Alex hurried to catch up to the group, where Mentor Darmanitan led the new recruits further down the hall.
"All right, kids! I know you've seen parts of the building, but we're going to go over the rest of it now. Right now, we're on the green floor, as you can see. It's got the kitchen and meeting rooms, which you've seen, but it's got one more important place," Darmanitan stopped in front of a silver-colored door with an odd symbol in the center. "Kids, this is the Temple, the most complete collection of shrines for legendary Pokemon the world over." He carefully opened the door, calling out.
"Chimecho, are you in here? Got a bunch of new recruits I'm showing around!" Darmanitan pushed the recruits forcefully in front of him.
"Yes, I'm here," an ethereal voice said. A Chimecho floated from around a statue, levitating just above the ground to look at them. "This is a unique group this month, isn't it?"
"Heh, wait 'till you hear about 'em at dinner. Things are going to be interesting with these ones," Darmanitan said.
"I see." Chimecho's eyes locked with Alex's, and the bell on her head made a gentle chime. Chimecho approached Alex, looking at the marks on his body.
"You've been marked by a great power, haven't you, little one? Rarely do the gods mark one so clearly," her soft voice echoed in the air.
"I-I guess so. I don't remember," Alex said.
"And with no memories? A great destiny, and struggle, is surely in wait for you, young Abra," she said, continuing to stare at him.
"Oi, what's with this place? Do you have shrines for every legend? That's a lot of work! And even more shiny stuff!" Murkrow said.
Alex saw dozens of statues scattered around the room. Some of them were in groups, as if they were connected to each other, while many of the statues were spaced apart and solitary. Some of them were huge, towering above Alex's head.
Chimecho turned to Murkrow. "Yes. It's as Mentor Darmanitan said. Every major legend and being of godly power has a shrine in this room. From Lugia and Ho-oh, protectors of the sea and granter of hope, to the Spirit Trinity, all the way to the great Creator of All, Arceus, lay enshrined here. I offer the rituals and sacrifices to them all, and guide those who seek communion with them," Chimecho said. She gestured to the Pokemon as she named them. "Noon is the time appointed to honor Shaymin, purifier of land and fertile soil. You may watch me, if you wish."
Without waiting for a response, Chimecho floated to a small altar, covered in grass, with a stone statue of a hedgehog-like Pokemon on it. Chimecho waved her long ribbonlike tail, using her psychic power to light small incense sticks placed on each corner.
"Gentle Shaymin, we thank thee for cleansing our land from poison. We entreat thee to continue to bless our lands, that our fields be fertile and fruitful to all." As Chimcho ended her prayer, the bell on her head let out a single chime.
"There are over sixty Pokemon that are worshiped here, and I have been tasked to care for their shrines and guide Pokemon to whichever deity they worship. Even myths that are usually shared within a single village may be worshiped here, like the brave Zarude, protector of Daintree Jungle in the south," Chimecho said.
"Really? Every one? Even Regigigas? He's the strongest Pokemon of all. He pulled the continents!" Caleb said excitedly.
"Yes. Regigigas is here, surrounded by his creations, the lesser golems," Chimecho said, floating to a giant statue of headless Pokemon with strange dots on their chests. "Do you desire to make an offering now?" Chimecho asked.
"Erm, maybe later," Caleb said. "I don't want to take up any time from the tour."
"As you wish. I am always here, should any of you seek guidance or communion with the gods," Chimecho said.
"Does that mean the legends talk to us? I didn't think they bothered to listen to us mortal Pokemon," Murkrow said.
"Some of the gods are more distant than others. But all of them grant blessings to their faithful. Most Pokemon are too busy to worship more than one or two of the gods they most adore. But that's why shrine guardians like me exist. I live so that all of the gods may have the worship and honor they deserve, as well as teach others about them."
Alex looked at the chamber, filled with dozens of statues of different sizes and shapes.
Every one of these represents a god of this world. One of these must be the one who took my memories and put me here. I'll have to come back here and talk with Chimecho to figure out which one it is.
"Hey, Alex, you coming?" Caleb asked.
Alex jumped. He was lost in thought, and hadn't noticed everyone leaving. After saying their goodbyes to Chimecho, the group moved on.
"You've seen the kitchen already, so I'll show you the big auditorium next."
Darmanitan led them down the hall, past the kitchens and cafeteria. A set of double doors, larger than the other doors in the building, set this room apart from the others. Darmanitan pushed them open, opening to a cavernous room with shallow steps carved into the stone. The room was a large oval, with the podium set at the center of the curve on one end.
"This room is one of the best places in the known world for gathering lots of 'mons in the same room. This can hold all the members of the Academy, plus some of the town. Also, some human figured out how to make it so that everyone can hear the speaker, even if they're all the way in the back. Before I came here, every time some Pokemon wanted to give a speech to more than a few hundred Pokemon, he had to hire psychics to relay the speech every hundred feet. Or use Exploud, but those tend to make you deaf if you stand too close," Darmanitan said.
Alex saw Murkrow flinch, as if he had personal experience with them.
"But check this out. Scatter yourselves out, and I'll show you how good it sounds in here," Darmanitian said. Alex and Caleb took the long walk to stand at the very back of the room, while Girafarig went to the center, Murkrow perched on an overhead peg, and Baltoy balanced near the door. Alex and Caleb were far enough away that Darmanitan was smaller than a finger at arm's length.
"Do you really think you can hear him back here? I can barely see him, Alex," Caleb said. Alex focused on Darmanitan's flaming eyebrows, it being his only distinguishing feature at this distance.
"Good morning, recruits!" Darmanitan's voice said. Alex jumped. Somehow, Darmanitan sounded like he was standing right beside them, speaking at a conversational volume. Murkrow almost fell off his perch, while Baltoy balanced stoically.
"See? Told you how smart that human was. I don't even have to talk loud here, either. Anyone else want to try?" Darmanitan asked.
"How does that even work? How can that sound so good over this distance?" Alex asked.
"I don't know, but this is super cool!" Caleb said. "I want to try!" He ran to the front of the room, where Darmanitan stood.
"HEY GUYS, CAN YOU HEAR ME?" he yelled.
Alex flinched and covered his ears. Just as Darmanitan had sounded like he was talking in front of Alex, Caleb sounded like he was shouting right in his face. The others had similar reactions.
"Hey! Machop, you didn't have to yell!" Girafarig yelled.
"Really?" Caleb said in a quieter voice.
Darmanitan didn't seem to be affected by Caleb's shouting, just laughing at the recruits' reactions.
"Isn't it great? This means that anytime we have to have everyone in a meeting, they can just talk normally and everyone can hear them," Darmanitan said. "Now, let's go check out the purple floor, and work our way up."
The recruits made their way from around the room back to the exit, and then to the stairs. Darmanitan led them at a brisk pace, though slightly slower than Deputy Raticate's constant darting.
"There's a lot of stuff on the ground floor here. It's where outside Pokemon come in to make requests for help and rescues, and where you find jobs to do. Come on, I'll show you the job board first," Darmanitan said. He led them to a room with boards covering the walls, outlined in different colors. Pieces of paper covered the boards, filled in with writing.
"Here's where you'll be spending a lot of time once you pass recruit stage. Each one of these papers is a job you can take: from rescuing 'mons in dungeons, to item hunting, to general labor, to even catching outlaws, if you're strong enough. The boards are organized by type of request and location. Also, some of these are long term assignments, so make sure you know what you're getting into before you take one. Of course, I'll go over this again once you are allowed to take jobs., but if you want to claim an assignment, you've got to take it to Bookkeeper Metang so he can record who's doing it and keep everything straight," Darmanitan said. "Also, a lot of the requests have restrictions or requirements. You might have to be a certain kind of Pokemon, or know a trade, or have certain equipment. Read the job carefully!" he said
Alex looked at the half dozen boards, each filled with requests. Even if he couldn't read the runes on them, each paper represented someone who needed help. He finally started to see how important the Academy was in the area. Hundreds of Pokemon relied on the Academy for work, for workers, and for customers. Surely, if he stayed here, he would find meaning and purpose for his new life.
"Anyway, you've all got to pass recruit stage first. You've all seen the reception area, so we're going back upstairs," Darmanitan said.
After everyone got on the elevator, Darmanitan asked for the yellow floor and Gurdurr began his steady lifting of the platform..
"You've been to the blue floor already. It's for exercise and battling classes. There's a couple rooms you haven't been to yet, but your battling classes will cover that. And I've shown you the green one too. Yellow floor is where the more human type learning happens. It's full of classrooms for different subjects, plus a library if you want to research more," Darmanitan said.
He led them out of the elevator, saying, "Be quiet. There's a lot of classes going on, and we don't want to distract them."
Doors lined the hall, pointing to many different rooms for different subjects and groups. Each of them had the ubiquitous footprint runes on them indicating what was being taught behind them.
"The library's this way," Darmanitan said. The recruits followed him to a room packed with shelves, and books stacked to the ceiling. An Ambipom climbed down from one of the stacks of books to stand in front of them.
"Hew, newbies," she said. "Welcome to my library, the biggest collection of books in five hundred miles! If you need help in class, I can always find the book you need!"
Baltoy hopped around the room. "Your collection is extensive, Ambipom. I will spend a lot of time here studying."
Alex looked at the hundreds of books filled with knowledge. These will help me understand this world. Once I learn how to read, at least. I hope that's one of the things taught here.
"Thank you very much! I try to keep everything organized, but make sure you talk to me before you take any books out. I can lend them for special circumstances, but most of the time, the books should be kept in here. Books are too hard to make and expensive to let them go willy-nilly," Ambipom said.
After that quick introduction, Darmanitan took the group to the red floor.
"This is where all the offices are for the mentors, sergeants, and so on. Now you're gonna meet with me and get your classes and schedule figured out, and pick an apprenticeship. Here's my office. Who wants to go first?"
"I would, if you please," Fomantis volunteered.
Darmanitan closed the door behind them, leaving the rest of the recruits to talk to each other. .
"What do you think so far?" Caleb asked.
"It's a lot to take in. You said this was an important place, but I didn't know what to expect. It's- I think we should stay here. It feels like this is where we need to be. What about you? Is the Academy like you expected?" Alex asked
"This is a lot bigger than I expected. I knew that this was one of the organizations based off the old Guilds, but this place must teach hundreds of Pokemon a year!" Caleb said.
"It is certainly impressive," Baltoy said. "It is well organized and efficient as well."
Alex sat on the floor, grateful for the opportunity to rest. Though Caleb and everyone else seemed full of energy, he felt lethargic and drained. The stress of the day was getting to him, plus all the running around they had been doing.
After a few minutes, Fomantis came out.
"All right, who's next?" Darmanitan asked. When nobody immediately volunteered, he chose someone on his own.
"We don't have all day. Baltoy, get in here!" he called, though with a friendly smile.
Baltoy hopped over to their meeting with Darmantian.
"Um, how did it go? What kind of classes did you get?" Alex asked Fomantis.
"Apparently, new recruits need to take several classes regardless of their goals. So we are all taking classes together in the mornings, but I'm doing apprenticeships in the town in the afternoons," Fomantis said.
After talking with Fomantis, Alex decided he wanted to be the next person to meet with Darmanitan. He had been just passively following Caleb and the leaders of the Academy, but if he was really supposed to be a hero, he would have to make his own decisions. He barely knew the first thing about this world, but if he didn't start working, he wouldn't find out why he was here. Alex needed to find the reason why his memories were sealed, and this Academy could teach him the knowledge and skills he had forgotten, and point him toward places that answer the question of why he was here..
Baltoy exited the room after talking with Darmanitan.
"Who is next? Mentor Darmanitan seems to be in a hurry to finish our interviews," Baltoy said.
"I'll go," Alex said, standing up. Noticing everyone else looking at him, he cowed. "Um, unless someone else wants to go first…" he said.
"Go ahead! You've got this, Alex!" Caleb said. He had started standing up when the door had opened, but he sat back down after Alex said he wanted to go first.
As Alex entered the small room with Darmanitan, he wondered what he was going to say. It sounded like there were a lot of choices for apprenticeships and classes, and he had no idea what any of them were.
Darmanitan looked up from a stack of papers as Alex entered.
"Huh, it's you next. I kinda thought you'd be the last. You've been acting shy this whole time," Darmanitan said.
Alex wasn't sure how to respond to that. He was so lost in every sense of the word, that anyone would be reserved and careful before doing anything.
"Anyway, you're here now. Sorry about that Monferno, she won't be bothering you again. This day has just been really crazy, with us all trying to figure out how to fit a human into our Academy. Honestly, I'm not sure how much you'll even learn here, since most of what we teach comes from the humans in the first place."
"Um, sorry, but I don't have any memories from being human. I don't know if I can help you with that," Alex said.
"Well, then maybe the next month won't be a complete waste of your time. Anyways, all recruits take the same six classes for the first month to get a baseline education. Math, learning to read and write footprint runes, the different Pokemon and their types, battle and fitness, outdoors survival, and human studies. Three classes a day, then spend the afternoon doing an apprenticeship at one of the businesses in town to get a practical skill. Are you with me so far?" Darmanitian asked.
"Um, I think so, Mentor Darmanitan," Alex said.
"Eh, don't bother with the 'Mentor' thing. I'm not much smarter than other Pokemon, I'm just old and been here a while. Anyway, do you have any idea for what kind of apprenticeship you want? We've got smithing, farming, printing, carpentry… Any of those sound like a good fit?" Darmanitan asked.
"I don't know. I'm not very strong, so I don't think I can do manual labor. Is there something I could do something easier on my body?"
"Hmm, good point. There's a few options for stuff that's more smarts based. Fomantis already chose medicine, and Golduck only takes one apprentice at a time, so that's out. Cooking and food preparation could work…" Darmanitan flicked through the papers on his desk.
"Oh, here's one. Enchanters Zweilous and Altaria want an extra Pokemon to help enchant orbs and other items. It's not that tiring, and if you have as much power as Graveler said, you could make some quality equipment." Darmanitan said.
"I don't really know how to use my power though. It just explodes out of me. But that does sound like a better idea than carpentry, at least." Alex said.
"Oh, forgot about that," Darmanitan said. "That's one of the things Principal Blastoise wanted me to set up with you. We're setting you up with a tutor to hone your powers. Pokemon usually have families to teach them how to use their individual powers, or at least have instinct teaching them. As a human, you've missed out on both, so we've set you up with Gothitelle to practice your psychic abilities with. He'll help you figure out levitating and using your psychic abilities at will."
"So I've got three classes a day, then the enchanting apprenticeship, and then a private tutor? That sounds like a lot in one day," Alex said.
"Yeah, we keep you pretty busy here. But once you pass the first month and become full apprentices, then most Pokemon take less classes and focus on their goals. For a lot of them, that means focusing more on their trade apprenticeship. But for someone like you… well, you're almost definitely going to start adventuring with Caleb. That's the way things normally go for humans. You humans always seem to end up explorers and adventurers." Darmanitan said.
"Thank you, Darmanitan. Is there anything else?" Alex asked
"Nah, that's about it. Just make sure you don't get too caught up in other people's expectations of you. You've got to go at your own pace. Anyway, we're done here, so send in the Machop after you."
"Thank you," Alex said as he stood up. Darmanitan went back to shuffling the papers on his desk as Alex left. Everyone looked up as the door opened to stare at Alex.
"Um, Caleb, he asked for you next," Alex said awkwardly.
"Really? How'd it go?" Caleb asked, walking to the door.
"Uh, fine, I think. It sounds like we're going to be busy with all the classes and apprenticeships, though." Alex said.
"Talk later! I've got four more of you to get through, so get in here, Machop!" Darmantian called from the doorway. Caleb sheepishly followed Darmanitan into his office.
As the door closed behind Caleb, Alex sat back down, separate from everyone else.
A minute later, Girafarig approached him.
"Hi. We were wondering… where did you choose to be an apprentice at? Formantis is becoming a doctor, and Baltoy said they're working at the printing shop. What else was there? I want to know my options, because it can be hard to do a lot of jobs with four legs," she said.
Alex thought back to the jobs Darmanittan had mentioned. He had dismissed most of them as too hard.
"Um, I chose to do enchanting. I'm not sure how it works, but most of the things he said I don't think I could do. I know there was carpentry, farming, smithing, and printing- Oh, you already said that one. I think he also mentioned cooking…"
"Oh. I could do farming, if I can get a good harness for pulling. Most of that other stuff sounds like it's easier for Pokemon with hands though. I can use a little bit of telekinesis on small stuff, but not enough to make a career out of. Oh well. Hopefully he has other suggestions," Girafarig said.
"Yeah, I know. It took him a minute to figure out something I could do too." Alex said. Girafarig went back to the group of recruits.
A few minutes later, Caleb left Darmanitan's office.
"Alex! I got a job with a carpentry shop run by a Charmeleon! I'm gonna learn how to build stuff like houses for Pokemon to live in!" Caleb said.
"That's good. It sounds like you're excited for it. I'm doing enchanting with an Altaria and Zweileous. I don't think I could do heavy lifting like you, so I'm glad Darmanitan found something I can do." Alex said.
After everyone had met with Mentor Darmanitan, he addressed all of them together.
"Now that that's all over with, we're going to have an early dinner, then I'll show you your dorms. After that, you're free to do whatever you want, as long as you stay inside the Academy. I figure some of you might just want to go to sleep early, though," Darmanitan said. "Oh! I forgot to go over the rules. Most of them are pretty common sense; don't attack each other unless it's an agreed battle, no bullying each other. As for what you have to do, you have to go to classes unless you're sick or have a very good reason. Once you are cleared for expeditions, you need to do a job or your apprenticeship every day. You do get paid for that, but it's sent directly to the Academy and you keep what's left after the tax. The half we take goes toward your food, rooms, and paying your teachers and getting supplies. You can use your money how you want, but you can't have weapons or stuff, like Deputy Raticate told you earlier. And I'm always free to talk if you have any problems or questions." Darmanitan said.
"In case you forgot, the kitchen is down on the green floor, turn right when you get off the elevator. I'll come get you once I've got all this paperwork turned in."
Murkrow flapped his wings. "Finally! Today's just been a bunch of sitting around! I can't wait until I can actually spread my wings a bit!"
"Yeah, sure, just make sure you don't hit anybody in the halls," Darmanitan said.
The group of Pokemon made their way down to the kitchens, where the constant smell of food enticed those walking by to step in and eat. Murkrow hopped to the line where the smell of cooked meat wafted, while everyone else went to the vegetarian line. Again, the meal was a choice between two bases and sauces. It seemed like it was the most efficient way to offer choice while still being simple enough to feed several hundred Pokemon, especially when some needed additional supplements to their diet.
After eating, Darmanitan led them upstairs, to the same hallway Alex and Caleb had slept in the night before.
"This is the orange floor, as you can see. It's got the infirmary at the end of the hall. If you feel sick, or get worse than bruises in sparring, go there and see Golduck." He opened two doors, one on each side of the hall.
"You're in the Pidgey room," Darmanitan said, pointing at a bird's footprint painted on two doors across from each other. "You will be together for most of your training, except your apprenticeships, so it's easier to keep you in the same room. Girls go on the right side of the hall, boys on the left."
Alex looked in the rooms, which were mirror images of each other: six beds with a chest at the foot of each one. A small window in the boy's room showed the setting sun inching toward the horizon, shading the world in hues of red and orange. Both rooms also had a rough, uncut crystal hanging from the ceiling as well.
"Just tap the crystal if you need light. Caretaker Combusken charges them weekly with enough light to last eight hours." Darmanitan said.
"Question: I am genderless. Is it acceptable if I reside in the female room? It will be less crowded, and more symmetrical than five of us in the same room and one in the other," Baltoy asked.
"Eh, sure. Girafarig, you okay with that?" Darmanitan asked.
"Yeah, I guess," she answered.
"Your stuff's have been put into the chests. If there's something missing, let me know tomorrow, and I'll hunt it down for you. Anyway, that's all I've got for you. Timekeeper Klinklang will ring the bells when it's time to wake up. Good night."
And with that, Darmanitan left, leaving the new group to find their beds. After some small talk, the new recruits got in their beds, ready for the next day.