AN: After a very long hiatus, I took time to reflect on the original version of this fic, and realized that there were far more flaws and inconsistencies than I had recognized before. So I decided to start over, try again with a better plan laid out, and make this fic the greatest one I have written so far. I hope you all are excited to join this journey! It will be a very long chaotic one. (-o-)

Charlie stared over the side of the boat, watching the brilliant blue waves lap against the white hull and feeling the warm sea breeze ruffling through his golden hair.

This ship, known as the SS Plato, was sailing for a small island off the shore of Kanto, which was the location of the illustrious Uxira University. Here, many of the greatest Pokemon Trainers in the world had been taught, and now Charlie was gonna be one of the next ones.

His eyes searched the horizon for the island, but turned up nothing. Charlie sighed. It felt like he'd been standing here forever, even though a quick look at his watch said it had only been thirty minutes or so.

He stepped back from the railing, deciding it might be a good idea to try and meet some of the other people here. After all, they were probably gonna be stuck with each other for the next four years.

He ran into someone almost immediately. They were shorter by at least a foot than him, but didn't look bothered by it at all. They were lean yet athletic, with tanned warm brown skin that seemed to bask in the bright sunlight. They had very long fluffy black hair, which was currently styled into a braid. The braid ran all the way down to their thighs, which Charlie imagined would raise a few eyebrows. They had warm golden-brown eyes, much like honey, although they were currently partially closed with large dark circles beneath them. It seemed they hadn't gotten much sleep lately. They were currently wearing a soft pale green hoodie with the sleeves rolled up, dark gray pants, and weathered combat boots. Charlie noticed a long scar running down their left arm, and wondered what sort of thing could have created it. They were also looking out at the horizon, but turned as Charlie approached and gave him a friendly smile.

"Alola!", they greeted, "My name is Kealoha, but you can call me Kea if you like! What about you?"

Charlie smiled back. "My name's Charlie! How are you doing so far? I know some people were feeling seasick when we set sail."

Kea replied, "Oh, don't worry, I'm doing pretty well. I used to ride boats all the time back home, sailing around the islands to explore new places!"

Charlie nodded. "Islands…so you're from Alola, then?"

Kea gave him a thumbs-up. "Got it in one! I'm planning on coming back there as a new Pokemon Ranger, help protect the many species there. Alola is one of the smallest regions in the world you know, but there's so much diversity to protect!"

Charlie smiled. "That sounds pretty noble! Meanwhile I'm just here doing what everyone else in the world does: striving to be the very best. I wanna be a champion Trainer, and find every Pokemon there is to know!"

Kealoha nodded. "So you wanna be like Champion Red then? That's pretty cool. I hope you get good luck on that!"

"He's gonna need it."

Charlie looked up to see a very large young man stride up. He looked like he could be a bodybuilder - with muscles comparable to that of a Machamp, which wasn't something Charlie had expected to see in a guy around his age. He had messy, dirty-blond hair, big blue eyes, a blocky nose that looked like it had broken two or three times, and a pair of sunglasses resting on his forehead. The young man wore a sleeveless red top and ripped-up black shorts, making his many scars visible for all to see. Most notably were the deep clawmarks on his arms, which Charlie knew had to have been inflicted by some sort of scary Pokemon.

"After all…", the stranger continued, "I too am gonna be the very best!"

He flexed one of his large biceps. "And I won't go down easily to anyone!"

Charlie smirked. "Maybe we should test that in a battle soon."

"Did someone say battle!?"

Suddenly appearing right next to Charlie was another boy, who also just happened to have blond hair. His hair was styled down to look nice and neat, but Charlie noticed some fluff to it. He was a similar height to Kea, maybe a bit taller, with dark blue eyes and a big smile that could charm anyone. He wore a pink shirt and dark blue pants, as well as a rather nice pair of Trainer's boots. Over it all he wore a large, fancy puffy white coat - something that probably wouldn't look out of place in a medieval Galar festival.

"Because I've been stuck on this boat for hours, and I wanna fight someone!", the boy declared, "Come on! Who wants to fight me?"

The buff guy grinned, but before he could say anything a Meowth leaped onto his shoulder, a cunning look in its eyes and a snarky grin on its face.

"Now now, let's not trash the boat please.", the Meowth said, "I would hate for your brute force to break this thing and drown us all. I have better things to do in life."

Everyone stared at the Pokemon in astonishment. Charlie had no idea how to react, and clearly everyone else felt the same way.

"That Pokemon just talked!", exclaimed the boy, "That's impossible!"

Kea looked impressed. "Your Pokemon can talk? That must be awesome! I would love to be able to talk with my Pokemon as well!"

The buff guy shook his head. "It's not nearly as great as you think it is."

"And why not?", the Meowth asked, flipping backwards over the guy's shoulder and looking at the other three upside-down. "Is it because I keep pointing out all your many flaws all the time? Because guess what, ya buffoon, ya need it."

He grinned viciously. "After all, you haven't even told these fellas your name!"

The buff kid groaned. The Meowth snickered and gave him a light slap in the face.

"Fine, I'll do it for you.", the cat declared, "This big idiot here is Grant, and I am Tom Tom, the greatest Meowth of all time and the brains of this unit! What about you kids?"

The other guy puffed up his chest indignantly. "My name is Sherman, and I'll have you know I am NOT a kid! I am a very respectable young man and I'm gonna prove just how strong I am once we get off this stupid boat!"

Charlie and Kea introduced themselves again, and Tom Tom smiled as he righted himself. "Glad to meet you! I will have loads of fun steal- I mean, interacting with you guys!"

Charlie rose an eyebrow. "What were you gonna say?"

Tom Tom batted his eyelashes cutely. "Oh, nothing."

"Surrrree…", Charlie replied, noting that he'd need to watch his back around this kitty. His father had warned him about the shiny-loving nature of Meowths.

"Your Meowth seems pretty fun!", Kea complimented, "Definitely got quite the personality!"

"See, Grant? I've got personality.", Tom Tom said, giving him a smug look.

Grant responded by grunting.

Suddenly Kea perked up. "Look over there!", they chirped excitedly.

Everyone looked at where they were facing, and felt thrilled at the sight.

Ahead of them, the dark smudge of the island could finally be seen, a tall mountain and a wide spread of green. While it was too far away to see, Charlie could've sworn he could see the white shapes of the campus buildings tucked away in there somewhere.

"Finally!", cheered Sherman, "This is gonna be awesome!"

Charlie smiled. "This school should be fun, yeah. It isn't the most popular school for nothing, after all."

Tom Tom agreed, "Yeah, this'll probably be the most important part of Grant's life. If the idiot doesn't mess it up right off the Zubat, of course."

Grant growled, "Don't make me put you in the Pokeball."

Tom Tom scoffed. "You really think you could keep me in there? But fine, I'll leave ya big lunk alone for now."

He climbed onto Grant's backpack and promptly took a nap.

Grant sighed. "Sorry you have to deal with him."

"I think he's pretty cute actually.", Kea commented.

Sherman started pacing around the deck, looking extra restless now that he knew they were close. A Wingull flew over his head, and he reached for a Pokeball before deciding against it.

Charlie wondered what the rules for catching Pokemon on campus would be, anyway. He'd have to study up on all that. A fancy school such as this one undoubtedly had quite a few rules in place.

As he sat there, he reached down into his yellow jacket and fingered the necklace hiding inside there. His eyes focused on that island in the distance, as they gradually grew closer and closer.

'No matter what.', Charlie thought, 'I'm gonna make you proud.' (-o-)

Ray sat on the ship's deck, one of his many notebooks resting on his lap as he watched the other students wandering around and interacting with each other. He was simply content to sit here and observe, however.

At first glance, he wasn't much to look at. He was rather lean and not particularly tall, with ash brown hair cut around his neck and cold, analytic light blue eyes. He wore a plain black jacket over a white T-shirt, currently unzipped to the warm day, as well as worn-out gray rubber shoes. His backpack, stuffed with his necessities and notebooks on every little thing, was pressed against the wall as he sat there, his pen tracing down notes on anything he figured needed them.

Ray had always been a very analytic person. If something happened, he wanted to know every detail about it so he could learn from it and take future precautions. And if he was gonna battle somebody, he wanted to know everything he could about them so that he could craft a perfect strategy to defeat them.

He was resolved to become the best Trainer here in the University, which meant he was gonna have to do a lot of strategy planning.

So here he was, jotting down notes on every Trainer he saw and any Pokemon that might be with them. No one seemed to spot him there, but that was fine. Ray wasn't much for talking with others, especially people he did not know. He vastly preferred the role of silent observer.

Unfortunately for him, his solace didn't last for long.

"Hey, you look cool. What's your name?"

Standing before him was a stranger, with a diamond-shaped face, fiery orange hair cut around their shoulders, and a wide grin that looked both sweet and mischievous at the same time. A splash of freckles covered their face, and above those were a pair of warm gray eyes blazing with a wild, eccentric aura. They currently wore a denim vest and jeans, over a white button-up shirt. An orange visor sat atop their head, and there was a pencil carefully tucked behind their ear. A messenger bag hung over their shoulder, and it somehow looked even more stuffed with notebooks than Ray's backpack.

Ray replied quietly, "My name's Ray." He didn't look up, hoping he could make them leave him alone.

Unfortunately they didn't take the hint. "Nice to meet you Ray!", they chirped, "My name is Asher Atlas Aspen, Triple A for short! You look like a fellow scientist, are you in the Research Course too?"

Ray shook his head and sighed. "No, I joined the Battle Course. I much prefer battling over study."

Asher smiled. "I like battles too! After all, there's few better ways to see what Pokemon can do then when they're challenging each other and pushing themselves to the limit!"

Ray shrugged. "True."

Asher then looked curiously at the notebook he was holding. "Whatcha writing?"

Ray closed the notebook. "Nothing."

Asher leaned back, looking a little apologetic. "Oh, I didn't mean to pry! Was just a little curious, is all. I know I love writing down all my observations in notebooks, there are so many fascinating things to document every day! I keep running through them like a Linoone on a straight road. Oh, did you know that Linoone struggle with turns because their large leg muscles didn't develop to rotate well? They can run very fast for long periods, but if they need to suddenly change direction they have to take a longer gradually curving route!"

Ray replied, "Huh. Actually, I think I did. I participated in that one Kalos Quiz Bee a few years ago and I think that was one of the questions."

Asher looked impressed. "Oh wow, really? I heard that one was pretty hard. I would've gone, but I live all the way in Unova and I was pretty busy around that time. How well did you do?"

Ray shrugged. "Pretty good I'd say."

'Actually I won.', he thought, but he wasn't gonna say that out loud. He didn't need any more attention brought to him.

Asher smiled. "That's good! It must've been pretty fun to compete in something like that, especially since I hear there are lots of adults that participate as well."

"It was.", Ray admitted.

Asher looked around, and spotted someone. "Oh look, another guy who looks a little lonely! Let's go say hi to him! After all, a friendly greeting can do wonders to brighten someone's day!"

Before Ray could react, Asher was already pulling him along to go meet the other guy. Ray followed along semi reluctantly, although he supposed that getting to know the people here better would help him design his strategies better.

The guy they approached looked much like a very young professor. His short brown hair was styled into a neat, smooth angular fringe, and he wore a clean long-sleeved white shirt, blue trousers, and a brown tweed jacket. His black shoes were smooth and polished, and his tanned skin was warm and unblemished. As Ray and Asher walked towards him, he turned to reveal his kind blue eyes.

"Oh, hello.", he greeted warmly, "My name is Lucas."

Asher beamed. "Hiii! My name is Asher, and this here is Ray, my new friend!"

"I think it's a tad bit early for that-", Ray started, but Asher cut him off.

"Nonsense! It is never too early to make new friends!", Asher chirped, "Especially if you're just gonna sit in a corner otherwise!"

Lucas nodded. "I suppose that makes sense. Pushing him into it might not be the best course of action though."

Asher looked at Ray nervously. "Am I being pushy? It's okay if you say so, I can stop."

Ray shrugged. "Eh, you're fine. Just took me by surprise is all."

Asher sighed in relief. "That's good. But do let me know if I make you uncomfortable in any way, okay?"

Ray nodded. Asher turned towards Lucas.

"So hey, you look like a smart one. Are you in the Research Course?", Asher asked, looking hopeful.

Lucas shook his head. "Medical Course. Being a Pokemon doctor has been one of my lifelong goals after all."

Asher sighed. "Damn. I haven't had any luck finding fellow researchers…"

Lucas chuckled. "If you think that's tricky, try finding Medical Course students. I think there might be like only one or two on this entire ship."

Asher frowned. "Really? From my research the Medical Course is very thorough and can lead to very good financial opportunities. I'd think a lot more people would be pursuing it."

Lucas shrugged. "Everyone wants to be a battler, I guess. Looks easy enough and everyone wants to be famous. And the medically-inclined individuals generally go to Nurse Joy School in Kanto, even with the all-female restriction and the…more controversial things going on there."

Ray raised an eyebrow. "I thought those were just rumors though? Spread by the Joy family's extensive reach and celebrity status?"

Lucas replied, "I've seen things." He did not elaborate.

Asher shrugged. "I don't study that stuff much so I wouldn't know either. Certainly sounds fascinating though! All the sociological and psychological aspects of such a recognizable symbol of medicine and Kanto culture…after all, the Joy family paved the way to much of our knowledge of modern medicine! They invented the healing machines and started the mass production of potions!"

Ray grumbled, "And completely monopolized it…"

Asher nodded slightly. "There is that too…but it's still interesting to study and think about! Perhaps I should do a paper on that - after I finish some of my other papers too of course!"

"How many do you have?", asked Lucas.

Asher smiled sheepishly. "I don't know anymore. Everything is just so deep and fascinating! I love writing essays on everything and everyone!"

After that statement things fell into an awkward silence.

"Was that weird? I think it was weird.", Asher whispered nervously.

Lucas shrugged. "Not really? But I must say I've never run into someone as passionate as you when it comes to writing essays before."

Asher chuckled. "I get that a lot."

Ray then spotted something ahead, and felt a soft smile emerge on his face. "Look, there's the island!"

Lucas turned and grinned. "Ah, at last! This voyage was longer than anticipated. But I knew this boat would make it safely. Any ship made by my father can survive almost anything."

He patted the railing softly. Ray made a mental note on this. The info wasn't really useful on its own, but who knew what it could lead to.

Ray wondered dimly if this was wrong. But his interest in strategizing and learning overpowered that thought.

As the island grew closer, he set his face in determination. As he stared out over the waves, he felt his hand slip into his pocket and grip onto an old photo.

'No matter what it takes.', Ray thought, 'I will be the very best. I will protect you.' (-o-)

Donovan groaned and stirred. His head was pounding like an army of Falinks had decided to march all over it. He felt dazed and disoriented, struggling to wake up and recalibrate after whatever had happened to him.

As he started getting to a more normal mental state, he realized something felt very wrong. He was smaller, he was in the hold of a ship surrounded by luggage, and there was a Tepig on his chest.

A very familiar Tepig, with a circular scar on its head. He remembered raising the small fire pig, rising to the heights of power with him…but Boulton had evolved years ago. He should not be a Tepig right now.

Then Donovan's memory flooded back in.

The world had ended. The enemy had taken over. Pokemon rampaged across the burning landscape, as the last humans struggled to survive and escape their new overlords. Donovan had been leading a resistance, he'd gotten all the way to the emperor's throne…

And then, it had appeared.

A primal blue dragon of diamond and steel, shattering reality with its roar and twisting time with every step.

The fight was a blur, but Donovan remembered getting hit directly by an attack…and waking up here.

He remembered here, he realized. On the day he went to University, he had tripped on his way to retrieve his luggage and knocked himself out by whacking his head on a beam. That had been quite an embarrassing moment, but he'd been young at the time.

Wait…

Donovan sat up, looking over his body and his eyes widening as he realized what had happened.

This was him when he was thirteen. This was the boat taking him to his first year at Uxira University. This was him…before the end of the world.

Somehow, his mind had been sent back through time into his much younger body.

Donovan felt rather startled and alarmed. 'This is impossible!', he thought. But yet here he was.

And he supposed he'd seen more impossible things.

However, he had no idea what to do now. He'd been sent back over twenty-five years into the past. Anything he did would almost most definitely cause drastic changes to the timeline. As far as he knew, there was no easy way to get back. He was trapped.

He felt something nuzzling his leg, and looked down to see Boulton rubbing his face against Donovan and looking up curiously, trying to get his attention. Donovan noticed an unusual age in the Tepig's eyes, and realized something.

"Boulton…were you sent back in time too?", he asked.

Boulton nodded with a sad grunt.

Donovan felt relieved. "Thank Arceus, I'm not alone. I wonder if the rest of the team remembers…?"

But when he reached to his belt of Pokeballs, he realized very quickly that was not going to be the case.

Because these were his old ones, before his Pokemon team had evolved and expanded. One Pokeball in particular stood out to him - an old weathered one, with a few scratches and marks across it and an affectionate B inked out on its top.

"I think it's just us, Boulton.", Donovan said, "This is Brave's Pokeball."

Boulton looked astonished. He and Donovan both remembered Brave well…and knew that if everything but their biological age had changed that he shouldn't be here.

"You and I were the only ones caught in that attack.", Donovan murmured, "So I guess it makes sense. But now what should we do?"

Boulton oinked in reply. He had about as much idea as Donovan.

At that moment, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and Donovan remembered where and when he was.

"This is gonna be awkward.", he muttered.

Appearing ahead of them was a rather tall young woman, with long black hair flowing down her shoulders and back. Her amber eyes were piercing and fearsome, filling most who stared into them with shivers. She was rather lean and athletic, but seemed a bit skinnier than she perhaps should be. She was wearing an armored shirt and pants, with tall boots that looked like they could stomp through the harshest environments. A purple cape flowed behind her back, adding to her menacing unapproachable look.

But Donovan could sense the girl the woman was trying to hide. He knew her very well in fact. He could see the little fractures hiding behind her fearsome gaze, the fear and timidness lurking at the edges of her terrifying facade. All he could feel looking at her was a deep, aching sadness from many years before…and a burning warmth as he began to realize something.

Of course, he was quickly pulled from his thoughts when she spoke.

"Uh…what are you doing down here?", asked the young woman. She gazed suspiciously at how he was sprawled on the ground surrounded in fallen bags.

"I tripped and hit my head.", Donovan replied, feeling his old embarrassment sparking up a bit before quickly tamping it down. He had grown way past that sort of thing.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Really."

Donovan tried to make a sheepish grin that wasn't exactly convincing. Already the "pretending to be normal" strategy was faltering.

But it wasn't like he could tell everyone he was a time traveler.

The girl huffed. "Alright then. Who are you?"

"Donovan. Donovan Fell.", the time traveler replied.

The girl smirked. "You certainly did."

Boulton slapped his face with his tail.

The girl sighed. "Anyways, I'm Gwendolyn. And you are currently blocking access to my bags."

Donovan stood up and moved to the side. "Of course, my apologies." He refrained from mentioning he already knew exactly who she was.

Gwendolyn strode by, radiating a cold aura. Donovan just watched as she searched through the luggage, unsure of how he should feel at the moment.

His feelings around Gwendolyn were complicated, and clearly many years without her had only made them more chaotic.

Boulton looked up at Donovan, tilting his head quizzically. Donovan reached down and started scratching behind the pig's ears.

'I have a second chance now.', Donovan realized, 'I could fix everything that went wrong. But I've seen enough stories to know that messing with time is very dangerous. I could very well make things worse.'

Looking back at Gwendolyn, he felt a frown come over his face. 'But if I can change the timeline…it might just be worth it.'

Gwendolyn turned after grabbing a weathered backpack, and gave him an odd look. "You're staring at me weirdly.", she commented, "Are you alright?"

Donovan nodded. "Never been better.", he lied, "Shall we head up? The boat should be docking soon."

Gwendolyn shrugged. "Very well." She started striding up the stairs, and Donovan started following behind her. Despite the boots on his feet, he didn't make a sound - a habit kept from his ranger training. So it seemed his instincts had crossed over as well.

He adjusted his rectangular, reflective glasses as they walked up, hiding his navy blue eyes. He had always been fond of remaining mysterious.

As they walked up, Gwendolyn commented, "Your Tepig is very interesting. I can sense he is very strong. You must train him well."

Donovan nodded. "He and I work quite well together."

Gwendolyn gave a very faint smile. "That's always good to hear."

They continued walking in silence, quickly reaching the top deck.

"How old is he?", asked Gwendolyn curiously, taking Donovan a bit by surprise.

"Uh, three years.", he replied. Biologically of course.

Gwendolyn looked intrigued. "How interesting. He seems much older than that."

Donovan felt a little shiver. Could it be she was already guessing his secret?

"Must be a sign of how good of a Trainer you are.", she continued.

Donovan shrugged. "Yeah, guess so."

The two fell into an awkward silence, as they strode out onto the deck with a chorus of Wingulls. The seabirds were soaring in the air above as the ship slowed, gliding into the shallows around the island.

Donovan looked towards the island, marveling at the sight of it in its prime once again.

The island had formed around a great volcano at its center, the great black mountain soaring high above the thick forest of trees surrounding it. While one could only see the forests from here, Donovan knew that the entire back side of the island was a sprawling nature reserve, filled with a bunch of unique habitats to allow all kinds of Pokemon to live and thrive. The University doubled as a Pokemon conservation and research center, and many of the professors trained here stuck around to study the reserve. Future Pokemon rangers also often got their job start here, one of many reasons this Pokemon school surpassed others.

Donovan sensed Gwendolyn quietly slip away from him. He didn't pursue her, knowing full well that she was very much not a social person. It made him feel a little more sad, though.

Donovan stayed at the ship's edge for some time, as the island grew closer. Donovan could see the assorted buildings rising up further inshore. He remembered how large and expansive the campus was, and wondered how it would feel to walk through it again.

Well, he would soon find out.

As he stood there staring across the waves, he heard the sounds of a guitar softly playing nearby. Donovan recognized it immediately, and curiously started following the sound to its source.

The source turned out to be a short, skinny boy near the back of the ship, sitting on a crate as he played his guitar. His hair was long, brown, and quite shaggy. His eyes were bright green, but they were closed at the moment as he played to the tune of the music from his headphones. He currently wore a shiny black jacket over a light green shirt and jeans, a pair of old red running shoes on his feet. A battered black guitar case sat next to him, with a Wooper on top of it bobbing its head and tapping its feet in tune with the music.

Donovan waved at him. "Hey there."

The boy looked up with a start, removing one of his headphones. "Oh, uh, hey! You surprised me there."

The Wooper and Boulton looked curiously at each other, and entered a mini discussion while their Trainers stared at each other.

"Your music is really good.", Donovan complimented, "You'll be a great musician."

The boy shrugged. "Thanks. But I dunno about all that…"

Donovan smiled softly. "Oh, I know what I'm talking about. Keep playing that guitar. One day you might save peoples' lives with it."

The boy gave him a puzzled look. But before he could say anything, a low horn blew. Donovan looked over his shoulder, and saw the dock fast approaching. The small red-and-white lighthouse standing sentry over it was easily recognizable, as was the University crest - a strange yellow and white Pokemon rising up in front of a book.

"We're here.", Donovan said, "We should get going."

The boy nodded. "Yeah, of course. By the way, uh, what's your name? Mine is Travis."

Donovan answered, "I'm Donovan Fell. I think we will become good friends."

Travis shrugged again. "Maybe. Depends."

Mentally Donovan was hitting himself. 'Why are you making it so damn obvious? You can't just hint how much of the future you know already like that!'

Although he knew a compliment like that could do wonders in helping the currently low self-esteemed kid build confidence in himself. Travis certainly needed it.

As the two walked towards the front of the ship (neither had luggage they needed to retrieve) Donovan saw a large crowd already building. Familiar faces throughout the crowd caught his eye, but he didn't address any of them. Much as it hurt him to do so, he had to pretend they were still all strangers to him.

But he had felt worse before.

Looking out to the shore, he saw two people standing on the winding stone path into campus, waiting patiently for the new students to file off the boat. They were guarded by a pair of Pyroar, one male and one female much like their Trainers. The two were no less flamboyant, both wearing fiery red and gold outfits with patterns that swirled around them like flames. Both had bright red hair styled to match their Pyroars' and eager orange eyes.

As the students poured out onto the beach, the girl curtsied and declared, "Welcome to Uxira University, new students! I am Kira, and my brother here is Mira!"

The boy bowed. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. We shall be your guides!"

"Ask us anything, and we will have an answer!", Kira continued, "This campus is quite easy to get lost in. But I'm sure once you get to know it, you will love this place almost as much as you love home!"

Mira added, "We have all sorts of faculties, depending on what you may need. Libraries, restaurants, Pokemon battlefields…the list goes on! We are very excited to show you all of them!"

Kira announced, "Now, if you all would follow us, Principal Oakleaf has a speech to give you all!"

Mira added, "It would be quite rude not to listen to him."

"What are you waiting for?", Kira asked, "Let's go!"

She and Mira twirled around in sync, and started gliding up the road. Donovan and the rest of the students followed, wondering what the twins had to show.

The path winded up to a large marble building outside the rest of the campus. The building was wide and supported by columns, with a shining golden dome capping it. It was very reminiscent of ancient ruins, if they were still in their prime. In front of the building was a statue of the Pokemon featured on the coat-of-arms, as well as two very similar Pokemon.

Standing on a podium in front of the statue was an old man, dressed in a well-cleaned suit with the school emblem pinned to his chest. He had long gray hair and a trimmed beard, with a pair of half-moon glasses much like a character from a popular series that also happened to be about a school. He smiled as the students poured in, and it was like his age melted away.

"Welcome new students!", he declared, his voice warm and full of passion, "I am Principal Oakleaf, and I welcome you all to your first day at Uxira University! We are renowned the world over for our extensive courses and the many famous Trainers who have graduated from here, and now you all will be able to join their ranks!"

He took a breath, and continued, "As you may or may not all know, our school is named after the Legendary Pokemon Uxie, said to have brought knowledge to mankind! We hope our school does the same for you - helping teach you about the wider world and how to succeed in it, and spreading knowledge to the next generation! We implore you to do your best in your classes, and enjoy your time here! Remember, all of the faculty and I will do anything we can to help you all feel comfortable and learn here. Do your best, and you will find these four short years here may yet be your most rewarding!"

He smiled, slipping a Pokeball into his fingers. "Now, I'm sure you all are impatient and full of energy after being cooped up on the long boat ride here. Perhaps we can help you release that energy with some battles! Find a student and pair up! Just try not to destroy the lawn too much, Mr. Hedge doesn't like having to repair it."

At once all the students turned towards each other, looking very eager to begin. Donovan readied Boulton's Pokeball, feeling a familiar thrill rise up. He wondered how it would be like to fight with his old team again. How much would have changed?

He was about to find out. (-o-)