Hello readers and bienvenidos to the next chapter! I do apologize for a little longer than normal wait, but I hope everyone had a good 4th or Canada Day or any of the other. Over the little break I had, I turned the dirty 30. So here's to more shenanigans in the next decade along with some awesome writing.

Now let's get to it. I'm itching to write Uva Academy.

"Who…who designed these stairs?!" Rian huffed out loud as he led the way up with Jules and Nemona behind. By the time they made a third of the way up, he was already starting to pant heavily. Yet he kept soldiering on and kept his eyes at the top. It was almost as if he were to look back and see his progress, he'd be sorely disappointed.

Luckily for them, the top of the staircase was right before them and they finally took the agonizing last step with a sigh of relief. Nemona leaned against one of the columns that lined the metal school gates, visibly wheezing and out of breath.

"Hah…heh." She could hardly speak. "Yeah…they're the worst."

Juliana shook her head and turned around to admire the view. As grueling as it felt like scaling an entire mountain, the reward was a near picturesque sight of all Mesagoza around them. They could see all the way to the Narixa and the canals that joined it, much of the downtown and even in the distance to the northeast was the wide flat area of the ever bustling Balthazar Airport.

Okay, this makes it a little worth the effort.

The amount of students here was far more than what they saw within the city. Most of them were teenagers around their age, but some looked to barely be ten. The gigantic building of the academy was preceded by a beautiful cobblestone lined courtyard with well manicured lawns and trees. Benches and lamp posts lined either side, the latter waving purple banners that had the Academy's seal in the center. Just in the middle where all the paths met was a large brown and teal colored tessellation that had an odd mesmerizing pattern. Jules noted that the path all the way to the big double doors was long and wide enough to have a full functioning battle.

Two students were passing by, giving Nemona a wave and nodding to the twins. "First time with the escalara el infierno is never an easy climb. But congrats on making it!"

Rian and Jules were still trying to catch their breath and only managed a thumbs up in reply.

The building was even more impressive up close, with a rich brown coloration that spread into multiple wings on each side that was several stories tall. On their left the frontmost wing had a large column that held up what appeared to be a treehouse while the one on the right had a dome shaped observatory. The four main spires formed the largest section with an even taller center. Just above the main entrance was a third floor and then a large open area with a ceiling that was big enough to fit three of their houses stacked on top of one another.

"Pretty great isn't it?" Nemona put a hand on her hip after spending the minute recovering and admired the building before them proudly. "I love seeing how new students see it, it's not only going to be where you're going to school, but it's gonna be home."

"Home. Home for the next few years."

"Yup. Come on, let's get inside before it gets any warmer."

No argument here. Rian thought as he and Jules followed Nemona. More students passed by, excitedly chattering amongst themselves and pokemon trailing closely behind. Several blinked and eyed the twins with curiosity, but he did notice that many of them seemed to give Nemona a bit of a wide berth when coming across her.

"The main entrance is accessible every day from oh seven hundred to twenty one hundred to all students and visitors. After hours though," Nemona fished her student ID card out of her pocket to hold up to a reader. "You'll have to use the card reader to access any of the entrances, whether it be the main one here or the shortcuts to the commons or dorms."

Rian and Jules nodded and watched the upperclasswoman push on one of the stained mahogany double doors to creak open just wide enough for them all to slip through.

"Woah," they had said at the same time.

While the exterior was no doubt impressive, the interior kept its old charm with beautifully tiled floors and tan brick walls. A cool front of air conditioning inside the building was most welcome after spending almost the entire day out. Tasteful lamps and trim on the columns around gave the impression that the building was indeed quite old, but the presence of computer kiosks just next to the main desk and off to the side doors that led deeper into the academy were reminders that contemporary technologies of today were still very much in use. Rian saw that the level above was a mezzanine with even more desktop computers and desks that served as private study areas.

The entrance also doubled as a library, with an enormous shelf just behind the receptionist's desk. Off to either side were more shelves in both lines and circles. Each section was given plenty of space so three people could walk abreast and though the main foyer was bound to create a lot of noise with daily traffic, it was quiet enough to the librarian's satisfaction. Comfortable looking couches, tables and furniture were set in central locations in what looked like a busy class day. Students were everywhere; browsing books, at the study tables and all busy socializing or with their own tasks.

"Here we are!" Nemona made sure to keep her voice to appropriate levels and gave the twins a welcoming wave. "Rian and Jules…welcome to Uva Academy!"

She gestured to the grand foyer. "This here is the main entrance hall! You can sign up for all kinds of classes at the desk behind me and the halls lead to different parts of the school! It's all a lot to take in, but the Programming Club added a feature in the Academy's RotoPhone App where you'll be able to program it to almost any location like on the Maps feature! No more getting lost in such a big building like a confused freshman!"

"Wow, it's massive." Jules and Rian were still looking around in awe. Initially, they had only seen pictures and went off from what their parents had recalled from memory. Now it was the real thing with their very own eyes.

"It's totally big enough to let loose and battle in here, but for some reason they banned pokemon battling in the main entrance."

"Isn't there other places where you can battle anyway?" Rian asked. "Surely you can battle elsewhere and be less destructive."

"Yeah, but gotta try new environments!" Nemona pumped a fist and gave a wistful sigh. "Something about an incident involving a hydreigon…or something. Ah well."

"Master Rian, Miss Jules, Miss Nemona." A revered voice sounded to their right as the trio turned to see Director Nicolas Clavell approaching with a slight smile. His hands were clasped behind his back as he gave them a thoughtful nod. Like when they first saw him, his dark purple tasteful jacket was clean and pressed, sharp enough to slice cheese. The white shirt underneath was freshly starched and stiff. The Director clearly took a great deal to make himself presentable and dignified at any given moment.

"Director Clavell."

"How did you find your first school commute?"

Uh what? Rian was the first to answer, "Well, I mean…it was tough." He had to add the second part when the director raised an eyebrow in sudden concern. "Other than that, I can't complain. Nemona's been super great and helpful."

"Oh dear, was it really? I suppose Miss Nemona must've led you on quite the adventure."

"It wasn't even Nemona." Jules added in. "We almost died trying to climb those stairs…not literally mind you."

"I see." Clavell straightened his glasses. "There's no need to exhaust yourselves next time. The Academy does have elevators and escalators from the courtyard that can access the Lombriz station and there's pads right next to the front gate for flying taxis to land and take off should you need them. Not that I was expecting any less from our champion-class student council president."

He cleared his throat. "Reliable as ever, Miss Nemona."

"Gracias! I know how to look after my friends! Right guys?" As the twins nodded in agreement, another thought came to her mind. "Oh, but speaking of which…we saw some of those Team Star kids in town, Director!"

"You did?!" Clavell's mouth fell open and he visibly reacted with a little bit of shock, placing his right hand on his glasses. "Where?!"

"It was down the escalara el infierno from the front gates." Nemona had used the same nickname from the other student they encountered earlier, which caused the older man to raise another eyebrow. "They were hassling this kid with an eevee backpack."

"That's quite the news. Are they still to be found out there?"

Nemona shook her head. "Actually both Rian and Jules here flexed on 'em and ran 'em off."

Clavell cupped his chin, deep in thought. "You don't say…of course it's a fine thing to try and help a fellow student, Master Rian and Miss Jules…but you might wish to show a bit of restraint as you find your feet here at our academy."

"Uh right." Rian said. Nemona had given approving nods, but the Director's reaction to the news was conflicted. He remembered the other students recording their battle against him and his sister and wondered if Clavell was already privy to how he thought they were standing up for someone who couldn't do so herself.

"And Miss Nemona, do remember that the school's staff is here to resolve any such troubles."

"Uh right! Yes sir Director!"

"A child with an eevee backpack you say…I suppose that might have been Miss Thornton. I'm relieved to hear Penny's come to class, at least." Clavell said while he tapped his glasses again.

A few more thoughtful seconds of silence later, he straightened his posture and clasped his hands behind his back again. "Ah and Miss Nemona? If you'd be so good, do report to Mister Jacq about this Team Star business. As your homeroom teacher, he should be kept apprised of all such goings-on."

"You got it sir!"

The prim Director glanced at his wristwatch. "Ah, but look at the time. You three had better hurry along. Classes will be starting soon for the day."

"You got it. We're in class 1-A. Come on you two! I'll show you the way!" Nemona waved farewell to the Director and quickly went down through the library further into the building.

Nemona had led them through the hallways, up a flight of stairs. After the library's foyer, the central building held most of the small classrooms and three large auditoriums for upper grade classes; each of these could be accessed from the three floors. Combined with the dorms and other classrooms; Uva Academy had roughly two and a half thousand students across all grades. Most popular was the "high" curriculum that was held for students between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. Rian was surprised to hear that even adults attended the Academy for college level courses, although theirs was strictly to virtual online. Many of them were busy with work, families and other affairs, thus didn't even have enough time to be present on campus.

"Wait here." She instructed the twins and pushed the door open. The twins saw a young man with spectacles, tattered lab coat and dyed hair in desperate need of a comb standing at the front, busy on the chalkboard. Nemona and the teacher spoke for a couple of seconds before he nodded in understanding and she took a seat.

"Hello and good day class!" He said, greeting everyone.

"Hello Mister Jacq!" They heard a similar greeting in unison from the rest of the students.

"Nemona just got back and she has some exciting news for us! Who wants to hear it?"

"Ooh! Me! I wanna hear the news!"

"Is school canceled?"

"Maybe it's starting early this year!"

Mister Jacq raised a hand up to quell the rising murmurs, but he did laugh at the end.

"An interesting question, all of you…and no Harry, I don't have lung cancer." Despite the morbid implication, it had caused a round of laughter to erupt from the students sitting inside. "I suppose I should've told you all this sooner, but here it is! We have a new student…actually two new students joining our happy homeroom today!"

"Ooh that is good news!"

"I wonder what they're like?"

"Alright." Jacq finally turned to the door and gestured to Rian and Jules. "You can come on in now."

Here goes. Rian led the way, opening the door and holding it for Jules as they both stepped inside.

The classroom was average sized, big enough to fit roughly thirty students and judging by how there were only two desks left in the middle, they'd make it up to capacity. The murmurs started as they stood next to their new teacher, causing them to tense. Jules tried her best not to look nervous. Right at the front in the middle row, Nemona flashed them a warm smile sitting behinder her desk in hopes to try and ease the apprehension.

"Woah!"

"Cool! One boy and one girl!"

"They look so much alike! Are they twins?"

"Welcome!" The teacher waved a hand to the other students sitting and watching. "Could I trouble you for a few words to say introducing yourself?"

Oh no, on the spot. Rian and Jules froze, suddenly a bit uncomfortable with all the attention they were getting. While uncertain, he knew he had to just go with the new experiences, some of which might not always be in his own comfort zone.

"Right! I'm um…Florian." He said, thanking his own brain for not causing him to stammer. "And this is my twin sister Juliana."

Jules nodded and pointed to her brother, following his lead in gaining back the calm confidence. "I liked to be called Jules and him Rian."

"Did you hear that? Twins!"

"They sound so friendly and awesome!"

Jacq leaned forward. "See that? Looks like everyone is eager to get to know the both of you!" He turned back to the class. "Who wants to ask your new classmates a question?"

A half dozen hands shot up. Rian and Jules couldn't decide, so he randomly nodded to one of the boys on the right.

"What is your favorite thing about pokemon?"

"Oh man." Rian racked his brain. He was expecting something else. The first thing that came to mind was what he answered. "Battling. Definitely battling."

"Really?" The boy's eyes lit up and he saw that something flickered behind Nemona's eyes. "Awesome! I'm totally the same! You should take a ton of Miss Dendra's Battle Studies classes!"

"Good plan."

Jules picked the next question from another student. "What's your favorite pokemon?"

Damn, this one stumped me just like it did Rian…I bet. She tapped her chin. "I'm actually not sure, don't really have a favorite so to speak. Lucario is pretty cool. I use it when I play Pokken with Rian."

"Great choice! Lucario are badass, but sometimes it and riolu can be hard to find."

"Does anyone else have a question?"

"Me!" The twins nearly gasped in surprise when it was Nemona who had raised her hand and stood up. "I have a question!"

She could've asked us this at any time between when we met and now. So it must be something important.
"You went through all the trouble of enrolling here. So spill you two," Nemona smirked at them. "What do you hope to get out of it? You must have some kind of dream, right?"

Oh wow. As if the questions couldn't get any harder. Rian thought to himself. Next to him, Jules remained silent and she couldn't come up with an answer that was to her satisfaction. As if it couldn't get any more pressure, the entire class had been leaning forward with all eyes on the pair in anticipation.

Finally it was Rian who spoke first.

"I want to be a strong trainer. Like many of you, I grew up watching the greats of our time. Leon the Unbeatable, Brendan Maple, Elio Northstar and so many other great champions. I got posters of them in my room and PalMoto guys like Aubry, Castro and Hachimura. Being a strong trainer feels like something I could maybe do."

Way to lie about that. Can barely get along with my own first pokemon.

"Ooh, don't you worry Rian. You will be! Oh I just know it! You and me…we're going to get so strong battling together!"

Nemona's smile nearly forced him to turn away to hide the creeping blush that formed on his cheeks. "L-looking forward to it!"

"And what about you Jules?" The kid that asked her about her favorite pokemon had piped up again.

She actually had a bit more time to think about it whilst Rian had been answering.

"Actually, I don't know. I grew up hearing how great of a place this was to make new friends, learn new things and see what kind of opportunities are out there. I'd love to be a strong trainer or maybe be a 'Dex completionist, but I'm not completely sure. Or it could be helping others in need. Maybe I'll find it while I am here like how my parents did."

Jacq gave a thoughtful nod. "That's a good way to put it. And you both are second-generation students! Incredible!" Rian and Jules nodded back, though they weren't completely sure if the whole second generation students thing rang true or not. Their parents hadn't said much about each of their parents' childhoods or early life.

"Thank you for telling us a bit about yourself Rian and Jules. I'm Mister Simon Jacq. I teach biology here at the academy and I'm also your homeroom teacher. I've got your seats ready, so please take them and we'll continue on with class."

"Okay." The twins gave another wave to the rest of the classroom before quickly taking their assigned spots. Rian was one row behind Nemona in the second row and Jules was in the third on the right side.

"All right you little ragamuffins! Be good to our new classmate!"

"We will!"

The class session passed by much quicker than expected. Jacq had handed out a packet and was in the middle of explaining his class' syllabus when Rian and Jules had arrived.

The actual school period was not set to start until the beginning of next week, so they had a couple of days to get acquainted with their new campus with the yearly opening assembly next Monday. Classes would resume for a couple more weeks until it was time to begin the annual independent study assignment.

Surprisingly, attendance policy was a lot less rigid than either expected. It sounded like the independent study assignment everyone kept talking about meant that students would be absent for a great deal of time. Jacq explained how all of his lectures and notes for the class will be posted online in the academy's app for easy access when students aren't on school grounds. Any homework assignments could be completed online or papers scanned and submitted. Instead of it being immediate, he had set the homework due dates to when he was actually going to be grading assignments. If he hadn't gotten it in by that time, then that person was out of luck.

However there was a certain credit requirement that Jacq said was needed as an absolute minimum among all classes. This independent study assignment gave a great deal of freedom and the staff had constantly reminded them that it was to further educate and enlighten and that it was not a vacation or excuse to skip class.

Though each teacher ran theirs differently, Jacq said that most of them had three to four tests a semester before midterms and each one required the student to be present to take them. That was also flexible in that each test could be taken the day issued or a student could wait and take multiple exams at once. Both options had their pros and cons.

The bell chimed as he finished explaining other expectations as the majority of the students had stood up and walked out with their bags in hand. Several of them made sure to pass by one of the twins, giving them a warm welcome to their home classroom. The intermediary period between each class session was seven minutes long.

"Oh, I very nearly forgot!" Jacq shook his head and handed them both a sheet of paper. "I have your class schedules! Today's basically just orientation week, so after we have the opening assembly, that's when the classwork starts for real! Good luck out there!"

Rian and Jules thanked him and made their way down the hall that was now bustling with students as they walked to and from the various classrooms and staircases. Chatter was a lot noisier than normal, but it remained at a tolerable level. They found an empty spot by the wall to step to the side and take a look at their schedules.

Jules read hers out loud. "Biology first. After that it's foreign languages, math, the lunch break, battle studies, history, art and then home economics."

"Woah." Rian looked at her sheet and then his. "We've got the same homeroom obviously, same lunch period and we both finish at home economics."

"What did you get?"

He looked back at his schedule. "Biology first like yours, math, battle studies, lunch, foreign language, art, history and we'll see each other at home economics."

His sister nodded in satisfaction. "Pretty good."

"Hang on." Rian looked around. "Where'd Nemona go?"

He spotted the girl that Nemona had been sitting next to at the front of Jacq's class and flagged her down.

"Hey, 'scuse me. You uh?"

"Looking for Nemona?" The girl must've read his mind. "Yeah, I think she got called into the staff's office." She jerked a thumb down the hallway to help point out its location.

Rian thanked her and was about to leave when Jules stopped him.

"Don't we have other things now to worry about than finding her?" She felt her stomach growl. "Like maybe food or the other classes?"

"It's just the orientation period. I don't think they'll care. Besides, Nemona had slipped out during Mister Jacq's lecture."

She rolled her eyes as her brother took off down the way the other girl had pointed. The things he does half the time.

Well I guess this where she must've gone. Rian thought to himself, standing just outside a door to a large room that read "Facultad" He hadn't given Jules much time to react before he had sprinted in the direction given.

"I hope they are cool with students coming in and all." He said to nobody in particular and pushed the door open.

The room was much larger than a classroom, with several cubicle desks situated close to the walls, each one cordoned off to give a little bit of privacy. The middle table had chairs and four microwave ovens, likely the area where the staff would eat their meals. A refrigerator and sink were at the far end and to the right were rows of tall lockers and three large photocopier printing machines.

Seeing a couple other students talking to a couple of the adults made him feel more at ease. Students were allowed in…or at least not openly discouraged to be in the staff's break lounge.

He easily spotted Nemona to the right just past the lunch table where she was speaking to another woman. Though her back was turned, Rian didn't recognize her at all.

"Very well, Champion Nemona. I trust you to handle this in my stead." As he approached, he saw that she had long wavy black hair with hints of yellow accents. She wore a finely clean and pressed suit that was dark blue and black with gold trim along with matching pants. The woman was quite tall, possibly six feet or more. As her hands motioned while speaking, he saw she wore an elegant pair of gloves that had the exact same emblem of La Liga.

Just what was Nemona talking about with someone who clearly had a high position in Paldea's own league?

"Sure thing!" A grin escaped Nemona's face and she pumped a fist in her usual excitement. "You can count on me! In fact, I bet this is gonna be muy alegria!"

"I'm glad to hear it." The other woman nodded just as a RotoPhone rang and he saw her press what he had to guess was an earpiece on her right side. "Hello? Si. Of course. I'll be there shortly."

Her voice was a mix of crisp and rich, one that was refined of both class and professional. That along with the aura of authority was enough to make him deduce that she was very important not just to La Liga, but to Uva Academy as well.

"More business?" Nemona asked

"Unfortunately. All the more why I need to count on you. Good day, then."

The woman turned around and nearly bumped into Rian as he made his way over to them. He finally got a good look at her, but was unable to pin down her age. Maybe late thirties? She had a dark umber skin tone that was more common in the southerly part of Paldea. Her dark blue eyes were nearly a match as that on her outfit. With her high cheekbones and overall appearance, Rian almost thought she looked more like a runway model than the businesswoman she sounded like.

"Oh. Pardon me." The woman noticed the teen and he felt her stare almost as if she had run him through with a sword. He froze, but willed himself to meet her gaze for just a moment.

"Siento." He muttered under his breath, scooting aside. The woman held her gaze at him for just a couple moments longer before a slight smile and an interested "hmm" had escaped her mouth as she walked past, clasping her gloved hands behind her back.

That almost feels worse than getting caught by the Director with your phone out or something. Rian shook it off and made his way over to Nemona, who waved at him from her spot in the corner of the room.

"Oh Rian! Hey! Just in time!"

"Hey yourself." He couldn't help but smile, Nemona had a way of putting him at ease which was a big help after the woman she had been talking to was almost sizing him up. The urge to ask about her came up. "Who was that by the way? That lady you were speaking with. She looked awesome!"

"Oh her?" The grin came back. "Piqued your interest huh? That lady is…uh…well, they call her La Primera! She's strong, she can pretty much do anything and she got cool practically coming out of her ears!"

Rian chuckled, seeing how starstruck someone like Nemona got. If that was the case, the woman definitely commanded a lot of respect like he had suspected. And she'd be an incredibly strong trainer. Makes sense if you're going to be called The First.

"Basically everything I wanna be…or that any pokemon trainer would wanna be, really!" Nemona paused and had to take a breath after talking nonstop. Rian almost let it slip that he had tuned her out for a couple of seconds, but imagined with the amount of praise the upperclasswoman showered on this La Primera, he didn't miss much.

"A Champion. Or someone strong enough to stand up to them."

Nemona gasped. "Oh! Which reminds me! Remember in homeroom when I asked you what your dream is?"

"To be a strong trainer?" He replied, still a little confused at the direction she was taking the discussion.

She smiled at him again. "Correct! Well, since your heart's already set on becoming a really strong trainer, I just happen to have the perfecto proposition idea for you!"

Okay, I'm listening.

"You…should try to reach Champion Rank like me!"

"C-champion rank?!" Rian was not expecting that. "I don't know…I just became a trainer yesterday."

"Aww, but talent like yours deserves to be used!" Nemona's face fell and he felt a little bad. Still there was something kinda adorable seeing her slight pout. "At least hear me out?"

He nodded and she immediately brightened again. "Trainers here in Paldea's La Liga have several ranks you climb up depending on how many gym badges you earn by defeating the gym leaders. Not unlike a lot of other regions in how their own leagues are run."

She stuck her hand out to list the ranks on her fingers. "First up is Novice if you have anywhere between none to two badges. Second is Proficient with three to five badges. Then it's Adept with six to seven badges! After that, you have Elite with all eight badges!"

"No Champion?"

"Not quite finished! We finally have Champion! The trainers who reach Champion are the ones who raise and battle their pokemon to be really strong. They're pro-tier battlers. Their moves keep crowds absolutely on the edge of their seats! You have to prove yourself to La Liga to officially be recognized and get the title of Champion!"

"Oh, so it's just like the leagues in other regions!" Rian felt a shiver of excitement as if getting Champion Rank was something that was easily attainable. But he did have one question. "So if you're Champion Rank, but not the Champion of Paldea, how does that work?"

"Champion Rank. Wording my dear Rian. It's not like Galar or Kalos where only one person in their entire league holds the title. Paldea has multiple champions, but just because there's more than one doesn't mean it's any easier!" Nemona cupped her chin in thought. "I think on average, La Liga maybe has one or two people who attain Champion Rank a year. Not completely sure, but it's still a rarity!"

Great! I'm screwed!

"And to do that, you have to do more than take classes here. You've got to take on all eight gyms in Paldea and win against all the gym leaders so you can collect the badges and rise in your Trainer Rank! Once you've done that, all that's left is a special test with La Liga called the Champion Assessment."

"Sounds like a lot." Rian said.

"Oh it is! But once you pass that, then at long last, you'll have that sweet sweet Champion Rank! It's every pokemon trainer's dream! The coolest title anyone could ever hope to get!"

She leaned forward. "You wanna know the best part?" He nodded in reply. "The Champion Rank stays with you for life! No more of the whole having to defend that title! Once you've earned it, it's yours!"

Her hand moved up and gently took off the ring on her finger and held it out to him. He took it, examining the fine piece of jewelry in his hands.

"Pretty neat huh? Each person who attains Champion Rank in Paldea gets their own ring to commemorate the journey and how long and hard of an effort it took them to finally get there! Not to brag or anything!"

Rian laughed as he handed her the ring back. "Hey, honestly if you're that good enough to pass something like that…you've more than earned the right to walk around with your chest puffed out a little."

"Heh, yeah I know what you mean."

His face turned serious. "But Nemona, are you sure I'm the person to try and shoot my shot on this? I just became a trainer yesterday, haven't caught a single pokemon and I can barely see eye to eye with the one I have now."

"What's stopping you?"

"I…I," Rian's voice trailed off. "I don't know! Maybe it's that I haven't been able to grasp how to be a trainer as fast as Jules. Honestly, I think she'd be better at this."

"Really?" Nemona asked him. "Because from what you said in the homeroom sounds like you're telling me the opposite here. You can't write yourself off as a failure if you haven't even tried."

Fair point. Nemona had laid the grounds of how to attain the Champion Rank for him. Beat the eight gyms in the La Liga circuit and then pass the assessment exam. On paper, it seemed like it was a trivial task. However, given the few trainers attained the rank each year, he knew that things were far more convoluted and battles difficult than imagined. Could he really be a strong enough trainer to go that far? The perks were definitely something to be noticed. Famous champions like the ones on the posters in his room were but a result of the grueling blood, sweat, tears and painstaking effort they each had to put in order to be at the top of their games. The idea swam in his mind. If he were to get there to Champion Rank, he'd be remembered as one for life with the incredible achievement so few ever attained.

"I reached Champion Rank during our last Treasure Hunt, y'know!" Her face suddenly stopped as she had spilled some sort of secret. "Oh yeah, the Treasure Hunt is a special independent study thing we've got here. Should happen soon! Our last one started not long after the first couple weeks of the school year!"

"Treasure Hunt?"

"It's great!" Nemona said. She pumped another triumphant fist. "You get to leave school and go have an adventure and learn however you want!"

So that's the independent study assignment I kept hearing about. Also why Mister Jacq had such a lax attendance policy. It's to account for this. Interesting. I wonder if Mom and Dad had this when they were attending Uva.

"I guess you could say my journey to becoming Champion Rank was the treasure I found? Maybe? So this year? I dunno yet if that's the answer I'm looking for. I guess I'm like Jules. I'll figure it out as I go!"

"And there's nothing wrong with that."

"Anyway, I've got a feeling I'd be able to get even stronger if both you and I were working on it. I'll go ahead and save the gym locations in your map app in case you decide to go for it!"

Both their RotoPhones flew out of their pockets, hovering in front of one another. Nemona's pulsed first, followed by Rian's.

He grabbed it and looked over the map of Paldea, showing eight new icons on the screen, showing the cities where each one was located and the gym leader's profile picture. It also included the pokemon type of their specialization.

Medali Gym is normal, Casscarafa is water, Cortondo is bug, Alfornada is psychic, Montenevera is ghost, Glaseado is ice, Levincia is electric and Artazon is grass. Hmm.

There was also something Nemona hadn't mentioned that Rian noticedon the gym leader icons. "Hey, so some of these have a numeral of one to three. What's that about?"

"Oh that's a tier system. See here in Paldea, there is no certain order you have to defeat the gyms in the circuit! You can go for any gym you want to start, but the tier system is just a recommendation for trainers with gradually increased difficulty. Tier one gyms are best taken on as novice, tier two as proficient, tier three as adept and so on. Really there's nothing stopping you from say taking on the Medali Gym first, but it might be a wee bit harder than if you were to say take on all the tier ones and a couple tier twos beforehand." She leaned close and cupped the side of her mouth to a whisper. "Just between you and me, the Medali Gym should be tier three. The gym leader based there is no laughing matter."

Rian tried not to look blanched. A normal type gym gave Nemona a hard time? What kind of normal type specialist are we dealing with?

"Give it some thought! I really think you'd be an awesome trainer once you've found your groove and you know I'll be pulling for you the entire way!"

"Y-yeah. Thanks Nemona." Rian said. "Actually, did you want to compare class schedules? I know you and my sis all have biology together, but do we have anything else?"

She shrugged and reached into her pack to pull out a piece of paper similar to his. They held up the sheets so they could see the other.

Huh. She's got just as busy of a schedule as myself. Biology, History, Battle Studies, Foreign Language, Lunch, Home Ec, Art and Math. Not bad.

"Oh look!" Nemona's face broke out into another smile. "Look! We have the best class together! Battle Studies with Miss Dendra! You're gonna shoot for that Champion Rank for sure! No slacking or saying no while I'm around!"

Okay, I'm starting to see why she's called Inegável.

"I guess I can't say no if someone like you is gonna be pulling for me and helping me in Battle Studies." Rian said. He took a deep breath, though he had made up his mind long ago. "Alright. I'll do it."

"YES!" The older girl's fist pump and exclamation drew a few indignant stares from the other staff members present. "It's gonna be great! We're gonna battle so much and you're gonna get crazy strong! And don't worry about you starting slow! There's no deadline or race to the finish…not unless you want one!"

"With your help? I feel better about it already." Rian knew that the road to the top wasn't going to be an easy feat. But if someone like Nemona could not only make it herself, but believe that he could as well…What is there to lose?

She pumped another fist while whispering a yes to herself before saluting and running off, promising to catch up with him later.

Alright. Time to shape up, get stronger and get going. I'll show you.

"Just you wait, Nemona."

Leave it to my brother to go chasing after girls again. Jules thought to herself as she walked alone to the cafeteria. A passing student was more than happy to point her in the direction of the mess area and she easily found the largest of the three eateries. The main cafeteria was spacious enough to fill a half dozen tables with enough room for three students to walk down the middle side by side. Another half dozen were at the far end, situated to where ten could sit abreast, making for the total of a maximum of a hundred and twenty. More seating was also available in the other room and on nicer days, there were even more tables outside.

This was the largest of the three eateries and the main one for meals. Since each student enrolled had an unlimited meal plan that was included in their tuition, they were allowed as little or as much food as they liked. Jules learned of this while she stood in line by the main counter, where she saw a plethora of options to choose from. There was everything from a salad bar, soup and stew pots, sandwiches, pizza ovens and more. Though the staff worked like a well oiled machine and the line had gotten a little long, it moved quickly and Jules nearly felt overwhelmed at how many options. For those who didn't wish to wait as long, she spotted several snack boxes, wrapped sandwiches and an impressive bakery section that had could have any foodie salivating their guts out.

But of course the ready-made food was not without its rules. Depending on the teacher, some did not allow food in their classrooms while others were tolerant provided the student did not make a mess or distraction while eating. Additionally, while the options were plentiful, they had done their best to accommodate all possible diets such as gluten-free and vegan. Students were allowed only one take-out disposable container from the freshly made area of cafeteria per day. According to the lunchroom staff; several students had started taking full advantage of the unlimited meal plan's lax policy causing stricter measures to be implemented. While it was encouraged to do so with the near-limitless food available, the student body was constantly reminded to only take what they planned to eat and minimize excessive food waste.

The availability of it was vast, opening as early as six in the morning and serving food until midnight. And for those who preferred something else, there were also the hundreds of food options in Mesagoza. Food delivery from outside sources was not allowed on campus, however students were permitted to wait and accept delivered meals just outside in the courtyard where "school grounds" wasn't wholly constituted. Anything bought outside the campus were at the student's expense.

"You'll have to try the sandwich station and the grill." One boy told Jules with a grin as she stood in the line, still a bit confused at how it worked. "There's some amazing combos and they'll make it fresh for you!"

Jules took his advice and ordered a serranito, watching the cook quickly toast the bread and grill the ham and fried peppers before neatly sliding them all between the toasted buns and slicing it in half. The entire process took only a couple of minutes.

Damn. She could already smell it and the aroma was stimulating her stomach which growled hungrily. That looks really good.

The drink station was equally as impressive, though most of it was bottled. She spotted milk, fruit juices, flavored water, agua with both con and sim varieties. Soda was absent and alcoholic drinks were prohibited despite the upperclassmen at eighteen years and above allowed in the legal limit to purchase and consume the beverages in public. Jules chose a bottle of milk and made her way to lining up at the checkout station. A scan of her student ID on her RotoPhone toned green to indicate the transaction and she was free to choose a table. Nobody particularly looked familiar or inviting, but she noticed that a few people were staring at her as she passed by.

Don't worry about it. It's not the first time they've seen a new kid. She made sure that there was at least one seat for Rian if he could find the cafeteria. While pokemon weren't out, she did wish that Basil and Dani could see all of this for themselves. Though she had caught the fidough just that morning, the little puppy was more than affectionate and had devoured her lunch eagerly from earlier. Plus she found eating alongside her pokemon helped her bond a little bit better with them.

A tray setting down had snapped Jules out of her senses and she looked up to see Rian grinning at her. He too, had found the sandwich station with a hot steaming serranito and a bottle of juice on his tray.

"Rian, I thought you were,"

"Talking with Nemona? All done."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow as she took a bite of his sandwich, making an approved face at the flavor. "Just a friendly chat huh?"

Rian didn't take the bait. "Well she kinda asked me about my answer back in Mister Jacq's room. When I said I wanted to be a strong trainer."

"Yeah she seemed very excited to hear that coming from you." Jules took another bite and then a swig of milk. "So what did that have to do with anything?"

"She suggested that I try and shoot for Champion Rank like her." Rian said.

His sister blinked at him. "Champion Rank? Right after we barely just started as trainers?"

"Those were the words straight out of her mouth. She thinks I have potential and just need to see and believe it for myself. Since we have Battle Studies together, I'm sure that it might be something worth going for."

"That's good and I'm glad it is for you, but we're students at Uva Academy." Jules reminded him. "When are you going to have enough time to go out and take on these gyms?"

Rian's eyes gleamed. "The same way Nemona did when she got her own Champion Rank last year. The Treasure Hunt or whatever she called it."

He finished another bite and continued. "It's some independent study thing that everyone's been talking about. Where you can actually leave campus and have an adventure or learning experience on your own."

"I see." Despite sounding a little indifferent, Jules was more than curious. "I wonder if that's the whole thing about student discounts with train tickets, hostels and on Céuflota? Well, I mean if that's something you want to do, go for it. You know I'll support you either way."

"Thanks sis. You're more than welcome to try it too. Nemona isn't just making it exclusive for me."

"I'll think about it. There isn't much about this Treasure Hunt thing that I know of yet and we just started our school year. But…you only have one pokemon."

Right. Baron is my only one.

"Well there's tons of pokemon out there waiting to be encountered. Billions, trillions, I'm sure I'll be able to find at least some that'll like me enough to where we can be a half decent battler. That's probably a better focus, learn on being good at battles before thinking about being Champion tier."

If someone like Nemona can make it, I'm sure I can give it a hell of a run too. Rian nodded in satisfaction as they returned to their meal. Both were taking the final bites and he collected their trays to set on a moving belt that whisked them to an automated dishwasher at the end of the kitchens. As he sat down, his eyes went wide and he leaned close to Jules.

"We got company."

She made the mistake of glancing behind, meeting the gaze of a familiar blond haired boy they had encountered yesterday. Cursing under her breath and biting her tongue of the habit, she turned away hoping he hadn't seen them.

Oh fantastic. She was wrong.

"Hey, so we meet again!" Arven's voice was much more cheery in contrast to his dour mood when they met him yesterday with Nemona. Rian tried to hide his annoyance and Jules' own mood immediately soured. Completely oblivious to their earlier interaction, Arven had sat down next to Rian and smiled at them.

"You remember me, right?"

The twins were silent for a moment before Rian was the first to speak. "From the Luz Sur right?"

"Yeah, exactly! That's my little know-it-all buddy! Got a mind like a steel trap, eh?"

Little buddy? "It's kind of hard to forget someone who just leaves some weird dragon pokemon for you to take care of and then runs off." Jules groused from the other end of the table. Arven ignored her and focused on Rian, who seemed to be the more amicable of the two.

"No need to tell me either of your names. Rian and Jules, right? Whole school seems to be talking about you. The new kids who showed up with the president of the student council and stood up to some Team Star goons at the front of campus."

And yet nobody's really reached out to us. Either he's trying to butter us up or he's lying.

"What do you want, Arven?" Jules asked, trying to keep her mood as neutral as possible. Rian knew better and could tell his sister was just tired of this other boy being around.

"Huh?"

He held up a hand to stop her from saying anything else that might instigate a spat. "Look man, we left on some pretty bad terms when you literally shoved Miraidon into our hands and took off, telling us it's now our problem. You then told Nemona, me and my sister to shove off in the process."

Arven blinked at him.

"So color me completely dumbfounded that you're coming up to the both of us talking and acting like we've been friends for years. Pretty much a complete one eighty from yesterday morning. Why are we talking again?"

That got a sigh out of him. "Okay, okay. I wasn't really in the right spot and seeing Miraidon just brought back some bad memories."

"That doesn't give you the excuse to lash out at it the way you did." Jules said. "Or any of us for that matter."

Arven sighed again. "Yeah I know. Look, I'm sorry for that and you both caught me at a bad moment. I normally wouldn't even bother showing up for class, but I came all the way to school today just to talk with you two, the school's newest celebrities."

"Uh huh."

His face turned serious. "You've gotta help me out so I can finally make my dream a reality!"

Jules narrowed her eyes at him, still unconvinced. "Okay, but what's this dream first? And how do I and Rian fit into this?"

"Hehe, caught your interest, have I? You want to hear all about my dream right?"

"Only because it'll make you leave us alone quicker."

"Well this might come as a surprise, but fact is, I'm all about picnic life." Either Jules' snark was ignored or he was unaware of it entirely as he went on to further explain. "The great outdoors, perfectly prepared sandwiches, all of it! Not half bad at cooking either, I can tell you."

Arven reached into his rather large backpack and removed a worn purple and gold book from the main compartment. He flipped it open, skimming through the pages while wetting his fingers. "Right now I'm researching new recipes that'll help pokemon feel better. Real health food that tastes good. I found this book the other day and it had a section about something called herba mystica. Basically they're some sort of special herbs that heal up any pokemon as soon as they're eaten!"

He stopped at one part in the book. Upon closer look, they could see it had small sticky black bookmarks that protruded out from the middle pages. "So there are a total of five different types of herba mystica based on what I've read. Sweet, spicy, bitter, sour and salty. Just taking a lick of them once they've been dried and powdered will get your blood flowing, provide nutrients, prevent aging and it'll even boost the immune system. These herbs seem like they're the real deal. Only found here in Paldea and extremely rare to boot!"

Now that had piqued the twins' interest for sure. Rian and Jules glanced at one another, hardly able to conceal their surprise of such powerful herbs and medicine. Jules almost thought he was making things up as he went. If these things are so miraculous, then why haven't we heard of them before?

"So you're wanting to go foraging for some plants." Rian said. "I'm still a little confused at why you need us. Neither of us are exactly expert trackers. A lechonk would probably do you better good than us."

"Ah! But the book says these herba mystica are all guarded by Titan pokemon, meaning that it's gonna be pretty tough to try and grab just a few sprigs. 'Cause see, Titans are…well they gotta be things like this!"

Arven stopped at one of the bookmarks and turned the book over, letting the twins read over the "Monsters of Área Cero" section.

Jules peered at the text and the illustration. "As we descended further into Área Cero, we began to catch glimpses of mysterious never before seen pokemon. Though we wondered if these huge ferocious beasts were indeed pokemon at all. One of our team suffered a brutal blow from such a beast and was mortally wounded, forcing us to retreat for a time." She read softly to herself. She saw the sketch and faded image on the next page, seeing a pokemon that had a smooth metallic body and its entire body was taut with aggression like a coiled snake. The plating seemed to resemble the armor of a main battle tank. For some reason, seeing such a fierce abomination made her involuntarily shiver. Could something like this exist?

"A member of the survey team captured this photograph by chance. I noticed a passing resemblance to the pokemon known as donphan, yet differences such as its sheer size and the shape of its back set it apart as do its treads of iron."

While frightening, I don't see any evidence that links them with Área Cero.

"I really want to get those herbs for myself, but I'm not good at pokemon battles as Jules rightfully proved." Arven sighed wistfully. "I don't have any friends…or know anyone with strong pokemon willing to lend me a hand either and that student council prez would never let me hear the end of it if I went crawling."

Rian shot him a look. "Oh come on, Nemona isn't that bad once you get to know her."

"But then here you waltz up! You've got to help me out with this! We'd be fast friends, you're not as uptight as the student council prez and you're strong enough to stand up to Team Star. With the three of us working together, we'd crush those Titans! You'd be perfect!"

Three? Oh no, that's not happening. Jules thought to herself. She was about to decline her interest when Rian stood up and gave him a thoughtful nod.

"Okay, you've sort of made it sound like it could be a fun adventure! I'm already set on Nemona's suggestion to take on the gyms in Paldea to reach Champion Rank. But if the Titans are around in the area, I'll definitely lend a hand. Anything to get stronger!"

"What do you think?" He turned to his sister, who still held Arven in a distrusting look. Her arms were folded in that same posture she always had when she was judging someone.

Jules' expression remained unchanged, but she unfolded her arms. "I'll think about it." She glared at Rian, sending an unspoken message that the two of them would discuss privately.

Arven on the other hand, looked a bit more thrilled than before he had approached them earlier. "Wait, I don't need an answer yet! I'll just register the areas where I've done research where it seems there might be Titan pokemon in the MApp." It took them both a second to realize the map app on their RotoPhones was what he had been talking about. He had said it like the "M-app."

Ha.

Both of their RotoPhones flew out and Arven's met them in midair, flashing as it transmitted information over. Jules saw his had a stylish flabébé case.

"Let it stew a bit and we can get more into the details later on. I've also got my class schedule and number, so be sure to save it!"

"Sounds good. I'll uh…see you around Arven?"

The older teen grinned back at him. "Oh count on it for sure! Give the idea some serious thought! Please!"

Jules was about to ask another question before Arven had turned and already dashed off to the cafeteria's entrance and gone before her mind could even process it. She turned to glare at Rian.

Her brother withered under her staring. "What? Can't be that bad?"

"Idiota. The boy who dumped all his earlier drama on us, not to mention a Miraidon thing and now he's roping us into helping him find miracle plants? Are you sure he's not on some herbs of his own?"

"Jules, just give the guy a chance."

"No. Absolutely not." Her brow furrowed. "He's a jerk to Miraidon…which saved your life and is hiding more about it than we know. That's something I can't take lightly."

"And I'm not saying you shouldn't." Rian hissed back, noticing that Jules' rising voice was catching the attention of nearby students. He leaned closer so that it would be harder for anyone else to listen in. "I agree. Arven and Miraidon share a history that he clearly isn't willing to share. But…maybe we can learn a bit more about him and why he hates it so much if we help him out with this dream."

Jules stopped, staring at him with barely concealed surprise. She hadn't thought of it that way. How did Rian start to think like this?

"So let's do it. Go kick some Titan pokemon teeth in. Grab this plant if it exists. Maybe we'll get some answers. Maybe not. Either way, I'm sure he'll find a way to help us out like we'd help him or we'd get a lot stronger with our pokemon by beating something like that iron treads thingy."

Though she didn't particularly fancy spending more time around Arven, she did want answers about why he didn't like Miraidon and what exactly it was. Like Nemona had said yesterday, the more they spent around the mysterious dragon, the more questions she had. The ball containing it remained dormant and silent in the pocket on Rian's backpack.

"We both have classes with him. His schedule says he has foreign language, art, math then lunch. We have the same lunch period together. Biology, battle studies, I got history with him." Not literally, mind you. "And home ec to round it out. You'll have battle studies with him and we'll all be in home ec together too."

"Battle studies, where I can kick his rear again? All right." She smiled at the thought and finally agreed after a few moments of thinking it over. "I'll help."

Rian's smile disappeared when Jules balled her hands into a pair of fists. "But if he ever tries to be a jerk to Miraidon again, I'm giving him a piece of my mind!"

Yeah and you have my permission. I'm pretty sure he'll learn that well before he crosses that line.

"I dunno sis. Maybe cut him some slack? Give him a chance? I get that he said he had a bad day…I mean we all have those."

"Oh I'll give him a chance all right." She stood up with that same fierce look in her eyes. He knew that if she was going to stand up for something or someone, there was little he could do to stop or change her mind. "Come on, let's see what next class we can visit."

Satisfied with their meal and making notes of things to have readily made or to take on the go, the twins made their way to the exit of the cafeteria.

About halfway there in a clearing where there weren't many students, Rian swore he heard Jules' phone ringing. She hadn't changed it to a custom ringtone either, but he could just pick it up very faintly.

"Your phone, is it?" Jules noticed his concern and looked down. Her mouth curved into a scowl.

"Ay por dios, if that jerk is already calling us for this help, I swear I'm walking back on agreeing to it all!"

To their surprise, the RotoPhone ignored her and flew out of her pocket, hovering in front, to display a blank bit of text and the timer as an indication to an open line.

"Wha-I didn't even hit the answer button!" She exclaimed. Rian knew she wasn't lying. Her hands hadn't made contact with the device at all since it had began to buzz. The RotoPhone had answered the incoming call on its own.

The Rotom couldn't have done it. I read it only does that when we're in distress and can't physically answer ourselves. We are not. So how did the phone pick up like that?!

And that'll do it for this chapter! I would have another character make their debut here, but I'm afraid a lot of it constrained down where I'd be easily writing a 14k word long chapter or so. Therefore, it's been pushed back to the next one where we'll have even more crazy things happen on the very first day of school! As much as Rian and Jules want to stop and relax after finally reaching Mesagoza and Uva Academy; it's not quite over yet!

Spanish Translations

Escalara del infierno - Stairway to Hell

Facultad - Staff

Muy Alegria - A lot of fun

Idiota - Idiot

Por Dios - Oh my God

Portuguese Translations

Inégavel - Undeniable

Food and Drink

Serranito - A warm sandwich popular in Seville. Fillings include grilled chicken or pork, cured ham, fried green peppers and tomato slices. Often served with a spread of mayonnaise.

As always, thank you for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose. I'll see you all next chapter!

Brav