Othello had just gotten back from another day of classes and was ready for sleep. It was Friday and the whole week's events were taking their toll on him. He did feel slightly less tired than last week. The conversation with Circe and Runa definitely showed he was getting better at it all. Maybe he was getting used to talking to people…well, probably not, but at least he was getting used to being around them. For the first time, Othello heard a knock at his door, surprising him for a brief second before he composed himself. He unlocked the door and cracked it open.

Hey, Othello. Sorry I haven't really gotten in touch. Can I come in?

Othello stood dumbfounded for a second.

– Chapter Seven: Shielded –

"S-sure," he croaked out, opening the door for Cannon.

Cannon did a small sweep of the room with his eyes as he entered, pausing on the Sabrina poster for a second longer than anything else.

For not having much, you've decorated really well! Oh, but that's not why I'm here.

He pulled out a Poke Ball.

Hold your hands out for me.

After Othello did as he was asked, Cannon gingerly placed the Poke Ball in them.

I remember you telling me you liked the Falinks Cafeteria, so I got you one! A Falinks that is.

Othello stared at the Poke Ball, unsure of what to make of it.

"I know it seems out of the blue," Cannon continued, "But, I saw your application for the competition the League is doing and thought you could use an extra partner. Just two Pokemon might not be enough, you know."

"I…I can keep it?"

"Of course," Cannon smiled even though the words made it seem as if it was obvious, "It's not one of my overpowered ones or whatever. Just something I caught for you."

"W-wait," Othello had a realization, "How did you know I applied?"

"Well, Mrs. Owens wanted me to take them to the Pokemon League myself so she and the faculty could keep things running and I saw yours in the pile."

Cannon once again looked up at the Sabrina poster. Othello wanted to look behind him to see if there was another reason, but he felt that might be rude since Cannon was talking to him.

"Oh, I'm not playing favorites if you're worried about that," Cannon added, "Well, maybe a little because I'm giving all of the freshmen I gave the tour a Pokemon if they applied. Can't have you all losing just because you can't catch a lot of Pokemon!"

"Thank you," Othello was still speechless, unsure what to add before the random thoughts came rushing and he blurted out, "Do you know the Gym Leader Circe?"

Cannon seemed taken aback for a moment before replying, "Oh yeah, Serce's great. I'm glad you're getting to see the best of us and not…well the Arthurs. Why do you ask?"

"Uh," he really hadn't thought this out, only asking because it was at the front of his mind, "She…uh…mentioned a lot about you."

"You could have just asked me if you wanted to know," Cannon shrugged, "So, what's there to know about ol' me from Circe?"

"She…" Othello was hoping none of this was offensive, "Said you're 15?"

"Good to know she's not spreading lies," Cannon smiled, "Yeah, it's true. Most folks know, but I guess you wouldn't. Anything else you want to hear straight from the mouth of yours truly that she told you?"

Othello's nerves calmed as one serious question reared its head. It might not have a pretty answer, but what were the odds of that? And now that Othello was set on his path…he needed to know.

"How did you get so strong?"

Cannon sighed, "Would you believe me if I told you that I don't know?"

Othello shook his head slightly, unsure what else he was supposed to do in a situation like this.

"Well…it's only mostly that way," he conceded, "My parents and family…we were never really well off. We never could have afforded the tuition under normal circumstances."

Canon paused, contemplating.

"I was always smart, so I skipped a bunch of years, but my battling skills were kind of average. I finished my 8th year at 9. I know, really young…but my family couldn't afford to have me around anymore…"

He paused again and took a deep breath, "So they kicked me out. I was 9. I had no clue how the world worked, no clue where I was supposed to go for school now. I may have been smart, but nobody tells you how things actually work no matter how old you are."

Othello felt a pang in his heart. This was a story he knew all too well. Not the specifics, but the pain and loneliness; the endurance it required leading one's soul to catastrophe.

"I had to catch Pokemon, battle wild Pokemon, and fight trainers who wouldn't even bother to listen. All they wanted was battle. It made me despise it for a while, but it was something I needed to do to survive, and when a task becomes necessary for survival, you get really good at it. You notice nuances, decisions, and aspects that make it easier. When I was 11, a Tyranitar went on a rampage. It destroyed a whole town and was heading down the route I was on. While people were evacuating, I took May-May and defeated it. The Principal was on the scene when it happened–she was actually going to stop it herself–and was impressed. She offered me a scholarship and now, I'm here."

Othello absorbed the story and its takeaway gave him hope. In spite of the world's attempts to kick Cannon down, he was here, stronger than ever. If that was true…there was hope for him too; there was hope that he could overcome it all.

"Kinda similar to you, huh?" Cannon walked to the door, "Now, I think it goes without saying, but I'd appreciate that staying private."

"Of course," Othello completely understood; after all, he hadn't told anyone about his situation either, "And thank you."

"Any time," Cannon smiled, "Literally, any time. Even if Principal Owens didn't want you checked on, I would."

Cannon opened the door and took a step out before stopping, "Oh, and some battle advice for you, don't let battles stretch on. If you only have three Pokemon, a team of six can outlast you. Turn your resilience into strength, you hear?"

Othello nodded, producing a smile from Cannon.

"Hope you do well, Othello," he closed the door.

– – –

Knock knock

Oh? Come in.

"Hi Principal Owens," Circe started, "I can come back later if you're busy, I just had a few questions."

I should have the time.

Principal Owens turned around and looked at her clock then nodded, confirming she did, in fact, have the time.

And I can always make time for a member of the Senior League. What did you need to ask about?

Circe fidgeted a bit before sitting down across the principal, "There's this freshman that I was talking to at the application lines…"

Did they make negative remarks? I can call them up to the office and assure them that the League's process is fair, especially for freshmen.

"No, that's not it," Circe shook her head, "It's just that Ms. Raven said something weird when he walked away. She thanked me for helping him especially, but then said she wasn't supposed to say anything about him and told me to ask you."

I'm not sure what student you could be referring to. I would be more than pleased if any senior was assisting their peers.

"She said…'only the Elite Four were really briefed,'" she recalled, "Oh, and the student's name was Othello."

I…see.

The principal frowned, eliciting worry from Circe that she had brought up something she wasn't supposed to.

"I-if he's some Champion's kid or something, I can keep the secret, I promise!" she quickly tried to get the look of disappointment off of Principal Owens' face.

No no. I assure you that is not the case. He is not someone of extreme renown and I would like to keep it that way…for now at least.

"Why?" Circe was perplexed.

I suppose I can tell you. Some of the board members have already set their children against him, so I don't believe secrets will stay secrets.

She sighed, frustrated with the aforementioned committee.

He's here on scholarship. He's never had any private or public education before…the little learning he does have seems to be self-produced.

"So why is he here?" Circe was getting increasingly worried.

A researcher here wanted to conduct an experiment, or rather, a case study, to see if Othello would be able to learn at a pace equal to the other students.

"What?" Circe swiftly and aggressively stood up, "But that…that's just setting him up for failure! He's never been in a school before and you're trying to force him to play catch up while watching him like a dancing Mankey?!"

She thought back to the interaction she had with Othello. The fidgeting, the stammering, the awkwardness, it all made sense.

Calm yourself, Circe. I assure you we are doing no such thing.

Principal Owens gestured to the seat and Circe reluctantly sat back down in it.

Astonishingly, he is acclimating well. Ms. Raven already told me of his application. He has two Pokemon already, Ms. Azusa has been singing his praises according to some other teachers, and Mr. Leone has told me that while he prefers solitude, he has a soft-spoken confidence that, if nourished, would make him one of the top students.

"You believe them all?"

Of course. Our faculty are the best of the best.

"What if…" Circe was still worried, "Things don't go as well? You're taking someone without experience socializing and just tossing them into a school of thousands-"

Which is where the Elite Four came in. I wanted Cannon to give him the tour; due to their similarities in age, I believed it would provide him with a friend. Cannon was more than willing to, but had an issue arise a couple days before Othello was scheduled to arrive, so Ava volunteered happily. She even provided the boy with the Poke Balls to catch his Pokemon. Cannon has also told me he has been in contact with him and they are getting along well. Your concern over him is also telling me that there are others.

"You say that, but Arthur was picking on him the day of the orientation," Circe said, still not convinced, "Othello himself told me. If the Elite Four are supposed to be helping him, why is that happening?"

I was informed by both Ava and Cannon of that day's events. Arthur is unfortunately dealing with personal issues that are not assisting with his tendencies. I have already told him there is no place for it here.

"But-"

I already know what your next question will be. "What about others in his grade?" This is a concern of mine, but given he already is reaching out to others, I believe it is a good sign.

Circe inhaled, trying to relax her anger, "And the board member's kids?"

That is my foremost concern. If I call them here and tell them not to act on anything, they will see that as leverage. They will attempt to gain something from me in exchange for silence and when they do not, they will act even more aggressively toward Othello.

"So give them that!" Circe exclaimed before calming herself, "Isn't Othello's well-being more important.

It is.

Principal Owens sighed, clearly not enjoying what she was having to concede.

But as a Principal, I cannot allow the morals of this institution to be corrupted so. I am still working on a solution. Are you implying that you have one?

Circe opened her mouth, ready to retort passive aggressively, but closed it and tried to think of a legitimate solution.

"I don't," she admitted.

Trust that I am as concerned for Othello as you are. I do not wish for any of this to ruin his experience and would still like him to get as great of an education as possible.

"I understand," Circe sighed.

– – –

Sunday. Only two days removed from the applications being submitted and the bracket was already made. Or that was what Othello had heard. He was still trying to figure out the computer the school had given him to check his email. For the tournament to be starting three days after it was announced was insane to Othello. The Pokemon League must have had hundreds or thousands of people working on it if it was prepared so soon. With that thought, he finally figured it out and opened the email.

Dear Mr. Kasun,

Congratulations! Your application has been accepted and you have been entered into Pool G (#7). Attached below is the structure of Pool G (#7). If you have any questions, please reach out to us via this email account. We look forward to seeing you out on the battlefield!

Bill Masaki, Pokemon League Commissioner

A small post-script here, I have a link to a Challonge bracket that shows Pool G and I will be updating it as the story progresses to show who Othello could be facing in future rounds (if he even makes it out of the first round!)

The code for it is f7r8yesn (doesn't allow me to put in links, but just go to Challonge and add /f7r8yesn at the end of the url if you're curious).

The first part is the character's name, and the parentheses show the school they attend. You might recognize some, others...not so much.

I'll also make brackets for every pool if you all are interested in how some previously mentioned characters are doing. There are only about three of those though, so more than likely, you won't recognize half the names. I'll do the same for the senior bracket if requested since we know a few more characters from that grade and we may or may not get into some of those matches in a later chapter :)