Hey guys! I'm back with the first official chapter of this story, yay! I hope you guys liked it, and of course, I still have more kings to introduce but that's until later, so I hope you all enjoy this and hopefully I'll be back with another chapter soon!
(Black City Airport)
"Welcome to Unova Valentine". She had stopped midway down the plane's stairs, staring at the man who had greeted her below.
"Who are you?" she asked.
He chuckled, "I guess you don't remember me, but I served under your mother back when she was the jewel."
"My…..mother?"
She kept staring at him, the man didn't seem harmless, but he was intimidating, such piercing gold eyes that she couldn't avoid. His white hair was as pure as the first snow of winter, his pale skin was smooth and almost translucent like accordingly to his chiseled cheek and jaw , something she couldn't help but envy. He was about the same height as her while she stood on the stairs, but off of them he would be taller, reaching a height of over six feet.
*He's handsome* she thought to herself.
He nodded to her previous question, "I knew your mother well Valentine, and I knew you well as a child as well, I will be the one helping you on your path to succeeding as the jewel, so you can call me Lyon."
"Lyon…" she mumbled, still staring after him as he walked over to the black car waiting for them, she shook her head, hurrying after him as they got in and drove off.
It was silent, he had his legs crossed, and arms folded with his eyes closed, almost as if he was taking a nap or resting, or quite possibly thinking to himself. However, she found herself staring at him some more.
"You can ask me anything, don't be afraid."
Her cheeks became flushed, she began fiddling with her fingers, unable to make eye contact when he opened his eyes, "I-i'm not-"
She became more flustered when he chuckled, "It's ok, you must have a million questions right now, don't be afraid."
He was right, she did have a million questions on her mind, and she needed some answers, "How did you meet my mother?"
His eyes shifted to the side, now staring at her as he kept facing forward, "The same way I met you just now, your mother came to me, and just like you, I too helped her on her journey as the vessel of the jewel."
She rolled her lips in, now staring down at her hands which she kept fiddling around with, "I know you said you're here to help me, but who exactly are you?"
"I'm an adversary to your people, believe it or not Valentine, I'm over a hundred years old and have been serving directly under Arceus as his…..I guess you could say, watchdog, I have looked after every generation of jewels and kings before you, I am on your side and your side only."
She became quiet again, now facing down at her lap which Lyon took notice of, he seemed curious as to why she had stopped, "I thought you would have had more questions."
"...You said you knew me from when I was little." he nodded, though she didn't see, but she knew his answer already.
"If that's so, then can you tell me who my father is?"
He was stunned to say the least, not expecting that type of answer, it was clear to her that even he seemed uncomfortable by the topic by the way he wasn't quick to answer, "I see….so even you won't tell me."
His tone became more frantic, "I-it's not that, it's just….."
"Just what." she looked at him with voidless eyes.
He sighed, "I'm sorry…..it's not in my place to tell you."
"Figures." she mumbled.
The rest of the car ride went on in silence and awkwardness, her attention the whole time had been out the window while Lyon kept his eyes closed, unable to stop thinking about her question.
(Spear Manor)
She was in a nolstagic high all the way through the drive way, the endless amount of green fields she remembered running and play on. A high cemented wall that protected so much of this land and that she tried countless times to climb despite her failed attempts. Not to mention the victorian castle inspired mansion that the car was pulling up to, it was the home she lived in with her mother and the kings before shortly being sent off to live with her grandmother.
"This place…..of all the things, I remember this place the most…..so many memories." she whispered, touching the glass as she kept admiring the beautiful structure of the mansion.
He appeared behind her, whispering lowly into her ear, "Valentine, you should know, the kings are inside."
"What?!" she looked at the building and then back at Lyon, desperation clear in her eyes as she was panicking internally.
"They have been living here for months already, getting acquainted with one another, and now it is time you do the same with them."
"I-i don't know if I'm ready, what if it's not the right time." she turned her back to the mansion, facing the ground as her body began trembling, something he quickly took notice of.
"There's never a right time for this, you just….have to do it."
(Meanwhile inside)
There was a loud crash, a body was thrown across the room, landing on a table as a female voice angrily and excitedly bellowed out, "I WIN!"
That same voice had belonged to the girl with an unsettling electric blue glare, she was anything but frail looking, her mesomorph body was the type to be envied by many, an hourglass shaped waist, well defined and toned arms, legs, and stomach. She had two types of tattoos on her arms, the left was of green vines and red roses with the word beauty on it, the right had barbed wire and chains with bullet casings, the word deadly spelled out on it. She had a heart shaped face with light freckles donning over her nose and cheeks, it certainly showcased the natural beauty she upheld, taking away the attention of the light scar going across her left cheek and that nearly blended with her lightly tanned skin. However, of all the attention grabbing features she had, the one that stood out the most was her hair, the left side of her hair was shaven off and dyed a dark blue, while the right had chin length hair colored black with white streaks.
"Agh! B-blake, p-please stop!" there was a shriek from the other side of the room, a fair skinned and fairly tall young girl with blazing blue eyes tucked herself against the corner of the room in fright. Her short wavy midnight black hair was disheveled through the mess going on while her white lab coat over her magenta dress, black jeans, and black shoes had been smeared with dirt stains.
"Cut it out you two! You're freaking out Skylar!" shouted a third female, this one being absolute eye candy to any male who laid there eyes on her. Beige clear skin that enhanced her precious seafoam colored eyes, a petite yet curvy frame with a decent sized bust and soft full looking chestnut locks that were tied in low ponytails with red ribbons hanging over her chest and passing her waist.
"Nolan! Do something!" she looked onto the light haired brunette male who was sitting calmly on the couch, flipping through the channels on the tv.
"Azula, it's not in my place to do so." he sighed, preferring to not interfere and ignore the rowdiness around him. Even though he was sitting, one could easily tell the guy was tall and in great shape. His wavy locks were long enough that they had been tied back into a ponytail. As much as she tried getting angry at him, she couldn't, his large warm coffee colored eyes were enough to nearly make her forget what she was yelling about. If it wasn't enough, she still had trouble getting past his attractiveness, the male was blessed no doubt with a strong and solid jaw, perfect straight white teeth, prominent cheekbones, full lips, and even a voice soothing enough to make girls swoon in seconds.
She quickly snapped herself out of her dazed state, "Niles?!" she shouted, hoping for some other form of backup.
"Yes?" a cheery figure had stepped out of the kitchen, dodging the lamp that came his way.
She couldn't take him serious, his usual long dirty blonde hair had been tied up into a bun, in which allowed a clear view of the sapphire earrings dangling from his ears and stealing the attention of his beautiful face freckles peaking through his tanned skin. Add the fact that he stood at five ten and had a nicely fit structured body that was donning a black apron over it, the overall look seemed just interesting to the others.
"You look like a housewife." cackled a third male voice from the back, it was the same male whom Blake had flung across the room earlier.
Nile's mischevious blue-green eyes narrowed deviantly in return. He glowered at the boy who struggled on picking himself off the floor, eventually getting some help from his Haunter who helped him.
"Thanks buddy." he gave a thumbs up to his partner who in return cackled, slowly disappearing until it was just him. He then noticed everyone in the room looking at him, dead panned expressions all around.
"What." he shrugged. Of all the kings in the room, this one in particular stood out the most. Messy wavy raven hair that unevenly cut, the right side was longer, enough so that it covered his ear, while the left was cut shorter. His skin was paler than most of the others, with only a tad hint of yellow bronzing as undertone. He was shorter than Niles and Nolan, and even Blake and Skylar, standing at the same height of five four as Azula. He had a lean body frame and was most likely the lightest of all the kings in the room. The most notable feature in all however, were his eyes, the left eye's iris was a ruby red, while the right was covered with an eye patch and shielded by his messy fringed bangs. There were scars all beneath the eye patch and solely on the right side of his face, almost as if he had been burned.
Azula groaned, facepalming as she noticed the mess both him and Blake had caused, "Chisio, I swear one day I will knock you senseless."
"Yeah! No food for you!" scowled Niles, pointing a ladle at the young raven haired male.
"Knock knock". Everybody's heads turned to the door, focusing on Lyon who walked in.
"Welcome home!" Azula cooed, clasping both hands together in a loving manner.
"How was your trip?" asked Skylar shyly, unable to face Lyon directly.
"It was fine, thanks." he grinned, causing both her and Azula to blush.
"Just marry the man already." Chisio scoffed, grunting when the white haired man ruffled his already messy hair.
Niles struck his ladle upwards, "Well, dinner's almost ready, shall we start setting the table?"
They were already heading to the kitchen only to be stopped when Lyon asked them to, "Not so fast guys."
"I'd like you all to meet somebody special."
"W-who is it?" asked Skylar nervously.
"Let me guess, another king?" Blake rolled her eyes.
"No…" he looked back at the door.
"...you can come out now."
They all looked at the door where there was nobody at first, until she appeared, leaving them all confused and quizzical.
"Uh….ok?" questioned Niles, shaking his head like the others who still had no clue what was going on.
She approached Lyon's side, facing the ground first before looking up and meeting eyes with all of them simultaneously, automatically her heart began racing from their unfazed looks.
"This is Valentine, she is the Jewel."
"WHAT?!" they all shouted at the same time.
"It's nice to finally meet you all." she bowed to them, leaving them still in a shocked frenzy.
"This? This is the jewel?" gaped Chisio.
"P-pretty…" mumbled Skylar, averting her eyes from Valentine who frowned, wondering if the young girl had suddenly grown to dislike her.
She met gazes with Blake who suddenly left her frightened through her cold venomous glare, "Hm…." she looked away afterwards, leaving Valentine to wonder why.
Azula approached Valentine even closer, getting just inches away from her face, almost as if she was examining her, "Is she really the jewel?"
Lyon settled his glare onto the outspoken girl, "Azula, enough".
Valentine's frown deepened, the tone of voice this girl had only shattered her confidence more, "I….I know I'm not what you expected, but- "
A new voice had spoken up this time, everyone looked back at the stairs where a new figure was descending from them, "No offense, but you look too frail to be the jewel, I'm afraid to even touch you because you might break, you keep avoiding eye contact, your posture is lopsided, and you keep talking in a shaky manner."
"Gee, don't hold back much do you Casval." Blake clicked her tongue, disapproving of the male's insults.
She couldn't help but be drawn in by the male's firm royal blue eyes which contrasted perfectly with his light skin tone and starry night black hair that had been combed back, revealing the red streaks along it. He had a rather slender build, a handsome narrow face and fairly intimidating style.
He joined in with the rest of the kings, "If she really is the jewel, then she should take this criticism as feedback, she is supposed to be our leader, but who's going follow someone who shows weakness."
Nolan scowled at the raven haired male, "Cut it out Casval, we're supposed to get along with her, not make her hate us."
"Yeah, let's make her feel welcomed, I made an awesome dinner, you guys will no doubt fall in love with me after it ." smirked Niles, hands on his hips as Casval scoffed, thinking of anything but food.
She couldn't help but feel sad within, *H-he's right…..as much as his words hurt, this guy is right about everything.*
"Give her some space will you guys?" Lyon scooted them all back, hoping to prevent Valentine from giving in to the harsh criticism.
"Hm…..by the way, where is Jin?" asked the white haired male, quickly taking notice of their absence.
The others had looked around as well, though Niles was the only one who seemed not too concerned, "He's been at the studio all day today, he might be coming home late again."
"Figures." scoffed Azula.
"It's ok, you'll meet him soon enough." smiled Lyon, only making Valentine more nervous.
There was silence, but it was quickly broken when Blake's stomach began growling, "I'm starving, where's this food you made Niles?" she groaned, rubbing her stomach as she licked her teeth.
Valentine was shook upon seeing them, *T-that girl….she has fangs for teeth?!*
"Yes, why don't we move this party to the dinner table, shall we?" smiled Lyon, leaving all of them frightened by his unsettling expression.
They complied, now taking their seats at the dining hall where Niles had brought out all the dishes, leaving the entire group flabbergasted by the beautiful cuisines set before them.
"T-this is incredible!" blurted out Valentine, quickly covering her mouth as everyone stared, though Niles responded with a tiny laugh.
"Thank you, I hope you enjoy it, I hope you all do, let's eat!"
"It's delicious!" they all said, quickly digging in as Niles watched contently.
*It's delicious, but a little spicy* she thought, now feeling the burning sensation in her mouth, she reached for her glass, only to cross hands with Nolan who had also reached for the water.
"..." she slowly turned her eyes over to him, finding that he was already staring back at her, that same stoic face from before.
She quickly pulled her hand back, "I-I'm sorry-".
His hand had moved towards her, she didn't know what was he doing but she only felt her heart beat faster, "Here."
"Huh".
He had reached over to her left hand side, grabbing the glass of water and handing it to her, "This one is yours."
She looked at it, then at him, taking it softly into her grasp as she felt the other kings eyes on her, "Thank you."
He didn't say anything, but she knew what his nod meant, Lyon watched from the other side of the table, a tiny grin on his lips as he faced his plate of food.
It wasn't long after that everyone had retreated to their rooms after dinner, leaving Niles to head back into the kitchen for clean up, his eyes slowly shifted to the sink where Valentine was, taking charge in washing dishes.
He chuckled wearily, still finding her act a bit unexpected, "You don't have to help Valentine, I always do the cleanup and I don't mind."
She shook her head, "Mm, I want to, I'm grateful for the delicious meal you prepared, it really hit the spot after such a nerve wrecking introduction to you all."
He kept scrubbing the stove, forming a whole hearted smile as he found the jewel slowly growing on him, "You know…..everyone here has their own story, some harder than others, I know they seem like a bunch of jerks, but they're not…."
She had paused, letting the water from the sink keep running on, her eyes were staring blankly at the bubbles forming from the soap and water mixing together.
"...don't give up, you'll win them over sooner or later, you just have to be patient."
After cleanup, Niles and Valentine had both headed upstairs, parting on opposite directions where he shot her a soft grin and small wave, "Thanks for the help again, goodnight!"
She felt content, being able to get along with at least one of the kings, she waved back in return, feeling warm inside from his kindness, "Hm, goodnight Niles."
The hall was empty, all the doors were closed and she could clearly hear the sound of her own footsteps as she made her way down to her room which was the very last door.
"Haunt….." a brush of cold air swept by her, causing her body to grow goosebumps from the eerie sensation.
She stopped, quickly spinning back only to find the hall still empty, "W-what was that….it's like somebody's watching me….."
Her feet kept going, but stopped when she heard another whisper pass by, "...-ter…...Haunter…"
"Who's there?" she demanded, looking around once more, it was then that a pair of single red eyes appeared before her, leaving her petrified.
"AGH!" she closed her eyes, running for dear life, as the eyes had grown a black shadow human figure. It was now crawling against the floor and getting closer, eventually forcing her to jump in fright as something grazed her finger.
One of the doors she was coming by had slowly creaked open, something hard had come in her way, suddenly, she felt light, her feet weren't touching the ground, but she did instead find a firm grip around her back and under her knees.
"What the-". It was a male voice, she slowly opened her eyes, finding themselves staring into a previously familiar pair of light brown ones.
It was Nolan, carrying her in his arms which she had unknowingly jumped into when she felt something touch her leg. To make matters worse, she was in direct contact with his shirtless body, all but a pair of black sweatpants in which he wore to sleep.
"S-something was chasing m-me and it touched my leg, I-i'm sorry!" she flinched, ready for him to drop her but he didn't, he continued carrying her, staying silent as he looked around the hall.
He sighed this time, "Chisio!"
One by one doors were opening, and all the others had stepped out into the hallway, Blake yawned, stretching her arms out, "What's going on?"
"Oh my." yelped Skylar, blushing madly as she saw a shirtless Nolan carrying Valentine.
"What the hell happened?!" Azula was just the same, unable to turn her eyes away from the brunette.
"What's with all the noise?!" growled Casval, being the last to step out and leaving all the girls but Blake flustered, he was shirtless as well, but instead he was dripping wet, droplets of water rolling down his bare body with only a towel wrapped around his waist.
Nolan's eyes narrowed down the hallway, confusing Valentine who hadn't a clue of what he was staring at, "Show yourself Chisio, or I'm blasting you and your Haunter away!"
A black hole appeared beneath the ground, from it rose up Chisio and his Haunter, "Ok ok, sheesh, lighten up everyone."
Azula pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing deeply in frustration, "Not another one of your stupid pranks."
"P-prank?" asked Valentine.
Casval groaned in between breaths, "Chisio's a junkie when it comes to pranks, get used to it because no matter how many times you tell him to stop, he won't."
Nolan settled his eyes down at the younger male, scolding him with just a gaze, "You went too far, apologize, now."
He crossed his arms, averting his eyes from everyone as his Haunter mockingly cried, "Sorry...I guess." he mumbled.
"Now can we go back to sleep?" Blake grunted as she went back into her room, slamming the door behind.
"Yeah, I can't get any beauty sleep with you all making a fuss." snapped Azula in anger, being the second to go back into her room.
"Y-yeah, and we have school too…." mumbled Skylar, quietly retreating to her room too.
"Whatever, I'm tired out anyways." Chisio snapped his fingers, causing a small puff of smoke to appear in his place, revealing his disappearance not long after.
"What a troublesome girl you are." said Casval, staring at Valentine with an unfazed manner.
Before he entered his room, he took one look back at Nolan and the jewel, "You can put her down now."
She had then noticed she was still being carried, now flailing around until he put her down where she slowly backed away, shielding her flustered face from him.
She bowed to him, "T-thanks again, I'm sorry I caused you trouble."
He looked down at her, stoic as ever, "It's ok, I don't mind."
There was nothing more said, she quickly rushed to her room, closing the door behind and leaving Nolan in the hall by himself. Down the other side of the hall, one of the doors had opened and Niles had stepped out, rubbing his eyes as he looked around and found Nolan staring back at him.
"What'd I miss?"
He said nothing, but rather instead went back into his room, leaving a dazed and confused Niles to wonder what had just happened in those few moments.
(Morning)
"Breakfast time!"
She was making her way down the stairs, seeing that one by others were already heading out the door, their mouths full of food and hands occupied with even more food. She was the last one to go into the dining room and the last beside Niles to still be home.
"You made breakfast?" she was savoring and admiring the beautiful set up he had on the table, there were waffles, fruit bowls, milk and juice poured into glasses, along with eggs, bacon and sausages prepared.
Niles chuckled, taking a seat at the table as he served himself a plate, "Yep, but like always everyone's in such a rush to get to school so they just take food to go."
She looked around, seeing all the empty chairs that would be occupied if they had stayed behind to dine in, "Well, I'll join you."
She took the closest seat to him, grabbing a plate as she served herself, both of them sharing a quaint breakfast together.
(Natural's Institute for the Elite/ High school division)
"So this is my school." she stopped at the main gates, gazing at the hundreds of students pouring through into the school.
She was given a list of directions from Lyon pertaining to her enrollment, first off was meeting with the dean of the institute, a man named Drake Luther whom was closely associated with the past jewels and kings from previous generations. He was an older aged man, looking to be about in his sixties with a white scruffy mustache and matching scruffy brows, he was fairly short and wore a brown suit. He had wrinkled tanned skin and cloudy green eyes with grey and white hair that was neatly combed back.
"It's a pleasure to meet the new generations jewel, you're the spitting image of your mother I must say."
She was stiff in her seat, feeling extremely intimidated by the older man, "Thank you sir."
He took a seat, folding both hands over the other as he stared intensely at Valentine, "No doubt you know what awaits you in the future already, you're an important key to making sure the balance of our world is not overturned, it's a responsibility that carries a lot of burden, and so here at Natural's Institute we try to help you on your journey to perfecting your role as the jewel."
She shook her head, "I don't understand, how?"
He chuckled, "Although this school serves mainly as a high ranking facility where students graduate and go on to become high ranking members of society, for the kings and yourself, it serves as a base of protection, there are people out there who want to hurt you, get rid of you dare I say, and in my school, I won't allow it. You and the kings have much to learn and grow from, here is where you will all do it."
It was still all confusing for her, "Valentine…" she looked up at the dean, seeing the stern look in his eyes.
"This school may look ordinary, but it's not, this school is under the protection of Arceus, you may not understand now, but you will soon, you are excused."
"Thank you." she bowed before exiting his office, leaving the older man to ponder.
She kept scratching her head, wandering the halls as she had forgotten about classes which had already started, "I don't understand, what does he mean by all that, I thought I was only brought to this school because it was closer to where I needed to be with the kings."
The more she walked, the further she found herself inside a memory hall, hundreds of paintings were displayed on the walls against one another, she took a moment to admire each one, eventually stopping when she reached a very familiar portrait.
"Th-that's my….mother….."
Lyon had appeared right next to her, causing her to jolt back from his sudden presence, "Ah yes, she was by far one of the best students this school has ever seen, she was even the council president for four years straight."
"Wow…." muttered Valentine, suddenly feeling a deep wave of sadness inside.
"So how's it going so far?" he asked, leaning down with a smirk towards Valentine who frowned.
"They're definitely not normal, but I mean neither am I…...I think they hate me, and they seem too occupied with themselves."
Lyon snickered, patting her lightly on the head, "You know, Casval, Nolan, Niles, and Azula attend the university division, all but Niles are ranked in the one percent of the school and even in the region, they are bright scholars indeed with successful futures. Niles himself is on the road to becoming a world class chef if he continues with such passion in his cooking."
He leaned his arm over her head this time, using his fingers to count the rest of the housemates, "Blake, believe it or not, is the student vice president of the high school division, Skylar, shy as she may be, is a bright girl with a future in researching, she has already published. Chisio, as annoying as he is with his pranks, he's a famous magician who people from all over the world come to see perform. Then there's Jin, you haven't met him yet, but that's because he's busy taking part in photoshoots, being a model is always time consuming."
"Amazing…...I had no idea…" she mumbled, looking once more at her mother's portrait.
He chuckled, patting her on the head before strolling off, "Don't let your first meet with them automatically cloud your judgement, you all have much to learn from one another, this school serves as a basis for learning, but it's also how you will all grow to become powerful beings of your time."
She sighed, staring at her feet as she felt so much weight on her shoulders suddenly, "I hope so….."
She couldn't take staring at the portrait anymore, it made her feel uneasy, she strayed away from it, now looking out of the window as she drifted into her own thoughts, "I know it wasn't going to be easy….but still…...how do I get along with them?"
There was a quick bright flash, *CLICK*
"U-uh….." she turned around, finding herself staring at a unique individual, he was crouched down on one knee, a camera in his hands which he was facing towards her direction.
He took another before standing up, letting go of his camera which hung from a strap around his neck, "What are you doing?" she asked, suddenly finding herself drawn into this male.
He said nothing, but rather instead kept staring at her, the atmosphere was awkward and there was nothing but silence, something he didn't mind. He would certainly stand out in a crowd, he was taller than her, being five ten to be exact. He had a pale complexion and unforgettable almond shaped dark brown eyes that nearly burned right through her. His jet black hair was styled with an undercut with his bangs sweeping across his forehead, truly, a man of blessed genetics.
"H-hey! Why did you take my picture?" she followed him once he began walking away, only to stop when he stopped.
She was facing his back, but even so, she could still feel that same unforgettable gaze his eyes gave out, it was like they were staring back at her from the back of his head, "The lighting, and contrast of your hair in that specific spot…...made for a good photo."
"W-what?" she still didn't understand, but something about him felt off, just being in close proximity made her body twitch.
She still seemed unsettled, "Don't you think you should at least ask someone when you're going to take a picture of them?"
He had finally turned around, now hovering over Valentine who couldn't shake off the unbearable feeling of negativity, "If it bothers you so much, then delete the photo yourself….I dare you."
Alright, well there you have the first chapter, I'm still working on the rest of the characters introductions but I hope you enjoyed this chapter, until then!
