Chapter 6: Darius vs. Salamence

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Author Notes At End of Chapter!

'Italicized' = Thoughts

Friday 11:05 AM

September 1st

One Hour Before Salamence Attack…

A soft knock woke up the black haired teenager, with small rays of sunlight seeping through the blinds of the boy's window. Miles Miller groaned, confused at who could possibly be knocking on his door at such an early hour.

Miles had Fridays off, due to having more classes than the average student on the weekdays prior to Friday. Generally, this was the case for other students as well. It wasn't uncommon for the majority of students to only have one or two classes, or simply none at all at the end of the week. Unluckily for him, it seemed he would still have to get up early due to an unexpected visitor.

A second light knock sounded against the door, forcing Miles to push himself from his bed. Putting on a clean white shirt as he only slept in sports joggers, the teenager eventually opened the door.

"Cherry? Why are you here, specially so early? Miles asked, his eyes barely open as he struggled to adjust to the bright lighting in the hallway. Cherry stared up at the boy due to her short stature, her blonde hair up in a bun and blue eyes peering at her friend.

"Didn't you offer to help me train my Voltorb? I explained that I was trying to get him to learn how to use Teleport while simultaneously using Rollout. Also, it's 11 AM Miles." Cherry beamed, her usual nervous expression not being present. It was most likely due to the topic of Pokemon being at hand, as the girls shyness often faded due to her clear love for battling and training her Pokemon. It could also very well be the fact that she had grown slightly more comfortable in the presence of Miles, as he was considered to be one of her friends, along with her roommate Selina and others. Jace could probably fit in that category, although she considered him to be a bit too hyper and crazy for her liking. Still, they seemed to get along well in the short time they've known each other.

Miles mentally facepalmed, completely forgetting the conversation the two had last night after their evening class.

"Shit, you're right. I'm so sorry. Can I meet you in Crest, fifteen minutes? I need time to get properly dressed and ready." Miles kindly asked, with the freshman girl agreeing before waving goodbye. Crest was the largest and most popular lounging area, which was fitted with couches, a game room with pool or ping pong tables, small shops, food stations, and even a library inside the enormous building. It was the perfect place for students to kick back and relax, being a popular hotspot on campus.

Miles headed to the bathroom, quickly brushing his teeth and washing his face and hair in an effort to both clean and wake himself up. After doing his bathroom routine which took only a few minutes, Miles changed into black joggers, a white shirt, and a red and black jacket. The teen decided not to wear a hat, having never been a fan of any clothing choices such as hats or beanies to wear on his head. Besides, the Kanto native appreciated showing off his own hair, as he considered it one of his best features.

After about ten minutes, he quickly left his room in an effort to not keep Cherry waiting too long. Passing by quite a few students on their way to class, Miles finally entered the impressive looking building. It was shaped as a large square, built from polished stone. However, the majority of the building was see-through due to glass panels. It appeared extremely modern, with the location already overflowing with students who likely had the same idea to relax on a Friday morning inside Crest.

"Miles! Over here!" Miles turned to his right, spotting the short blonde sitting by a small coffee shop. The boy waved, making his way over to Cherry as she took a sip from her coffee.

"Sorry, I was going to get you something but didn't know if you wanted anything or what you liked." Cherry apologized, fiddling with her gold necklace.

"No worries, I usually don't drink coffee anyways. Though, I may grab something small to eat here soon if that's alright." Miles reassured Cherry, who nodded a bit too quickly at that.

"So, can you explain the issue your having with Voltorb again?" Miles asked kindly, leaning back against his own chair as he faced the smaller blonde. Cherry's eyes immediately shined at this; her mood clearly shifting due to the topic of Pokemon being brought up.

"Yes! Well, I thought it was a good idea to implement Rollout and Teleport simultaneously. If we would be able to get it down, it could be super beneficial for us! Only problem is, it's turning out to be a lot harder than I expected." Cherry explained, finishing her coffee and pushing it to the side of the table.

"I'm assuming Voltorb is disoriented or completely off target when he attempts it though?" Miles asked, although it sounded as more of a statement due to the confidence he had in his assumption.

"Right! We practiced yesterday in the training fields, but to no luck. I thought like with everything, repetition would be enough and Voltorb would catch on." Cherry's expression dropped, clearly disappointed in the lack of progress. She didn't blame her Pokemon at all, though, as she believed it was her responsibility for them to improve and to no fault of her Pokemon.

"I think you have to take a few more baby steps. Are you using Rollout first and then teleporting, still hoping he would be using Rollout to attack?"

"Yes, and he's able to maintain the Rollout but has no sense of direction. Like I said, I thought with enough practice runs it would get better but it hasn't improved even slightly."

Miles hummed in response, kicking his feet back onto the table which drew a few annoyed glances from students sitting nearby. Cherry didn't seem to notice this action or any of the few students giving her friend odd looks.

"In my opinion, I think using Rollout before is too dramatic of a change. What if you guys try Teleport and straight into Rollout? That way, she can become accustomed to using it after Teleport."

"Hmm, I think you're right. It's definitely less efficient, but I think its necessary to do that in order to transition later to using Rollout before and after Teleport." Cherry agreed, thanking Miles for her help. The two continued to chat a little regarding possible training methods. Miles offered to help train with Cherry, with Cherry quickly accepting and thanking him once again.

After about twenty minutes, Miles had quickly left and returned back to where they were seated after picking up a sandwich and soft drink.

"So, I heard that you and Selina have been hanging out this week." Cherry teased, with Miles almost spitting out his soft drink due to the girls simple statement.

"How do you even know that?" Miles asked incredulously, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Cherry raised her eyebrow in slight confusion.

"Selina and I are roommates. Hold on. I never told you that?" Miles shook his head, with Cherry shrugging as she thought she had mentioned it during class this week.

"Well, she told me yesterday that you two have been just hanging out. You have a thing for her?" Once again, Miles almost choked on his food due to the girls forward questions. Seriously, she was becoming a lot less reserved and more forward with what came out of her mouth.

"Forward much? Honestly, I don't even know her that well, so saying yes would be a lie. Selina is a pretty girl obviously, but it's honestly just been casual hanging out. I'm not looking to date someone right now, especially so early in the school year." Miles replied honestly, with Cherry remaining skeptical if he was telling the truth.

While not being completely opposed to a relationship, Miles definitely didn't consider it to be the greatest idea. It was his first year in Champions Academy, and adding a girlfriend in his list of prioritizations would add just another commitment. Coming off a disappointing loss in the Sinnoh League Finals, improving his battling skills and Pokemon was at the forefront of his mind.

"Pretty? She's drop dead gorgeous, Miles. I hope you're not lying about not looking for a relationship, because with the way people look at Selina, she may not be single forever." Cherry explained, noticing how the majority of students at Champions Academy admired the girl. It seemed that every boy couldn't keep their eyes off the brunette and her hourglass figure.

"Why are you telling me this?" Miles questioned the blonde curiously.

"Because you're one of my few friends I've made since getting here, and I'm looking out for you dummy." Miles narrowed his eyes jokingly at the small but insignificant insult thrown in at the end. "Still, that doesn't mean that I'd tell you whatever Selina thinks or says about you behind her back."

Miles groaned in annoyance, now curious more than ever to hear what the brunette thought of him. They had hung out a couple of times in only a week. Casually, but spent time with each other nonetheless. She had to have some sort of impression of the Kanto native. As Miles opened his mouth to continue to pester the shorter girl, he was interrupted.

"The only thing I'll tell you is that she isn't looking for a relationship, but thinks your a great guy." Cherry held her hand up a few inches from Miles face, seemingly shutting him up. Miles closed his eyes in defeat, putting up two thumbs up in acknowledgement. Sure, it wasn't what he was looking for but it was information he was willing to accept. It was also good news. At least Miles knew that she wasn't simply spending time with him in hopes of him asking her out.

"I'll take it. Anyways, how are you and your girlfriend? Alora?" Miles asked thoughtfully, without a hint of teasing in his voice.

"Aluca, Miles…"

'Damn, knew it was between those two', Miles thought to himself as he whispered an apology before the blonde continued.

"She's doing good! We still have been facetime everyday, keeping in touch as she's still in Paldea."

"Training to be a gym leader, right?"

"Uh huh! Aluca told me it's been going well. She's a strong trainer, so I have the upmost confidence in her." Cherry continued to speak about Aluca and how they had met, as Miles mostly listened and added in his own thoughts in random intervals. This continued for about five minutes, until the sound of a Pokeball emerging from behind Miles forced him to turn his body around while still seated.

"Sneasel! You're not allowed to be outside your Pokeball here!" A familiar voice shouted, drawing the attention of Cherry as well.

"Snee!" Sneasel replied, scrambling around the table with one seat as Penny Tudor chased the Pokemon, oblivious to her two classmates watching her.

"PT?" Miles called her, with the brunette gasping nervously at being seen in such an embarrassing situation. Luckily for PT, Sneasel seemed bored of the blue eyed girl chasing her and jumped into her hands, making her sigh in relief.

"You're in Battle Strategies with Professor Moore, right? You're so smart." Cherry complemented her, making PT blush nervously at the compliment.

"Thanks, but not really. I just study hard so I don't get caught off guard in class." PT downplayed her intellect humbly.

"Whatever you say. You wanna join us?" Miles offered, with PT tightening her lips in thought." In reality, she wanted to converse with the two but she knew she wasn't an extrovert. Fear of embarrassment pushed her towards saying no, but before she could voice her answer, Cherry spoke.

"Please do, I'd love to hear about some of your strategies we've been working on in class." Cherry requested, making PT feel even worse if she would say no. Hugging Sneasel tightly, PT nodded and sat at their table. After Miles helped formally introduce Cherry and PT to each other, the group continued to chat about possible battle strategies and his apparent hate for Miles.

Darius Jardine continued to stroll around campus, having finished his classes for the day about thirty minutes ago. The past few days, his battle with John was the only event on his mind.

'He's a talented trainer for sure, but how the hell did I lose to a freshman'. It was a question that had been floating through his head the whole week, with the only possible answer he could come up with being rust. Due to his father's medical emergency last year, the Paldea native didn't spend any time training his Pokemon. It was the least of his worries.

Luckily, his father recovered in just a few months and is currently subject to bedrest in the comfort of his parents home. Losing against John made home realize just how much of a journey he had ahead of him. If he wanted to become a member of the Elite Four, he couldn't put forth an effort such as the one against John. Regardless of how naturally talented and hard working the freshman was, Darius believed he had to be better than anyone put against him on campus.

The senior was broken out of his thoughts upon hearing a roar above the sky. Looking up, his eyes expanded in less than a second as Salamence crashed down about eighty feet from him. Dirt and smoke flew everywhere, clouding students' visions as screams from the teenagers filled the air.

Despite the shock of a collared Salamence crashing down onto Campus, Darius remained calm as he often did in high stress situations. It was a trait he was most proud of.

"Cloyster, Krokorok! I need your assistance!" Darius yelled, throwing two Pokeballs into the air despite the gray smoke still floating in the air. As the air cleared, Darius barely noticed the Flamethrower Salamence had launched and hit a steel wall in what looked to be one of many classrooms.

'Arceus, everyone here is in danger, including myself.'

Students screamed and fled the area, with some remaining frozen due to fear they were experiencing in such a moment. Darius cursed mentally, knowing that this was the most stupid action they could do.

Salamence was about to launch a Dragon Pulse, staring down a group of three girls who remained frozen, before Darius reacted.

"Quickly, use Ice Beam on Salamence!" Cloyster swiftly obeyed, shooting a long beam of ice that struck Salamence across the face, effectively canceling his attack. Salamence roared once again in pain due to the super effective move, turning his attention to the attacker.

'Krokodile, use Dig and get people far away from here!' Darius yelled, diving out of the way as Salamence launched a Flamethrower at the trainer. Krokodile immediately burrowed into the ground, disappearing from sight. It was only a few seconds later that Darius saw him as he laid on the ground, with his Pokemon carrying all three girls on his shoulders and one in his arms.

It was an effective strategy, with Krokodile burrowing underground and remaining out of sight while getting students out of harm's way. Only issue was it left him with only Cloyster to defeat Salamence, and although Darius had a significant amount of confidence in his Pokemon, he knew it was in his best interest to stall for more help.

It also didn't help that no other students held bravery such as his own, with nobody sending out their own Pokemon to fend against Salamence.

'I just need to stall for a few minutes. That's all I need for the Academy's hired rangers to arrive on campus.'

"Ice Beam, again!"

Cloyster launched a second Ice beam, which proved to be futile as Salamence pushed it back with another FlameThrower.

"Quickly, Hydro Pump!"

The Flamethrower hit Cloyster, who cried in pain before shooting out a large jet of water and in turn, overpowering the Flamethrower. Before the water attack could strike the dragon, however, Salamence flew above the stream and crashed into Cloyster.

"No! Cloyster!" Darius shouted, watching powerlessly as his Pokemon crashed through a bench and rolled a couple more feet on the stone pathway. Glancing around, he noticed that almost every student was a safe distance away thanks to Krokodile.

Cloyster struggled to get up, no doubt already having taken too much damage from such a powerful Pseudo-Legendary. Darius gritted his teeth, thinking of sending out another Pokemon and risking their health as well. Fleeing was an option, but who else would stall Salamence?

Seeing Cloyster reach his feet, Darius ordered him once again. "Cloyster, Hydro Pump once again!" Darius feared using another Ice beam due to Salamence having the ability to neutralize it like before. He also knew that Cloyster didn't have enough energy to do anything but fire attacks. He would be surprised if his Pokemon could even dodge at this state.

Cloyster launched the powerful torrent of water, with Salamence countering with a Dragon Pulse. Darius cursed at this, knowing that it was unlikely for the water to push through Salamence's attack. As he thought, the attacks fought against the other for a brief second before the Dragon pulse connected against Cloyster.

Cloyster was launched several feet back once again, only this time it was unable to get up as swirls replaced his eyes.

Just as Darius was about to send out another Pokemon to defend himself, the Salamence surprisingly flew off, heading towards Crest. As Darius recalled Cloyster and was about to call Krokorok so they could chase after the Dragon Type, a familiar teacher ran towards him.

"Professor Stevens?" Darius said out loud, noticing his usually combed brown hair being in a state of disarray and sweat covering his body. Professor Stevens panted, clearly exhausted before speaking.

"Darius, it's admirable you wanting to defeat Salamence. I saw your Krokorok escorting students out of harm's way. But there are more collared Pokemon on campus, not just Salamence. It's my responsibility to keep you students safe, so I need you to follow me to the confines of a classroom. We have other teachers keeping this issue at bay, just until the rangers get here. It shouldn't be too long." Professor Stevens explained calmly, putting a hand on the smaller boys shoulder as Darius appeared conflicted with staying out of the fight.

"But look at Salamence! He's heading towards Crest, without anything or anyone to stop him!"

"I'm well aware Darius, but the rangers should be here any minute now! I can't leave a student of mine in danger when he is right in front of me. There are trainers and people capable enough to deal with Salamence as well!"

Darius seemed ready to object again, before noticing a collared Mightyena sprinting towards them. Professor Stevens noticed as well, sending out his Torterra to combat the enemy.

"Leaf Storm!" Torterra sent out a tornado of leaves, which completely took control of Mightyena and sent him flying back. Mightyena landed harshly, showing no signs of getting back up.

Professor Stevens, without missing a beat, began walking away with his hand remaining on Darius's shoulder. Darius begrudgingly allowed himself to be pulled along to a safer location, fear and doubt still present in his mind.

Author Notes: Just a few things I wanted to say that are more related to the overall story and not this chapter. For the topic of OC's, check out the author notes of the last chapter as it details a lot of my thought process and motivation in adding your characters. Regarding Pokemon nicknames, I made the decision to not include any nicknames. I'm sorry if this disappoints some of you, but I've never been a fan of it, and it would only serve to confuse both readers and especially myself if I had nicknames for Pokemon. Especially since there are tons of original characters in this story already. Finally, I know that this story hasn't had a lot of Pokemon featured, or battles, but this will be a lot more prevalent as the story progresses. We just haven't seen a lot of it due to introducing everyone's characters and the school itself. If you have any questions, please Review or PM me as well as any feedback! Til next time!