OTIS
The morning sun shines through the shuttered window, leaving streaks of yellow, pink, orange, and red splayed through out Otis' room as he wakes up. Wen is still sleeping quietly on her pillow, so he's careful not to wake her as he gets out of bed.
He throws a shirt on, heading out to use the washroom, and Austin is already up and showered.
"Hey kid! Why'd you run off yesterday?" He asks, handing Otis a coffee cup of what smells like herbal tea.
"Thanks. Had an idea." He neglects to include that he had to pee like a Rapidash and was just to tired to go back out.
"Those can potentially be dangerous." Austin laughs, and Otis chuckles.
Otis sips from his cup, and instantly moans, the taste sending his whole mouth aflame with delight.
"Like it? I make my own, mint leaves and cucumbers, believe it or not. This batch has some lemon as well." He explains, but Otis doesn't hear him, his cup already empty.
Lifting the kettle, Austin carefully pours him another.
"Don't drink too much, or you'll be peeing like a fire hose." They both laugh.
"Hey, Austin?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm supposed to sign up for classes today, where am I supposed to go for that?"
"Gardenia will probably handle yours personally, so chances are she'll come to get you. But, in the off chance she doesn't, you would need to meet with her in the counselors office, which is on the top floor." Otis nods, smiling.
"Anyways, I'm out for a seminar, so I'll catch you later." He waves as he heads out, Lory sitting tiredly on his shoulder.
Otis waves, and Wen comes out of the room, yawning.
"Hey! I'm just going to shower, then we'll go find Titus, okay?" She nods, her eyes still half closed, as she sips from Otis' cup, which he set on the table so he could go shower.
Her eyes go wide and she exclaims as she downs the rest of the cup.
He showers quickly, throwing on a nice pair of pants and the best shirt he can find, before they head out.
His first stop is Titus' room, but no-one answers, so he shrugs and heads to the cafeteria.
As he descends the stairs, the smell of food reaches out to caress his senses, and he almost trips as he speeds up.
He flings the doors open, and notices that the cafeteria is quite empty, but he sees Titus sitting with Gabby and... a girl?
Titus waves, gesturing for him to come over, and he sighs, the prospect of food pushed just a LITTLE further, but he walks over anyways.
"Little bro! This is Avary, and her starter, Henry." Otis shakes their hands, offering a smile and Wen even bows.
"Nice to meet you!" She smiles, and Otis can't help but to notice the goofy grin on his brothers face.
"Nice to meet you to, Avary. You guys eaten?" He asks, and they both nod.
"Could you grab me a muffin?" Titus asks, and Otis nods, not bothering to ask which kind cause he had made them a million times.
He heads back, and the two start back into their conversation.
Wen happily picks out what she would like, and Otis piles eggs, muffins, and even ham onto his plate, before they head back, sitting beside Titus.
Avary says her goodbyes, and something about needing a new shirt, to which they both laugh, before she heads out.
The second she's out the door, Otis swings around to face his brother.
"You like her, don't you?" He asks, point blank, and Titus splutters his juice.
"W-what? N-no, of c-course not!" He stutters, but the shade of scarlet on his cheeks gives him away.
"She seems nice, bro." Is all Otis has to say, before digging into his plate.
They leave together, after Otis finishes and Titus calms down, and they head for the counselors office.
They head upstairs, chatting about their first day.
"I found the library, got to meet the Oreburgh Gym leader, and met Avary, who seems pretty cool. We have a system where we switch a few books every week." Titus explains, and Otis nods.
"I went out training with Austin, then went to bed. I didn't stay up very late." Otis says, and Titus nods.
"Gabby fell asleep as soon as I took my eyes off her." Gabby growls, but doesn't dispute the fact.
She is NOT a morning person.
"Oh, cheer up baby girl! You're THIS close to evolving, we should get some training in today!" She nods happily at that, her usual, cheery self back.
They finally make it to the fourth and final floor, following the signs that point them in the right direction.
As they approach the door, a woman with long, emerald green hair, and the eyes to match. Her hair is braided into a large braid that falls over her shoulder, almost to her waist, and she's wearing a light green sundress.
Over all, very green.
"Hi there! You must be Otis and Titus!" She stops, shaking their hands.
"Um, Hi! I'm Otis, this is Titus!" Otis points them out, and she smiles.
"I'm Cheryl, the headmistress here at the academy. Nice to meet you both, Gardenia has been telling me all about you two!" She smiles, her eyes shining in the morning light reflecting off the windows.
"Oh, Hi! It's a real pleasure to finally meet you, ma'am!" Titus bows, and the woman laughs.
"Ma'am? Please, call me Cheryl. If you have any questions about classes or anything, really, don't be afraid to come find me, you're always welcome in my office." She steps out of the way, and lets the two boys pass.
"It was nice to meet you two, I hope to see you around!" She smiles, waving as she enters another room to her left.
The boys wave, before turning and going into the office.
Gardenia is sitting on the chair across from the lady on the computer, but she stands when the boys come in.
"Ah, early risers! Good to see you up and at 'em! Come with me, we'll get your classes all figured out in the courtyard. I don't know about you to, but I for one REFUSE to let the morning light escape me!" She grabs their shoulders, leading them out to the courtyard.
"So, how this works," She starts, after they've all sat down on the benches and let the pokemon out to play, "is you have four classes a day, but not every day is the same. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are called Academic Days, while Tuesdays and Thursdays are your Physical days. Caught up so far?"
After both boys nod, she continues;
"Saturdays and Sundays are fair game, as long as you stay safe, and sign out at the office if you leave. You are more than welcome to go spend time at your Aunt's, and she always has a room here should she come to visit as well. If you intend on staying out for more than a few nights, you will need a signed slip from a teacher or instructor saying that they know where you'll be at all times."
She hands both boys a small booklet outlining numerous classes and seminars available through out the week.
Titus raises his hand, but takes it down quickly after the look Gardenia gives him.
"Sorry! What is the deal with the seminars?" He asks, and Otis nods, wondering the same thing.
"Seminars don't have to be signed up for, and are open to any student that finds them interesting. If you have spare time, or want to skip a class for a seminar, we will never say no! Just walk right in, introduce yourself to the teacher or instructor, and your golden! Another thing, If you find class is going a bit to slow for your liking, NEVER be afraid to ask for work in advance! You can't turn it in early, but you are more than welcome to do as much or as little work as you can fit into your schedule!" Titus beams, glad he can work at his own pace, while Otis asks another question.
"So, these classes like... Training 101, PokePlants, and... The art of the catch, they are all considered 'physical' classes, right?" He asks, and Gardenia nods.
"Yep! So those classes would be held outside, normally on a Tuesday or Thursday." She hands them both a sheet with multiple blocks in multiple rows, each row headed with a day of the week.
"Write down what you guys would be interested in, and I'll be back!" Before they can ask where shes going, she takes off, signalling for her Roserade to follow.
Gabby and Wen pout at the loss of their friend, but get quickly sucked into the fountain by a little Azurill.
Otis moves so he's across the table from his brother, and they start going through their sheets.
"So... Let's do yours first." Titus decides, setting his to the side.
"What are you most interested in, as a trainer?" He asks, taking Otis' sheet from him. Otis stares out at the pokemon as he answers.
"I want to learn how to properly train a pokemon, how to care for it, and mostly, how to keep it happy. I also want to learn how to catch my own pokemon." He starts, and Titus smiles, as he finishes writing in the physical classes.
"Good! Now, instead of us sitting here for hours while you decide what academics you like, how about I base the choices on your aspirations?" Titus asks, but Otis just stares at him blankly.
He sighs, Otis chuckling.
"Small words, big brother! Small words!"
"I'll pick your classes so that they make sense to a trainer like you." He says simply, and Otis nods.
"I was hoping you'd offer." Otis says mareepishly, passing the booklet over to his brother.
After filling in all of Otis' classes, Titus turns to his.
The academics are easy, with lots of history classes to choose from, but it's the physical classes that stump him.
Otis takes the sheet, smiling at his brother.
"Let me help you with this part." He says simply, and Titus just nods.
Otis ends up picking only two physical classes for his brother, Training 101, and Evolution 302.
"And... there we go! Alright!" Titus smiles, signing the last line on the class schedule, and standing.
"Where are you off to?" Otis asks, standing to.
"I have plans with Avary in the library." He explains, and Otis nods.
"I'm going to go see Aunty Flo, I think." He says.
"Already? If you're going, tell her I love her!" Otis assures his brother he will, then they go their separate ways for the day.
TITUS
"So... Salamance will be a devout Dragon and Flying type, correct?" Avary asks, and Titus nods, marking it down on his paper.
"So Ice types will be your worst adversary, followed by Rock, then Fairy. And, of course, your fellow Dragon types." She finishes, and he nods again, marking that information down.
"So, ideally, you'd want a good, roundabout Psychic, and maybe even a Water type to balance your team out, but I would also recommend maybe a Fairy, they aren't that bad in terms of physical power, but if you could get you'r hands on a Gardevoir, you'd be set." She finishes, and he nods.
"As a Professor, I wouldn't need a large team, just a well rounded one." Titus points out, and Avary nods, tucking her bangs behind her ear.
He grabs her sheets, gently taking them from her as he goes over her notes.
"Okay... so Henry will come to be straight Ice type, right?" She nods, so he continues.
"Meaning, your worst weakness will be Fire, followed by Rock, Steel, and Fighting. I think a good Steel and maybe even a Grass type could help you out there, but Poison would be a good option to, albeit weak to Steel." He points, and she nods, marking it down.
"Hey Titus..." She says suddenly, and he looks up, confused.
"Whats up?" He doesn't realize how close their faces are, as he's fully immersed into his work and calculations.
She bites her lip, looking nervous, and he sits back.
"Are you okay?" He asks, and she lets out a breathy chuckle.
"Yeah... I just... Can we..." She stutters, but he stops her.
"Breathe, Avary. Whats the matter?" His eyes concerned, she smiles.
"Would you... want to... catch a pokemon with me, tomorrow?" She asks, and he whistles, but nods.
"Of course! Where would we go?" He asks, and she smiles.
"I signed us both up for the Great Marsh trip tomorrow." She smirks.
He laughs, leaning back.
"How'd you know I was going to say yes?" He chuckles, and she shrugs, a smug look on her face.
"I didn't... but I hoped you would." He laughs again, shaking his head, before they get back into their discussion.
OTIS
"Aunty Flo?" Otis knocks on the door, and there's a yelp from inside, before the door flies open, Terra standing in the doorway with a huge grin.
"Bre!" She exclaims, throwing Otis into a tight hug, before moving to allow him in, Wen following closely behind.
"Who is it?" Aunty Flo's voice rings from the kitchen, and Otis smiles, walking right in.
"Oh! Otty!" She rinses her hands from the onions she'd been cutting, hugging her youngest nephew tightly.
"Hey!" He chuckles, and she kisses his forehead.
"How's the school?" She asks, gesturing for him to take a seat, which he gladly does, the walk having tired him out.
"Huge, Aunty. Ginormous! I get lost going to my room!" She laughs, and he can't help but smile.
"Do you have a roommate yet?" She asks, back to prepping the food,
"Yeah! His names Austin, and he's training to be a flying type gym leader! His starter was a Pidgey, but Lory's a Pidgeotto now." He explains, and she nods.
"Thats awesome! Sign up for any classes yet?"
Before he can answer, there's a loud commotion from the backyard.
"BRE!" Terra screams, and Aunty Flo is outside, knife in hand immediately.
Otis hears her gasp, and he is able to dodge past her.
"OTIS!" She screams, but he's already past her, and watching as the scene in front of him unfolds.
Terra is trying to attack three Staraptor, who are all flying around and dive-bombing... something green.
And there's lots of blood.
"Wen, GO! Shadow Sneak!" He points at the nearest bird, and Wen ducks into his shadow.
He doesn't watch the attack, as he jumps into the fray, but he hears the bird give a squawk of pain, and he can't help but to smile.
He baseball slides to the green thing, throwing his body over it to protect it, and as he ducks his head, he can FEEL the Psychic energy that has entered the fray, and he smiles, knowing Greh has joined the battle.
"Buuuu..." A tiny voice says weakly beneath him.
He looks down, and locks eyes with the creature, who gives him a weak smile, before going limp.
Wen pokes her head out of his shadow over the injured green thing, and offers him one of her locks of hair. Confused, he grabs it, and she Shadow Sneaks him right out of the battle, leaving the Staraptor that was seconds away from attacking his exposed back careening into the ground at high speed, with a loud crunch.
They appear on the deck, beside Flo, who instantly grabs everyone and throws them inside, sending out Yanna and VanMerick to finish the job.
Wen has a cut above her left eye that is bleeding a purple liquid, and she keeps dropping as she floats.
"Put her on the table!" Flo says quickly, but Otis is scared stiff, and looks half-interested at the plates that are spread across it.
With a sigh, she grabs Wen and the green thing, throwing all the plates onto the floor with a horrendous crash, and sets them on it gently.
"Go up to my bathroom in my room, grab the RED case under the sink!" She says, grabbing supplies from the kitchen, and Otis is quick to take off.
He gets back, handing it to her, and she TEARS it open, dumping the contents into a small basket she has set up beside her.
Otis notices potions, revives, even some full restores, along with basic first aid supplies.
"The house, two to the left. Go knock on the door and tell them I sent you." She says suddenly, and Otis looks up, fear in his eyes.
"GO!" She shouts, and he gasps. She had never yelled at him before, so this had to be serious.
He takes one last look at his starter, who has now passed out from the pain, and nods.
He takes off out the front door, Yanna following him closely.