Chapter 7: Naranja Academy
"How… are you not… tired…?" Nemona was barely standing by the time they finished climbing the staircase from hell.
"I am tired," Akari replied. She had her hands on her knees and she was panting as if she had just ran away from an Alpha Machamp.
"Yeah, but… you're still standing," Nemona took a deep breath and stood up straight. "With the way we were booking it up there, any normal person would've collapsed."
"I… had to do a lot of exercise back home," Akari looked down the stairs she just climbed. Nemona was clearly exaggerating, but those stairs were no slouch.
"Anyways, let's go inside. The main entrance is right over there," Nemona pointed to the huge doors in the distance. They weren't as big as the doors to Mesagoza, but they were still way taller than necessary. Nemona placed a hand on each door and shoved them open with a grunt of effort.
"Welcome to the entrance hall!" Nemona spun around in a circle as she walked in, her arms spread wide. "This is where we can sign up for all sorts of classes."
Akari looked at the desk and the gigantic bookshelf behind the clerk. Akari read a decent amount. She wouldn't call herself an avid reader, but she didn't avoid it either. That being said, Akari wanted to read every single book in this room to learn about where she was.
"This place is totally big enough to have a battle, but people would get mad at me whenever I suggest it," Nemona put a hand on her chin and looked up. "I wonder what's up with them."
Is battling the only thing this girl thinks about? Akari sweatdropped.
"Ah, Miss Nemona, Miss Akari," The two turned to see Dr. Clavell standing before them. "I trust you found the commute adequate?"
"It was interesting," Akari answered, flicking her gaze at Nemona. "It's definitely different from Hisui."
"That's good," Dr. Clavell nodded and looked at Nemona. "Was everything in order?"
"Yeah, except for the Team Star kids we ran into," Nemona reported. Dr. Clavell's eyes widened and he pushed his glasses up.
"Team Star?" The man's voice was alarmed.
"Yeah, they were harassing this kid with this really cute Eevee backpack," Nemona continued.
"Penny," Akari supplied.
"Yeah, her," Nemona cleared her throat.
"I see…" Dr. Clavell looked down. "Can they still be found?"
"We scared them off with a battle," Akari responded.
"Ah, is that so?" Dr. Clavell turned to Akari. "Although I commend you for helping out a fellow student, I would ask you to exercise restraint while you're here."
"Sorry Professor," Akari shook her head. "I'm still getting used to the culture here. Especially concerning Pokemon battles."
"Don't think too much of it," Dr. Clavell then turned to Nemona. "And Miss Nemona, it would do you good to remember that the school staff are here to resolve such issues."
"Ah, my bad," Nemona chuckled weakly.
"Before I forget, I should give you this," Dr. Clavell turned to Akari and handed her a school uniform. "I apologize for not getting you one sooner."
"Thank you, Professor," Akari looked at the clothes. She didn't want to change out of her Survey Corps outfit, but it looks like she didn't have a choice.
"Nemona, please show Akari where she can change before showing her to class," Dr. Clavell nodded to the two. "If you would excuse me…"
Dr. Clavell gave the two one more glance before walking off.
"C'mon, we're in the same class," Nemona grabbed Akari's hand. "The bathroom is over here. Let's go!"
"Good morning, Mr. Jacq," Akari heard from the other side of the door. She was asked to wait outside until called.
"Hello everyone," The voice of Jacq said. "I have some exciting news today. Who wants to hear it?"
"Ooh! Me!" Akari heard a student shout.
"Well, I supposed I should have told you earlier, but we have someone transferring into our class today," Mr. Jacq replied. A torrent of whispers followed.
"Alright, you can come in!" At the cue, Akari opened the door and walked in. She wasn't a stranger to talking to groups of people, but what caught her attention was the classroom. Sure, she's seen rooms like this in Hisui, but they were few and far between.
"Would you mind introducing yourself?" Jacq said, snapping the young woman from her stupor.
"Ah, hello. My name is Akari," Akari placed her hands in front of her and bowed. "I hope we can all get along."
"Ah, how polite," Jacq smiled brightly. Akari would have found it patronizing, but considering the age of some of her new peers, she understood his actions.
"Alright, does anyone have questions for our new friend?" Jacq turned to the class.
"Me! Me!" Akari identified a boy with bright brown hair. "What's your favorite thing about Pokemon?"
"Hmm, I don't really have a favorite thing about Pokemon," Different Pokemon flashed through her mind. Her partners… her team… the Nobles… "Meeting and bonding with Pokemon is what life is about. I wouldn't be the same person I am today without my Pokemon."
"I see…" Jacq's bright smile was replaced by an inquisitive look. "Does anyone have any other questions?"
"I've been wondering," Nemona raised her hand. "Do you have a dream? I've seen you battle and there has to be something driving you."
"I…" Akari looked down. As much as she wanted to smile and sake something cheesy for the younger ones, she couldn't ignore the pain in her heart. "I want to go home."
Silence is what followed. Akari didn't look up to look at anyone, even though she could feel the gaze of everyone's eyes on her.
"Well…" Jacq's voice broke the silence. "Feel free to take a seat, Akari. Your seat is over there in the second row. I'm Mr. Jacq, by the way. Along with being your homeroom teacher, I am also the biology teacher."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Jacq," Akari dipped her head to the man before sitting down at the seat the teacher pointed at.
"Alright class, let's be nice to our new classmates," Mr. Jacq smiled at the class before him.
"We will, Mr. Jacq!" With that declaration, it was time for class to begin.
Akari scowls as she looks at the lunch for the day and it's… potato mochi.
Is this some kind of sick joke? She thought to herself as she filled her plate. Well, if it's good, I won't complain.
"Oh hey, it's you," Akari turned around, only to end up face to face with Arven. "So we meet again."
"What do you want?" Akari asked. Just because she could empathize with the kid doesn't mean she liked him.
"Sheesh, do you really hate me that much?" Arven rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyways, the whole school's been talking about you."
"Really?" Akari asked. What was so important about her?
"Well, you did show up with the president of the student council," Arven crossed his arms. "You know, I wouldn't even bother going to school, but I got curious about you."
"So what did you need from me?" Akari put a hand on her hips.
"I was gonna ask a favor," Arven turned away. "I really need you to help me fulfill my dream."
Does he really expect me to help him? Akari looked down at her bag. Well, he did give me Koraidon's pokeball.
"Alright, I'll bite. What's this dream you have?" Akari asked.
"Well, I don't know if you expected this, but I'm all about the picnic life," Arven put his hands on his hips. "The great outdoors, perfectly-prepped sandwiches. All that jazz. I'm also a pretty good cook, if I do say so myself."
"I see," Akari nodded. Akari wasn't necessarily a chef, but she was an expert at making whatever she can find in the wilderness palatable. Bread was a luxury back then.
"Right now, I'm researching recipes that can help Pokemon feel better. Like real life superfood." Arven said as he took a book out of his backpack and opened it. "Anyways, I found this book the other day and it's saying something about these Herba Mysticas. They're basically special herbs that'll heal up any pokemon as soon as they eat them."
"That actually sounds… quite interesting," Akari mused. Although she was aware of some herbs that healed Pokemon, she didn't have to be a Pokemon Professor to know that they really didn't like them. If these herbs are put in a tasty meal, there's a chance that they'll appreciate them more.
"From what I know, there's five of these Herba Mysticas," Arven flipped through the book. "The problem is that these herbs are protected by these Titan Pokemon."
"Titan Pokemon?" Akari asked. Are they like the Nobles?
"Apparently they're these huge Pokemon. The books don't really say how they came to be," Arven shook his head. "Anyways, I'm going to need help taking these Pokemon down."
"Well, if it's for the betterment of Pokemon, I want to help," Akari nodded.
"Great!" Arven's phone appeared before him. "Here, let me put the locations on your phone."
Akari's Arc Phone flew up in front of her and the two phones flashed for a couple seconds.
"Alright, that should do it," Arven said as their phones flew back into their bags. He then took a pouch and handed it to Akari. "Anyways, you should take this."
"What is it?" Akari asked. Instead of answering, however, Arven was already running out the door, leaving the displaced girl standing there as the door slammed shut. "Well that was something."
As Akari made her way to her seat, her phone flew back up in front of her. When she looked at it, there was a silhouette of a face on the screen.
"Is this Akari?" A distorted voice asked. It was vaguely familiar, but Akari couldn't put her finger on it. "I tried hacking into your phone, but your defenses are rock solid, so I had to employ… alternative methods to obtain your number."
"Who's asking?" Akari responded.
"Well, the name is Cassiopiea," The voice responded. "But nevermind that. I called you because I need your help."
First Arven and now this person. Why am I so special? Akari thought. Sure, she was an accomplished member of the Survey Corps, but no one knew that.
"Akari, you know about Team Star, correct?" Cassiopiea asked.
"Yeah, what about them?" Akari asked.
"Well I've been putting together a plan," The voice responded. "They've been running around causing headaches for everyone. I think it's finally time for them to be shut down. I call this plan Operation Starfall."
"And I'm guessing you want me a part of it," Akari raised an eyebrow.
"Got it in one," Cassiopiea replied. "Take some time to think about it. I'll be in touch."
"Wait—" By the time Akari could get a word out, her phone was already flying back in her pocket.
"Whatever," Akari sighed as she stood up and made her way to the door.
"Miss Akari," Akari jumped as she heard Dr. Clavell's voice. "It would be preferable if you kept your voice down during phone calls."
"Sorry professor," Akari dipped her head. "I haven't had a phone for long."
"I see," Dr. Clavell pushed his glasses up. "Just be careful. People could overhear if you're not careful."
"I see," Akari nodded.
"Now, off you go," Dr. Clavell said. "I think Miss Nemona is waiting for you."
"Oh, I should make my way over," Akari said, making her way out the door. As the door closed, Dr. Clavell sighed and shook his head.
"Team Star, huh?" He pushed his glasses up with his finger before leaving the lunch room himself.
"Very well. It seems I can trust you with this, Champion Nemona," The first thing Akari saw as she entered the room was Nemona talking to a strange woman.
"Sure thing!" Nemona clenched her fist and smiled. "It actually sounds pretty fun!"
"Good to hear. I'll be seeing you around, then," The woman said and turned around, only to make eye contact with Akari.
"Oh, pardon me," The woman nodded at Akari before walking off.
"Oh hey Akari!" Nemona waved at her friend.
"Hey Nemona," Akari walked over to the president. "Who was that you were talking to?"
"Oh, that's La Primera," Nemona looked at the door. "She's a really strong trainer. I really want to be like her one day."
"I see," Akari nodded. Something about the woman seemed off, but she seemed nice enough.
"Well anyways, I wanted to talk to you about the league," Nemona said. Akari started to stand up straight. She remembered the restrictions that were placed on her Pokemon.
"What about it?" Akari tilted her head. She felt excitement bubbling beneath her skin. She wanted her family back.
"Well originally I was going to try and convince you to do it, but I guess you have enough motivation," Nemona smiled. "Here, let me put the locations of all the gyms on your phone."
I'll never get used to this, Akari thought as the phones exchanged the information.
"Alright, that should be everything," Nemona nodded to herself. "Anyways, I need to go talk to Mr. Jacq about something. I'll catch you later!"
"See you," Akari smiled as Nemona ran off. The positive energy the girl exuded was a breath of fresh air for the young woman. As she made her way to the door, the speakers flared to life.
"Miss Akari, please report to the Director's office at your earliest convenience," The voice on the loudspeaker says.
"This day's never going to end, huh?" Akari grumbled to herself as she made her way out the door.
"Ah, it's good to see you again, Miss Akari," Dr. Clavell said as Akari walked into the room. "Have you been enjoying your time here at Naranja Academy?"
"It's definitely different," Akari replied. "It's so different from Hisui. I'm happy to be here."
"Now, you may be wondering why we couldn't have just talked earlier," The professor stood up and walked towards the large screen to his right. "It seems that a friend of mine wanted to talk to you."
"Friend?" Akari looked around. "I don't see anyone else."
"I'm afraid that she's not here with us right now," Dr. Clavell replied. He then turned to the screen and it flared to life. The screen showed a woman with brown hair and piercing blue eyes.
She looks… familiar, Akari thought as she made her way closer to the screen.
"It's nice to meet you," The woman said through the screen. "My name is Professor Sada. I conduct research in a place called Area Zero within the Great Crater of Paleda."
"It's nice to meet you too, Professor Sada," Akari dipped her head in greeting.
"Now, it has come to my attention that you've come to be in possession of Koraidon," Sada tilted her head and scratched her cheek. "Is that true?"
"Yeah. It saved my life," Akari nodded.
"Thank you for your honesty," Sada nodded. "I actually wanted to ask for your assistance."
"Assistance?" Akari asked. Before she could respond, she heard the sound of a pokeball opening.
"Aiga?" Akari turned to see Koraidon behind them, a confused expression on its face.
"It's good to see you, old friend," Sada's smile widened as her eyes fixated on the Pokemon. Her eyes then flicked over to Akari. "You see, I'm no longer in a position to take care of Koraidon anymore, so I was going to ask if you could take care of them in my stead."
Akari looked at the Pokemon, who looked back. The two stared at each other before Koraidon gently brushed their face on Akari's cheek.
"I'll do it," Akari smiled and looked back at the screen.
"That's good to know," Sada's smile widened. It was then replaced by a frown as she looked at Koraidon again. "They're currently weakened to the point where they can't battle. However, it is possible for you to ride on them."
So I can ride him like Lord Wydeer, Akari thought.
"It'll likely take some time for them to regain their full strength. I'll be sure to keep you updated," Sada explained. "Here, let me give you my contact information."
"Alright," Akari's phone flew out of her bag and the screen flashed before returning.
"Until then, I'll keep in touch," Sada waved as the screen went black. As Akari turned to pet her new partner, Dr. Clavell started to mutter something.
"DId you say something?" Akari asked.
"No I did not," Dr. Clavell shook his head. "You should make your way back to class."
"Thank you, professor," Akari said as she returned Koraidon to their pokeball and made her way out. When she opened the door, she found herself face-to-face with Nemona.
"Oh! Just the person I was looking for," Nemona's smile illuminated the room. "Mr. Jacq wanted me to show you to your dorm."
"Thank you," Akari smiled.
"What are you waiting for?" Nemona grabbed Akari's hand. "Let's go!"
Akari let herself get dragged off by her new friend to her new room. It was time to officially start her school life.
It's been a minute. Luckily, that's given me time to make a backlog. I should be uploading daily for the next few days. If you want to read ahead, check out lightningstormtc on Archive of Our Own. Please do consider leaving a review! I would love to read and reply to your thoughts. Also please join my Discord! I would love to talk to you all and answer all your questions! I talk a lot about my thought process while writing, so if you're interested in that, do consider joining. The url is discord . gg (forego the spaces) followed by a slash and CpVs7R8KXz. Unfortunately you'll have to type the rest of the url in manually because I'm not allowed to post links. Thank you for reading and I'll catch you on the flipside.