Episode 1: Orientation Day
Part 1
Academy Park: Auditorium
Students Present: All
Faculty Present: All
The very first leaves began to fall from their trees as Hemlock walked up to the podium he'd set up inside the auditorium. A sea of 20 fresh-faced students stood before him. Some paying rapt attention from their chairs, others talking mutedly among themselves, and still others with their thoughts clearly miles away from the academy. Hemlock hid a frown, not at the students with wandering thoughts, but at his own situation. He'd hoped to send out his partner pokemon to join him for this speech, but as one of the students had noted a phobia of bug-type pokemon, he could not. "Sorry, old friend." He smiled at his partner Pokémon's pokeball. "I'll be using someone a little more inviting." He turned his attention towards the microphone and tapped it in an effort to get the majority of the students attention. Without waiting to see if he had succeeded or failed in this endeavor, he began to speak.
"Welcome, new students of Academy Park, to the wonderful world of Pokemon." He smiled behind his ginger beard. "And an extra welcome to the Roqoi region, for those of you joining us from abroad! Our sprawling forests, rivers, caverns, and mountains house many wonders, not the least among them fabulous creatures we all know as Pokemon."
With the toss of a pokeball, Hemlock sent out a Charcadet.
That had gotten the students attention, as he'd hoped.
"That pokemon wasn't on the list was it?" He heard one of them wonder aloud.
"Pokemon can be found all over Roqoi." Hemlock continued his speech. "In any biome, around any corner. Many pokemon reside alongside us in our towns and help our society in a professional capacity. Powering our homes, delivering mail, growing crops… Pokemon truly are powerful and wonderful creatures. We humans and pokemon lead a life of coexistence for all of our continued survival, and those of us that choose to raise pokemon side by side and bring out their maximum potential, we call Pokemon Trainers!"
Hemlock turned to the Charcadet and gave a nod.
The Charcadet nodded back and demonstrated a contained Fire Spin to keep the students entertained.
"Our goal here at Roqoi's newest academy, Academy Park, is to aid you all in your endeavors to become knowledgeable and experienced pokemon trainers in your own right, and that you will use what you learn from our team of accredited professors, and what you learn about yourself, to further your goals outside of our humble campus.
"We will all be here alongside you, every step of the way…" Hemlock nodded to the professors behind him.
Spruce and Dogwood, on opposite ends of the stage, sent out a Passimian and Barbaracle respectively. Fir and Maple then sent out their Lopunny and Arbok. Finally, Hornbeam sent out his Cinderace, and all five pokemon beamed brightly at the students and gave encouraging cries of welcome.
"...To help you become the best trainers you can be." Hemlock concluded his sentence.
A small applause followed.
"Now then…" Hemlock returned his Charcadet and the rest of the faculty followed suit with their own pokemon. "With those introductions out of the way, allow me a moment to go over some school rules. This school exists with The Roqoi Pokemon League's blessing, and as such participation in Roqoi's Pokemon League is a mandatory requirement for our students. It is why your Trainer Card is able to double as your School ID. The school, therefore, is technically a League institution, and all the rules that the Pokemon League abides by are in effect on school grounds as well." Hemlock took a breath, readying himself to explain the rules.
He noticed as we went on that the students paying the closest attention seemed to be those actually interested in the pokemon league tournament, held in Roqoi seasonally as opposed to annually in other regions.
Ruleset 1. The Pokemon League Trainer Card must be carried by certified trainers at all times, and any loss or destruction of the card must be reported immediately. Pokemon may not be owned without poke balls and their behavior and care are their trainer's responsibility. Trainers may only carry 6 pokemon with them at a time, and may only trade pokemon using an officially recognized Pokemon League Trading Machine (PLTM).
Ruleset 2. All official battle requests must be accepted. Both participants and a referee witness may decide the stakes of the battle or may use the default stakes of half of the loser's credits. The challenger must always be the first to send out a pokemon, with the exception of a battle against a gym leader for a Gym Badge, in which the gym leader must always send out their pokemon first. Gym Leaders are always obligated to accept a challenge, though they may set a date and time if they are not immediately available for battle. Refusing to honor this date and time means a forfeit of the absentee party. Gym Leaders, while having a signature type, are not entirely limited to pokemon of type, and will often employee different themes in their gym battles. Gym leaders have full control over the type of battle that takes place inside their gym, but all battles for the same gym must be of the same type during a single League Season.
Ruleset 3. All official battles are held in single battle style unless otherwise specified or approved by a league official. Double and Multi battle tournaments may be held throughout the region. At no point may a league-certified trainer send out more pokemon to fight than explicitly allowed by the battle at hand. In the cases of using a battle to solve disputes, the loser must comply for a full 24 hours. A battle cannot be used to force the loser to commit an act prohibited by Roqoi law, such as theft or murder to name extremes.
Ruleset 4. Roqoi League battles are only to the knockout. Any further attacks against a fainted pokemon or against a trainer are strictly forbidden. Only the official move names are allowed during official pokemon league battles. Calling out confusing orders to replace move names in order to trick your opponent is forbidden.
Ruleset 5. The Roqoi Pokemon League is a separate entity to the Roqoi Government. The breaking of Roqoi Law could potentially involve removal from the Pokemon League as a punishment, even if the rules of the Pokemon League are being followed during criminal activity. Similarly, however, the Pokemon League can see fit to issue sanctions against infractions that might not be prosecuted under Roqoi Law, such as sending out a forbidden number of pokemon in self-defense during a sanctioned battle.
"Ugh, so many rules…" a boy with dark hair and half-lidded blue eyes yawned. "Get to the good bits already! Where's my pokemon?"
"With your assigned advisors." Hemlock answered respectfully, "Which actually leads rather well into Academy particulars, thank you very much Mr. Moscowits."
"Great." The student rolled his eyes. "More talking."
Another boy, with chin-length black hair covering one of his empty and bored grey eyes, sighed next to him. "Interrupting will only make this process longer." He muttered as he shook his head.
"Or do you not have that foresight?"
"What was that you little-?" The first student turned but was stopped by an older student with a chocolate brown Mohawk running down the center of his scalp, his arms and neck decked out in tattoos, and his chestnut brown eyes staring intently.
"No." He spoke the one word quietly, but firmly, and then nodded towards the stage and podium.
The first student sized him up, before sitting back in his seat with a low grumble.
"At this academy…" Hemlock continued, "you will each be grouped into five groups of 4 and assigned advisors from among the professors behind me. They will act as your homeroom teachers, your dorm caretakers, and eventually, your final exam proctors. Each one is a very well respected professor specializing in different topics as they relate to pokemon.
Now, I imagine many of you are wondering how you will be able to participate in the pokemon league and attend at academy at the same time, and the answer is really quite simple. The academy, first and foremost, is asynchronous. Professors have office hours throughout the day for you to learn whatever you desire from them, and so long as you are back on campus before curfew, you may travel to wherever in our region you like, unless you wish to get permission for an extended absence privileges. Similarly, the academy itself will on many occasions host field trips to the cities, towns, and wilderness areas that many trainers would brave on a journey of their own, and very occasionally, we will be able to schedule a Gym Leader to visit campus, giving some students the opportunity for a gym battle with a home field advantage. Now then…if there are no questions…"
There weren't.
"It's finally time to group you into your advisory groups and hand you your starter pokemon!"
A couple of cheers and a mild applause filled the auditorium.
"Professor Spruce, step forward."
"Hello." Spruce put his hand behind his dark afro and smiled with a slight bow. "I am Professor Gaius Spruce, and I specialize in how pokemon may affect the weather and biomes of a region, and how a regions weather and biomes may in turn affect the pokemon living there. I'd like to ask the following students to come with me towards your dorm building, where we will get you your starter pokemon: Jackie Fitzgerald."
A fair-skinned girl with brown eyes and short, wavy amber hair stood up quickly, checked a wristwatch for the time, and hurried toward the Professor.
"Hunter Poach." Spruce announced.
An intimidating presence that had been seated at the back of the auditorium stood up. His teal hair was neatly combed back in a greaser style, and his teal eyes glared straight ahead with purpose. He turned heads, both towards and away from him, as he slowly made his way up towards Spruce, towering over the average-heighted Jackie.
"Nice to meet you." He spoke deeply.
"Yep, nice to meet you." Jackie replied quickly.
"Alfred Moscowits." Spruce spoke.
The interrupting student from before stood up. "Heh. 'bout time we got this ball rolling. I've got a dorm room that needs breaking into."
"About that…" Jackie turned to Spruce. "The dorms are co-ed?"
"Yes and no." Spruce replied. "Everyone has their own private dorm room, complete with bathroom and mini kitchen, that only their Trainer Card can unlock, but each advisory group shares the same dorm building.
"Oh, okay." Jackie nodded.
"And finally…" Spruce read the last name on his list. "Robin Lodestar."
"Woohoo!" A freckled boy with short silver hair and brown eyes stood up with a grin. He walked calmly and happily over to the group, rounding out Spruce's four advisee students.
As they exited the auditorium, Hemlock motioned for Professor Fir to step forward.
Fir, a bespectacled woman with long brown hair tied in a low ponytail, dressed in a large white lab coat, walked with purpose up to the podium.
"Hi, everyone!" She smiled with a polite wave. "I'm Professor Erin Fir, and while I am quite knowledgeable about a wide variety of topics, especially those pertaining to pokemon, my main area of expertise is in the way pokemon employ tools, both manmade held items in battle and their evolutionary tools such as an Oshawott's scalchop, in their interactions with both nature and each other. Now then, if the following students would please join me, I will take you to our own dorm building."
She reached into a pocket on her lab coat and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper. She rested it on the podium, attempting to iron out the wrinkles as she squinted to read the words she had written down.
"Aleu Aurora." Fir finally began announcing.
A girl on the shorter side with long ash-blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and a slightly tanned skin tone, likely from having been outside in the sun almost all summer, stood up from her seat, her hiking boots echoing with each step she took as she reached her advisor. "Pleased to meet you, Professor!" She smiled at her teacher.
"Pleased to meet you, too." Fir smiled back. "Leon Chu!" She called out.
"That's me." Leon smiled as he stood up from his own seat. He had short and messy jet-black hair, grey eyes, and lightly tanned skin. He strode down with a tune in his head, his hands never leaving the pockets of his blue jeans until he had finally reached Aleu and Fir and extended his right hand to each of them in turn. "Happy to meet you both."
After pleasantries were exchanged, Fir called out her next name. "Theo Nuttal!"
A youthful boy with a light brown crew cut stood up, excitedly. "On my way, Professor!" He shuffled through the aisles of the auditorium, his light blue eyes never shying away from eye contact of those he passed, and always exchanging a friendly nod. "Who will be our fourth?" He wondered after exchanging quick greetings with the rest of his group.
"Finally…" Fir announced. "Padina Dictyo, please come up."
"Okay…" A voice said, mainly to herself, from towards the back of the auditorium. "Here goes…"
A girl with pallid light blue skin and green hair in a low ponytail walked up towards the group. Her attire was otherworldly, as though it was designed to be worn in some kind of space camp. Her blue eyes were hidden behind a visor that blocked out all but the most necessary light.
"Nice to meet all of you." She nodded politely to each of her new acquaintances.
"Okay, now you have some stories that I want to hear later." Aleu smiled.
"As would I." Leon nodded. "As would we all, I imagine."
"Well, it's a bit of a long story to explain…" Padina looked around. "Professor, you seemed aware of it in your letter."
"Of course." Fir nodded. "And you'll have plenty of time to tell it when we get to our dorm building. Let's go everyone."
"Yeah!" Theo smiled. "I'm itching to meet everyone's starting pokemon!"
As the group left, Hemlock nodded at the next professor to step up.
Hornbeam, a man with a hunch in his back, a dark brown bedhead that looked as though it could double as a nesting ground for bird pokemon, and a look in his eye that was equally likely to be one of exhaustion as it was to be one of restlessness, shuffled in his slippers up towards the podium.
"Good day, new students. Welcome to Academy Park and congratulations on being its first class in history. With any luck, one of you will become the Autumn Season's Pokemon League Champion and have a chance to-."
"Hornbeam." Hemlock tapped his watch.
"O-oh, right." Hornbeam chuckled. "I am Wyatt Hornbeam, and among my many research achievements I am most renowned for my works on the nuances of pokemon types and how they interact with each other. Why do some pokemon have two types while others only have one? Why does two types seem to be the limit? What about moves like Trick-or-Treat that can add a third type temporarily? These are the kinds of questions that my research strives to-."
"Hornbeam." Hemlock tapped his watch.
"Fine, fine, the advisees." Hornbeam shook himself from his rambling and looked at the list he had prepared. "Rin Sarina, are you here? Get on up here!"
"I'm here, Professor!" A young girl with medium length black hair tied into a ponytail by a large ribbon called sweetly as she stood up from her seat. As she walked into the light of the auditorium, Hornbeam noticed her dichromatic eyes, one blue and one pink. "They're both real and really wanting to see their starter pokemon." She joked.
"Yes, of course." Hornbeam looked back at his list. "Pedro Thunderbird, are you here? Get on up here!"
A handsome boy with light brown skin, brown eyes, and azure hair tied in a short braided ponytail stood up from his seat. He walked gracefully up to the Professor and Rin. "Professor Hornbeam and…Rin? Pleased to meet you both."
"Haruka Shinomiya!" Hornbeam called. "Are you here? Get on-"
"You don't need to say the same thing every time." The boy with the chin-length black hair and bored grey eyes stood up. "I'm on my way, and it looks like you're taking up time so just call the next person too."
"Very well. Clay-"
"Woo!" A lean boy with short brown hair and blue eyes called. "Clay Morris in the house!"
"Levandowski." Hornbeam completed. "Clay Levandowski."
"That's me." The tatted student from earlier stood up next to Haruka. "He can be Clay. 'Loner' will do for me."
"Careful not to get cut with that edge, Loner." Haruka sighed.
"I could say the same to you." Loner shrugged, largely unaffected by the comment. "Come on, the Professor is waiting on us."
"Fine. I suppose he is."
Rin looked at the two final students joining her and Pedro and hid a look of disappointment from the Professor.
"Now then, onto our dorm building. You lot are going to love it. I've got all sorts of type chart posters and-" Hornbeam began rambling as he led his advisory group towards their dorm building.
Hemlock sighed, relieved to get back on schedule as he nodded to Professor Maple.
Maple, a plump and stout elderly woman with pure white curls and rosy cheeks used a walker to reach the podium.
"It's such a pleasure to meet everyone." She smiled. "My name is Guinevere Maple, and I am blessed to be a Pokemon Professor in many subjects, most notable among them my research into Legendary and Mythical Pokemon. Roqoi is not known for having very many of either category, but I owe your Headmaster a great debt, so I've come out of retirement to help him get his academy started. Now then…Is Diane Bennets present?"
"What, you thought I wouldn't be?" Diane, a tall and slightly muscular girl with tan skin, brown eyes, and punk styled hair dyed an electric blue, asked from a relaxed position in her seat before shrugging. "Eh, I guess it's understandable. Not exactly big on being corralled, feel me?"
"More than you know, dear." Maple laughed. "If I could ditch this walker, I'd do so in a heartbeat."
"Ha!" Diane laughed. "You're alright, Professor." She stood up from her seat and walked up towards her advisor. "Who else is with us?"
"Christopher Hide?" Maple asked out into the audience.
"Oh that's me!" An energetic and friendly boy with golden blonde hair and purple eyes stood up from his seat happily. "I'm on my -oof!" he tripped over his own undone shoelace before catching himself on one of the auditorium chairs. "It's alright, I'm fine!" He laughed. "Just super excited to meet some new friends."
"Might wanna tie your shoe then, slick." Diane chuckled. "Don't want to trip onto any potential friends."
"Well, if what my letter said was true, my new friend will be able to fly so I doubt I'll trip on them."
"Oh, you meant pokemon, not people."
"No, I meant both."
"Clay Morris!" Maple called towards Clay. "You're with me, dear."
"I'd have thought I'd be put with the type-focused professor since you guys know why I'm here but…"
"Oh, we didn't use any method other than drawing from a hat to determine advisory groups." Maple revealed. "We felt it would be best to do things that way in the name of broadening horizons."
"Fair enough." Clay shrugged.
"And our last member…" Maple looked down at her list before looking back up. "Lucian Olarondo!"
"Ah, that would be me." Lucian stood. He was a tall and slightly bulky boy, with bright orange eyes, pointed blonde sideburns. His long blonde hair was tied up into a ponytail, with some bangs hanging off the side of his face, both tapering off into a dyed deep purple.
"That makes the last of us, yes?" He asked as he reached the rest of the group. "Let's go and leave the final group to their own introductions. I'm eager to see the new digs."
As Maple and her advisory group left the auditorium, only four students, Hemlock, and the final Professor were left.
Hemlock did not need to nod for Dogwood to come up. Dogwood, a tall man with a shining bald head and a golden monocle over one of his brown eyes was already at the podium. He was dressed head to toe in a crisp business suit, none of his outfit showing any hint of personality.
"I am Professor Tyrian Dogwood." He announced. "But you will always address me as 'Professor' or 'Mr.' Dogwood. My research into Roqoi History and Roqoi Law is extensive and expansive. The only source more trustworthy than my mind on the matter would be my textbooks. In addition to my professorial duties, I am the deputy mayor of Eggville to the south, and the professor most trainers go to when they embark on their journey throughout the Roqoi region."
"Wait, I thought all the professors had something to do with Pokemon." A boy raised his hand. "What about that?"
"Oh. That." Dogwood rolled his eyes. "I am an expert in all health-related matters when it comes to newly hatched pokemon, as well as pokemon eggs. However, I left that field some time ago of my own volition due to disagreements with the way my contemporaries were conducting their research. Any more interruptions will result in a disciplinary mark on your academic record young man. Are we clear on that matter?"
"Oh, yes." The boy nodded. "Though it'd might be cool to see just how hard it is to graduate with a bunch of disciplinary marks on my record."
"You must be Mr. Yankton." Dogwood looked at a notepad that he produced from nowhere. "You are last on this list. Stay seated and quiet until I call you up."
'Mr. Yankton' nodded.
"Without any further interruptions, Ms. Terk, step forward!"
The last female student in the auditorium stood up. She was a shorter than average girl with long blonde hair reaching her lower back. Her green eyes gave off the appearance of boredom. She stepped forwards without complaint as her hand clasped a necklace with the symbol of the ghost type on it.
She rose her other hand.
"You may introduce yourself if that is your desire." Dogwood allowed. "Any other questions or comments will wait until after we arrive at the dorm building."
"I'm Nika Terk." She stared up at Dogwood, unafraid.
Dogwood stared back even as he called the next student from the auditorium audience. "Mr. Sugaru, step forward!"
"Girian Sugaru, in the building!" Girian stood up and made his way towards Dogwood and Nika. He was an older and taller boy with grey hair, blue highlights, all slightly spiked to the left.
Dogwood held in a criticism of the informal introduction and looked at his list.
Nika smirked as Dogwood broke her staring contest first.
"Mr. Flamel, step forward." Dogwood announced.
An athletic boy with vibrant red hair stood up excitedly. His deep green eyes glittered with a sort of curiosity and determination of an explorer that had seen many far-flung lands.
"I'm Luke Flamel, future Champion."
Nika and Girian both held in a laugh.
Dogwood's stern expression turned into a slight smile. "Only if you study and train hard, Mr. Flamel. You'll see what I mean soon. Now then…"
Dogwood turned toward the last student left sitting. "Mr. Yankton, now you may step forward and introduce yourself."
"Hup." The thin, indigenous teen stood up. His short, reddish-brown hair was in a mop that covered both his ears, while his bangs reached his eyebrows. His brown eyes were cheerful, unaffected by Dogwood's sternness. He wore a tan poncho with red and orange lining, and as he bowed for his introduction, the students and Dogwood all noticed that he was missing his left hand. "I'm Nolan Yankton, and I'm the last of the students on your list, Professor Dogwood."
"You are indeed." Dogwood nodded. "And with that we'll be off." He gave Hemlock a quick nod and left the headmaster alone in the auditorium.
Well, almost alone.
"Whew, that gaggle of kids seems like they could be a handful for you, especially with your staff." A young woman with short black hair in a janitorial jumpsuit walked up to Hemlock.
"You're part of that staff too, young lady." Hemlock chided. "I want you to succeed here, so I don't intend to let you slack off, or act overly friendly."
"Geez, Dad, I get it." The woman rolled her eyes. "I can't coast on the nepotism with this job like I could with my mother's office."
"You couldn't coast on nepotism there either, Kiona! You have to learn the value of hard labor. Otherwise I'll send you back to your grandmother's place in Unova."
"Ugh." Kiona groaned as she leaned on the mop in her janitorial cart. "Fiiiine. But if those twerps make my job any harder by constantly littering, I'm giving you an earful about them."
"Considering that littering is a crime, I would hope so." Hemlock sighed as he stroked his ginger beard. "Now then, I have to be off. The professors will want to show their advisees the exhibition match between the Summer Season's champion and an old traveling buddy of mine from Palla City. It's my understanding that he is going to give me and Academy Park a shoutout."
"Oh, you've told me some stories about him. Santos, right?"
"Right. Now get going already, join the rest of the cleaning staff."
"Fiiiine."
Dorm Village Commons Area
Students Present: All
Faculty Present: All
Students sat in tables with their assigned professors as they turned their attention towards the large TV monitor adorned on the Commons Area's northern wall. Hemlock pressed the power button on the remote from where he stood and motioned for Kiona to dim the lights.
The official Pokemon League Tournament Stadium, just east of Great Isle City, appeared on the monitor.
"Welcome for anyone just joining us." A commentator announced as the camera split and zoomed in on two different trainers on opposite ends of the opulent battle court.
"The exhibition match to celebrate the start of the Autumn Pokemon League Season is about to get underway. In the Orange corner, we have last seasons' Pokemon League Tournament Champion."
"That's right, Tom." A separate commentator announced. "16 year old Rori Armstrong from Nagaria City stunned all of Roqoi with her upset victory in the Pokemon League last season, as she was the very last trainer on the ballot, grabbing her eighth gym badge only hours before the tournament signups shutdown. She had to fly into the tournament grounds on Bulo City Gym Leader Dre's Braviary. Any idea which of her all-stars she'll be using for this match?"
"Well, it could be any of them, Tammy, but we have to remember who she's up against here in the Brown corner. Santos Dirgel is a prolific trainer in his own right. His only recorded loss is to a former champion of the Roqoi Region, Adrian Hemlock. It's been a while since we've seen Santos in action, but I don't imagine he's been slacking off on training since his professional circuit. Furthermore, he could potentially send out anything. He also has at least 20 years of experience on Rori here."
"That may be true Tom, but Rori's still a powerhouse in her own right and oh…it looks like the referee is in the teal box! The match is about to start!"
"Both Rori and Santos are getting their poke balls ready. This is a 1v1 exhibition match. Both trainers look ready to go. The ref is giving the signal and…there the poke balls go!"
"Probopass!" Rori shouted as she sent out her magnetically inclined rock and steel type pokemon.
"And it's Probopass from Rori!" Tom exclaimed.
"Floatzel!" Santos called as he sent out his orange twin-tailed water type pokemon.
"And good ol' Floatzel from Santos!" Tammy added to the excitement. "It appears he's using one of his original roster after all!"
"Floatzel may have the type advantage on Probopass here…" Tom warned. "But Probopass has pulled off many upsets for Rori in the past. Most notably among them its come from behind victory over 4 of her opponent's pokemon in the quarter-finals!"
"It looks like Floatzel is the first to move!" Tammy announced. "Aqua Jet is closing the distance onto Probopass…"
Floatzel was coated in rushing water is it moved towards Probopass at blinding speed.
"Oh, a Discharge counterattack commencing!" Tom announced "But Floatzel is too fast, look it at go!" Floatzel dodged different stray electric bolts emitting from Probopass as it tries to clash against the Aqua Jet, unsuccessfully, as the Floatzel connects with its attack and jumps back to a safe distance.
"Floatzel with the first contact." Tammy announced. "Santos hasn't lost his footing even after all these years."
"Probopass is on the move now!" Tom pointed out as Rori commanded her Probopass to close the gap. "Bold play from Rori and oh IT'S STONE-EDGE!"
"Floatzel doing his best to dodge but clearly wasn't expecting a close-counters retaliation and ouch, that hit's gotta sting!" Tammy commentated as Probopass's Stone-Edge connected and sent Floatzel flying.
"But wait, what's this?!" Tom zeroed in on Floatzel in the air as it began to spin and regain its focus before diving back down bringing a massive wave of water with it. "I can't believe it folks, it's Wave Crash! We're being treated to some high power moves this afternoon and I don't know about you, Tammy, but I couldn't be more excited."
"You've got that right time!" Tammy announced. "Floatzel is coming back with a vengeance, and Santos isn't about take that Stone-Edge lying down."
Floatzel crashed into the Probopass and a layer of steam briefly covered the battle court, but only briefly, as Probopass used Rapid Spin to clear the hazard.
"Smart move on Rori's part to take away any potential cover, Tammy." Tom announced. "But where is Floatzel, OH IT'S GEARING UP FOR A LOW KICK AND-"
The Probopass, without stopping its Rapid Spin attack, spun over onto its side, artfully dodging what would have been a devastating blow. "AND PROBOPASS DODGES!"
"Floatzel isn't about to let things end there, Tom." Tammy excitedly. "With Probopass on its side, you know what move Santos will treat us to now."
"Right you are Tammy! It's a clean shot for Floatzel now. We see it gearing up for a Focus Punch… And it's off! Floatzel is off! This could be it for Probo-"
Tom was cut off by a large blast of electricity shooting forth from Probopass and connecting directly with the Floatzel as it approached point-blank range.
"Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Lugia, folks I can't believe my eyes! It's a point-blank ZAP CANNON!"
"Floatzel is unable to battle!" The referee called. "The winner is Probopass, so victory goes to Rori Armstrong of Nagaria City!"
The crowd in the stadium, which had been cheering the whole time, erupted into a chorus of applause.
"Santos can't be feeling good about that, his first ever loss since former Champion Hemlock." Tammy reasoned.
"On the contrary, Tammy." Tom noticed. "He seems quite happy. Oh, it looks like the media is gearing up for a post-match interview."
"I never doubted Probopass for a second!" Rori proudly beamed in response to a question about if she was worried when the match didn't start off very well for her. "It might take us a bit to adjust to our situations, but my pokemon and I always figure it out eventually. I felt it best to use Probopass specifically though, because she's the pokemon of mine that loves battling the most, so I wanted to make sure the pokemon themselves were having as much fun as possible. Hopefully we inspired some like-minded trainers to take part in the Autumn Season!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the court, Santos was being questioned.
"Oh, I'm quite happy just to get out there and battle again." He responded to a question about his thoughts on the match. "Young Miss Armstrong really does command pokemon to a wonderful degree. Very few trainers can aspire to that level of mastery over their Pokémon's movement and move timing. Not without proper guidance anyways, which leads me to a special shoutout I want to make as a favor to a good friend of mine." Upon hearing this, Hemlock turned up the volume on the TV, an excited smile behind his beard. It was honestly just great to hear his friend's voice again after he'd been so busy trying to set up Academy Park. "They're opening a school with the specific goal of training up the next generation of trainers, and I couldn't be happier in my current position as the mayor of Palla City to fully endorse Palla City Pokemon Academy, and its headmistress, former Roqoi Champion Margaret Hart! That's all I have time for I'm afraid, but my best wishes to all partaking in the Autumn Pokemon League season!"
The Commons Area fell deafly silent.
Hemlock turned off the television monitor.
The students and faculty all stared at their headmaster.
Hemlock wasn't sure what to say, but he knew the students were starting to piece together what was going on.
He cleared his throat. "Classes will start tomorrow morning. I had hoped to be present for your orientation day battles with your starter pokemon, but it appears I need to make a few important calls. Welcome again to Academy Park" He frowned behind his ginger beard "…and to the wonderful world of Pokemon…"