her later, thinking she needed to be alone for now. By the time he got to the table with all the others, Diamond and Sapphire were on their third plate and still going, although Sapphire seemed to be slowing down. Seeing Red and Blue flirting, he quickly deduced why Yellow was in such a hurry to get out. He casually leaned up against the table and turned his attention to Platinum.
"Who are you?" He asked, a little harsher than he intended.
"I believe it is proper to give your own name before asking for another person's." Platinum replied curtly.
"I'm sorry. My name is Green." His tone slightly changed.
"My name is Platinum. I am a new student here." She softened her tone a bit, dismissing her earlier accusation of him.
"Did you happen to hear where Yellow was headed to?" The worry in his voice was clear.
"I did not. I am actually worried about her as well..." Platinum recalled the heartbroken face on her new friend's face. "Does she-" She cut herself off, thinking it was not her business to know. "Never mind. Please forget I said anything."
"I see. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Green stole an apple that had rolled off to the side from the competition. Taking a bite from it, he gave a small wave to Red and Blue before turning around to leave. Platinum sighed, turning her attention back to the two eaters. Sapphire had just finished her fourth plate and looked as if she was about to pass out. Diamond, however, was on his seventh and last plate and was still going strong.
"Damn Dia! You can really put that food away, can't ya?"
"Sapphire!" Crystal glared at Sapphire, who sheepishly looked away. She sounded exasperated. "Can't you at least show a little restraint?"
Diamond chuckled, stopping for just enough time to answer. "I love food!" Sapphire had a huge grin on her face.
"We're gonna be good friends, I can tell! Now if only Ruby could eat as much as ya." The girl laughed at this. Diamond, confused at this statement, just smiled and continued shoveling food into his mouth.
"Speaking of which, where is Pretty Boy?" Gold asked.
Sapphire looked a little mad at his question. "That sissy said he was sick and went to bed early. I doubt he's sick at all though!"
"Hey guys, speaking of which, we should head back to our rooms. It's getting pretty late." Blue said, looking around to find out that most of the other students had already left.
Red stood up and stretched. "Yeah, I guess we should. Me and Blue will meet you guys there, okay?"
Blue jumped up and grabbed Red arms. "Aw, but I wanna walk with the new students!"
"Fine." The young man smiled at the girl latched onto his arm. Gold held out his hand to Crystal while smirking.
"Need me to walk you back to your room, my lady?"
Crystal put a sweet smile on her face and to everyone's surprise took his hand. "I guess I should accept since you're never this nice. Just don't try anything." Crystal warned, and then started to walk out the door with her hand in Gold's. Sapphire looked at the remaining three and smiled.
"Lemme see your schedules. They should have your house number on them." Handing her their papers, she took a quick glance at them. Her face lit up and handed back the schedules. "Ya guys are lucky! Looks like ya bunkin' at our dorm! Man, this is gonna be so much fun!" She left the cafeteria with Red and Blue, waving at them to hurry up.
The three kids looked at each other and smiled. They briskly walked towards the exit and followed the older kids down the path. As they were walking, Platinum's mind shifted to what happened to Yellow.
Green cursed as he tripped over a tree root again. Picking himself up, he continued down a grassy slope to the side of the road. Beyond the houses lay a thick forest. Most of the island was left alone during construction of the school, leaving a lush habitat for many different types of wild pokémon. After a few more minutes of stumbling, he made it to a clearing at the side of a quiet stream. He could make out a slight, hunched over figure next to the stream. Guessing that it was Yellow, he walked over to her and stood silently next to her. They stayed like this for a good ten minutes, before Green finally said something.
"You're going to get sick if you stay out here."
She didn't respond. Crouching down, Green heard her breathing, steady and quiet. She was asleep. Green mentally hit himself for not realizing sooner. Carefully picking her up, he started to carry her back up the slope towards the path. A small, round yellow ball fell from her stomach and bounced a bit as he shifted her. Stretching out, a pikachu yawned before looking up at Green. "Sorry Chuchu." The boy muttered his apology, not bothering to stop.
"Chu." The pikachu said sleepily before trotting up the slope and after her master.
Phew! I cut out so much from the FeelingShipping scene! Sorry about that. Poor Yellow D: Anyways Review, Comment, and Flame! Thank you so much for reading~