Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

Pokémon: Sinnoh no Isekai

Chapter Three-hundred and eight: Blueberry Bungling, part one

The crew of The Jelly-Filled Donut made their way back to the Paldea region, where they had been called to by Paldea Top Champion Geeta. The crew was originally in Johto, but they were needed to bring Briar of Blueberry Academy back to that very same trainer school located in the waters in Unova's territory. As far as Dawn was concerned, so long as her ship didn't have to carry any of the spoiled brat rich legacy students, she would be fine with it.

Dawn, along with her flying ship's usual away team, made their way into Naranja Academy, where they spotted Briar standing with Director Clavell, Jacq the Biology teacher, Geeta, and a cocoa skinned dapperly dressed (somewhat) older man. He wore a white fedora with a blue band around the base of the head, a white suit top open in the front to show the black dress vest, white dress shirt, and red neck tie underneath, white dress pants, black shiny dress shoes, and long black scarf draped around his neck.

Dawn led Kenny, Trip, Mina, Leona, Omiyo, Rhyanna, and Sho over to the scene where the adults were all gathered. "We're here to pick up Ms. Briar to take her to Blueberry Academy?" Dawn called out, getting all of the adults to turn to face her group.

"Ah, you weren't kidding when you said you knew Sinnoh Champion Dawn Berlitz," the mystery man said to Geeta, "So she'll be taking me and Briar back to Blueberry Academy?"

Gesturing to the mystery man, Kenny asked, "Who's this mysterious and sharply dressed man?"

Gesturing to the mystery man, Clavell said, "Kenny, this here is Cyrano. He's the director of Blueberry Academy. He came here to pick up Briar, but made the mistake of not only not getting a round trip ticket, but forgot to get a ticket for Briar at all."

"Gah ha ha ha!" lauged the now identified Cyrano, "Guess I'm more forgetful than I thought!"

"So I take it that we're taking both Briar and Cyrano to Blueberry Academy," Sho remarked, "You could have told us about the development while we were on our way here."

Shrugging, Geeta said, "It slipped my mind."

"I see that I'm not the only forgetful one here!" Cyrano chuckled in amusement. To the heroes, Cyrano went on, "Anyway, I got it that you all had met some Blueberry Academy students while on a trip to the land of Kitakami. Was it a pleasant experience that helped to highlight how great those who study at my proud school can be?"

"We're... admittedly going in with a fairly poor opinion due to Kieran's older sister Carmine," Rhyanna explained, "She... she's just the worst."

Cyrano for the first time since he was seen had a look other than jovial amusement on his face. He looked to be concerned and a tad worried. "Carmine soured your opinion of Blueberry Academy? Oh dear, I need to have a talk with her I guess."

"In addition to a talking to," Dawn began, "I'd suggest that Carmine also get, like, some really serious therapy. She's clearly got some issues. Although I'm not sure if therapy will help as she's shown signs of refusing to change."

"Maybe she can be inspired to change by Mr. Cyrano here as he rocks is impeccable attire," Kenny said, "Seriously, the dude here is sporting some seriously awesome threads."

"Gah ha ha ha!" Cyrano laughed in sincere amusement, "I'm glad to see the latest generation still appreciates dressing well! I bet you and the others here will have a blast at Blueberry Academy!"

"Wait, I thought that we were only going to drop you and Ms. Briar off," Omiyo said.

Stepping forward, Jacq said, "Actually, it'd be for the best if you and your friends check out Blueberry Academy. It'll be an enriching experience for all of you."

Stepping forward, Dawn added, "Plus, we're going to wanna grill Carmine for more details."

"You can't grill Carmine!" Omiyo exclaomed, "That'd be cannibalism!"

"Uhh, Omiyo," Leona began, "The phrase 'grill someone for details' means that the someone in question is going to be interrogated for information. They aren't going to be literally grilled on a grill."

Looking mildly stunned, Omiyo said, "...Oh."

Clapping her hands together, Dawn said, "Well, it looks like we're off to Blueberry Academy." The group gave a cheer, with Omiyo flinching a bit due to the volume, before everyone headed out to The Jelly-Filled Donut to take off for Blueberry Academy.

After some flying, The Jelly-Filled Donut landed on an open air platform connected to a big bluish dome out in the waters of Unova region territory. "Ta-da!" Cyrano said when he, Briar, and the away team stepped off of the flying ship, "We're here! Welcome to my grand Blueberry Academy! Everything that you see above the water is mostly just the entrance. The school itself is actually underwater! Isn't that amazing?"

"There's... there's certainly a lot of blue," Mina said, looking a bit surprised.

"Yes, yes," Cyrano said, "I spent a lot of time trying to pick the perfect Blueberry color." Turning to face the away team from The Jelly-Filled Donut, Cyrano asked, "Uh... perhaps you all might have one or two other things you'd like to ask me?"

"How is all of this paid for?" Kenny asked, "I mean seriously, you'd need some serious bank to foot the bill for a place like this!"

When Kenny mentioned the possible costs of maintaining a place like Blueberry Academy, Cyrano looked a bit concerned. "Well I myself am rather well off financially. But to be honest, a fair enough chunk of expenses are covered by financial backing from the wealthy elite of Paldea that without said backing, Blueberry Academy can't afford to operate."

Right away, the away team all had unamused looks on their faces. "Great, those guys," Sho said in a dry tone, "No doubt that they're running roughshod over the school here like they own the place as you said it can't afford to operate without them."

"Which..." a girl's voice called out, making Cyrano and the away team turn to face where the voice is coming from, "...Which is why Blueberry Academy is going to be shutting down soon, I'm afraid." The girl was fair skinned, had dark pinkish hair in a collarbone length bob cut, wore a white school uniform top and blue school uniform leggings under a faded mildly darkish pink cardigan, a pair of white shoes, and white socks. She had a resigned, guilty look on her face.

"Blueberry Academy is going to be shutting down soon?" Dawn asked, "What happened? And for that matter, who are you?"

Gesturing to herself, the girl said, "My name is Lacey, and I'm a member of the Blueberry League Club. I'm..." Looking down at the ground, Lacey went on, "...I'm also the reason that Blueberry Academy is shutting down at the end of the current school year."

"Now now, Lacey," Cyrano said in a reassuring tone, "It's not your fault."

Giving a pouty stomp with her right foot, Lacey said, "Yes it is! It's my fault because I made one of the kids from the visiting group of financial suppliers upset!"

Folding his arms over his chest, Kenny said, "Let me guess. By 'financial suppliers', you mean the wealthy elite from Paldea and their spoiled brat children."

Looking to the side, Lacey said, "...Pretty much."

"Look, I'm certain I can drum up support from elsewhere before the deadline," Cyrano said, "And maybe Dawn and her crew here can help convince others to lend a hand."

Perking up just a shade, Lacey said, "Well maybe we can show them the Terarium."

Looking curious, Dawn said, "The Terarium?"

...

A short while later, Cyrano and Lacey after leading Dawn and her away team through a tunnel brought them out into a large expansive area with multiple biomes. The place was so grand and varied, many in the away team had trouble believing all of it was actually located underwater. "This is it," Lacey said, "The park beneath the sea that has gained renown around the world... our very own Terarium! We may be underwater, but the projectors built into the walls and ceiling make it feel like we're actually outside above the water and on land, don't they?"

"Yup, yeah," Leona said, "I can see why a place like Blueberry Academy needs the help of financial suppliers to stay in business."

Pointing up at something she saw, Omiyo said, "What's that thing?" Everyone looked up and saw a big green sphere hanging from the very top of the dome.

"Oh, that there is the Terarium Core," Cyrano explained, "Which presides over all that happens in the Terarium. It contains a fluid that we've jam-packed full of a special material from Paldea. It's constantly emitting Terastal energy, it's what allows Pokémon to Terastallize here in the Terarium!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about Terastallization," Mina said.

Looking to Cyrano, Dawn asked, "What exactly is that material in the Terarium Core? The material that you say is 'jam-packed' into the core and said material is from Paldea?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself to be honest," Cyrano said, "Briar is the one who put all of it together."

"And she ran off elsewhere as soon as we began making our way into the school," Trip remarked, "So we'll have to drill her for information later."

Rhyanna was about to say something, but was cut off by an announcement that a class was going to be starting in the Coastal Biome soon. "Ohh, this is a great chance to show Dawn's group a class here at Blueberry Academy in session to let them see why Blueberry Academy is so great a place it deserves to be saved from shutting down," Lacey said.

"An excellent point, Lacey," Cyrano said, "Why don't you show them over?" Although Dawn and her away team didn't have much say, they were taken by Lacey over to see the class in session. It did give them a chance to see things in action, so that was good.

Over at the outdoor classroom in the Coastal Biome, the heroes watched the class as it was in session. Dawn also noticed a few of the students shooting resentful looks at Lacey, which Dawn is suspecting relates to Lacey saying it's her fault that Blueberry Academy most likely will have to be shutting down due to angering Paldea's wealthy elite. Dawn wasn't sure what exactly Lacey had done, but she's at least ninety-one point six percent sure that the reason is incredibly petty.

"Now under normal circumstances," began the teacher running the class, "I'd advise you kids to try catching some of the wild Pokémon we have living here in the Terarium. But due to budgeting issues the school is facing right now-"

"Yeah," one boy spoke up, "Because Crispin revealed it's Lacey's fault the school's gonna shut down!" A lot of glares turned to look at Lacey, making her shrink back.

"Hey now, hey now, let's not point fingers," the teacher said, getting all eyes back on him, "Anyway, due to said budget issues, the wild Pokémon living in the Terarium are being shipped out back to the wilds of the regions above the water. There shouldn't be very many wild Pokémon left still here in the Terarium, but if you do see any you're free to catch them."

After that, the class was dismissed, allowing the students to leave. "...Yeah, I'm pretty much a pariah around Blueberry Academy now," Lacey said to the heroes, her expression and tone equal parts ashamed and resigned, "Given that everyone knows it's my fault the school's most likely going to shut down because I unintentionally offended one of the children of one of the Paldean wealthy elite who had been helping to fund the school."

Mina folded her arms over her chest. "You know, the lads here and I still haven't been told what you supposedly did that offended the Paldean wealthy elite, but given it was the Paldean wealthy elite who you had offended, chances are the reason is incredibly petty because of how egotistical and thin-skinned those guys are."

"They're basically the Celestial Dragons of this setting," Kenny said.

Looking to Lacey, Mina said, "What did you do to offend them, Lacey?"

Lacey was about to speak up, but a call came from her phone. A voice came from it that sounded male to the heroes, but they couldn't quite exactly make out what the voice sounded like or what the voice was saying. "Oh, Crispin is calling me to the League Club room," Lacey said, "Gotta go!" Lacey then took off before she could answer the heroes on what she did to doom Blueberry Academy.

After Lacey was gone, Mina with a dry look on her face said, "Conveni-"

"Hey-o!" the familiar voice of Carmine called out when Kenny's phone flew out and floated in front of the heroes, "This is Kenny's phone, right? It's me! Carmine!"

"YOU!" Kenny exclaimed, "Your nose has my fist's name on it, you bastard!"

"...Umm, okay..." Carmine's voice replied from the phone, "...Anyway, I heard the news that you and your friends are at Blueberry Academy. We... ought to meet up. Have you and your friends been to the Terarium yet?"

"We're here right now, you horrific excuse for an older sister," Rhyanna scowled bitterly.

"Umm... yeah, about that," Carmine's voice replied, "We... umm... may need talk about that when you guys meet up with me. There's a space called the Central Plaza right in the center of the dome. I'm here already, so you guys come on over."

"So my fist can meet your nose!" Kenny declared.

"Can... can we at least try to save that business for a less public setting?" Carmine's voice asked, "It's bad enough that I may have screwed up. I don't need to be humiliated publicly over it." The call then ended and Kenny's phone flew back into his pocket.

Shrugging, Trip said, "Well I guess we have to go meet with her now."

"Yeah, we got some grievances to air against her," Rhyanna agreed as the whole away team made its way to the Central Plaza.

Over at the Central Plaza, the heroes arrived to see that Carmine was talking to a dark skinned girl wearing glasses and a blue Blueberry Academy uniform with a gray chain like accessory going from the button of her top just under her breasts to over her left shoulder. She also had gray, screw like accents in her hair.

"So yeah, things are a bit rough right now..." Carmine said to the dark skinned girl.

"I couldn't agree more," replied the dark skinned girl. Looking and seeing the heroes come up, the dark skinned girl said, "Ah, we have visitors, Carmine."

Turning around, Carmine saw the heroes. "Ah, Kenny and friends," Carmine greeted, "Long time no-"

"Time for you to go to hell!"

*HUWAHPAP*

"Ahhhhh! Kenny what the hell?!" Carmine exclaimed after Kenny cut her off before punching her in the face.

"I should be asking you the same thing!" Kenny declared as he rubbed the blood on his knuckles off, "We found out even more of your foul shenanigans against Kieran! And yet you have the nerve to greet the lads and I with nothing but smiles, as if you have done no wrong!"

"I... have been made aware to an extent of the less than smooth relations that Carmine has with her younger brother Kieran," spoke up the dark skinned girl. She reached into her top where the chain went in, pulled out a pocket watch that was attached to the end. "Ah, it's time for me to go to the League Club room," said the dark skinned girl, "I'll be seeing you later, Carmine."

"Alright, take care," Carmine said, waving the girl goodbye. Turning back to face the heroes, Carmine said, "She's one of my classmates here at Blueberry Academy. She's an interesting one."

"I hope you haven't been sharting all over Kieran since we last met," Kenny scowled.

Folding her arms over her chest, Carmine said, "For your information, I've been helping Ms. Briar with her research. We've been to all sorts of different regions."

"Did you guys go to Unova and meet a girl named Helen?" Dawn asked, drawing a look of surprised, piqued interest out of Carmine, "Because she had identified you as the student here at Blueberry Academy who bullied her into dropping out of school. Supposedly it was because she was friends with Kieran but you didn't approve of it."

"H-Hey, for all I know she could have been a bad influence on Kieran," Carmine said, "And I never bullied anyone into dropping out of Blueberry Academy." Looking concerned, Carmine asked, "By the way, have you guys run into Kieran yet?"

"No, why?" Sho replied.

Gently shaking her head, Carmine said, "Oh, if you guys haven't seen him, it's fi-"

"I hope you have a good reason for this assignment apparently being too hard for you!" a certain male voice could be heard calling out, getting everyone's attention.

The heroes and Carmine ran over to the side of the platform they were on, looked down, and saw Kieran talking to a fair skinned male student. Kieran... had a bit of a makeover since the heroes last saw him; his hair was pulled back into a top knot although a strand still went over his face, and he wore his white hoodie open in the front revealing his red shirt underneath. But what really changed about Kieran was that he gave off an air that was a lot more... merciless... than what the heroes have gotten used to out of him.

"I knew it," Carmine said, a hint of concern in her tone, "That's Kieran. Phew, he almost saw us..."

"That's Kieran?!" Kenny said, "Holy crap, what the hell happened to him? The dude looks like you had deliberately infected him with your bitch genes, Carmine! What happened to the chill, nice guy we saw back in Kitakami where you guys live?"

"Hush! Keep your voice down!" Carmine scolded. Dawn could tell that Carmine was more worried about Kieran potentially overhearing them than the fact Kenny had just called her a bitch. That being said, something serious must have gone wrong with Kieran.

Speaking of, down where Kieran was chewing out the other student, Kieran said to said student, "I thought that I had told you to train five Pokémon to battle with."

"Things have been hectic at home for me this month," the other student apologized, "Also, there's the fact that there's so very few wild Pokémon remain in the Terarium due to the school having to ship them out due to lack of funding."

The heroes could tell from where they stood that Kieran's expression surprisingly softened a little bit. "...Ah yes, Lacey's screw up. That would explain why you had trouble finding and catching all of the necessary Pokémon. It sucks that you're being forced to remain weak, but given the evidence that's been presented, I would be heartless to lay all blame squarely on your shoulders." Kieran then turned so his left side was to the other student.

"K-Kieran?" the other student said, sounding concerned.

"There's still at least some wild Pokémon left here in the Terarium," Kieran said, "Try to at least catch five. I'll permit the same time limit that I gave for this original assignment." Kieran then walked away.

After Kieran had left, Carmine said to the heroes, "Not what you were expecting, huh? Kieran looks different, acts different... he hasn't been the same since we got back from the school trip."

"It looks like he had bitched up because of how much you had been a bitch around him," Mina scowled at Carmine, "He grew up with you as a primary influence in his life, and it's obvious that the way you've bullied him has finally gotten to him."

"Hey, my way of acting towards Kieran is perfect and flawless," Carmine defended, "There must be something else making Kieran acting up in a way that's too hard for me to effectively control so-"

"There's the problem."

Carmine stopped short when Rhyanna spoke up. "Kieran is acting the way that he is right now because, when you get right down to it, he was tired of you always trying to be or being in control of his life. He wanted the freedom to be his own person, have his own identity." Gesturing down to where Kieran was, Rhyanna went on, "What we saw was Kieran as a result of rebelling and taking the freedom that he wanted from you, your control, your authority, your shadow."

Looking at Rhyanna, Carmine said, "What are you on about?"

"You didn't willingly let him be himself, so he took that right by force," Rhyanna went on, "Carmine, you have got to realize that you've messed up horrifically as Kieran's older sister, that at least most of his issues stem solely from you and how you've been towards Kieran during his life. You need to apologize to Kieran for how you've been towards him and swear off being like that from here on out, although at this point I'm not sure if that alone will be enough to remedy things."

Stomping her right foot, Carmine said, "There is no issue with how I am towards Kieran! There must be something else making him act up!"

"This is painful to watch."

Everyone perked up when they heard a male voice call out, making them all turn to see a male student in a unique get up standing off to the side. He had fair yet lightly tanned skin, white hair with smaller spikes and a single large tuft with a purple stripe in it, he wore a Blueberry Academy sleeveless jersey under a short sleeved black jacket with yellow highlights and a raised collar, a purple waistcoat with yellow accents, the pants from a Blueberry Academy tracksuit, and a pair of white shoes.

This male student walked up to the heroes. "Carmine," the male student greeted when he reached everyone, "Carmine's mystery friends. You all look familiar. Maybe I've seen you guys somewhere else before?"

"What a lovely surprise," Carmine said, "Just the annoying bozo that I was hoping that I wouldn't end up running into."

"But Carmine, he's not an exact clone of yourself," Kenny said.

The male student let out a sincerely amused laugh. "Wow, it's pretty rare to see someone willing to dish a burn out to Carmine like that," said the male student, "I haven't seen such balls of steel since Kieran's Paldean friend Rimu, he's the first person I've ever known to one-hundred percent shrug off Carmine's brand of dominion."

Gesturing to the male student, Carmine said to the heroes, "This is Drayton, and he's the worst."

"No, you're the worst," Kenny immediately said to Carmine.

The now identified Drayton let out another sincerely amused laugh. "Damn, you're a riot!" Drayton said, "Blueberry Academy could have used more students like you! Maybe that would have made it so that the place ain't doomed to shut down."

Turning to look at Drayton, Dawn said, "So you're Drayton. Tell me, do you remember a girl who used to be a student here? A girl by the name of Helen?"

Perking up a bit, Drayton said, "Helen? You mean some geeky looking girl who was friends with Kieran and was particularly fond of his Furret? Yeah, what about her?"

"My crew and I met Helen a while ago in Accumula Town," Dawn began, "She said she had dropped out due to bullying, following Carmine finding out she was friends with Kieran following you seeing the two of them together and Kieran begging you NOT to tell Carmine."

"Hey now, I kept my word and never said a thing about that business to Carmine here," Drayton said, "Granted, I did tell Lacey, Crispin, and Amarys, but I never said anything to Carmine, just as Kieran had asked of me."

"It was Amarys who told me," Carmine said, "She said something about how family shouldn't keep secrets from each other." Folding her arms over her chest, Carmine said, "Thank goodness she did tell me. I was afraid that anyone I don't approve of first might be a bad influence on Kieran."

Pointing down where Kieran was at before taking off, Dawn said, "Kieran became... that... with only influences that got your approval, Carmine. Face it, at minimum, a lot of what Kieran had become is mostly your fault for being such an awful influence on your younger brother." Rhyanna, where she stood in the group, had a somber, mildly guilty look on her face as she remembered something.

Folding her arms over her chest, Carmine said, "It's like I keep telling people, I have done no wrong in how I act towards my little brother."

"And you say I'm delusional," Drayton muttered under his breath, "At least I have no delusions on what kind of a person I am."

Turning to look at Drayton, Carmine said, "Did you say something?"

Gently shaking his head, Drayton replied, "Oh, I was just going to tell the visitors here that I was previously the strongest trainer here at Blueberry Academy."

"Oh yeah, that's a good point," Carmine said. Turning to face the heroes, Carmine went on, "Drayton here is the strongest trainer here at Blueberry Academy. Well, he WAS the strongest." Carmine then introduced the heroes to Drayton. "Oh," Carmine began after the introductions, "Kenny and the rest here are friends of mine-"

"No we aren't," Kenny interrupted, "You're a despotic, delusional, horrid excuse of a person who has been an abusive, manipulative, controlling older sister towards Kieran. Why would any of us ever want be friends with someone like you? We're only associating with you because we like Kieran and are now hoping to snap the dude back to being the chill person we had first met back in Kitakami, back before he had been made into a bitch by the influence of your bitch vibes."

"...Umm, wow," Drayton said, unsure what to say, "No-one since Kieran's Paldean friend Rimu had ever talked back to Carmine period, and even he didn't use language that strong." Drayton relaxed once more and with a mildly amused smirk said, "And the fact that you want to get Kieran back to normal... Say, how about I show you and your group to the club room?"

"Sounds fair," Kenny replied.

"Hey now, Kenny and his friends aren't even students here," Carmine said. Drayton and the heroes completely ignored Carmine as Drayton led everyone off. "Hey!" Carmine said as she ran after the group, "Don't ignore me!"

Later, everyone was in the club room for the Blueberry League Club. "Aaand here we are," Drayton said, "The League Club Room."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Carmine asked.

Turning to look at Carmine, Drayton said, "Relax, Carmine. Kieran ain't gonna show up here anytime soon." To the heroes, Drayton said, "Anyway, this here room is the base of operations for the League Club. On behalf of the whole club, let me say we're glad to have you all here. Welcome to the club, all of you."

"They aren't even students," Carmine said, sounding and looking mildly unsure of where Drayton was going with this, "Some of them are even adults. Why are you acting as if they're joining the club?"

"Oh quit being a wet blanket, Carmine," Drayton said. Turning back to look at the heroes, Drayton went on, "Now that you're members of the club, you're free to use the club room here." Drayton then jerked a thumb at the table where some snacks were sitting. "And that's not all," Drayton said, "For a limited time, you can have as many of those snacks as you want!"

Gently shaking her head, Carmine said, "Those snacks are all yours, Drayton. Snacks that you leave around opened and half-finished."

Looking at the snacks, Omiyo said, "Oh, some of those look like snacks that I bet Muffin would love to eat."

Both Carmine and Drayton looked confused. "Muffin?" Drayton said, "Who's Muffin?"

Dawn had a darkly amused look on her face. "...Oh, Muffin is the nickname I gave to a Pokémon that I own. I actually have Muffin on hand with me, so would it be alright if I fed him some of those snacks that you're offering?"

"Go for it," Drayton said, oblivious to what Dawn was up to.

Smirking in amusement, Dawn took a Luxury Ball off from her belt, expanded it, and tossed it up while saying, "Come on out, Muffin!"

After coming out from the ball that Dawn had tossed up, Muffin the shiny Furret appeared in the League Club Room. "Muffin," said Muffin, looking as happy and innocent as the average Furret.

"AH FUCK!" Carmine screamed in alarmed fright as she quickly scrambled to get away, slamming her back into the wall immediately behind her, "IT'S THE MURDEROUS MONSTER!"

Drayton, looking curious, pointed at the named shiny Furret and said to Carmine, "I remember what you told me about seeing a wild shiny Furret when you took Lacey, Amarys, and Crispin with you to Kitakami. But is it REALLY so dangerous? Also I'm amazed that these guys were actually able to find a shiny Pokémon."

"Drayton, you have no idea," Dawn said dryly.

Muffin looked around the League Club Room, sniffing about until his nose drew his attention over to the table where Drayton had left his snacks. "Muffin!" declared the named shiny Furret in a happy, excited tone, making and immediate line right for the food that his nose had picked up on.

"Hey, it's saying something other than its species name," Drayton pointed out.

"Yeah, Muffin somehow gained the ability to say the nickname that Dawn gave him," Trip explained, "We have no idea why that is though."

Drayton saw Muffin eat from the snacks he left on the main table in the League Club Room. "Man, watching the shiny Furret that's got Carmine pissing herself out of freight eating snacks like that has gotten me hungry," Drayton said, "I think that I'll head on over to the cafeteria. If you guys wanna help out with things here, maybe we can have a cafeteria date to talk details."

"Wha-?!" Carmine exclaimed.

Walking off, Drayton said, "See ya!"

After Drayton was gone, Carmine turned to look at the heroes. "Arugh! That bozo!" Carmine snapped, "Just what did he mean by cafeteria date?!"

"Well Carmine," Kenny began, "A date is where-"

"I know what a date is," Carmine interrupted, "Were you seriously about to explain it to me?"

"Yes," Kenny replied without missing a beat.

Scowling, Carmine said, "Look, being here puts me on edge. Let's go somewhere else to talk. How about your group's flying ship?"

Sighing, Dawn said, "Fine. I can tell you want to have a private conversation." The heroes and Carmine then left to go to where The Jelly-Filled Donut was parked outside.

Later in The Jelly-Filled Donut's inside dining area, the heroes were talking to Carmine. "So what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Dawn asked.

"Well you see, it's about Drayton and... well Kieran," Carmine said, looking and sounding unsure.

"What's up with Kieran?" Trip asked.

Letting out a troubled sigh, Carmine said, "Kieran is... well, you saw how he is earlier. He's scaring me nowadays."

Rhyanna folded her arms over her chest, shot Carmine a suspicious look. "Because you can't control him so easily now?"

"That's one of the reasons, yes," Carmine said, "Ever since we got back from Kitakami, it's like he's become a totally different person. He's been battling and training every day... he's even cutting back on sleep. He's... he's definitely gotten stronger. Drayton used to be the strongest student here, but Kieran beat him. Now Kieran's the president of the League Club AND the BB League Champion."

"Something must have lit a fire under his butt," Kenny remarked.

Nodding once in agreement, Carmine said, "I guess he must be pretty busy... he barely talks to me anymore."

"I would think the way you've treated him all his life is the reason he barely talks to you anymore, but what do I know?" Mina snarked dryly, sarcasm clear in her words.

"Not all that much as I have never done anything wrong in how I've treated and interacted with that younger brother of mine," Carmine said, "This is clearly, like, the mother of all rebellious phases that Kieran is going through." Looking trouble again, Carmine said, "Kieran's changed... but you guys? You all had stayed the same. I need help in snapping Kieran back to normal."

"No doubt so you can have full, unquestionable dominion over him again," Rhyanna said dryly.

Nodding once in agreement, Carmine said, "Yes, exactly. Now, there's one last thing I need to warn all of you guys about. Don't trust that knucklehead Drayton. He might seem like a slacker, but don't let him fool you! He's up to something! He's a super annoying jerk! He barely even goes to class! He's had to repeat the same year three times! Point is, don't ever let your guard down around him!"

"I'd say the same about not letting our guard down around you, but whatever," Leona snarked.

"Look, you guys are gonna go hang out with Drayton later, right?" Carmine said, "I'd go with, but if I don't finish up this report today, I'm really gonna be in trouble..."

"And you say Drayton is a slacker," Dawn muttered under her breath.

To the heroes, Carmine said, "If Drayton gives you any trouble, don't be afraid to give him a good ol' Sucker Punch!"

"Like the one I gave you earlier?" Kenny asked.

Carmine, with a dry expression, replied, "...Yes." Although Sho, Rhyanna, Leona, and Omiyo remained on The Jelly-Filled Donut, the reborn trainers left with Carmine. The girl herself went to do some of her school work, but the reborn trainers went to the cafeteria to go see what it was that Drayton was wanting to talk about.

...

A short while later, the reborn trainers, with help from a Blueberry Academy student who showed them the way, found the cafeteria. There, they went up to Drayton who was lounging at one of the tables in the cafeteria. "No need to be shy, you guys," Drayton said, "Come grab a seat."

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" Dawn asked as she and the others sat down at the table with Drayton.

"Well, this question can go to all of you, but it's mainly for Kenny as Kieran's designated him at the person he most wants to defeat," Drayton began. Looking at Kenny, Drayton asked, "So listen, your Pokémon are pretty strong, right?"

"Well I'm not typically one to toot my own horn, but yeah I'd say I'm strong," Kenny replied.

Nodding once, Drayton said, "Then maybe you got a shot at becoming the BB League Champion."

"Kenny isn't a student here," Trip pointed out dryly, "How would he-"

"Well well well," Drayton interrupted, cutting Trip off and making him and the others turn to see something, "Look who decided to grace us with their presence." The reborn trainers all saw it as Kieran came walking in, accompanied by Lacey, the dark skinned girl who was with Carmine earlier, and a fair skinned boy with reddish and yellow hair that resembled fire, and he wore a short sleeved white chef's coat, blue gym shorts, fiery reddish shoes and socks, and he carried a frying pan.

Some of the other students in the cafeteria looked surprised to see Kieran and his posse there. "Woah, it's the Champion," one student said, "And the rest of the Elite Four as well."

Looking right at Drayton, Kieran said, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Shrugging, Drayton replied, "Nothing special, just thought we could grab a bite to eat. Where better to do so than at the cafeteria?"

Kieran gently shook his head. "...What a waste of time. If you have so much time for goofing off, why not train your Pokémon? You think maybe this is why you always lose to me?"

"Ow, you wound me," Drayton said, casually joking, "So I can't swing a lunch meeting with you, even though I got your buds here with me?"

Kieran and the others with him turned to look at the reborn trainers. "Oh, Kenny and his friends," Kieran said, "I heard that you guys were here. I've been meaning to talk to you anyway."

"Is this about me punching your sister in the face," Kenny began, "Or is it about Dawn scaring the piss out of your sister with the shiny Furret that she caught in Kitakami?"

Kieran actually snorted back a laugh. "No no, I didn't know about either of those," Kieran replied.

"These guys and I are already pretty tight," Drayton said, "In fact, I was gonna ask them to join the BB League, or at least ask Kenny to do so."

"Ooh, I like it! That'd be fire!" said the boy dressed like a chef.

"Wha?!" Lacey exclaimed, looking surprised.

Adjusting her glasses, the dark skinned girl said, "Someone who isn't even a student joining the BB League? Unprecedented."

Jerking her head towards the dark skinned girl, Lacey said, "Amarys here has a point. Kenny and his friends may be wonderfully capable in battle, but that doesn't mean they belong in the BB League..."

"Aw, c'mon," Drayton said, "Do you all hate fun and friendship or something? You wanna exclude someone solely because they just so happen to not be a student here?" Shrugging, Drayton said, "I say we vote on it. I'm a yes, obviously. How 'bout you, Lacey?"

"I'm... I'm sorry," Lacey said, "But considering the rules, it's a no for me."

Looking at the boy dressed like a chef, Drayton asked, "How about you, Crispin?"

"Sure, why not?" replied the now identified Crispin, "They look to be in our age group, and they're here at our school."

Looking to the now identified Amarys, Drayton said, "What about you, Amarys?"

"I abide by the rules of this institution," Anarys said, "Proposition declined."

"I bet you're loads of fun at parties," Trip said to Amarys dryly.

Drayton let out a hum. "So it's two to two, fair enough." Looking to Kieran, Drayton said, "How about you, Kieran? What does our mighty reigning Champion say?"

Kieran looked on for a moment before he spoke. "...It doesn't matter who I'm facing. I don't lose."

"Heh," Drayton chuckled, "I guess that means we got our answer."

Kieran said nothing, but turned and walked off. After he was gone, Lacey turned to look at Drayton. "Manipulating people to get what you want," Lacey began, "It's just not ri-" Lacey stopped short, a look of realization on her face. "...You could have done things differently," Lacey said, hints of defeat in her tone and expression, before she turned around and humbly left. Amarys and Crispin followed after Lacey.

The reborn trainers could tell something was up. "Is... is Lacey alright?" Mina asked.

Looking mildly troubled, Drayton said, "You all heard how Lacey's a school pariah right now, right?"

"She did something to piss off a spoiled brat rich legacy student from Paldea's Naranja Academy," Trip said, "And it's put this school here in danger of having to shut down. But we don't have a whole lot of details."

Letting out a sigh, Drayton said, "Yeah, I can fill you all in, but be warned. The story is quite the doozey."

END, CHAPTER THREE-HUNDRED AND EIGHT

Author's notes;

This chapter kicks off the shenanigans of the Indigo Disk, where the heroes go to Blueberry Academy and help out there. They learn that the school is in danger of shutting down because some visiting wealthy elite from Paldea had their sensibilities offended, but that's in the background to Kieran acting up and going dictator on the BB League Club.

Thus Drayton gets the reborn trainers at least to join the BB League Club, in the hopes they might be able to do something to get Kieran to settle down. But it's not all fun and games as Drayton has to tell the reborn trainers a rather troubling tale about why Lacey is a pariah around the school. Such a tale will be described later, but until then take care.

Dawn's Pokémon: (on hand) Chi-Chi (female Infernape), Tsukune (Palkia), Diablo (Iron Valiant), Veldora (Koraidon), Muffin (male Furret; shiny), Solstheim (male Ursaluna; Bloodmoon)

Kenny's Pokémon: (on hand) Roshi (male Torterra), Black (Giratina), Mechazilla (Iron Thorns), Manny (Great Tusk), Hizashi (Scream Tail), Azhdaha (Iron Boulder)

Trip's Pokémon: (on hand) Myde (male Empoleon), Deelia (Dialga), URL (Iron Jugulis), Donbot (Iron Hands), Robot Santa (Iron Bundle), Villetta (Miraidon)

Mina's Pokémon: (on hand) Scar (male Eevee; scared over one eye), Dragonite (male), Lucario (female), Umbreon (male; shiny), Espeon (male; shiny), Jolteon (male; shiny)