Author's note: This will be a two-part chapter as its pretty long. Do let me know what you think!
For Precious, his only (and admittedly shallow) impression of school was upon the forest floor, wriggling himself a comfortable position as the midday sun was rising to listen to a Raichu talk about the Unown Script while using a portable chalkboard of sorts to illustrate her sayings. Simple it was, but interesting nonetheless.
It thus came as a big surprise that Ayase's school was anything but simple. Great was the gravity of the shock delivered when Ayase let him out of his red and white sphere to sit on her shoulder as she made her way to school. On the way out she had met with Tasha, who had Beauty cradled on her arms like a sleeping baby. Her closed eyes betrayed her use of her human companion as an impromptu "nap branch", a term she had coined back in the forest. Not that she seemed to mind, he noted, for Tasha and Ayase were walking and chatting away as though they were having the time of their lives.
Interestingly enough, they were both outfitted in similar wrappings of white and blue, wrapped with a black coat of sorts that felt both fuzzy and soft. This uniform sense of apparel was not just limited to them; for as they got closer to their destination, greater numbers of similarly dressed humans could be seen bearing the same patterns. Perhaps humans did have some kind of uniform appearance if they belonged to a collective. And yet, they seemed to possess multiple outfits for a myriad of reasons despite being part of said collective. Curious indeed.
But what was more intriguing and awe inspiring to Precious was in fact the monumental sight he had come to behold at the end of their trek. While he was undoubtedly impressed by the scale and grandeur of Ayase's communal housing structure and the various buildings that stood upon the concrete-lined ground, the architecture that now stood tall before him was beyond any level of mortal comprehension. If anything, it lent full credence to the Raichu's claims that the humans had shaped the world to their will. Even a mere glance sent shivers of awe through every proleg of his red body.
A massive compound of concrete was dedicated to its existence alone, a large sign on the top of the building identifying the building as "POKEMON TECH" which seemingly amplified the size of the building it was engraved upon, dwarfing his homes, both old and current, by a gargantuan level. Rows of perfectly arranged glass panels lined walls of white marble, making the school appear as though made entirely out of crystal. Looking upon its splendour with awe worthy of a god, he couldn't help but feel as if it was the grand design of someone's master plan.
And all that that was to say nothing of the other wonders that awaited his star-stricken eyes. From his favourite spot on Ayase's shoulder, he caught sight of a massive field of neatly cropped grass to the right of him, filled with other humans engaging in all manner of activity alongside numerous species of Pokémon unmet and unknown. Some were playing, and others fighting at the behest of their human companions, which excited him with a surge of adrenaline unfelt of. He wanted very much for Ayase to go there, that he may join in on whatever activity those other Pokémon were engaging in. Alas, they seemed determined on their course, and the field was soon but a fading sight as he found himself closer and closer to the sight of glass-panelled doors that seemed to open and close automatically in the presence of living beings.
Inside, he found himself greeted by sights, sounds and smells from all directions. He felt the air around him frigidly tickle his prolegs as various humans of all shape, size and gender (but in similar garb) were conversing with one another amidst symmetrical rows of metal boxes that seemingly stored their possessions. Even Ayase and Tasha were engaging in said activity, conversing with other humans in a vocal pitch that indicated happiness and excitement borne from a period of prolonged absence. He stared widely as Ayase opened her own metal box, retrieving all manner of curios unknown to him. If anything, humans had so many tools at their disposal, it gave him a headache.
Was this some sort of reunion? Perhaps that was why Ayase had crossed out those boxes, each red mark demarcating a day closer to today. She seemed to be no stranger to this place, judging from her mannerisms. He on the other hand felt a sense of nausea overwhelm him, for cryptic sounds and words seemed to be thrown all over the place, and Ayase's act of constant dashing and stopping to greet her fellows was beginning to throw his senses into a whirl. It eventually came as a welcome relief when their bout came to end within a curious contraption that elevated them upwards. With a "ding" sound the doors had opened once more, revealing a corridor leading to various rooms. He couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of human technology. If only he had access to a contraption like that while on that tree back in the forest.
Soon enough, his travelling party made it to the entrance of a room marked "3-1". Glass doored just like the main entrance, it appeared to him a room furnished with row after row of tables and chairs, much like Ayase's back home but in a more standardised fashion. He found himself picturing some manner of order being imposed here, judging from the uniform appearance of the rooms and neatly arranged furniture. And much to his relief, while there were still people around, they were now present in a sparser manner. Some were seated at their designated places, reading something probably related in some way to whatever activity was to be conducted, while others were happily chatting away, with the largest gathering of humans being three males around another Tasha's table, their banter seemingly focused on her. Ayase on the other hand seemed preoccupied in transcribing words and numbers onto a piece of paper from a paper borrowed from Tasha, her own handwriting and facial expression much more erratic and urgent than normal.
This state of affairs would not last, for soon enough, Precious heard the sound of a heel clacking upon the ceramic tiling of his surroundings. Echoing warnings of impending doom, he couldn't help but shudder within his red carapace as he saw the humans scurry back to their designated places in the room a manner similar to how his kind would scatter to parts unknown in the face of particularly large bird Pokémon. Facing this, he couldn't help but wonder- just what could possibly inspire such fear in the hearts of the humans, whose kind had shaped the world to their will?
As if wordlessly answering his question, he saw an even taller figure enter the room. With short yellow hair and a wrinkled complexion that seemed to hold within them years of experience and expended youth, he found himself wishing for yet another second to observe her, for much to a strange mix of unexpectedly felt relief and unsatisfied curiosity, he found his bodily essence once more absorbed into Ayase's sphere. Not that he minded it too much, for by now, he had grown accustomed to its confines. It now felt natural, even relaxing, to sleep within its void, and he could even feel some semblance of his consciousness of his outer surroundings. Acclimatisation could be such a wonderful thing. He was sure Beauty felt the same way too, judging from how she loved her new life.
He felt the hours go by like leaves in the wind as he tried to make sense of Ayase's lessons from within her sphere. It seemed like her kind prided much of their learning on reading, writing as well as speaking. He wanted to go out on a limb to liken it to the Raichu's makeshift school, but he found the lessons here more serious, of much greater urgency than anything back there. Unlike something for fun on the side, it felt to him like the humans' futures depended on their proficiency on these lessons. But then again, they may have been better at separating the nuances of work and play. Undoubtedly, discipline was a key trait in dominating the world as they had.
Most of Ayase's classes didn't seem to involve him, although he did take note of numerous familiar terms such as "Pecha" being thrown about, much to his delight. Apparently, it had the capability of neutralising inflicted poisons. Perhaps, all those hours of reading had made him smarter. While intelligence was something he could never possibly associate with himself, he did feel his vocabulary expand from his time spent with Ayase.
Suddenly, he felt himself on the move again. Ayase was going somewhere, amidst the chatter of her and her peers. However, before he could make sense of the shift in his surroundings, he found himself upon the floor of what seemed to be a battleground of sorts. The human supervising Ayase's lesson had changed too, to one well-built male dressed from head to toe in a red suit he had seen on others of his kind when they exercised. Behind him stood his human friend, her eyes bright with excitement, and at the side stood the rest of her class. Strange. Was this some kind of sporting event?
Unfortunately, such concerns became the least of his worries, for he found himself staring down a massive boulder with arms and legs, the Pokémon belonging to Ayase's opponent, a male human, whose body barely fit his clothes, straining its fabrics with a soft paunch that betrayed an ill-disciplined diet, much unlike his Pokémon. He recognized him to be one of the males at Tasha's table before class started. Appropriately enough, he seemed intent to impress someone with his marital prowess.
His Pokémon seemed to possess similar sentiments, although Precious was sure that it wasn't after the heart of a female Wurmple. With a brutish grin, it brought its two pairs of rough-looking arms together, clenching them like some kind of precursor of what it was about to do. Nothing good, that was for sure. He found himself trying to strike an aggressive pose, but it seemed the exact opposite of that, for the walking boulder began to chortle, its voice deep and rough like rocks smashing against a concrete wall.
A shout and a loud signal could be heard, a signal that the battle had begun. Bracing his nerves, he found himself strangely in sync with Ayase's words, something that was yet to happen till now. Was this why people and Pokémon fought alongside each other, for the purpose of better understanding each other, and by that extension, themselves?
He heard Ayase's opponent shout something, his fist clenching as if to physically punctuate the incoming action. Not that such exposition was ever required for Precious, for he soon found the boulder Pokémon charging towards him, intent on crashing into him with that craggy body of his. Fearing the worst, he threw his body to the side, avoiding the incoming attack as his body rolled on the hard earth.
He heard Ayase shout "String Shot!" He didn't know what it meant, but he found himself instinctively obeying, his belly churning rapidly as he fired a thread of white, sticky goo, the same stuff he used to build their makeshift shelter in the forest, at his opponent, covering its rocky frame from head to toe in it. So that was the name of the stuff he had worked with all his life! He didn't know then, but in the heat of battle, he had learned something new.
He caught sight of Ayase's opponent ordering his Pokémon to attack again. This time however, its charge was much slower, the silken threads stuck to its body impeding its momentum. Confidently this time, he darted to the side, causing the incoming boulder to flail clumsily towards the wall, crashing upon its concrete frame with a thud amidst the sound of laughter and cheering from the side.
It was then that he heard the word "Tackle!" from Ayase, the sharp tone of her command spurring him to action. No doubt, it was the perfect opportunity to counter-attack, now that the brutish rock Pokémon had crashed in a rather unceremonious manner. Mustering all of his strength, he charged towards it in a similar fashion, intent on ramming himself into his opponent.
*Bam!*
Perhaps it was a mistake to charge headfirst into a rock, even if it was another Pokemon. Probably something about Pokémon type matchups, as he had gleaned from listening in during Ayase's first lesson. Either way, it was a definite mistake, for he found himself bouncing backwards from his target in a rather impotent manner as he made contact. The floor was not to be his destination however, for his opponent had regained its momentum in lieu of his own failed attack. With one arm, it grabbed him, tossing him onto the ground. Responding to a command by Ayase's opponent, the fist of another of its arms glowed white, and with a brutal smirk, it brought the entirety of its flashing brutality towards Precious, the resulting impact sending him sprawling across the battlefield.
Was this what it meant to die? He felt his eyes go groggy while every sinew within him ached with pain. Amidst the shrieks of despair and cries of triumph, he felt his consciousness fade to black, as he felt his bodily essence fade into the void.
It seemed so soon, to waste away from this world in such a manner. To Precious, a life unlived was worse than a life of suffering. Well, at least he had not the misfortune of the latter, but he had a whole life ahead of him. A life he envisioned in his dreams, a meaningful life that meant something. Perhaps it would have all amounted to nothing at the end, but he believed that even nothingness possessed some semblance of meaning, like how even the darkest night would hold at least a bare glimpse of the stars, that those who beheld it would see daybreak once more.
It felt scary, almost unfair, that it would all end now. Alas, he was powerless in the face of it all. Perhaps there were indeed some things beyond one's control that determined who lived and who died.
(To be continued in Part 2...)