Hey everyone! I'm back in the world of fanfics for the first time in forever and I have a new series for you all to enjoy.
Now you might be wondering why do I have a new series instead of the Pokémon Plot-Scorbunnies? Well, because of my book and how I've taken the Silverlock sisters out of my fanfics to be the stars of said book, I've decided to essentially retire them from fanfics permanently. They're not fan-characters anymore, they're the stars of their own book and so I want everyone to view them as their own characters and not Pokémon OCs. So instead I've created brand new OCs whom I will use as a means to write Pokémon fanfics about instead of the girls. And what better games to write fanfics around than Scarlet and Violet, am I right? ;) The OCs you see here are based on characters I created when doing my playthroughs of them. Their names are Salma and Antonio Noceda, a sister and brother duo from Paldea whom are also trainers. Salma is the reigning Paldean Champion while Antonio is more of an explorer than a fighter. In this universe, he was the one whom went with Arven to fight the Titans and find the Herba Mystica. Some of you may remember Salma from my Plot-Scorbunnies episodes in where Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire visited Paldea and battled Nemona and Geeta so she's not entirely new at least.
As for this new series of Plot-Scorbunnies? They'll take place at Blueberry Academy. Why? Because that's my favourite aspect of the SV games and it has the most story-potential for one-shots and short-stories. I may call them Plot-Scorbunnies, but there will be an over-arching narrative tying the series together, namely that of Salma and Kieran's brewing rivalry. But at the same time, there will be stand alone stories, or "episodes" as I'll call them. Think of it less like a typical fanfic and more like my own "Pokémon TV series" so to speak.
So I hope you enjoy these new stories with new characters to follow. Let's start with our first episode!
Episode 1: Welcome to Blueberry Academy!
It was like entering a whole new world. The two students who had just arrived at the entrance of Blueberry Academy had never seen a school quite like this before. The man in charge of the Academy, Director Cyrano, could hardly contain his enthusiasm. He gesticulated wildly as if he was some grand inventor proudly showing off his latest creation.
"Ta daaaaaaaaaaa!" he announced, his voice bristling with excitement, "Here she is, my very own Blueberry Academy!"
The two students stared ahead in awe. Blueberry Academy, true to its name, was primarily blue in colour with four blue spheres protruding from a silver dome in the centre of the building. The spheres made it look as if there were giant blueberries on the roof. A long silver and blue walk way led to the academy entrance where there was also a row of seats and a fighting arena for Pokémon battles to take place. Students could come up here to get some fresh air or have Pokémon battles out in the open. Blueberry Academy was unusual for unlike other schools, the whole building was stationed in the ocean. The entrance was the only part of the building visible above water, the rest was underneath it. It was quite a feeling to be standing at the entrance of a school with the endless blue of the ocean surrounding it, the sound of waves rolling and the breeze blowing from all around. The school was also stationed off the cost of the Unova region, hence a majority of the students were also from that region. These two visitors were exchange students from the Paldea region and had been selected by Cyrano himself to join the school for a while. They were a sister and brother duo. The girl's name was Salma Noceda and the brother's name was Antonio.
Salma was fourteen years old and very pretty. She had short purple hair with two long locks draping down either side of her face, purple eyes, freckles on either side of her face and slender figure. Upon first glance, the Paldean teen looked sweet yet unassuming thanks to her frail appearance and sunny smile. But they would quickly change their minds once they saw in her battle. Salma was much stronger and braver than she appeared and when in battle, she almost seemed to have some kind of fire burning inside her. This was why she was Paldea's current Champion, having defeated the Top Champion herself, Geeta, and even defeated Nemona in a battle for the right to claim the Champion rank herself. And yet ironically enough, Salma and Nemona were currently dating and had been girlfriends for months now. She could still remember how hard it had been for Nemona to let go of her when it was time for her to fly to Blueberry Academy. Nobody could've wrenched her free from that girl's grasp, not even if they had a Machamp with them!
"You can't go mi novia*! I'll be so lonely without you to huddle and cuddle and battle with day after day!" Nemona had cried, practically drowning Salma with her tears as she cried like a waterfall.
"I'll miss you too Nemi, but I have to go." Salma said hastily, "I maybe Champion now, but this is an opportunity for me to improve my skills and keep growing stronger as Champion. Gotta keep learning new things to stay on top, am I right?"
"I guess." Nemona mumbled, wiping her eyes, "It'll still be so dull without you. School will never be the same while you're gone."
"I know mi amar**, but I'm not going forever, remember. It's only for a few months. Me and Antonio will be back." Salma insisted, stroking her girlfriend's cheek.
"Of course! And once you get back, we can have ourselves the fruitiest of fruitful battles ever!" Nemona cried enthusiastically, "I might even take a trip to Kitakami and change up my team a little to keep you on your toes!"
"Ah…yes. Kitakami. It's quite…wonderful there." Salma said uneasily.
That name only reminded her of how sourly the last school trip she'd taken had ended. And upon reflecting on that, Salma had a horrible realization. Suppose that Kieran was there? He WAS a student at Blueberry Academy, as was Carmine. How would they feel upon seeing her and Antonio? She wouldn't be surprised if Kieran had a fit just seeing her face again. Maybe they wouldn't be attending? Maybe they'd already graduated? Salma hoped for the best, but something told her she'd have to face her old friend again…
It was for this reason as to why she'd come to the academy without Ogerpon. The last thing she needed was to make Kieran feel worse with the adorable ogre's very presence. Antonio had pleaded for his sister to let Ogerpon come with them but Salma had dug her heels in. She had to stay home for Kieran's sake. If it turned out Kieran wasn't attending, then she'd swap any of her Pokémon out for her.
After saying goodbye to Nemona, Penny, Arven and their mother, Salma and Antonio had packed their bags, chosen their six Pokémon to bring with them and had been flown over by plane to the Unova region. They'd been flown to the academy itself via Flying Taxi after arriving at the airport. Despite feeling worn out from the flight, Salma and Antonio were refreshed thanks to the ocean breeze and the grand sight of Blueberry Academy.
"Ay Carumba! It's no school I've ever seen before!" Salma exclaimed, "Of all the places to put it! We're in the middle of the ocean right now! How amazing is that Antonio?!" she cried.
"It's so…blue." Antonio said meekly, lacking his sister's enthusiasm.
Antonio was a year younger than Salma and had the same dainty appearance as her, which made him look rather meek and mild compared to most other boys. He had black wavy hair, hazel eyes and freckles over the bridge of his nose. Unlike his sister, Antonio was shy and socially awkward but he was a very kind and gentle boy by nature. His sweet nature made it easy for people to get along with. Even someone as rough around the edges as Arven had befriended Antonio, though the fact he'd helped him save his dying Mabosstiff also helped. His journey as a Pokémon trainer prioritized exploration over battling so he wasn't as strong as Salma was, but he could hold his own in a fight if needed. His Pokémon had taken on five Titan Pokémon and beaten them so he was by no means a slouch. But if he and Salma were to battle, it would be no contest. The two were so close that it was highly unlikely they would ever battle any way.
"Aw come on Antonio, liven up! We're in a brand new school and I bet there's lots of brand new Pokémon to meet in there!" Salma said excitedly, "Don't be like that!"
"Sorry, it's just…you know how I am when going to a new place." muttered Antonio, "It's scary and I'm worried the students here might be jerks."
"No need to worry about that sonny boy!" Director Cyrano declared, taking his hat off his head, spinning it around and then putting it back on, "Our students here are very welcoming and friendly, even towards exchange students. You'll be welcomed quite warmly here, by both staff and students."
That did little to lift Antonio's spirits up but he tried to be positive. The director looked down at the two Paldeans. He was black and dressed smartly in a white suit with a red bow-tie, a wide-brimmed hat with a blue band around the crown and pointed black shoes. He wore a long black scarf that he had draping around his neck and shoulders. The tips were styled a bit like a Honedge's sash. He also had a silver ring on his fourth finger that glinted in the sunlight. Salma guessed he was married but Cyrano hadn't mentioned anything about a husband or wife to her and Antonio yet.
"So you two, is there anything you'd like to ask me about?" Cyrano inquired, unable to keep the glee out of his voice.
"Si." Salma piped in, "Why's the rest of the school underwater?"
"Really, that's what you're curious about?" Cyrano exclaimed, having expected another kind of question. Not many students ever asked about the school being underwater.
"Well it's very simple! You see, it's uh…um…" he stammered.
Salma rolled her eyes in exasperation. There he goes again, forgetting important details like that! Cyrano was an absent-minded kind of guy, something that was apparent to both siblings when they first met him. It was amazing this man hadn't forgotten his own head at this point!
"It's because the school building is attached to an undersea plant that develops natural resources. Right? That's what I've heard."
Salma and Antonio glanced over as a young girl with a long pink coat approached them. She had pink mid-length hair style in a bob cut, golden hair clips on either side of her head and bright yellow eyes. She wore the typical BBA uniform of blue and white with a red tie and a red glove on one hand. Her trousers stopped short of her ankles, which reminded Salma and Antonio of Director Clavell back home and Cyrano just next to them. Her face was a picture of kindness and politeness. She looked as if she could have the worst day of her life and still keep up her sweet smile. Antonio stared at the girl in amazement. He was instantly smitten with her cute appearance and lovely face.
"Wow, she's cute…" he whispered to himself.
"Yes! Right! Exactly! Took the words right out of my mouth!" Cyrano said, trying to make it sound as if that's what he was going to say all along, "Always on point, aren't you, Lacey?"
Lacey just smiled modestly and shook her head.
"Oh no, it was nothing really." she dismissed.
She turned to Salma and Antonio and eyed them with interest.
"Do we have guests today?" she inquired.
"That'd be us, amigo." Salma introduced, "I'm Salma and this is my brother Antonio. We're here as part of the director's exchange programme."
"Hello." Antonio said simply, trying not to blush.
Lacey put her hands to her mouth in astonishment.
"Hold on-you two are the exchange students from the Paldea region?!" she gasped, "Goodness me, where are my manners? You two are here and I'm just showing up without a proper introduction!"
She put her hands together and smiled sweetly at the siblings.
"I'm Lacey, one of the second-year students here!" the pink-haired girl introduced.
"It's lovely to meet you." Antonio said shyly, holding a hand out for her to shake.
Salma giggled. They'd been here five minutes and already her brother was smitten with one of the students! Even she and Nemona hadn't become infatuated with one another that quickly! Lacey at first was confused at the gesture but she quickly understood and shook Antonio's hand in greeting.
"It's a pleasure to welcome you both here to Blueberry Academy!" Lacey said enthusiastically, "We haven't had any exchange students in quite a while. Not since we had the Silverlock sisters from the Galar region pay us a visit five months ago…" she said thoughtfully.
"Even I remember that visit!" Cyrano cried enthusiastically, "The battles you and the Elite Four had with them were simply breath taking! But we're digressing. Why do you show our exchange students around Lacey?" he asked.
Lacey looked annoyed with the request.
"You want ME to do it?" she sighed irritably.
"Well, you know, this tour guide stuff isn't really my thing." Cyrano said sheepishly.
"I know, which is why you have this bad habit of pushing your responsibilities onto me. And it's just NOT right!" Lacey complained, holding her arms up in an X shape to emphasize her point.
"Really letting me have it today, aren't you?" Cyrano chuckled good-heartedly.
Salma and Antonio could see that Lacey, whilst a student of the academy, wasn't afraid to speak her mind, even to the director's face, if she disagreed with something. Salma suspected Lacey might be tougher than her dainty appearance might suggest. She was also fascinated to hear the academy had its own Elite Four. What were they like and how challenging were they to battle? It was all very exciting to think about.
"That said, this does give me the chance to know the new students everybody's talking about before anyone else can…" Lacey thought aloud.
I'd love that! Antonio thought eagerly, The more time I can spend with you, the better!
"That decides it, I'll take on the task!" Lacey accepted.
She turned to the Paldean duo.
"Right this way please." she said politely, "I can show you around the entrance before we go in."
Lacey led Salma and Antonio across the bridge and through the gates. As they reached the school entrance, Salma and Antonio were able to see the fighting arena and audience seats more closely. Some students were already lazing about in the stands just enjoying the relaxing sounds of the waves nearby. How many battles were hosted out here? Would the two get their turn?
"Our school puts a great deal of emphasis on the art of Pokémon battling." Lacey explained, "We hold official matches on this central court right here at the entrance, and any student can freely utilize this court if it's not otherwise in use."
"It's sure going to be different to battles on the school grounds at Uva Academy." Salma acknowledged, "Out here at the entrance to a hi-tech building with the sounds of the ocean all around you, I doubt many trainers have experienced battling quite like this before."
"Ding, ding, ding, you got it in one Salma!" Lacey concurred, "And while you two are here, I think it's safe to say you'll be battling more here than in any other school!"
"Sounds pretty intense…" Antonio said uneasily.
"We can handle it." Salma declared, "I'm Paldea's reigning champ and you kicked Titan Pokémon butt with Arven. This'll be a piece of cake for us!"
"Hee, hee! You're enthusiastic about this I see!" Lacey giggled, "That's pretty adorable if you ask me. And here's something you'll really get enthusiastic about…sometimes wild Pokémon Terastilize here!" she announced, a lot of grandeur in her voice to make it sound as exciting as possible.
"Really? That's awesome!" Salma cheered gleefully.
"And here I wondered if our Tera Orbs would be any use to us here." Antonio said in astonishment, "Glad they will be now!"
"Given you two are from Paldea, I'm not surprised you're excited." Lacey said casually, "You'll be quite impressed to hear how we did it too."
"Yes, quite, we developed our own technology that allows us to control the Terastal phenomenon on our own turf!" Director Cyrano cut in, "But we can show you all that once we get inside. Before we do, how's about you two have a battle with Lacey?" he offered, "It'd give us all a chance to see what yer battle skills are like!"
The teens were all surprised by the idea.
"Wha-as in right now?" Salma exclaimed.
"Bit sudden, don't you think?" Antonio asked.
"Maybe so, but I would love to see what you're both capable of." Cyrano said eagerly, "You'll be in for a good first impression too, for our Lacey is a member of the Elite Four in the League Club we have going here. She's quite the battle too, something I imagine comes from being the daughter of one of Unova's famed Gym Leaders!" he added jovially.
"Oh I wish you wouldn't go spreading personal information without asking first!" Lacey grumbled indignantly, "It's just NOT right!" she complained, holding her arms up in an X shape again.
Salma and Antonio were astonished. This girl was a member of the Elite Four AND the daughter of a Gym Leader?! What's next, she's also the Champion of Unova?! Antonio was more impressed with Lacey by the second.
She's super cute AND super cool! I'd love to have her as a girlfriend… he thought.
"Give me a good show you two!" Cyrano insisted, ignoring Lacey's complaints.
He stood to the side and waited for the battle to go underway. Lacey sighed in exasperation and glance apologetically at the Paldean trainers.
"I'm sorry you two, but once the director gets an idea in his head, he sticks with it." she said apologetically, "We won't be able to move on until we give him his battle."
"No problem amigo." Salma said casually, "Given you're an Elite Four member and a Gym Leader's daughter, I'm quite excited to battle you. I'm up for this challenge! Antonio?" she asked, glancing to her brother.
"Let's battle until we can't walk anymore!" Antonio cried out at the top of his lungs.
Everyone in the stands glanced quizzically at the young boy. Antonio blushed bright pink and coughed anxiously.
"I mean, I'm up for it too…" he whispered.
Lacey giggled. These two students were going to be fun to have around, she could tell already. Salma and Antonio stood together on one side of the arena while Lacey took up her position on the other end. The rules were simple: Salma and Antonio would use only one Pokémon each while Lacey used two. The Paldeans had been informed beforehand that Blueberry Academy specialized in double battles so they knew what to expect. Salma had only had one double battle on her journey, and that had been her Gym battle against Ryme so she had some experience. Antonio was new to the concept as he'd only ever done single battles. He was nervous about the battle but he was determined to give it a try. With his sister by his side, this would be easy, right?
"We don't want this battle to drag on, so how's about we only use the first Pokémon we send out?" Lacey asked.
"Suits me." Salma said with a shrug, "I'm not in the mood for a full battle anyway. We're still pretty tired from our flight here so let's make this quick and easy."
"I hope to impress you Lacey!" Antonio said eagerly.
Salma smirked. Of course he just said that! Lacey didn't seem to take any notice of what he'd said for she simply drew out a couple of Nest Balls. All the students in the stands and Director Cyrano watched intently as the battle was about to begin.
"I'll be representing Blueberry Academy for this battle, so I'll try not to disappoint!" Lacey said sweetly, "Plusle, Minun, let's have a cute battle!"
She threw the two balls and her twin Pokémon materialized onto the field in unison. Plusle and Minun were first discovered in the Hoenn region and bore a heavy resemblance to Pikachu, especially with their yellow fur, pointy ears and Electric-typings. They looked nearly identical except for their ears and tails. Plusle's ears and front paws were red and its tail was shaped like a plus sign while Minun's ears and front paws were blue and its tail was shaped like a minus sign. They also had plus and minus markings on their cheeks. They looked as adorable as Pikachu itself and were popular for double battles because of how well they worked in unison with each other. Salma wasn't impressed.
"Come on Lacey, be serious. A Plusle and a Minun? Me and my brother are not jokes you know." she muttered.
"Salma, don't be rude!" Antonio hissed, jabbing his sister in the ribs with his elbow.
"Oh I wouldn't underestimate these two darlings!" Lacey sneered, "Anyone who does quickly regrets it!"
"Surprise us." Salma said, still unconvinced, "Ceruledge, it's battle time!" she yelled, throwing her Pokéball.
"Meowscarada, spring into action!" Antonio shouted, throwing his own ball.
Ceruledge and Meowscarada emerged from their balls and stood side-by-side on the central court. Ceruledge was Salma's first Pokémon and had been her closest partner since before her journey had even begun. She'd found him as a Charcadet one day and taken him in to nurse him back to health. In gratitude, he'd stayed with Salma ever since. When it was time for her and Antonio to start their journeys, Director Clavell had brought the usual starter trio over and despite having a Pokémon already, Salma had chosen Fuecoco and Antonio had chosen Sprigatito. She'd evolved into a Meowscarada over the course of Antonio's journey with Arven and the two were completely inseparable. The ghost knight and magician feline adopted battle ready stances and prepared for action. Plusle and Minun gave them cute smiles and then clenched their fists, trying to look both cute and badass at the same time. The students watching were excited. They were seeing two Pokémon they'd never seen before go up against one of their school's Elite Four. This was the kind of match to welcome these newcomers to their turf!
"Alright students, let the battle begin!" Cyrano ordered, throwing his arm down to signify the start of the battle.
"We'll make the first move!" Salma insisted, "Ceruledge, use Bitter Blade!"
"Meowscarada, use Flower Trick!" Antonio ordered.
The Fire/Ghost and Grass/Dark types sprang into action. Ceruledge sprinted towards Plusle and slashed the little electric rodent with hi fiery blades. Plusle crashed down onto its back and winced, feeling the burn from that attack. Meowscarada strutted towards Minun, her expression haughty and her arms held out wide as if she was performing for an audience. The flower that floated beside her suddenly disappeared, as if by magic. Then out of nowhere, a hail of flower bombs began to rain down on top of Minun. The Electric Pokémon wailed as it was bombarded and it sprawled on the floor beside its partner. Despite what had happened, Lacey didn't look particularly worried. If anything, she looked as if she was studying her opponents and calculating her next move accordingly. Plusle and Minun picked themselves up, grunting but by no means out of the battle. Salma and Antonio nodded to each other. These two weren't going to be total pushovers, they could see that straight away.
"Good shots, now it's our turn." Lacey said keenly, "Show us your Plus/Minus strategy my adorable duo! Both of you use Discharge together!"
The Paldean teens were confused. Why do that? Discharge hit all Pokémon on the field. Their Electric typing naturally would mean they wouldn't get hurt much but it still seemed to be a strange thing to do. Was this part of their Plus/Minus strategy? They soon found out as both electric rodents unleashed a colossal wave of electricity. As they launched their attack, their abilities were activated. Plusle had the Lightning Rod ability, a move that drew in electric attacks and boosted the Special Attack of Electric types if an Electric type with the ability was hit by one. Minun had Volt Absorb, another move that drew in Electric attacks and when they were hit by an Electric attack, their health was restored a little. As a result, Plusle got an attack boost and Minun recovered some of its health. Both Discharges hit Ceruledge and Meowscarada and made them stagger backwards. Salma observed what had happened and understood immediately.
"I see it. Their Plus/Minus strategy is basically one powers up the other and one heals the other when both use Discharge." the purple-haired girl muttered, "That Lacey's cleverer than I thought."
"I sure won't ever underestimate Plusle and Minun ever again!" Antonio exclaimed.
"I did warn you two." Lacey retorted, "And this is just the tip of the iceberg of what they can do! Minun, give Plusle a Helping Hand! Plusle, use Alluring Voice on Meowscarada!"
Salma blinked in confusion. Alluring Voice? That was an attack she'd never heard of before. Minun's body glowed white as it cheered for its team mate. Plusle glowed white in response and thanked its team mate for the support. Then it opened its mouth and sang loudly with an angelic sounding voice that carried a lot of power in it. The soundwaves swept over Meowscarada and she meowed in pain. As a half Dark-type, she was weak against Fairy moves and unfortunately for her, Alluring Voice was a Fairy-type attack. Ceruledge saw his team mate was under pressure and he retaliated by using Phantom Force. He disappeared into a portal he opened up and reappeared behind Plusle. But Lacey reacted incredibly quickly and had Minun use Discharge. Minun's attack hit both Ceruledge and Plusle, thus boosting the latter's Special Attack even more. Ceruledge winced as he was electrocuted by the attack. Undeterred, Salma ordered Ceruledge to use Will-O-Wisp on Plusle. She saw that it was the bigger threat due to Lightning Rod helping boost its Special Attack so Plusle needed to be taken down first. Ceruledge conjured up a bunch of flaming wisps and launched them at Plusle. The wisps hit the little Pokémon and Plusle cried out as it was burnt by them.
Seizing his chance, Antonio ordered Meowscarada to use Night Slash on the burnt Plusle. Meowscarada sprinted quickly towards Plusle and sliced into it with her dark energy surrounding her paws. Plusle wailed in anguish and collapsed onto the floor. Meowscarada had landed a critical hit, which had only made the attack more painful. Seeing its team mate was in danger, Minun opened its mouth and used Alluring Voice itself. Meowscarada was hit by the angelic soundwaves and she stumbled backwards. Ceruledge quickly put a stop to the attack by using Will-O-Wisp on Minun. Now both of Lacey's Pokémon were burnt. Ceruledge and Meowscarada charged towards the electric mice, aiming to use Bitter Blade and Night Slash on them both. Plusle and Minun used Grass Knot to trip them both up and stop their charge. The grass blades tripped the pair up and they tumbled on top of each other. But the victory was short-lived as Plusle and Minun suffered damage from their burns. The BBA students murmured to one another with interest. It seemed these exchange students were proper hot-shots in battle themselves! Cyrano was grinning from ear-to-ear as he watched the battle.
"Now this is exciting stuff!" he exclaimed, "BB Academy's going to have a good time with these two joining us, that's for sure!"
"Oh, burning my beautiful Pokémon like that? That's just NOT right!" Lacey exclaimed, "We'll have to put a stop to you two! Plusle, Helping Hand! Minun, Discharge!"
Ignoring the burn for now, Plusle used Helping Hand to power up Minun as it launched its next attack. With the boost from Helping Hand, Minun let fly a Discharge that was even more powerful than usual. The sweeping wave of electricity punched into Ceruledge and Meowscarada, dealing more damage thanks to Helping Hand's power boost. Unfortunately for Ceruledge, Discharge's side effect had kicked in and now he was paralyzed. He grimaced as his body was immobilized by the paralysis for a moment. Plusle's Special Attack had also gotten another boost, meaning that any attack it landed now would probably finish both opponents off simultaneously. Determined not to let it happen, Antonio ordered Meowscarada to use another Flower Trick. The magician Pokémon performed her magic trick again and a hail of flower bombs came raining down on top of Plusle. But Lacey anticipated the move and ordered the Plus Pokémon to use Alluring Voice to blow the flowers away. It cried out with its voice and the flower bombs were sent scattering away, exploding on whatever they crashed into. Plusle then retaliated by using Discharge. With its earlier power boosts, its Discharge was super powerful and would easily wipe out anything that didn't resist Electric types. Salma and Antonio turned away as the Discharge swept over the court and Meowscarada was electrocuted by the move. Minun was hit but once again, its Volt Absorb ability caused it to get healed by the electricity instead of hurt by it. Meowscarada stumbled backwards, panting heavily. And then it collapsed onto the floor, unable to fight any more.
"Oh no! Meowscarada!" Antonio cried in dismay.
"Looks like one of our guests is down and out!" Cyrano announced.
"Indeed so." Lacey agreed, "But…where's the other one?"
Everyone gasped as they saw that Ceruledge was no longer on the field! The fire knight had vanished! At the last minute, he'd used Phantom Force to disappear from the battle before Discharge could hit so Plusle had only managed to hit Meowscarada. He reappeared behind Plusle, hits blades raised and ready to attack.
"BEHIND YOU!" Lacey screamed frantically.
But it was too late. Ceruledge backhanded Plusle with Bitter Blade, his fiery sword cutting into his opponent and draining some of its health away. Plusle cried out and slumped down on the floor. He struggled for a moment, and then gave up. It was too weak to carry on fighting. The odds had been evened. Antonio cheered excitedly.
"Absolutamente fantástica!" he applauded, "Lacey never saw that coming!"
"I don't think anyone did." Salma said smugly, "Look at the shock on everyone's faces!"
Indeed all the students watching and Director Cyrano were staring at the battlefield with astonishment. It looked as if Lacey had this fight won and yet it was back to begin even! Lacey returned Plusle to its Nest Ball and thanked it for the battle. Antonio returned Meowscarada. Now it was just Ceruledge and Minun left to fight and thanks to the burn from Will-O-Wisp, it looked as if Ceruledge had the advantage for now. Ceruledge could keep replenishing its health with Bitter Blade while Minun had no health recovery left thanks to Plusle being taken out. Was it even worth continuing the fight at this point? Lacey decided to keep on going. It wouldn't give Blueberry Academy a good first impression if she just forfeited like that just because it looked as if she might lose.
"You're giving us all quite the show Salma!" cried Lacey, "Why don't we keep going until the end to keep entertaining everyone?"
"You're speaking my language, amigo!" Salma said excitedly, "And just to make things extra exciting, let's give Blueberry Academy a taste of what Terastilization the Paldean way is like!"
She whipped out a Tera Orb and activated it. She remembered the director saying that the Terastal phenomenon could be replicated here in the academy so now was the time to test it. Her orb absorbed Terastal energy and she threw the device straight at Ceruledge. The orb touched her Pokémon and all at once, an explosion of light surrounded him and he was coated from head to toe in crystalline armour. Ceruledge's Tera type was Ghost, so his crystal coating gave him an ominous purple glow. Everyone stared in awe at the twinkling crystal coated Ceruledge on the field. Lacey could see what Salma was doing. She didn't actually need to Terastilize to win, she was just showing off for the audience. She had to show these students why she was the Champion of Paldea.
"We haven't a chance my darling Minun, but we'll give it a go anyway! Use Discharge!" Lacey ordered.
Minun tensed up its body and let fly a colossal electric attack.
"Give us a Tera boosted Phantom Force!" Salma commanded.
Ceruledge disappeared through another purple portal, avoiding the attack completely. Minun looked around wildly, worried on where Ceruledge was going to attack from. Ceruledge appeared directly above Minun and dropped down from the portal. Minun only had time to scream in terror as Ceruledge lashed out with a powerful kick that sent it flying through the air. Thanks to Terastilization, that single Phantom Force had been boosted so much that the attack had knocked Minun out instantly. It was already unconscious before it hit the floor. Lacey's Pokémon were down and out while Ceruledge remained standing, making Salma and Antonio the winners of the match. For a moment, there was silence. Then everyone cheered for the exchange students.
"What a match that was!" Cyrano cheered, "Our guests certainly gave us an incredible show! It was a good, well fought battle but in the end, Salma and Antonio Noceda stand triumphant!"
"Well, Salma stands triumphant. I got wasted out there." Antonio muttered sadly.
"Oh don't put yourself down little brother, we BOTH won! This is our victory!" Salma insisted, "I refuse to take all the credit, especially as you still helped enough that we won in the end."
"Well…if you say so." Antonio said, unconvinced by his sister's encouragement.
Lacey returned Minun to its Nest Ball and thanked it for the battle. Then she approached Salma and Antonio. Her face was full of glee for the two.
"That was an impressive battle you two! I had a great time out there!" the Unovan teen cheered, "And might I add that Meowscarada of yours is simply adorable Antonio?" she added, "I'd love to cuddle with her some other time if you'll let me!"
"Oh? Um…s-sure, I think she'd be OK with that." Antonio said bashfully.
"You sure seem to like cute things, don't you?" Salma acknowledge, returning Ceruledge to his Pokéball.
"They're my one weakness!" Lacey confirmed, "Show me a cute Pokémon and I'm just…aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" she squealed ecstatically.
Can that girl get any cuter?! Antonio thought.
"Excellent show you three! You showed us all what Pokémon battles are all about! You two will fit right into my academy!" Cyrano said enthusiastically.
"Gracias senior." Salma said, bowing politely.
"Now that's done with, let's continue the tour, shall we?" the director offered.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot about that." Lacey said quickly, "Let's show you the inside of our school! You haven't seen anything yet until you see what's below."
"I can hardly wait." Salma said eagerly, "Come on Antonio."
"Right behind you sis." Antonio said, sounding keen to see what was next.
Cyrano and Lacey led the way into Blueberry Academy with Salma and Antonio following close behind. As they left, one student watched them go with a thoughtful look on his face. The student had white hair styled into a large quaff with a purple stripe going down the middle, yellow eyes, a black leather jacket and a purple cape tied around his waist. He'd been enjoying the fresh air before Salma and Antonio arrived and watched the whole battle that had just occurred. He was very interested in Salma in particular. She was strong. Yes…she would be perfect for his plans!
That new girl might be just what I need to dethrone our current Champion and put an end to all the drama he's been causing… the boy thought to himself.
He rose from his seat and followed. He wanted to keep a good eye on Salma and then approach her himself so he could rope her into his scheme. With any luck, she would play her part perfectly and Kieran would no longer be Champion of the academy…
And so here we are! Salma and Antonio are brand new students here at Blueberry Academy and ready to study Pokémon battling the Blueberry way! Will they succeed? And how awkward are things going to get once Kieran meets up with them again? We'll soon see, but for now let's look to the next episode in which Salma and Antonio are invited to join the "League Club"..
Trivia: Salma's partner being Ceruledge is a no-brainer. Ceruledge is my favourite Gen 9 Pokémon and has quickly become my favourite Fire type, my favourite Ghost-type and my second favourite Pokémon behind only Raichu. So of course she owns a Ceruledge. Making it her actual partner rather than the Paldean starters was to make her stand out. Her team is mostly based on the team I first used to beat the game too with Ceruledge, Kingambit, Palafin, Skeledirge, Baxcalibur and Kilowattrel. In the game itself, I had Cetitan on my main team but I've swapped it out for Kilowattrel to give Salma more variety, although her team is interchangeable as you'll see in this series so she will use a Cetitan herself in spite of this.
I'm also choosing to portray the Pokémon closer to how they are in the games and anime, so no talking Pokémon or Pokémon with quirky personalities like my previous fanfics. I used to find it fun back then but now it's kinda worn out its charm in my eyes and just felt forced so I'm putting more focus on characterizing the humans and letting them do the talking.
Antonio's team is based on the team I used to beat the game on my second run in which I picked Sprigatito as the starter. His appearance is based on one time I used the male character on Scarlet and Violet.
Also because I prefer Violet over Scarlet, Uva Academy is the school of Paldea and not Narinja Academy.
For this battle, I improved the move sets of Lacey's Plusle and Minun. Here, both of them have the same move set of Discharge, Alluring Voice, Grass Knot and Helping Hand, which I think is better than just them having three moves and Minun having a weak move like Swift. That was dumb. =P
*Novia is Spanish for "girlfriend"
**Amar is Spanish for "love"