Episode 2: The League Club
Salma and Antonio were at a loss for words as they were greeted with the sight of Blueberry Academy's most incredible feature. Cyrano and Lacey were practically bursting at the seams to show it off as they reached the end of a long tunnel and stepped into a world beyond anything the Paldean teens had seen before.
"This is it." Lacey declared, "The park beneath the sea that has gained renown around the world…our very own Terarium!"
The Terarium was the pride of Blueberry Academy and among the most incredible technological feats of the modern era. It was enormous, spanning goodness knows how many yards in length and width and had a huge domed ceiling with a giant sparkling sphere in the centre. The walls and ceiling had giant projectors that made it look as if the residents of the Terarium were actually outside. Salma and Antonio briefly thought they'd somehow ended up back outside upon first impression but quickly reminded themselves they had gone down underwater so they couldn't be. The projectors perfectly captured the endless blue of the sky outside and there were even clouds drifting by to further sell the illusion of the outside world. It was even able to simulate the time of day and the weather. The dome itself was split into four sections, each one marked with rows of colourful cubes to show where one area ended and another begin. The centre of the dome had what was known as a Central Plaza. The Central Plaza had its own battle court and also had vending machines to get drinks and healing items for Pokémon, a medical bay stationed to look after injured Pokémon after a battle and ramps that led to high levels of the environment.
The environment itself was something else entirely. Salma and Antonio's eyes were wide with amazement as they took in what looked like a hybrid habitat with four different biomes for people and Pokémon to explore. There was the Savannah Biome with its humid atmosphere, dry yellow grass, mud pools and widespread plains, the Coastal Biome with its grassy hills, clear water, flowing waterfalls and sandy beaches, the Canyon Biome with its huge mountains, rocky terrain and large rock pools and the Polar Biome with its frigid atmosphere, icy pools and snowy terrain. The temperature of each area was carefully regulated so all the Pokémon comfortably living in each biome would be happy with their habitats. Already Salma and Antonio could see several species that had this dome to call home from fast running Dodrio to charging Rhyhorn to crawling Trapinch and swooping Braviary. It was incredible to think this was an artificial environment created by human hands and yet the Pokémon were living here as if the Terarium was just another place in nature. They were as home in here as they were in any other natural habitat. A warm breeze, presumably done by built in air conditioning, blew over the Paldeans. It was almost impossible to believe they were underwater with how this whole place was so alive and full of nature.
"Holy crap…it's the most incredible thing I've ever seen in my life!" Salma gasped, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I had no idea it was possible to build such a place!" Antonio exclaimed.
"And yet as you can see, it was!" Lacey cried gleefully, "We've been able to create a comfortable environment for Pokémon through technology!"
"I designed all this myself!" Cyrano chipped in, clearly sounding pleased with his grand invention, "And believe me, it wasn't cheap."
"No kidding!" Salma blustered, "I can't begin to guess how much it must've cost to build this entire school, let alone this Terarium!"
She glanced at Cyrano, but his face gave nothing away. Just how rich WAS this guy?! Even Paldea's wealthiest citizens likely paled compared to this man's wealth!
"While you're here, you may feel free to use the self-serve healing machines we've installed around the Terarium." Lacey continued, nodding to a red and blue machine that was nearby, "They're what we use to heal up injured or tired Pokémon. We prioritize the well-being of Pokémon as much as the students here."
"Excellent." Salma said gleefully, "Ceruledge and Meowscarada can have a rest after our earlier battle before we set off."
"Of course!" Lacey agreed, "Now then Director Cyrano, can you explain to us why crystals form here and how wild Pokémon are able to Terastilize?" she asked, turning to the principal of the Academy.
The Director smiled jovially.
"I get it, you want me to do the talking." he acknowledged, "In that case, direct your attention to right above you!"
Salma and Antonio stared up at the huge sphere hanging from the centre of the dome. The sphere was green in colour with a hexagonal pattern all over and it glowed brightly in the artificial sunlight. It looked like a giant green disco ball hanging up above like that.
"That there is the Terarium Core, which presides over all that happens in the Terarium." Cyrano explained, "It contains a fluid that we've jam packed full of a special material from Paldea. It's constantly emitting Terastal energy, that's what allows Pokémon to Terastilize in the dome!"
Salma and Antonio were impressed. With this very core, a man from Unova was able to recreate the Terastal phenomenon at his own school thousands of miles from Paldea. It was almost like they'd never left.
"So what is this "special material" inside the core, senior?" Antonio asked curiously.
"Oh that? You want to know?" Cyrano said with interest, "Well it's…it's…"
The Unovan man paused for a moment as he tried to reign his scattered brain back into place for the answer. He sighed irritably.
"Now what was it? I've plumb forgotten." he fumed, "Briar put all of it together, so I'm not certain myself."
Salma, Antonio and Lacey groaned in exasperation and fell over in a comedic faint.
"Santa Maria!" Salma exclaimed, "I was really interested to know what it was! Still, Briar designed the core? I wouldn't have thought she could cook up something like that."
"Nor me. She doesn't seem the inventor type." Antonio agreed.
Briar had accompanied the Nocedas during their visit to Kitakami. She was a teacher here at the Academy and Salma was already expecting to run into her eventually. Briar was a descendant of the famous Heath, a historian and writer from Paldea's ancient past. He'd discovered the Paradox Pokémon that had been discovered down in Area Zero. It was said he'd found a Pokémon named Terapagos but his findings had come across as so fantastical and out there that he and his team were accused of lying and their findings were discredited as a result. Briar had a huge interest in the Terastal phenomenon and this mysterious Terapagos Pokémon and was determined to prove her ancestor was right. Because of this, Salma didn't exactly trust Briar. She was sure there was something sinister about her motivations. The fact she'd designed this Terarium Core only fuelled her suspicions. What was her game here? Why invent a way for the Terastal Phenomenon to occur outside of regions with Tera Crystals? She dismissed the thought for the moment.
"I know I'm excited to explore this place." Salma said keenly, "Why don't we venture around for a bit before we have a rest?" she asked, looking to her brother.
"Sure thing, I at least wanna see some more of this place before anything else." Antonio said keenly.
"By all means. Spend as long as you like down here." Cyrano offered, "But if you're ready to hit the hay, I have your dorm room prepared and waiting for you. Until then, feel free to just explore the biomes, battle or catch any Pokémon you fancy and enjoy yourselves! You're students here at my academy now so I want you all to have the best time imaginable!"
He turned on his heels and left the teens alone together. Lacey turned to face the exchange students and smiled sweetly at them.
"I'll be attending a class over in the Coastal Biome for now." she explained, "I'm not gonna make you both come, but feel free to check it out if you're interested."
"Gracias Seniorita." Antonio replied bashfully.
"I think we'd rather save classes for tomorrow." Salma dismissed, "We'll be fine just exploring at our own pace for now. Thanks for the tour Lacey and thanks for being so welcoming. My brother and I appreciate yours and the director's hospitality so much."
"No problem!" Lacey said sweetly, "You two enjoy yourselves. I'll probably see you both again in the cafeteria for dinner, OK?"
"You got it. We'll be there." Salma declared, "Adios Lacey."
Lacey waved goodbye to the two and headed off to the Costal Biome. Antonio waved back, sadly watching her go. He looked down to his feet glumly.
"And there she goes. I was hoping she'd stick with us longer." he mumbled.
"Why? So you can stare at her some more?" Salma jeered.
"Don't put it like that! You make me sound like a creep!" Antonio cried indignantly.
"Oh Antonio, don't get so defensive." Salma retorted, "Believe me, I know what's up with you. I've been there with Nemona. You like Lacey, don't you?" she purred teasingly.
"So what if I do? It doesn't give you the right to make fun of me." Antonio muttered.
"Who said I was making fun of you?" Salma sighed, "Geez, so sensitive as always. I'm not trying to make fun of you little bro. I actually think it's cute you've found someone you like. But if you really wanna make it work with you and Lacey, you've gotta take that first step." she insisted, "Believe me, it was never gonna work with me and Nemona if I was just gonna wait for her to make a move, hence why I had to do it in the end! If you ever need any help, I'm right beside you."
She put a hand on her brother's shoulder.
"I really hope we can make this work for you as it's worked out for me and Nemi." the purple-haired girl said kindly.
Antonio smiled appreciatively.
"You're the best Salma. Gracias." he said graciously.
"Anytime." Salma said softly, "So…which biome should we do first?"
They both agreed to stick to the Savannah Biome for now. They wanted to leave most of the Terarium unexplored for now so they had something to do later on and the Savannah Biome was the one they were currently in so it was best to stick to it. First, they dropped Ceruledge and Meowscarada off at the self-serve healing machine nearest to them. Once the two were healed up, Salma and Antonio returned them to their Pokéballs and then they brought out two other balls that contained very special Pokémon. They threw the balls and out came their personal ride and close companions, the futuristic Miraidon and the prehistoric Koraidon.
Miraidon looked like a robotic reptilian creature with motorcycle features on it, including deployable wheels that could roll when it moved and jet engines it could use for hovering. It had a shiny purple metal coat and a long silver metal tail. Koraidon was completely organic but also had motorcycle features itself with its throat sac resembling a front wheel and its tail could roll up to form a "back wheel". It had red scales and a feathery mane coloured blue, pink and white. Miraidon was a Dragon/Electric type and Koraidon was a Dragon/Fighting type. Both were Paradox Pokémon first found in Area Zero and were noted to bear a heavy resemblance to Cyclizar. Miraidon was from the future and Koraidon was from the past. They'd been brought to the present day by Professors Turo and Sada, the mother and father of their friend Arven, as part of an experiment they conducted involving a time machine they'd invented. The two Pokémon had met Salma and Antonio on the first day of their journeys and had become fast friends with the two, most especially because they'd offered them a sandwich and they'd quickly grown an obsession with the food to the point just mentioning the word "sandwich" got them to come out of their Pokéballs.
The teens jumped onto their riding Pokémon and simply sat back and enjoyed the ride. Miraidon and Koraidon were very powerful Pokémon, their strength on par with Legendries even, but most of the time the Nocedas used them for riding. Miraidon deployed its wheels and cycled through the Savannah plains while Koraidon sprinted behind it. Salma and Antonio whooped with joy and laughed as the Savannah whipped past them as a yellow blur. Warm air blew over them. The artificial atmosphere was so realistic that it felt as if the two were actually in a real Savannah riding on their Pokémon. They could easily forget this was just an artificial environment in a dome underwater if not for the Terarium Core hanging over their heads as a reminder. Several Pokémon stopped what they were doing and watched the teens zooming by. They were amazed at the sight of Miraidon and Koraidon. What strange creatures were those? A Kantonian Tauros foolishly tried to challenge them to a fight but the Raidons just dodged its charge effortlessly and carried on running. Salma looked back and laughed as the Tauros ran after them but quickly gave up after seeing it was too slow to catch her. She was intrigued to see that it was the Kantonian breed that was here in the doom and not any of the three Paldean breeds she was used to. What other regional variants lived in this dome? She was sure she'd find out in the coming days.
After a few minutes of fun, the Raidons were ordered to slow down to a cruising speed so the teens could explore at a slower pace. Miraidon slowed its pace and Koraidon went from a sprint to a leisurely walk. Salma and Antonio took this moment to admire the scenery and watch the Pokémon all living together in harmony. They all looked so comfortable here and very much at home. Rhyhorn and Rhydon charged at one another in displays of strength and speed, Sawsbuck and little Deerling marched together in herds, Dewpider swam in the mud pools, Vibrava flew and buzzed around the plains and they could even see a mighty Pyroar standing atop a large rock formation that made them think of a scene from The Pyroar King. To their surprise, they even saw starter Pokémon from other regions living in this biome. Fiery Charmander, grassy Snivy and water-dwelling Totodile were part of the wildlife here. It was rare to see wild starter Pokémon so this was quite a sight for the Paldeans.
"So many Pokémon here, and this is just the Savannah biome!" Salma whispered in awe, "Santa Maria, if only Nemi, Arven and Penny could see this now!"
"Penny would geek out like crazy with all the technology that's been used to create this Terarium." Antonio agreed, "And Nemona would want to battle all the Pokémon here. She'd probably see those Kantonian Tauros and say "Let's show them what a Tauros from Paldea can do!"."
"Oh yeah, she'd totally do it that battle hungry knucklehead." Salma giggled, "Well, I think we've had our fun. You ready to go to our dorm?"
"Yeah, it really is time for a rest now." Antonio decided, stretching and yawning, "I'm really starting to feel that jetlag now…"
Salma yawned as if that was her response to Antonio. With the long flight and also the battle with Lacey, she too was feeling ready to just sleep for a week. She was about to get Miraidon to carry her back to the entrance when suddenly, her Rotom Phone started ringing. The purple-haired girl took the phone out and raised an eyebrow quizzically. Who could possibly be ringing her? Glancing at the screen, she sighed irritably.
"It's Carmine." she groaned.
"Just ignore it." Antonio insisted, "That girl's given us enough grief already. We really can't be dealing with her now."
But Salma answered the phone anyway. She supposed it would be rude if she didn't answer. While Salma would never say she and Carmine were friend, they'd at least departed on better terms than she'd done with Kieran when the trip to Kitakami was over. It wasn't like they were enemies anymore.
"Hello?" Salma asked.
"Heeeeeeey Salma! It's me, Carmine!" came the usual arrogant, haughty voice of Carmine, "I heard the news! You and Antonio got picked for Blueberry Academy's exchange programme, right? Ha! I never thought we'd be fellow students of BB Academy!"
"What do you want Carmine? Me and Antonio are tired and we'd rather just go and relax in our dorms for the rest of the day." Salma muttered irritably.
"Oooooh, still got that mouth on you from last time we met? Glad you haven't changed a bit!" Carmine sneered, "Well, before you two hit the hay, I'd like a moment to catch up with you both. Meet me in the Central Plaza, OK? Don't keep me waiting if you know what's good for you!"
"I see your behaviour hasn't changed either…more's the pity." Salma sighed, "We'll be there, but DON'T challenge us to a battle, OK? Neither me nor Toni are up for one today."
"Fair's fair. I'd rather rematch you when you're feeling refreshed!" Carmine agreed, "OK, see you at the Central Plaza."
She hung up. Antonio glared in annoyance at his sister.
"I said to ignore it." he complained, "Now she's probably going to lecture us some more on how awesome she is and make us battle her."
"I wanted to be polite." Salma said tightly, "And Carmine's agreed not to battle us anyway. We'll go and see her. Maybe we'll get some idea on how Kieran's doing since we last saw him. I hope he's snapped out of his funk…"
The memories of how sourly things had gone between her and Kieran made Salma grimace. She really hoped that Carmine would give them the good news about her brother and he was back to his old self again, but that was more than likely wishful thinking.
The Raidons rushed off towards the Central Plaza so the teens could meet up with Carmine. Upon arrival, they saw she was up on the Central Plaza battle court and was talking with another student. This student was in an all blue-uniform and wearing chunky silver high-heel boots. She wore steel-rimmed spectacles and her hair was styled to make it look as if she had huge steel screws sticking out of her head. The girl was black and she had a rigid posture with her back completely straight, her shoulders pushed back and her arms flat at her sides. Her face was expressionless. With this plus the hair resembling screws, Salma thought she looked like some kind of human robot. She half expected to find a battery sticking out of her somewhere. Carmine and the girl were deep in conversation but the Nocedas were too late to hear any of it. They were just coming to the end.
"So yeah, things are a bit rough right now." Carmine said, her voice bleak.
"I couldn't agree more." the emotionless girl concurred. Even the way she talked sounded mechanical and artificial, like she'd been programmed to talk but not to express any emotion.
She turned her head, the movement stiff as if she was an actual robot turning its head. Salma and Antonio waved shyly to her.
"Ah. You have a visitor, Carmine." the girl informed.
Carmine spun around on her heels and beamed at the sight of the Nocedas. Carmine was pretty tall compared to most teenagers her age, towering over even her friend she'd been chatting with. Her black hair was long and wavy and was red on the inside. She wore an all blue BB Academy uniform and a large yellow headband. Carmine was not from Unova like most of the students at BB Academy, but was actually from Kitakami. She had a dislike of outsiders and worried that tourists would tarnish what made Kitakami so special to her and her family. But the visit from Salma and Antonio's class and spending time with the two had warmed her up to outsiders and her attitude had become friendlier, though she was still abrasive at times. Her face lit up with pleasure.
"Long time, no see you two!" she preened, "I bet you missed me, huh?"
"No." Salma and Antonio both replied bluntly.
"WHAT?!" Carmine exploded, the pupils in her eyes becoming narrow slits of anger, "Did you wonderful memories of me all wither away since we last saw each other?!"
"Ah yes, those wonderful memories of what a colossal jerk you were to us and how you'd constantly treat your brother like crap and pulled the "it's not like I hit him" excuse on your grandfather when he called you out on it." Salma retorted sarcastically, "Yeah, good times!"
"Oh so us teaming up together to stop the Lousy Three and clear Ogerpon's name didn't mean anything to you?" Carmine growled, offended by Salma's sarcasm, "Nor the fact I stopped being a jerk to you two and apologized for my "outsider" remarks?"
"You say that like that excuses your behaviour towards Kieran." Salma muttered, "I still remember how flippant you were towards him last we met, dismissing what he was going through as "teenage angst" or some crap like that. He was practically going through a complete breakdown and you just dismissed him entirely!"
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT TO ME YOU IGNROANT LITTLE BITCH!" Carmine snarled, "For your information, Kieran's change in attitude's been really scaring me lately and he's causing all kinds of problems here at the Academy! You're way out of line coming to me with such tactless remarks Salma Noceda!"
"That is quite enough Carmine." the other student said firmly, "There is already enough tension as is. It would seem your friends are not well informed of the situation at hand, so a proper appraisal is at hand here."
"Your friend's right, please let's not argue." Antonio begged, "I don't want us to fall out on our first day here at the academy."
Salma and Carmine sighed heavily and looked to each other apologetically.
"You're right. I was out of line and I shouldn't make personal comments like that." Salma said guiltily, "I'm awfully sorry Carmine."
"So you should be!" Carmine snapped, "But I should apologize too." she added, quickly changing her tone, "You don't know what's going on around here so you didn't mean to be insensitive."
She turned to her friend.
"You can go now Amarys. We need to have this talk alone." the Kitakami girl said.
"Understood. Farewell Carmine." Amarys said, bowing politely.
She turned and walked away.
"So who's Amarys?" Antonio asked, "And does she always act like that? It's kinda creepy."
"Oh that's just how she is. Don't mind her." Carmine dismissed, "Amarys is a good friend of mine, robotic mannerisms and all. She's also pretty special here at the academy, but I'd rather not spoil that yet. So…have you two seen Kiki yet?" she asked, glancing left and right as if making sure they weren't being overheard.
"Not yet." Salma confirmed, "And honestly, I'm really scared to do so. I feel like him seeing me will just cause him to snap again…"
Suddenly, they heard raised voices coming from below the battle court. Salma's heart leapt into her throat for she recognized one of the voices.
"Are you kidding me?! What, was this assignment too hard for you too?!"
It was Kieran. Salma knew straight away that her worst fears had been confirmed. Kieran was here and his attitude hadn't improved since the school trip. He sounded meaner and there was none of that meek, friendliness to his voice that she'd once known. Salma, Antonio and Carmine crept up to the wall of the court and peered over it to watch what was happening. Kieran was down below ranting at another student. While Carmine hadn't changed in appearance since the school trip, Kieran had. He was around twelve years old and very skinny with a black mole on his neck. His messy head of black and purple hair was now tie up, making his head look very round. He was dressed in his usual BB Academy uniform of white and blue but he now wore the jacket open and had ditched the shirt and tie for a red sports vest. His expression had changed too, looking more bitter and angry than how he usually did. He also looked haggard and sleep deprived as evident by the dark rings under his eyes. Salma thought he looked a bit ill. Did this kid even bother to eat anymore, never mind sleep? Kieran was with another boy that was taller than he was and had a more impressive physique, yet the skinny, unassuming shrimp before him was the one that was being intimidating while the other boy could only look sorry for himself.
"I thought I told you to train five Pokémon to battle with." Kieran scolded.
Even his tone of voice was sharper and lacking any sympathy of kindness to the other boy. The boy shifted uncomfortably.
"S-sorry…things have been really hectic at home this month…" he whimpered.
Kieran was in no mood for a sob story.
"Oh. Got it." he said unsympathetically, "So that means you're just OK being this weak forever? That what I'm hearing?"
"N-no, I…" the boy tried to explain.
"Well, since you're so busy, I'll go ahead and do you a favour." Kieran said dryly, "I'll write your resignation from the club for you. I don't need people in my club who don't take it seriously."
He turned away and stalked off without another word. The boy chased after him desperately, pleading for another chance. Salma watched with horror in her eyes as Kieran walked away, deaf to the boy's pleas. She could hardly believe that this was the same boy she'd once befriended back in Kitakami. How could someone as sweet as him have become such a jerk?! She knew already. It was because of her. She'd butted into his life and taken the object of his affections and now it had twisted him into a broken person who no longer had any of the kindness and love in his heart he once had. She looked away in shame.
"There you have it." Carmine said, sharing Salma's sorrow, "Kiki's not been the same since your visit to Kitakami. He looks different, he acts different and the Academy's been turned on its head as a result."
"I don't even recognize him anymore." Antonio said, sounding on the verge of tears, "How could someone as nice as him have become so horrid?"
"I wish I'd never visited that damn region." Salma growled, "If I hadn't gone on that bloody school trip, I wouldn't have wrecked Kieran's life like this! Ogerpon just HAD to choose me instead of him, didn't she?! Estúpida, estúpida, estúpida ogro!*" she ranted.
"Hey, hey, please don't take it out on Ogerpon or yourself!" Antonio cried, grabbing Salma by the wrists, "It wasn't your fault this happened at all, nor was it Ogerpon's! You can't keep blaming yourself for what's happened to Kieran hermana mayor**!"
"He's right you know." Carmine concurred, "Even I'm not blaming you for what happened to Kiki, Salma. Ogerpon made her choice to go with you. Kieran's only got himself to blame for taking it as hard as he is."
Carmine's words of comfort only irked Salma instead of making her feel better. Carmine was in no position to blame Kieran for anything, especially as Kieran might've handled the situation more constructively if she hadn't been such a bad sister to him! She was about to tell Carmine that until they were interrupted again. It wasn't Kieran this time, but another student, and one that Carmine wasn't happy to see.
"Well, that was painful to watch." said a white-haired boy with a purple cape tied around his waist.
Salma and Antonio stared at the new arrival. They hadn't seen him before but they quickly saw he was another BB Academy student thanks to his uniform. Carmine seemed to recognize him, but he clearly wasn't a friend of her's like Amarys for she showed evident disdain at the boy's presence. He took no notice and gave a jovial smile to the Paldeans.
"If it isn't Carmine! And your mystery friends!" he acknowledged, his voice full of enthusiasm, "I saw you two battling Lacey earlier. Great battle by the way. Your names are Salma and Antonio, right?"
"Y-yes, that's us." Salma confirmed, a little thrown by the boy's sudden appearance, "We're part of the Academy's foreign exchange programme, though I imagine you already know about that."
"I did just say I was there watching you two battle." the boy retorted, "And Cyrano kept calling you two "our guests" so that kinda clued me in."
"Yes, thank you, my buddies aren't interested in an annoying bozo like you, Drayton, so make yourself scarce, OK?" Carmine snapped irritably.
"You're one to talk about being an annoying bozo…" Salma muttered.
"Carmine, you really shouldn't be rude like that." Antonio said sternly, "At least let him introduce himself to us."
"Fine, whatever." Carmine sighed, rolling her eyes, "Salma, Antonio, this is Drayton…and he's the worst." she said, scowling, "He's the strongest trainer at Blueberry Academy. Well, he WAS at least."
"Was?" Antonio asked.
"Yeah. Got overthrown off of my throne by Kieran a while ago." Drayton confirmed, "It was crazy how much he got stronger after coming back for the new term! Speaking of, are you two friends with the guy?" he asked.
Salma recoiled. While Drayton sounded innocent enough inquiring about her and Kieran, she was sure there was an edge of steel to his voice as if he might disapprove of her being affiliated with him in any way.
"Um…n-no not r-really." Salma said uncomfortably, "Things…didn't go well between us last time we met."
"That sucks real bad, bud." Drayton said sympathetically, "What happened?"
"I don't wanna talk about it." Salma dismissed, feeling her eyes well up.
"Yeah, so mind your own Beedrill's wax you slacker!" Carmine cut in, "What happened back home is certainly nothing you need to know about!"
"Depends if it has anything to do with the Champion's current attitude." Drayton said casually, "I was only hoping to find out what caused Kieran to take a nose dive so we may fix his attitude problem."
He turned to the Nocedas.
"But I won't pry if you don't want to divulge." he said reasonably, "Instead, how's about I show you our clubroom?"
"Clubroom?" Salma and Antonio echoed in unison.
"Yeah! You haven't joined any of the clubs we've got here, right?" Drayton continued, "Take it from me, you'll have a way better time here if you join one. We'd love to have two interesting new members! In fact, we better call dibs now. Come with me."
Salma and Antonio were surprised. They hadn't been here for a day yet and already they were being invited to a club? Carmine certainly didn't look happy with what Drayton was doing, but Salma didn't care what the abrasive girl thought. She seemed to think of Drayton as "the worst" and yet he seemed pretty chill and friendly. He couldn't be all bad, surely?
"Sure thing, we'll come." Salma offered.
"I hope this club's got lots of nice people in it." Antonio said eagerly.
"Oh you'll meet the bestest of buddies you'll ever make in this school." Drayton declared, "Everyone there's a swell guy regardless of colour, race, background or whatever. Though some aren't as nice as others…" he added, smirking at Carmine in a deliberate attempt to wind her up.
Carmine fumed but said nothing. She wasn't going to give this bozo the satisfaction of seeing her annoyed. She just followed along as Drayton led Salma and Antonio back to the Terarium entrance and back into the school. They took the lift up to the classrooms and once they reached the right floor, Drayton led them into the clubroom. It didn't look much different from the other classrooms in the Academy. It had the same wooden walls, projectors simulating the sky outside to give the impression of windows, smart blue carpet floor and metal bookcases and cupboards everywhere. But one thing this room had that the classrooms didn't was a couple of jogging machines for people or Pokémon to use, shelves full of different foods for Pokémon to eat and a comfortable blue sofa for people or Pokémon to use for sitting or sleeping on. There were two large tables positioned together to make one big table and several black chairs were positioned around it. A bunch of opened and half-eaten snacks lay strewn across the table. Salma noticed there was a stack of books, a tea set and a large red box with a fire emblem on the sides. Did those things belong to anybody? The room wasn't empty when they came in. A few club members were relaxing and resting off after a hard day's work. Salma understood the feeling. She stifled a yawn again as the feeling of tiredness from their long flight to the academy came over her again. She tried to stay awake as Drayton informed them about the club.
"And here we are. This is the base of operations for the League Club!" he said enthusiastically.
"Cosy looking place." Antonio remarked, "And quite chilled out too."
"Don't get used to it." Carmine cut in, "This is the place when Kieran's NOT around…"
"Yeah, speaking of him, he won't show up anytime soon, right?" Salma asked worriedly.
"Oh don't sweat it. He won't be showing up, not when it means he can spend more time training as he says." Drayton dismissed, "On behalf of the whole club: glad you're here you two! If you're curious on what we do, we Blueberry Academy students have our own Pokémon battle ranking system: the BB League." he explained.
"BB League?" the Nocedas asked.
"Here in the League Club, we battle each other to train up so we can climb the ranks." Drayton continued, "We win, we lose, we have a good ol' rowdy time. Such is our humble club in a nutshell!"
"That does sound enjoyable." Antonio said eagerly.
"It was…thought we've been having less of a good ol' rowdy time lately." the Unovan teen said grimly.
"Because of Kieran?" Salma asked.
"Unfortunately." Carmine muttered, "But enough about him. You two should also know that the four best students in the League Club make up the Blueberry Elite Four. And this annoying toothpaste-haired bozo is one of them, so is Amarys."
Salma and Antonio were impressed. So they'd met at least three members of the Elite Four so far: Lacey, Amarys and Drayton. Who was the fourth? They hadn't seen them yet. They looked to Drayton. What kind of Pokémon did he use? For Amarys, they guessed she used Steel-type Pokémon given the style of her hair and her robotic personality. Drayton was the former strongest trainer in the Academy before Kieran took over so he must have some powerful Pokémon. Drayton stretched lazily.
"So that's that. Fun club, right?" he asked, "You're in for the best of times if you join us. As far as the Drayster's concerned, you're both in on a trial-basis!"
"Trail-basis?" the Nocedas asked together.
"That's right." Drayton replied, "You can use this clubroom freely and do whatever with the stuff here. And that's not all! For a limited time, you can have as many of these snacks as you want!" he added, gesturing to the table littered with food.
"Those snacks are all yours Drayton, snacks you leave around opened and half-finished." Carmine said disapprovingly, "I wouldn't go near any of them. Who knows how long they've been sitting around." she added quickly.
"It's OK, we're not hungry anyway." Salma said, trying to hide her disgust at what Drayton had offered, "We appreciate the hospitality here, but for now me and my brother really want to go to our dorm rooms and get a bit of sleep now."
Both siblings yawned as if to stress how tired they were.
"I get it. Still worn out from the flight and the battle with Lacey, right?" Drayton acknowledged, "Just before you go, I have something for you both."
He went into one of the nearby cabinets and opened it up. He returned with two sets of clothes for the Paldean teens and handed them both to Antonio.
"Those are your League Club uniforms." he explained, "You're in the club now so you gotta dress like it. And one last thing."
He glanced over at Salma and came up close to her. The purple-haired girl stepped back, a little surprised by the gesture. Then she suddenly found herself bumping into the wall as she backed away. Drayton placed a hand against the wall. Salma stared back uncomfortably as the white-haired student stared back at her, grinning flirtatiously.
"Hey, personal space bozo!" Carmine yelled furiously.
"Once you two are rested up, how's about joining the Drayster for a little…cafeteria date?" Drayton purred slyly.
"W-w-what? M-m-me? A c-cafeteria date?" Salma stammered, feeling heated up, "I'm sorry Drayton, but I don't swing that way. Besides, I'm taken." she added.
Drayton gasped and backed away respectfully.
"Whoa, I swear I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable! I had no idea you were…" he quickly collected himself and coughed in embarrassment, "Well, whoever your girlfriend is, she's one lucky woman." he complimented, "I guess I'll have to have that "cafeteria date" with someone else…if I ever find that someone else."
"Well regardless of what it is, me and Toni will join you anyway." Salma insisted, "We may as well see what dinner time's like in this place while we're here. Can we join up in say, a couple of hours?"
"Deal." Drayton accepted, "Be seein' ya!"
And he left the room, leaving Salma and Antonio alone with Carmine. Once he was gone, Salma puffed heavily.
"Well…he's quite a character!" she exclaimed, "Though Carmine's right about "personal space". Is this his idea on how to flirt with girls or something?"
"I said he's a bozo, didn't I?" Carmine sighed irritably, "Like I said, he's the worst! And what the hell's he up to with roping you two into our club and being all chummy with you both?"
"What, is this unusual for him or something?" Antonio asked.
"Very." Carmine said, scowling, "So you two better be on your guard with him! Who knows what that sleazy slacker's up to!"
"He seems nice enough to me. I don't see what your issue is." Salma dismissed, "I think you're just jealous that we might like him more than you or something." she sneered.
"It's not like that at all!" Carmine insisted furiously.
"Only someone who's in denial of how jealous they are would say that." Salma retorted, "Well we're done here. Come on Toni, let's get to our dorm and finally get some rest."
The Nocedas left the clubroom together to go to their dorm. The two of them would be sharing one together during their stay at the academy. In a couple of hours, they would join up with Drayton for dinner at the cafeteria. Cyrano had promised they would be well catered for during school mealtimes and would enjoy the food they had to offer. Salma thought about what Carmine had said. She liked Drayton but she had to admit that Carmine's warnings had her second-guessing her opinions of him. Maybe he wasn't as friendly as he seemed and maybe he was up to something. This dinner at the cafeteria would be a chance for Salma and Antonio to see Drayton's true colours...
Salma and Antonio are now in the League Club and are making friends already with Drayton. But is he as nice as he seems? What's he up to and what's his endgame? And what will happen when Salma and Kieran inevitably run into each other again? Find out next time as Salma signs up for "The BB League"...
Trivia: I'll confess that a lot of Salma's dialogue towards Carmine is kinda me voicing my grievances with the character through her. Carmine was such a badly written character in the games and a prime example of how NOT to develop a character. I hate how her treatment of Kieran goes unanswered and she's never once held accountable for how she's a bad sister to him and is at least partially responsible for his fall to darkness. She remains flippant about his attitude change, dismissing it as "teenage angst" and such and never once considers that she's part of the problem. It's like she doesn't think she's responsible for Kieran's descent or at least doesn't think the way she treats him as wrong or anything. And need I bring up her infamous "I was being kind, it's not like I hit him or anything!" remark? That disgusting line of dialogue skirts WAY too closely to the kind of evil rhetoric that abusers would use to justify their abuse, you know the "I didn't hit you, therefore I'm not abusive" excuse. The games never hold her accountable for her actions and the fact once Kieran returns to his normal personality, she's back to being a jerk to him again means she has learned NOTHING! So expect a lot of Carmine bashing to go on in this story. But don't worry, I'm not giving her the Ron the Death Eater treatment. No, Carmine WILL get a redemption arc and the wake-up call that was sorely lacking in the games. Carmine isn't a lost cause, the character CAN be redeemed and this fic will be my attempt to show how.
*Translation: Stupid, stupid, stupid ogre!
**Translation: Big sister