Chapter 13: Ash's First Day
He wore a white button-down shirt, brown khaki pants, blue necktie… Ash seemed ready for school. It had been just yesterday that Ash won the right to attend Luna Nova Academy. Pikachu liked Ash's new look. "I know, I look rather formal," he sighed.
("It looks good on you,") Pikachu squeaked. Ash huffed a giggle. Croix came around to fix Ash's tie.
"Ash, you look rather dapper," she cooed. "First day in school, looking your best…" Ash had a short, flustered sigh.
"Well," he started. "First time I'm sitting in class, at least."
"It'll all work out," Croix promised. Ash nodded to the hope. They left the tower and to Miranda's Office. Inside, the Headmistress provided a list for Ash.
"These are the classes that you'll attend each period by the scheduled time," she showed. "At least the students will help you get caught up." Seeing the list, Ash observed the classes and teachers by them, including Croix's class.
"Croix's teaching Modern Magic, huh?" he realized.
"Not as exciting as say Linguistics or Astrology," Croix teased. Ash giggled to the thought.
"Just for safety, I'll keep Pikachu company," Miranda offered. "It would be a distraction if he's involved and restless." Pikachu whined about being separated from his trainer.
"This is his time to learn," Croix advised as she petted his head. "It's not like you're able to learn magic, right?" Defeated, Pikachu moaned to the claim. "Alright, let's take you to Miss Callists's class." Ash accepted as the bell rang for a warning. Ursula waited outside her classroom as Ash and Croix came around.
"Ash, this will be the first class for you with Astrology," she welcomed. Ash seemed ready with a nod before turning to Croix.
"I'll see you later," he promised. Croix nodded before Ash entered. The students wore school uniforms and were excited to see Ash enter the room.
"Okay, students!" eased Ursula. "Ash is hereby our new student, so I want you to treat him with the same respect that you do about others."
"YES, MA'AM!" the students agreed. Ursula placed a finger on her chin, pondering.
"Now, where should I put you?" she asked herself. The students urged to have Ash sit by them, constant "ME!" shouts all over except for Diana. Finally, Ursula decided. "Ash, you can sit by Akko and Lotte." Akko cheered with Lotte smiling. Ash reached the seat between Akko and Lotte happy to have Ash. Diana smiled to the sight of Ash just ahead of her.
"I'm actually interested in how Astrology works alongside magic," Ash muttered.
"It's more of what magic coincides with your sign," Lotte brought up. "What sign are you?" Ash blinked, unsure how to answer.
"I don't really know," he shrugged. "How can I know?"
"Well, what's your birthday?" Akko asked.
"May 22nd," Ash answered. Listening, Lotte was quick to find Ash's sign.
"You're a Gemini," she replied. "You would be in line for Petition Magic." Ash blinked, pondering what made Gemini so interesting.
"Petition Magic?" he repeated.
"It's been said that magic with this form is more powerful written down," Sucy added.
"Like the tome written so long ago," Ash realized. "So, could whoever have written the tome also be a Gemini?"
"It's possible," Amanda spoke up. Ash and the surrounding girls turned to the American. "After all, you've been able to unlock the language of the tome." As Ursula began her lesson, Akko and Lotte pointed out the signs of each Astrology sign with Ash's looking like two capital "I" letters connected. The next class was Samantha's. Numbers were strewn on her chalkboard. Ash sat with Constanze as Samantha pointed to numbers that she wrote.
1 – A, I, J, Q, Y;
2 – B, K, R, S;
3 – C, G, L, X;
4 – D, M, T;
5 – E, H, N;
6 – U, V, W;
7 – O, Z;
8 – F, P
"There are cases which the number is not necessarily the letter in case," she mentioned. "While 4-1-3-1-3 could represent magic, it could be a foreign concept as well. It could be another phrase." Ash leaned in towards Constanze with some curiosity.
"What happened to 0 and 9?" he asked. Constanze brought her tablet out and showed Ash.
SPECIAL PURPOSES
Ash nodded before looking at the chalkboard, he had a ponder.
"Ash, if you combined your name in the Chaldean graph, how much would your name be worth?" questioned Samantha. Ash looked to the graph drawn out.
'A is 1 and two of the letters fall under 3…' he examined. Quickly, he realized the count. "37." Samantha smiled to the answer.
"That is correct," she replied. "The U in your name is the highest number while you have most leaned in on 3s, 4s and 5s." Constanze nodded to Ash's work, patting his shoulder. Next up was Anne's class. Hannah and Barbara were by Ash in this as Diana sat behind them.
'The nerve of the Headmistress,' Anne scowled. 'Of course she'd put that boy in my class. Still, there's no way he can be this good.' She finished her writing on her chalkboard.
"Now, students," Anne began. "I have here a set of languages of the same spell." The chalkboard looked littered with it.
JÄÄ,
LED,
IJS,
LÓD,
LUMIÈRE,
HIELO,
IÂ,
BARAFU
"They are all the same spell conjuring the same element," Anne briefed. "Of course, those who know about different languages would find the tongue more fascinating than some would anticipate." Ash's eyes flashed blue for a couple of seconds when he saw the words flash to English. This made him scoff. Anne's ears caught the scoff and turned to him with a scorn. "Something funny, Ketchum?"
"Yeah, something is funny," he snorted. "One of them isn't like the other." Anne seemed ticked at Ash's point.
'There's no way he figured out the trick to my lesson that quick!' she seethed. "You did, huh? If so, point out the word that is the exception." With a grin and arms crossed, Ash eyed the mistake.
"While every other word is meant to be 'Ice'," he started. "'Lumière' is actually 'Light.' You think you can pull a fast one, it's not working for me since I can see the Light of your tricks." Anne growled, discovered so fast. The students awed the reactions.
'There's no way that this brat figured out the ploy so fast!' she thought. Finally, she sighed. "I'll get you yet, Ash." Undaunted, Ash glared at Anne, knowing that she's being warned. Next was Pisces's class. As each one sat down, they anticipated Ash to sit by one of them.
"Ash, I do appreciate that you're learning with the rest of the class," Pisces praised.
"It's something I can't wait to learn," Ash smiled. He was sat by Amanda in this classroom.
"Size differs as some things are bigger after the moment," Pisces started. "What might be tiny is huge if provided the right setting." Amanda rose her hand.
"Could you provide us an example?" she asked.
"There are plenty to choose from, including how Ash is the main minority and yet," Pisces started. "It's already leading an impact around here." The class understood the concept.
"In that case…" sneered Amanda as she picked up a wand. "Let's see what small changes we can make!" She pointed a wand at Ash, who began to sweat in panic.
"Amanda, I don't know what I did-" pleaded Ash, but Amanda shot a beam, striking him. The beam covered Ash in a veil of light. A few seconds later, the light vanished. Ash appeared at a smaller boy, about half of his age. "What's this!?" he gasped, his voice higher than before. "Why am I so small!? Why do I sound so high!?" The girls, aside from Constanze and Diana, cooed to Ash's new form.
"He's so cute!" cheered Akko.
"I like him like this!" cooed Sucy as she picked Ash up, looking hopeless.
"If Iris sees me like this," he sighed. "I won't hear the end of it! Turn me back!" The girls hugged and kissed him all over his face, some with pictures with Constanze's cameras. There was nothing Ash could do at the moment of his humiliation.
"I think we had a little too much fun," Lotte giggled. Amanda aimed her wand at Ash.
"Okay, let's get you back to normal," she promised. Akko came by with a wand of her own as Amanda's wand was aglow.
"Let me help!" she urged as she aimed her wand. Amanda gawked to Akko's offer.
"Akko, don't!" she warned but it came too late. Both wands fired and struck Ash. He was aglow again, morphing and growing. When the glow stopped, Ash looked much bigger than any of the girls. He had a goatee with a short beard. He looked built like a professional athlete.
"Not exactly back," he sighed but with a deeper and humbled voice. "But I can see what I might become in the future." When Amanda regressed Ash's body, the girls admired his cuteness. Now, Ash had grown up and looking rather handsome to the girls, unable to hold their awes to his new physique. Hannah and Barbara's noses leaked blood, Molly, Lotte and Constanze fainted to the sight.
"My goodness!" gulped Diana.
"Ash looks so manly!" shuttered Sucy.
"Akko, thank you for giving me a reason to want him now," Amanda muttered. Akko came to Ash.
"This is what I want to have!" she cheered. Ash grabbed Akko by the hips before lifting her effortlessly. "Whoa! This is awesome!" Then her heart skipped beats. 'If this is what Ash looks like, I'm going to wish for my virginity be taken by him!' She reached to Ash's face, palming his steely figure. 'It's still his face… not a lot of muscle growth, but oh my god! I so want him to be my wizard!' Ash put Akko down, ready to be turned back to his original state.
'A physique like his makes my heart quiver frantically that I might pass out from if I don't settle myself!' thought Diana.
"I think this is enough fun for one day," he sighed. "Now, let's get my real figure back. Next thing I want is Miss Finnelan to think I'm some sort of-"
"Don't say it," Hannah eased. "Let's get you back to normal." She and Barbara aimed wands at Ash, the tips aglow. Akko got her wand out as well, but it slipped out of her hand as Hannah and Barbara shot. Their beams hit Akko's wand and Ash. Concealed in light once more, he morphed but shrunk. When the light faded, Ash was small again.
"Not again," he groaned, his voice back to normal. "I thought you'd turn me back-" That's when he noticed the students becoming giddy around him. "Now what? What do I have-" When he pointed up, his hand was a paw. Pikachu's paw was his arm. "Wait… Did I… turn into…"
"PIKACHU!" the students roared excitedly before swarming Ash again, looking like his Pokémon. Each one hoisted Ash, unable to do anything as the only difference was a tuff of hair by his new ears. Diana held Ash around her bosom.
"I only wish we can turn it around someday," she wished. After some time as a Pikachu, Diana turned him back to Ash. Next up was Nelson's class. The class rode on broomsticks with Akko still on the ground. Ash and Nelson came to the pained faced Akko.
"Maybe you can help her out since she still has trouble," Nelson offered. Ash pondered to the idea.
"What could I do?" he wondered. Then, a few questions entered his mind. "Have you tried 'being the broomstick'?" Akko nodded with tears coming out of her eyes.
"I've tried everything!" she cried. Ash had another question.
"Akko told me that she's the first of her family to study witchcraft," he told Nelson. "Could a lack of magic be the reason?"
"It's plausible, though you can't fault Akko's determination," she briefed. "She's ridden broomstick before, but it seems to work when she puts so much heart to it."
"I see: the more excited, the more the broomstick will react, but the less she concentrates," Ash believed. "I don't want to give Akko a shortcut to have the broom behave."
"Not that she wants a shortcut to begin with," Nelson added. "Why not hitch it to your broomstick, give it a feel for the air?" Ash smiled, accepting the idea.
"Let's give it a try!" he urged before landing and turning, the bristles facing the representative of Japan.
"Hold still, you two," Nelson commanded. "Synchronize!" She wove her wand where a string of light wrapped the bristles of Ash's broomstick to the head of Akko's broomstick. "Go for it, private!" Ash nodded, commanding the broomstick to go up. Both broomsticks took to the sky.
"Ash, do you have a clue on how this works!?" gawked Akko. "I mean, you just learned how to do magic, and that you're a son of a witch, but it can't be that easy to work broom!"
"I beat Miss Finnelan with Diana's and your help!" proclaimed Ash. "What you need to do is transfer your feelings to your broomstick! Then, find your center! Don't force it! Let it flow!" Akko sighed but listened. She closed her eyes, concentrating. Vapors of wind began to stream around her. The flight above ground was easy, nothing fast for them to rush practice.
'Is this what Ash means?' she thought. 'This flow… Don't force the broomstick to fly… I think I got it!' She opened her eyes, gripping her broomstick and having it fly forward. Her concern for her failing attempts began to go by the wayside as she broke the magic band and began to fly parallel to him. "I think I'm doing it!"
"Don't get excited!" warned Ash. "This is the first step! Controlling comes next! Guide the broomstick, don't jerk it around!" He demonstrated with a slight strafe to the left, then to the right.
"Gotta love someone who's a wizard at this in only a couple of days!" teased Sucy. Akko turned to Sucy, joining to see the progress.
"Well, I-I…" she stuttered, her face becoming red. "Don't tease me like that, Sucy!" She guided her broomstick down, distancing herself from her friend. 'But... I can't argue! Ash gave me the words to fly! He's amazing!' Amanda came to Ash, sitting on her broomstick sideways.
"Okay, what's your secret?" she questioned. Ash turned to Amanda who has a smug.
"You think I have something that makes you girls be better?" he accused.
"Well, look at the result," Amanda pointed out. "Akko's flying better than her last several attempts."
"Yeah, that does sound weird," Ash observed, seeing Akko flying better than before. She did a full flip, a huge loop performed before straightening out. "She seems okay…"
"Makes you want to do that yourself, huh?" she urged. Feeling challenged again, Ash grinned.
"It does," he accepted. He swiftly descended towards the ground, swooping near the ground and doing an Aileron Roll, spinning while flying straight like a missile. After a few spins, Ash straightened out and flew up. He sprung up and landed the feet onto the broomstick like he did in his race.
"Hey, be careful, private!" called out Nelson. Ash swooped in low again to swing back up, but he slipped and fell onto the broomstick, landing on his groin before spilling off with a back roll onto the dirt only a foot down. Nelson and the students came to Ash, worried about injury.
"ASH!" they cried. Ash slowly got to a kneeling position as he slowly recovered from the accident. He took a few breaths.
"Alright, it wasn't that bad…" he assured. Suddenly, a snort. More snorts had everyone turn to Diana, eyes widen and mouth covered.
"Diana!" gawked Hannah and Barbara. Finally, she blasted laughs. Diana began laughing hard, clutching her stomach at the humorous moment.
"Diana's… laughing?" gulped Akko.
"Diana's always serious!" recalled Lotte. "She never laughs!" When she started to calm down, she realized that she caused a lot of confusion and turned, hiding her reddening face.
"Are you okay, Ash?" worried Jasminka.
"Yeah, it wasn't a hard hit," Ash assured. The class resumed before the last class of the day with Croix.
"I will teach Modern Magic in this classroom," she announced. Molly sat by Ash to know of the class. "We all have wands, but there are other magical items that can be used like these." She had a handful of items on a table: Rings, cards, coins, watches, handkerchiefs, dice, hats and balls. "They may look like ordinary items, but when you imply the magic into them, add in some imagination, these items can become powerful tools." She picked up a ring and turned to Hannah and Barbara. "Barbara, I may need you on this."
"Okay!" agreed Barbara. She joined Croix in front of the class as Croix slipped the ring on her finger.
"Okay, hit me with your best shot!" she readied. That's when Barbara aimed her wand at Croix.
"Fire Bolt!" she shouted. A red lightning bolt shot from the wand before it formed a fireball. It struck Croix, but it didn't appear to do anything. The ring had a blue glow on it.
"That wasn't bad!" praised Croix. "But this ring can be made as a defensive magical item. This class can help with using modern magic items into the tools to survive." Ash smiled, knowing that he was in for a great time. Back at the tower after classes, Miranda returned Pikachu who missed his partner.
"Pikachu's behaved well today," she praised. Ash, Ursula and Croix seemed happy as Ash and Pikachu came back together with a hug.
"It's not the same without each other by our sides, huh?" he sighed.
("It's not!") agreed Pikachu.
"You know, I could've picked Pikachu up after my last class left my room," Ursula urged.
"I'm aware," Miranda assured. "But the reason I came is another purpose, one that affects all of you." The teachers listened in. "Ash, when Andrew Hanbridge came by, he offered you a dorm of your own where you and your Pokémon can stay." Ash blinked to the offer.
"My own dorm?" he repeated.
("Do the girls come on by?") wondered Pikachu.
"This way, you can work on your assignments and practice more of your magic," Miranda mentioned. "If you want it, I can give Andrew a call to have it erected ASAP." Ash wondered and turned to Ursula and Croix. They wondered what Ash would do.
"Headmistress, I'm going to need some time to think about it," he replied. Miranda nodded, understanding Ash's options and weight.
"That will not be a problem," she assured. "Consulate with Ursula and Croix if you need to." Ash nodded before Miranda left.
"Ash, is there a reason that you don't want a dorm of your own?" wondered Ursula.
"It's not that I don't want a dorm," Ash corrected. "It's rather sudden and that we've bonded pretty well."
"We're still here if you do transfer to your personal dorm," Croix assured.
"That's true," Ash agreed. The talks continued in the tower until the night fell. Diana cried in her dorm.
"Why did I laugh!?" she sobbed. "I never laugh! I'm too dignified!" Her mind raced as she tried to settle down for sleep.
TO BE CONTINUED...