NSO Chapter 10
I don't own Pokemon.
The beam of pure white energy shot out of the sphere in Zenith's mouth. It struck the charging Kurt point-blank in his chest, engulfing the Nidoking in its blinding glow. Being too weak to withstand an attack of such intensity, Kurt was blasted off his feet, flying through the air at dizzying speeds as he was propelled by the speed and force of the Hyper Beam. He slammed into the domed shield that surrounded the arena and stayed there, body pinned and unable to move as the light continued to blast onto him. Zenith didn't stop, going all out as he continued to blast Kurt, the beam growing thicker and increasing in power. The blue translucent hexagons that made up the arena dome started to glow brighter as more pressure was applied on them.
With a sound of glass breaking, the shield dissipated, unable to withstand the immense power focused on it. When the arena walls broke, the pent-up energy from the Hyper Beam was released, spreading outwards in an explosion of white light, causing everyone in the Battle Room to either shield their eyes or look away. A large 'thud' seemed to reverberate throughout the entire room as everyone averted their eyes from the flash, accompanied by a shake of the floor. When the flash had faded from everyone's vision, they looked back to be met with a strange sight: Kurt was stuck in the wall, back deeply embedded within the thick concrete. His arms flailed wildly as he tried to dislodge himself, but were too short to reach out and grab the sides of the hole he had made. While everyone was fussing about how to get Kurt out of the hole, Cleo turned to look at the Battle Arena. Mrs Sal was already by Zenith's side. The Umbreon was sitting in the same place he had launched his move, chest heaving as he took in deep breaths. His body wavered like a dying flame as blood continuously pooled from his wounds. There was also an acrid stench of burning that hung around him, along with smoke rising off his body. Zenith could feel himself steaming, body almost hot to the touch as he panted heavily. He had really gone all out with such a powerful attack when he was so weak, nearly burning himself up in the process. Mrs Sal gestured to an unopened bottle of water sitting on the control panel of the battle arena, which Cleo quickly handed over to the teacher.
"Drink this, Zenith. You'll feel better."
The Umbreon took the bottle gratefully and gulped its contents down, the fluid soothing his parched throat. As he drank the water, he could feel himself slowly getting better, his wounds hurting a bit less than before. The rivers of blood flowing down his flanks were reduced to slow trickles, and Zenith no longer felt like collapsing into an exhausted, smoking, bleeding heap. Turning the empty plastic bottle in his paws, he could see the words "Fresh Water' written on the label.
"Okay, Zenith. Now let's get you to-"
The pair turned towards the wall of the battle arena as a gasp resounded throughout the Battle Room. Kurt had finally been pulled out of the hole in the wall with the combined efforts of his Psychic-type classmates. He was surrounded in a pink glow of multiple Psychics, but one thing could be seen very clearly: his eyes were spirals, the shape of a Poliwag's belly as they spun in opposite directions. An odd silence settled over the class as they realised what this meant. Kurt had fainted, so the winner of the match was…
One by one, classmates turned to stare at the Umbreon, which was being helped to his paws by Mrs Sal and Cleo. Feeling the piercing gaze of so many Pokemon on him, Zenith stopped in his tracks, shifting his paws uncomfortably as Cleo ushered him forwards.
"WHAT HAPPENED HERE?"
Zenith stopped once again as the double doors of the Battle Arena were slammed open, nearly hitting his snout. The few students who were still talking with each other fell silent as a Raikou stormed into the room, followed by a Suicune, who stepped through the hole in the wall, surveying the surroundings. Principal Suicune was one of the nicest and most lenient teachers in the school, while Vice-Principal Raikou was the polar opposite. He doubled as the discipline master of Kingdra High and took his job very seriously. They always seemed to balance each other out, with Raikou dishing out harsh punishments and Suicune dialling back the severeness.
As Raikou's gaze travelled around the Battle Room, Zenith could feel Cleo stiffen beside him, an involuntary flinch from the fierce look. Zenith could feel the beady red eyes finally land on him, taking in his battered body.
"Umbreon, detention! For not keeping your battles within the arenas and destroying school property!"
Zenith's head was spinning, but he wasn't sure if it was from the blood lost or from the incredulity of the reason for his punishment.
Since when was trying to avoid death from a 'Shiny'-hating Nidoking a punishable offence?
The Raikou looked like he was going to continue shouting, but was cut off by a thin, white tail placed upon his mouth, which quickly closed. Suicune was suddenly beside Raikou, giving Zenith an apologetic smile, while speaking to her colleague in a resigned, but endearing tone. "Hold on, Raikou. We don't know if that's true or not. Mrs Sal, would you like to clear up the situation?"
"Sure," Zenith wasn't sure, but the Salamence seemed to flash a quick, dirty look at Raikou before speaking. "Both Kurt and zenith were battling in the arena, but the Hyper Beam that Zenith made was too powerful for our shields to handle, and broke the wall. All these are minor damages and can be easily repaired by tomorrow. But I'll be sending Zenith and Kurt to the infirmary to be patched up, both escorted by a classmate." With a hint of finality in her voice, Mrs Sal signalled for Raikou to step out of the doorway, allowing Cleo to support Zenith as they moved off towards the infirmary. A Kadabra exited the room next, using Psychic to lift Kurt in midair behind him.
When the four students had left, Mrs Sal turned towards the rest of the class, silently dismissing them early by flicking her tail towards the large double doors. Never wanting to remain in the presence of both principals, the Battle Room emptied quickly, until the only Pokemon remaining were the three teachers.
"Mr. Raikou, sir," Mrs Sal pinched the bridge of her nose as she spoke. "With all due respect, you do have to stop accusing my students of things they didn't do. I have everything here under contro-"
"Except you did not, Mrs Sal. Those two students, especially that Umbreon, seems to be hurt pretty badly. I know your avid love of battling, but you're a teacher. The safety of students is your top priority. Why didn't you stop the fight before it got out of hand?" Suicune spoke to each teacher in turn. Her voice was still light, but had an edge of steel instead of the usual softness. "And Raikou, didn't I remind you countless times to try and think first before speaking? Analyse, ask THEN answer!" Both Pokemon seemed to cower before the blue Legendary, heads bowed apologetically as her voice rose in volume.
"Well, at least there seems to be no lasting damage. The wall and equipment can be easily repaired, and Ms Chua can fix those two back up to full health. She's a miracle worker, that Chansey." Like a flip of a switch, the ominous aura that had hung around Principal Suicune vanished. She gestured with her ribbon-like tails for Raikou as she walked out of the room, looking back with a warm smile. "Why not take a little break for about five minutes, Mrs Sal? I'll make sure that everything's back to normal when you return for your next class."
The Salamence sighed as both Pokemon rounded the corner to their office, while she went in the other direction of the staff lounge. She would never understand the mysteries of Legendaries, but as long as they worked, she didn't mind. She had wanted to tell Principal Suicune earlier, but after the chewing out she hadn't dared to push the envelope on the subject of battling. But in her eighteen years of teaching, she had seen all sorts of battles, from quick knockouts to long, tedious fights, but never one this intense, or a Pokemon in this school that had shown off that much skill and technique. He had even managed to break through the arena walls, which were the best in their line so far. She had to keep an eye on him.
"Come on, Zenith. We're almost there."
Zenith staggered through the halls, leaning on Cleo for support while conversing with Dialga in his head.
Okay, now that I know who you are, mind telling me why Legendaries are heads of this school? I've been wondering that for a while now.
Just because we're Legendaries doesn't mean that we can't lead normal lives. It's a waste of our immortality if we do nothing all day. Some Legendaries like to come down to your mortal realm, enjoy a 'normal' life.
Then why don't you try having a normal life too?
Can you imagine the God of Time applying for a job, or walking around in your neighbourhood? Besides, connecting to your life is better any day.
"Here we are, the infirmary."