NSO Chapter 12
I don't own Pokemon.
Zenith took one step out of the infirmary and almost collided with Cleo, who was standing directly outside the double doors.
"Hey, Zenith! You all better?"
Zenith saw the Vaporeon give him a friendly punch to the arm, but it felt more like if someone had poked him instead.
"Um… yeah. Let's go to the canteen first. There's enough time to walk and talk."
"Sure. I think I forgot where the canteen actually is. This school is huge."
Zenith had a small smile on his face as he sympathised with Cleo, chatting with her while they navigated the hallways. He had felt the same sense of foreignness when he first entered the school. There were no maps whatsoever in the building, save for a few signs. This meant that new students had to either ask other, older students for help or just stumble around blindly. Unwilling to do both, Zenith just came to school in the early hours of the weekday to explore the entire layout of Kingdra High and map it into his memory.
Wow. I remember that. No other choice, huh?
Hey. Looks like you're back. Where did you go?
It looks like I… got disconnected from your brain. I guess your pain forced me out when reverting back to your primal forms of thinking. I just… rebooted the system… and here I am.
Oh.
By this point, Zenith had finished filling Cleo in on what Mew had told him, and the both were now walking in silence, with Zenith leading the way to the canteen.
"So, about your pain receptors… do you think that it's a good or a bad thing?"
Upon hearing the question, Zenith furrowed his brows, so deep in thought that he almost walked into a wall had Cleo not steered him away. He walked through the winding hallways with Cleo by his side, pondering the question before stopping, an uncertain answer in his mind.
" I guess it allows me to take more hits if I have to, but I don't see a situation where I do have to. I worry that this condition would have more negative effects than good ones."
"So... you're panicking about potential partially pain-proof problems?"
Zenith sighed while Cleo grinned at her bad joke, and they resumed their walk.
"Sorry."
"It's fine. But I mean, nothing about my body has changed. I'm not invulnerable to damage at all. I'll still be me, but I can't feel as much pain as before. But what if my body gets an injury, and I can't feel it? I won't know where the wound is, and I might die if I can't treat it! What if-"
Zenith was interrupted by Cleo bumping into his flank, causing him to stumble slightly and break off from his frantic rambling.
"Hey, Zenith. Calm down." The two of them had stopped for a second time, with Cleo smoothing down Zenith's ruffled back fur, which had stood up in his worry-filled rant. "You don't know how much pain will be numbed, and you probably shouldn't have to find out. And if you do get hurt, you can always count on Mew to patch you up! So just chill out, and try to live your life like the one you had before: normal and panic free!"
Cleo's peppy enthusiasm and optimism were infectious, and Zenith could feel his worries slowly melting away as the hints of a smile started to appear on his face.
"I guess you're right. You know, Cleo, I realised that I've never properly thanked you for… everything that happened today. I doubt I would have even survived until now if you weren't here." Cleo blushed. "You flatter me, Zenith. Oh, look. We're here!" The duo had reached another set of double doors, the entrance to the canteen. The sounds of hustle and bustle could be heard as Pokemon bought and ate their food. Zenith turned back to Cleo, but she had already left his side to join one of the queues at a shop called 'Seafood Spectacular'. Sighing, he padded over to a nearby vending machine.
If it's any consolation, I can monitor your vital signs using the PLC.
Perhaps you meddling in my life isn't that bad after all.
Taking out the five-dollar bill from the wallet in his utility belt, Zenith pushed it into the bill slot on the vending machine and punched in a code. There was a soft whirring as well the machine dispensed his chosen item, followed by a 'thunk' as it hit the bottom. Collecting his change, Zenith pushed open the bottom flap to get his strawberry flavoured Moomoo milk, with a Pokebean attached to the bottle. Making his way over to an empty table, Zenith began to free the Pokebean from its opaque wrapper, reading it to distract himself from the many curious gazes being pointed in his direction.
What type of Pokebean will you get today?
Plain- 74%
Striped- 23%
Rainbow- 3%
Eat a Pokebean, and allow your day to be EXTRAORDINARY!*
*Pokebeans do not guarantee an extraordinary day.
While Zenith was eating his Plain bean, relishing its dark chocolatey flavour, Cleo had come over with her recently purchased meal- a whole Magikarp clamped between her jaws. Zenith had never bought anything from Seafood Spectacular, his diet at school consisted entirely of Pokebeans, but from the looks of confusion and surprise on other Pokemon's faces, he could guess that Cleo's order wasn't a popularly picked option on the menu. Oblivious to the judging looks, she devoured the large fish in swift, rapid bites, spitting out bones to one side in a neat pile. Zenith noticed that Cleo seemed to naturally absorb the water from the Magikarp as she ate, so the remains of her food were bone dry.
As Cleo searched the canteen for a napkin, Zenith picked a bone out from the pile. Unlike the other tough tissues, it was smooth and flexible, shaped like a spring with the properties of one. This bone seemed to be the reason why Magikarp could jump to such high heights. He decided to keep the small bone in one of the pockets of his utility belt, earning an appraising look from Cleo, but she didn't question his actions. Downing the rest of his strawberry milk, Zenith followed the Vaporeon to dispose of their trash before heading back to their classroom.
"Hey, Zenith. So...I have to fetch my little brother from his school after class. Do… would… you… like to come along? You… can even visit my home… if… you… want?"
"Um… sure."
"Sweet!" An expression of relief washed over Cleo's face.
I wonder what kind of house she lives in.
Math class was taught by Mr Gon, a Porygon Z. He was one of the school's best teachers, a Porygon sent to Kingdra High with specific programming to teach students. But then there was the latest 'Dubious Disk' crisis, a Porygon-wide upgrade gone wrong. The upgrades from 2s to Zs worked great at first, increasing the processing power and efficiency of the Porygons, but had an unintended side effect of random bugs and glitches occurring. Mr Gon was able to teach better classes, but tended to glitch out and do inexplicable things, causing his class to be cancelled temporarily. With still no available repairs to the bugs, all anyone could do was wait until the abnormalities ceased.
The last hour of school seemed to pass faster than usual, in a more literal sense. The math class was progressing at its usual rapid pace, leaving students to frantically copy down notes. However, the hands of the wall clock seemed to be moving faster, and so were the numbers on the digital clock on Mr Gon's desk. The Porygon Z had barely gone through seven questions when the bell started to ring, signalling the end of his class. With a beep of annoyance, Mr Gon left the classroom, snatching up his clock on the way.
Okay, Dialga. What did you do?
I sped up the flow of time in your classroom.
That's so cool and wrong at the same time. Why would you do that? I need my education!
Come on, what else is there to learn? All this is just revision for exams next term, and you already know everything. Now hurry up, Cleo's waiting for you!
Indeed the Vaporeon was. She was standing by the classroom door, a bemused and amused expression on her face. Zenith wondered how he looked when he was communicating with Dialga in his head.
I see what you're doing.
It's rude to keep a lady waiting, you know.
Sighing mentally in defeat, the Umbreon padded over to Cleo, letting her lead the way to her brother's school.
It was a fifteen-minute walk to Wailmer Primary School. Since the classes of primary schools ended much earlier than high schools, most of the young students had already gone home. The large building was quiet, save for the sound of the wind rustling the grass of the school field, which was in front of the school itself.
Standing at the large school gate, Cleo shouted in the direction of the school field," Leaf! Hey, Leaf! It's Cleo! Time to go home!" Meanwhile, Zenith was scanning the windows of the school.
I wonder who the principal of this school is.
The Umbreon was so engrossed in his thoughts, he didn't notice the rustling coming from the field that was heading in his direction. He heard Cleo shout his name, in some sort of warning, but it was too late for that. The small Eeveelution had already jumped out at him and was still travelling very slowly through the air thanks to Dialga's time powers. Realising that this Pokemon had to be Cleo's brother, Zenith positioned himself so that his 'attacker' would land on his back. He bent his legs, tensing his muscles, preparing for the upcoming weight.
Time resumed its normal flow, with the Leafeon landing squarely on Zenith's back, beating on it as he clung there.
"Take that! And that! Stay away from my sister!"
With his partially pain-proof condition, the normally painful whacks that Zenith was receiving were reduced to light taps, but he would have to address the marks they left behind later.
"Leaf! Leaf! Stop! Zenith's my friend!" Cleo ran over, pulling her younger brother off Zenith, the Leafeon's legs flailing as he tried and failed to stay on the Umbreon's back.
"Okay, okay sis. Also, I thought I told you to stop calling me Leaf! My name is Cliff!" Cliff protested indignantly as his sister set him down on the sidewalk. "And why is he here anyways?"
"I don't think so. It's a good nickname, and it matches who you are very well. And Zenith, uh…" Cleo's mind was blank as she tried to think of a way to finish her sentence. Luckily, said Umbreon spoke up.
"Oh, Cleo invited me over to her house for… uh..." Zenith faltered as he ran into the same problem, but Cliff cut in before he could recover properly.
"A play date?"
"Er…" Nervous laughter from both of the older Eeveelutions as they made several fleeting glances towards each other, blushing slightly.
"...something like that. Come on, Cliff. Let's go home." Ushering the Leafeon along, the trio set off.